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Hear Billie Joe Armstrong cover Jesse Malin’s Black Haired Girl for benefit album

“He took it to another level, a lot of attitude, a lot of power…” says Jesse Malin of Billie Joe Armstrong’s fantastic new cover of Black Haired Girl.

Hear Billie Joe Armstrong cover Jesse Malin’s Black Haired Girl for benefit album
Words:
Emily Carter
Photo:
Bob Gruen

After Bleachers covered Prisoners Of Paradise in June, Billie Joe Armstrong is the next in line to tackle a Jesse Malin song.

The Green Day frontman has just released a fantastic version of Black Haired Girl, which is taken from upcoming tribute/benefit album Silver Patron Saints: The Songs Of Jesse Malin.

The full, star-studded record is due out on September 20 and also includes the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello, Frank Turner, Rancid and more, who have all bandied together to help raise money for Jesse’s Sweet Relief artist fund, following the rare spinal stroke he had last year.

“Jesse is a dear friend to me,” says Billie Joe. “I love his songwriting. He is all heart, and his passion is endless. We send each other YouTube videos – mostly old Ramones clips and New York Dolls. Every time I’m in New York he goes out of his way to make me, my friends and my family feel at home. He’s always down for a laugh or a shoulder to cry on. Jesse, we love you and we’d do anything for you.”

Jesse himself says of the cover: “When I heard Billie Joe was doing Black Haired Girl, I was so blown away. He took it to another level, a lot of attitude, a lot of power, a lot of style, like everything that he does.”

Check it out:

And see the full Silver Patron Saints: The Songs Of Jesse Malin tracklist:

1. Prisoners of Paradise (feat. Bleachers)
2. Oh Sheena (feat. Counting Crows)
3. She Don’t Love Me Now (feat. Bruce Springsteen)
4. Black Haired Girl (feat. Billie Joe Armstrong)
5. Brooklyn (feat. Dinosaur Jr.)
6. About You (feat. Frank Turner)
7. Turn Up the Mains (feat. Alison Mosshart, Wayne Kramer, Tom Morello, Steven Van Zandt, Mike Watt & Joey C.)
8. Room 13 (feat. Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello)
9. Don’t Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day) (feat. The Wallflowers)
10. The Way We Used to Roll (feat. Spoon)
11. Shane (feat. Rocky O’Riordan)
12. In the Modern World (feat. Butch Walker)
13. High Lonesome (feat. Susanna Hoffs)
14. Greener Pastures (feat. Graham Parker)
15. Meet Me At The End of the World (feat. Alejandro Escovedo)
16. Death Star (feat. The Hold Steady)
17. Riding on the Subway (feat. Tommy Stinson and Ruby Stinson)
18. St. Mark's Sunset (feat. The Walker Roaders)
19. Dead On (feat. Ian Hunter)
20. Almost Grown (feat. Danny Clinch and Christopher Thorn with Daniel Donato's Cosmic
Country)
21. Shining Down (feat. Aaron Lee Tasjan)
22. When You’re Young (feat. Low Cut Connie)
23. All The Way From Moscow (feat. Willie Nile)
24. No Way Out (feat. Rancid)
25. You Know It’s Dark When Atheists Start to Pray (feat. Gogol Bordello)
26. God Is Dead (feat. Agnostic Front)
27. Frankie (feat. Murphy’s Law)

Read this: Billie Joe Armstrong: Life lessons in punk rock

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