21 March 2023

21 March 2023 - Simple Plan - Jet Lag ft. Natasha Beddingfield, Marie-Mai (and more)

Simple Plan are a power-pop-rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  

Which means they are bilingual.  

So, that means they do multiple versions of some songs.

Take this fun little song about travelling a lot and missing the one you love.  This version, in English, was recorded with British singer Natasha Beddingfield - and was an international hit.  The video was filmed largely at YYZ - Toronto Pearson Airport - and Toronto Sheridan Gateway Hotel.... but they want you to think it's a hotel in Chicago, despite the Westjet and AirCanada planes and Canadian flags everywhere.   Anyway, it's a fun song. 


True story - I've flown in and out of YYZ a lot.  Great airport and I instantly recognized it.

This version is just like that version, except the female version is almost completely in French and sung by Quebec singer Marie-Mai.  Also, Simple Plan sings some stuff in French, too - although not all the lyrics. I wonder if Natasha and Marie-Mai hung out together at all in that hotel room.

It is essentially the same song and same video.


Official version #3 of this song is filmed by the band in English at YYZ still, but Chinese pop star Kelly Cha is somewhere in China singing almost entirely in Mandarin.

Other than the Kelly Cha footage, it is essentially the same song and same video.


Official version #4 is..... completely in English, but this time, the woman is in Jakarta, Indonesia, because she is Tantri Syalindri, vocalist for the band KOTAK - who all seem to be hanging out in the room with her.  

It is essentially the same video.


That's it for the official versions, but there is this French demo version we found floating around..... Vocals for the female part were provided by some obscure Canadian artist who seems to go by some French name with an œ in it.... something something Pirate.  


Apparently, when Simple Plan performs the song live, they just find whatever female pop-rock vocalists happens to be standing closest to the stage.  Here, they get Sierra Key, vocalist for the band VERSA (who at the time were VersaEmerge, standing in for Natasha Beddingfield.


For this Australian appearance, they partnered with Jenna McDougall from Tonight Alive on an acoustic version of the song. The two bands happened to be on an Australian tour together, so it made sense. 


The band is still together.  Most of these performances above are from 2011, when the song was new.  This one is from 2022, in Montreal, and yes, it's the French version, and yes, that's Marie-Mai.

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