You may remember that Iggy Pop released a French language cover of Elvis Costello's "No Flag" (from Costello's new album Hey Clockface) not too long ago. French Hey Clockface covers are clearly a thing Elvis is working on, as he's just shared this dramatic reading version of "Revolution #49" by French actress Isabelle Adjani.

“When Steve Nieve’s partner, Muriel Teodori told me that she thought Isabelle Adjani might consider reading the French adaptation that Muriel had made of my original text, I assumed that I must be dreaming”, says Costello. Nieve adds, “What I didn’t know was Isabelle and Muriel had been friends from a long time ago but they hadn’t seen each other for more than twenty-five years.”

The backing includes the use of a mysterious-sounding wind instrument, the serpent, and vocal takes took place at Nieve and Teodori’s apartment in Paris. “In imagining Isabelle reading Muriel’s adapted verses, I sensed that she would instinctively know what to do, as she had portrayed several characters who lived at the borderline between love and madness, most especially in François Truffaut’s, The Story Of Adele H."

Listen to Isabelle's version, and Elvis' original, below.