With a shared love of big, dramatic songs and gothic imagery it's little surprise that Florence + The Machine spotted a kindred spirit in Ethel Cain. The younger artist, whose Preacher's Daughter was released earlier this year, opened for Florence on her recent run of North American shows and the pair solidified their bond in Denver when they collaborated on "Morning Elvis." The original appears on Florence's latest album Dance Fever. Check out the new live version below.
In a statement released alongside the recording, Florence says: “'Morning Elvis' is a song about the power of performance. Of rock and roll tragedy and transcendence. And it’s a sign of a truly special artist when they make a cover their own. When Hayden sang this song it felt like it was hers, she really gave it that outlaw energy, like witches of the Wild West. I even threw more lines at her on the day because her tone and cadence was so perfect I wanted to hear more. And she did not miss a line even with only an hour to rehearse. I truly think I have found a kindred spirit aesthetically and artistically. And now every show I sing 'Morning Elvis' with an Ethel Cain inflection.”
Ethel Cain adds “I was giggling when we rehearsed the song just the two of us before the show because Florence told me that 'Morning Elvis' was her channeling her inner Southern rocker, and I told her I couldn’t stop myself from emulating her British accent on certain words. It felt like a holy convergence happening in a basketball arena. Florence’s dressing room smelled like powder and sage and we were both dressed in white, singing our lines back and forth to each other, and I felt like I was back in choir practice, but with an actual angel this time. She’s never not smiling, and if you would have told me we were the only two people in the entire venue while we sang it in the middle of her set, I would have believed you.”
