’90s kids are losing their shit after learning Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’ is a cover

Actually, it's more like a cover of a cover

Natalie Imbruglia‘s 1997 debut single ‘Torn’ is such a pure listening experience that many listeners naturally assume it’s an original.  It shot the former Neighbours actor to fame all over the world, but especially in the UK, where her version of the song sold more than one million copies.

That’s right: ‘Torn’ is a cover version, as Twitter user @VilinskiKonjic reminded/revealed to several thousand unhappy users yesterday (August 24):

https://twitter.com/VilinskiKonjic/status/900511297766387713

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The story goes that LA alt-rock band Ednaswap wrote the song ‘Torn’ in 1993. They weren’t the first to record it, though – its first release was by a Danish singer called Lis Sørensen, in which the song had been translated and retitled ‘Brændt’ (Danish for ‘burnt’). The instrumentation on this 1993 version sounds pretty much like Imbruglia’s, though Sørensen’s singing style is… let’s say it’s a little less nuanced.

Then came guitar band Ednaswap’s recording of their own song in 1995 – a slow, riff-driven version with vocals that are moody af.

Finally, in 1997, the evolution of the song was complete. Imbruglia’s smash-hit cover honed the melody and delivery style of ‘Torn’ into a perfect radio song that would go on to break airplay records in her native Australia and in the UK.

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But some Twitter users – the ones who’d been previously ignorant of the song’s triple cover status – were pretty upset by the news. “How could you do this to me?” asked one.

“This isn’t personal but I kinda hate you right now,” declared another.

https://twitter.com/MorganCarlston/status/900739534845075458

“You have shaken everyone I know to their core” came another response.

And hours after the original tweet, @bswolf finally made the most appropriate joke on the table:

Is nothing right after discovering ‘Torn”s cover status? Tell us how you feel in the comments.

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