"Before Leaving": The Housemartins, Caravan of Love

Once I was driving my car, I turned on the radio, and one of my favourite radio channels was playing a song I’ve never heard before and I was hypnotized by it.
It was a cappella style song: “Caravan of love” by the British band The Housemartins. I usually don’t listen to this kind of music; actually, I don’t know many songs like these (except for the ones by the Italian band Neri Per Caso). I obviously appreciated the melody and above all the way voices replace instruments, in my opinion it is a very great ability. Maybe I wouldn’t like it so much if it were a “normal” song, played with musical instruments.
Actually I didn’t understand if they use at least a basso (in the live video one component has one).

I invite you to watch also the live video: I am impressed by the fact that Paul Heaton, the singer, sings exactly as in the recorded studio version. He is really great. I admire him. Every respectable singer would be able to sing this way on a live performance!

Anyway I must underline that this son is a cover version of Isley Jasper Isley’s “Caravan of Love” (personally I don’t like it: it’s too “eightish”. And I like 80’s music!!!).
The I.J.I.’s video represents the band in the middle of a crowd of several nationalities. And it becomes more banal especially if you compare it with the Housemartins’ video.
This last one expresses more originally the meaning of the song, also because of Paul Heaton’s Christian believs.
It is set in a church, the singer is a kind of priest who sings from the pulpit, as if he were preaching; the other band components are the believers. They all have a cross shaved in their hair.
In the end of the video they are joking to each others and they are funny; they also sing staying together in the same bed.
It is pretty weird, I like it (the first times I watched both the studio and the live versions dozens of times a day!)