On Thursday morning, Post Malone released a very special song: a cover of Hootie and the Blowfish “Only Wanna Be With You” in celebration of the Pokémon’s 25th anniversary. This Saturday, Post Malone will present this song (and others!) In a virtual Pokémon show on the Pokémon YouTube and Twitch channels.
Unfortunately, Post Malone has not entered none Pokémon references in “Only Wanna Be With You”. There is not even a mention of Pikachu. It seems like a missed opportunity to me, but the cover is still good – a pretty faithful version of the song with a few samples of Pokémon games. (There’s a changed reference, but it’s a soccer reference: the Miami Dolphins for the Dallas Cowboys, which is Post Malone’s favorite team. Now you know!)
I’m sure you’re asking, why Hootie and Blowfish? Well, here’s my guess: “Only Wanna Be With You” was released in 1995, and Pokémon was released in 1996. And, honestly, that’s a sufficient connection for me. For a long time, the only CDs I had as a child were Grammy compilations – which is why I have this nostalgic fondness for Hootie and the Blowfish.
(For what it’s worth, “Only Wanna Be With You” by Hootie and the Blowfish wasn’t on the 1996 Grammy CD – but “Let Her Cry” was.)
Along with the new song from Post Malone, The Pokémon Company announced on Thursday morning that it will stream a video of Pokémon Presents on Friday at 10am ET. No real details have been announced as to what to expect, but many speculate that it will be where the company will announce remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.