Faith No More recorded a cover of “Easy” (Commodores song) renamed “I’m Easy” in Europe, during the studio sessions for Angel Dust, following its repeated performance during live shows. It was released as the final single to the album in December 29, 1992. Faith No More‘s version of “Easy” closely follows the original version, but omits the second verse of the Commodores recording and features a slightly more aggressive drum sound and guitar solo. Faith No More initially played “Easy” to replace their cover of Black Sabbath‘s “War Pigs” that was a fixture of their concerts during this era. Faith No More wanted to break from the typical rock band mold and also aimed to spite the heavy metal fans who attended Faith No More‘s concerts expecting “War Pigs”. Bassist Billy Gould said the version was a straightforward cover because:
“We like “Easy” in a painful kind of way. It gives us memories of our childhood”.
When asked about the cover Lionel Richie himself replied that:
“I was actually quite flattered about the song. Yes, I loved it!”
Easy was originally issued on December 29, 1992, as a double A-side single with “Be Aggressive”. The double A-side peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band’s highest-charting UK hit, and number five on the Irish Singles Chart. Easy also reached number one in Australia for two weeks in May 1993 and peaked within the top five on the charts of Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Norway. In the United States, the song was Faith No More‘s last single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 58 in April 1993. It was later included on the European version of their album Angel Dust.
Tracklist:
- I’m Easy (Written by Lionel Richie)
- Be Aggressive
- A Small Victory (Live)
- Mark Bowen (Live)
Faith No More
Mike Patton: vocals
Mike Bordin: drums
Roddy Bottum: keyboards
Billy Gould: bass
Jim Martin: guitar
Credits
Photography: (Back Photo) Rex Features
Photography: (Front Photo) William Klein
Producer: Faith No More (tracks: 1, 2), Matt Wallace (tracks: 1, 2)
Sleeve: Green Ink
Written by: Faith No More (tracks: 2 to 4)
