Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 07/18/2011 at 12:34 PM News

The Popdust Files: adele, Cover, Live, patti smith, rolling in the deep

You know a song is popular when old people start covering it. No offense to the legendary Ms. Patti Smith, but rockers in general don’t often deign to acknowledge the musical works of those over 40 years younger than they, let alone to attempt to play them live. To Patti’s oldster credit, she doesn’t sound like she’s trying particularly hard on her obviously drunk cover of Adele’s everything-topping hit “Rolling in the Deep”—she doesn’t even attempt to remember the words to the second verse, instead singing “I love this fucking song / Even though I can’t [remember the words]! / And I’m here to testify / Adele, she’s great!” Still, you didn’t hear Mama Cass going to bat like that for Amy Winehouse, did you? (Possibly because Cass died in the ’70s, but you know.)

Seriously though, does anyone know the words to that second verse? Try singing along to it next time it’s on the radio—if you can get past “Baby, I have no story to be told,” then you’re a better pop fan than us.