“Everywhere”
Writers: Michelle Branch, John Shanks
Original Release Date: July 17, 2001
If there was a soundtrack for every rom-com movie made in the early 2000s, Michelle Branch’s hit would be on the track list.
Branch is plaintive and romantic, and “Everywhere” is suitably dramatic for those scenes when the two main characters who had previously broken up are finally realizing they belong together. The electric guitars, particularly toward the end, give it a rock n roll edge that feels at odds with the image of a girl and her acoustic guitar conjured up by the opening verse. If early Avril Lavigne is too angsty for you, Michelle Branch is a good alternative: similar lyrical content but more poppy.
When the cover first starts it sounds almost identical to the original, but then in a classic Yellowcard move, the violin swoops in and gives the song a different vibe. The drums are more pronounced and definitely have a pop punk sound to them compared to the poppy percussion in Branch’s version. The second verse is also a touch more aggressive, so it feels angrier than the original, but still a lot of fun.
Since getting into Waterparks a few months ago, I’m only just catching up with everything else they’ve done. With this cover, they give us a totally acoustic take on Michelle Branch that’s every bit as plaintive and emotionally fraught as hers. Apart from stripping it back, they didn’t really change anything because, as vocalist Awsten Knight says in their intro, “Everywhere” is “much better than anything [they’ll] ever write” (seriously though, you should listen to Waterparks).
Even though I’ve listened to the Yellowcard cover way more than the original, and I’m currently obsessed with Waterparks, I’m going to say that Michelle Branch is the winner. There’s something vulnerable about her vocals that make this song just that much more romantic than the other guys’ takes.