Petula Clark had a number one hit in 1965 with “Downtown,” a song that has since been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Dolly Parton, from Yo La Tengo to former-Spice Girl Emma Bunton, from Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted to Anya Taylor-Joy in Last Night in Soho. The Queen’s Gambit star’s cover, which soundtracks the haunting trailer to Edgar Wright’s new film, has been released as a standalone music video.
Taylor-Joy actually performed two versions of “Downtown,” one that’s uptempo, the other downtempo (that’s the one with the music video). Pick the cover that most matches your mood — for instance, if you just watched The Witch, maybe stick with the downtempo.
“It’s not every day you’re asked to record several versions of an iconic song,” Taylor-Joy said about covering Petula Clark. “The sounds of the ’60s was what first made me fall in love with music so I was overjoyed when Edgar asked me to give it a go.”
Here’s more on Last Night in Soho:
In acclaimed director Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller, Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie. But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.
You can listen to both versions below.