Declan McKenna's Timeless Cover of ABBA's "Slipping Through My Fingers"

It is such a stunning iteration of ABBA’s “Slipping Through My Fingers” – starting off with a little cough, as if he was choking back tears, Declan McKenna’s voice steeped in this wistful melancholy.

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Stream: “Slipping Through My Fingers” – Declan McKenna

When I hear this ABBA song, I think of the most heart-wrenching sequence in the movie Mamma Mia, with Meryl Streep brushing Amanda Seyfried’s hair. My friend can’t even make it through the scene without calling their mom.

Actually, I used to think of that first, but now I just can’t get Declan McKenna out of my head. His cover is such a stunning iteration of “Slipping Through My Fingers.” It starts off with a little cough, as if he was choking back tears, his voice steeped in this wistful melancholy. I almost believe that McKenna isn’t a twenty-five-year-old, but a middle-aged parent, watching his child grow up right before his eyes, the way he sings:

Then, when she’s gone, there’s
That old melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can’t deny

The note on guilt going up, just barely, is genius. There is so much emotion he is able to convey, even in the lines:

Well, some of it we did, but
Most we didn’t
And why, I just don’t know

McKenna holds the note on know, his voice breaking artfully. The drums come in on this next verse, accompanying the acoustic guitar, giving momentum to the rest of the song.

This song resonates so deeply for so many because it captures, succinctly, the feeling of time passing.

The lyrics are frank, embracing it with sadness rather than fear. McKenna’s voice is hauntingly timeless, reminiscent of Paul McCartney yet entirely his own. This cover originally blew up on Tiktok months ago, all the comments calling for McKenna to reveal himself as a Beatle. I am not ashamed to say I was there at the beginning, begging McKenna to release it on Spotify.

His new album What Happened to the Beach? is out February 9th, 2024. Pray with me that he releases his North American tour dates soon!

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