Last night, May 10, the Brooklyn Academy of Music Gala occurred in The Big Apple. During the event, St. Vincent performed a short set of music. At the end of her performance, the musician brought out her friend and collaborator, David Byrne, to assist on a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Chemical Love.”

Vincent’s frame included solo renditions of fan favorites, such as “Los Angeles,” “New York,” and “Dancing With a Ghost.” Then, to follow the trio of choice numbers, Vincent addressed the audience, “I’m here to say a big thank you and ‘you’re the best’ to the one and only David Byrne. David is one of the absolute greatest, most ebullient performers in the world.”

The kind words prefaced a run-through of Wonder’s “Chemical Love,” which appeared in Spike Lee’s 1991-directed film Jungle Fever. Byrne added his own words on the song choice, telling the crowd: “We kind of wanted to tie Spike into this somehow, so this is a song from Jungle Fever.” He added, “It takes a little bit of nerve for us to do it.”

During the cover, the musician, born Anne Clark, held down the drum machine while Byrne strummed the electric guitar, adding his beloved uniqueness to the Wonder original. Of note, Byrne was amongst the evening’s honorees, as well as Lee, bringing meaning to the song choice. 

Watch Byrne and Vincent cover “Chemical Love” below.