There are two classic versions of “Personal Jesus” in the world: Depeche Mode‘s original, the hit first single from 1990’s Violator, and Johnny Cash‘s version from 2002’s American IV: The Man Comes Around. There are lot of other covers of the song out there, too — Def Leppard, Marilyn Manson, and Nina Hagen, to name three — and adding to the list is super-producer and Art of Noise founder Trevor Horn, who enlists Iggy Pop to sing on it. It’s one of many collab covers on his upcoming album Echoes.
Horn’s version of “Personal Jesus” changes the classic riff just a little and gives the whole thing more of a big rock production for Iggy to growl over. Says Horn: “[Iggy] said: ‘I’ve heard the track, I’m going to do three takes where I gradually get crazier and crazier and then a fourth take where I speak it and that will be it. You don’t mind if I run my own session?’ I said, ‘No, go ahead,’ and that’s exactly what he did. It’s Iggy, after all. Iggy adds another truth to whatever he does. We didn’t let the Johnny Cash version enter our thinking. We came to it as though there was only the Depeche Mode universe and here’s Iggy swinging it his way on some deviant variety TV show he happens to host.’
You can listen to that and watch Horn walk us through the mix of the song, as well as listen to Depeche Mode’s original and Johnny Cash’s version, below.
Trevor Horn’s Echoes also features collaborations with Tori Amos, Toyah & Robert Fripp, Seal, Soft Cell’s Marc Almond, and more. The album’s out December 1.