Cover Alert | David Byrne Covers Biz Markie

As if we didn’t already realize how cool David Byrne is, he took it to a new level last night at a concert for Content Creators Coalition-NYC at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge. Byrne, wearing overalls, led a cover of Biz Markie’s beloved 1989 hit “Just A Friend.”

Byrne was part of a all-star lineup that also included John McCrea, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Tift Merritt and Marc Ribot to raise awareness of their plight to petition congress for pay-for-play radio royalties for artists. According to Consequence of Sound, Byrne explained the cover choice in his e-newsletter, “Mr. Markie didn’t write that tune (although he did probably write the rap). The drum and keyboard loop was lifted from a Freddie Scott recording, but the song was written by Gamble and Huff, the great songwriting team that wrote for The O’Jays and The Spinners. So chances are Biz Markie didn’t see any royalties from all the radio play that song got.”

Watch how Byrne’s version of “Just A Friend” went down:

[via Consequence of Sound]