Having been born in Cuba and raised in an immigrant family, Camila Cabello didn't hear a lot of classic rock music growing up. But she jumped at the chance to record an iconic song by one of rock's most legendary groups.
For the trailer for the video game Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Camila has put her own spin on the song "Behind Blue Eyes," from The Who's 1971 album, Who's Next. While the original song is dark and moody, Camila's take is even darker and moodier, which she says goes along with her most recent album, C, XOXO.
"I hadn’t heard it before. That was what made me so excited to work with Diablo," Camila tells Rolling Stone. "I was like, 'Wow, this is one of the greatest songs of all time.'"
She adds, "So many of my friends were so obsessed with the game." And she notes, "C,XOXO, she’s giving a little dark. She’s giving a little bit, nighttime vibes. So it just felt right."
Camila sings a shortened version of the song, without the more rocking chorus: "Nobody bites back as hard on their anger/ None of my pain and woe can show through/ Nobody knows what it's like to feel these feelings/ like I do/ and I blame you."
"Behind Blue Eyes" was originally written to be sung from the point of view of a character in a concept album project called Lifehouse, which The Who later abandoned.
Camila tells Rolling Stone that the idea that she could introduce her fans to the song was "one of the most fun parts" of recording it. She adds, "I also feel like as a writer, it makes you better, too, because it’s always your hope to make a song like that."
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred arrives Oct. 8.