Nick Jonas

This is the version of Jealous by Nick Jonas that I mentioned on the radio last night. The original is one of the most purely fun R&B pop songs of the year. There’s also been the explicit version with the former wearer of one of those horrific virginity rings shedding his goody-good Disney past with several f-bombs. And now a gospel version. What??

Well, a great melody is a great melody and Nick Jonas probably now occupies some weird place in music history in that he uses three different adjectives to describe a beautiful woman in three different versions of the same song: “sexy beautiful,” “f**ken beautiful,” and for those innocent church ears, “crazy beautiful.”

Regardless of the incarnation of Jealous – a US #7 and UK #2 hit – this is a song with hook so huge Hall & Oates would be proud. Indeed, the original’s synth-heavy production sounds more than a nod to mid-80s, Out Of Touch-era H&O. And being it’s an R&B song at heart, it’s little surprise Jealous works so well with a gospel twist. The gospel and original (clean) versions are below: