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Music

Mac Miller Gets Reflective with a Tender Spin on the Billy Joel Classic "Vienna"

"You've got so much to do, and only so many hours in a day"

When I spoke to Mac Miller this summer he hinted at a giant trove of peculiar unreleased sounds chilling in the vault for a rainy day. This weekend he flashed some of that potential with a quiet cover of "Vienna," originally performed by Billy Joel on the New York singer-songwriter's 1977 classic The Stranger. Mac's version is spectral and sad, little else than a pitched down, defeated vocal and airy keys, the lyric sheet ("Where's the fire, what's the hurry about? / You'd better cool it off before you burn it out / You've got so much to do / And only so many hours in a day") providing a poignant reminder to slow down and enjoy the scenery from time to time. It's a message we all need to hear around the holidays: We're not superheroes, we need rejuvenation, we crave sustenance. Stream "Vienna" below.

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