The FADER’s transgender charity covers compilation FADER & Friends Volume 1 is out now, available exclusively on Bandcamp until December 1, 2023. 100% of the proceeds go towards the Transgender Law Center, Mermaids, and Rainbow Railroad. Throughout the month of November, we’re speaking to the artists who contributed to the 44-song collection about the songs they covered.
Joanna Sternberg's 2019 album Then I Try Some More ends with "Don't You Ever," an acoustic guitar ballad channeling the push-and-pull between resilience and fatalism. Caroline Rose's cover takes the song into a more jaunty and indie-folk-inspired direction — Rose sounds like they're throwing their arms around the listener, dusting us off, and sending us to face the day with a new mantra: "Don't you dare feel like you are alone."
Listen to the song below and buy the full album on Bandcamp. Scroll down to read Caroline Rose on the original song and their cover.
What's your first memory of this song?
I can't remember the first time I heard this song because I've been a fan for so long now, but I remember I listened to the entire album Then I Try Some More all at once and was just so blown away by how well-crafted the songs were. And how honest the lyrics are. My favorite types of songwriters are the ones who simultaneously make me feel something new and familiar at the same time, kind of like meeting a new friend who reminds you of someone from your childhood. Joanna's songs have that timeless quality about them.
Why did you decide to record it as your cover?
It really captures both the longing and pain of wanting to belong, yet feeling like a pariah, which is such a relatable feeling to me. I think a lot of people could relate to this story.
What does this artist mean to you personally?
I think Joanna is a national treasure and fills a much-needed void in music. They offer a really different perspective from some of the other great songwriters in music history. It's an outsider's perspective, but through a queer/genderqueer lens. This song is a perfect example of that. Plus, there's no sugarcoat to it, what you hear is what they're feeling with no hidden meanings and no frills. It's kind of like the way punk songs feel to me, like a direct link to the inner chamber of the heart––do not pass go, do not collect $100. It might be ugly, insecure, and painful, but it's very real.
What's another song you'd love to cover and why?
Full 180…I would love to cover Shania Twain's "Forever and Always", as well as all the songs on Come On Over. I became completely obsessed with this album earlier this year and am now making my way through the rest of her entire catalog. I just think she and Mutt made such perfectly written and produced pop songs and I always want to listen to them no matter what mood I'm in.