A few years ago now, a 7-foot-8-inch clown named Puddles Pity Party went viral after he collaborated with Postmodern Jukebox for a cover of Lorde’s “Royals.” Aside from his unusual appearance, the video also showed off his surprisingly strong and smooth voice that nobody expected to hear coming out of that body. They’ve since joined forces again, on a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” and again just yesterday for a doo-wop ballad rendition of Blink-182’s “All The Small Things” (via Laughing Squid).
This time around, the fast-paced pop-punk classic has been converted to a piano-driven ballad carried by Puddles’ deep and velvety vocals. People have always pegged Blink-182 as thriving on their sensitive side, but lyrics like “She left me roses by the stairs / Surprises let me know she cares” sound like they have a lot more heart when sung by a sad, giant clown with a golden voice. Like all of Postmodern Jukebox’s covers, this new version of “All The Small Things” doesn’t hang on the genre of the original recording, but instead subverts it entirely and earns a completely new identity for itself through effective arrangement and performance.
As you’d expect, Puddles Pity Party is an enigmatic figure, and in 2014, Grantland published an engaging story about trying to track down the mysterious clown that’s worth reading if you want some insightful background on one of the internet’s oddest singers. Otherwise, revisit the classic “Royals” cover below, and let us know in the comments what your favorite Postmodern Jukebox cover is.
Featured Image: Postmodern Jukebox/YouTube
