Who Did It Better
As
Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky<br>Until the ocean covers every mountain high
<p>As <span class="rec-inline-preview" data-rec-preview="https://audio-ssl.itunes.apple.com/itunes-assets/AudioPreview126/v4/a4/0c/75/a40c75d6-a913-901e-868a-15070b0e1c8e/mzaf_1391235120460059177.plus.aac.p.m4a"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="16" height="16"><path d="M8 5v14l11-7z"/></svg> 0:30</span> reaches for a language big enough to hold forever. Not the forever of human calendars but the forever of creation. He will love her until rainbows burn out and oceans swallow mountains. That is how long.</p><p>He is not exaggerating. He is searching for a measurement that fits what he feels. No word was ever built for that job. Some things do not end when the world does.</p>
The Original -- 1976
Stevie Wonder
<p>"As" imagines a love that outlasts the universe itself. Stevie Wonder wrote it in 1976 as a list of impossible conditions -- until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky, until the ocean covers every mountain -- all serving as metaphors for a love that will not end. The conditions are absurd by design. That is the point. A love that could end is not the kind of love worth singing about. Only a love that defies logic deserves the song.</p> <p>Incognito covered it in 1999 with a British acid-jazz arrangement that proved the feeling translates across continents. Stevie's original is anchored in American soul, the clavinet and drums driving the declaration. Incognito lets the bassline carry the weight, adding a Mediterranean breeze to Stevie's cosmic pledge. The promise stays intact. The passport just gets stamped.</p>
The Cover -- 1999
Mary J. Blige
<p>"As" imagines a love that outlasts the universe itself. Stevie Wonder wrote it in 1976 as a list of impossible conditions -- until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky, until the ocean covers every mountain -- all serving as metaphors for a love that will not end. The conditions are absurd by design. That is the point. A love that could end is not the kind of love worth singing about. Only a love that defies logic deserves the song.</p> <p>Incognito covered it in 1999 with a British acid-jazz arrangement that proved the feeling translates across continents. Stevie's original is anchored in American soul, the clavinet and drums driving the declaration. Incognito lets the bassline carry the weight, adding a Mediterranean breeze to Stevie's cosmic pledge. The promise stays intact. The passport just gets stamped.</p>
Image Credits
1,414 artist portraits across 5 genres (Rock, Jazz, Soul, Blues, Folk). 1,363 sourced from Wikipedia (Creative Commons / Public Domain), 50 from Deezer (promotional artwork).
