This month marked the release of a new compilation EP, Universal Love, which featured reworked versions of wedding songs intended for same-sex couples. Artists like Bob Dylan, St. Vincent, and Kesha swapped pronouns in classic cuts like “She’s Funny That Way” and “And Then He Kissed Me” to make them more inclusive.
Universal Love isn’t stopping there, however. She & Him, the starry-eyed folk duo of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, have now provided the series’ first original cut, and, it being original, they’ve served up two different versions: “She Gives Her Love to Me” and “He Gives His Love to Me”. It marks the first new music from the pair in five years.
“We have always believed that love belongs to everyone – so love songs should too,” Deschanel and Ward told Rolling Stone. “What drew us to this project is that it opens up new ways of thinking about songwriting. It would be amazing if our songs help to inspire other artists to engage with lyrics in a more open, and inclusive way.”
It’s a project that fits snugly in She & Him’s wheelhouse, with the song’s sweetly sentimental declarations underscored by buoyant pedal steel and swooning horns. Listen to both versions below and adjust your wedding playlist accordingly. .
She & Him released Classics in 2014 and Christmas Party in 2016, both of which featured covers of old standards. Their last original studio album was 2013’s Volume 3.
