Jack Horton dials up emotion with timeless classic “Operator”

Jack Horton does a new interpretation of one of his all-time favorite songs, “Operator.” With an underlying ethos of admiration for originality, Horton approaches this undertaking not as a challenge to overshadow the classic but as his take that injects fresh air into the mix. The way Horton sings “Operator,” it’s apparent from the first notes that his “Operator” is a different path. Ditching to the guitar-based backdrop that has been such an integral part of his sound, the piano has been centered in this arrangement, creating an intimate and almost cinematic landscape from the off.

Horton expands on his bedrock with lavish strings, inserting timpani and full symphonic weight that amplifies the emotional punch of the track. The orchestral layers rise and fall with purpose, giving the song’s story room to breathe and expand. The timpani rolls add a surprising and appreciative dramatic tension, and the strings wrap around the listener in waves of acoustic luxuriousness. Horton’s deliberate arrangement gives the song a grandiosity that feels classic and modern at the same time, a needle that many covers of a song like this fail to thread. What makes this interpretation so compelling is that Horton is clearly emotionally connected to the material. He has great reverence for the original, but he has a ton of balls to put himself out there like this.

The result is not a cover so much as a rework. By honoring the heart of “Operator” while daring to reshape its body, Horton allows listeners to take in the song from a new emotional angle. Original fans will hear the tenderness in Horton’s voice, yet new listeners will be introduced to the song’s storytelling capability, playing out with lush orchestrations and emotive piano lines. It’s a take that honors tradition even as it indulges in novelty, no small trick in cover songs. On “Operator,” Jack Horton makes a case for reinterpretation as conversation to this end, he’s made a version to stand side by side with the original, one that will thrill old souls and fresh ears alike.