Courtney Barnett today released news of a repackaging and boxsets of her fantastic album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, but also a brand new 7″ single produced by Jack White for his Third Man Records Blue Series.

As a part thereof, Barnett gives us today a listen of the B-side of the single, Shivers, by fellow-Australians The Boys Next Door (the A-side is Boxing Day Blues (revisited) an extension of the closing song on her recent album).   Shivers was written by Rowland S. Howard when he was a scant 16 years old.  Howard would record the song with The Boys Next Door, which evolved into the seminal The Birthday Party (with Nick Cave).  Unfortunately, Howard passed away on December 30, 2009 of liver cancer.  You can check out his own “cover” (as he says) of the song after listening to Barnett’s stirring version below.

Barnett will also be back in California on October 20th, opening at The Hollywood Bowl for Blur.

You can pick up all of the foregoing worthies as follows:

Special Edition: http://smarturl.it/CBSometimes_SE
Electric Lady Standalone:  http://smarturl.it/CBElectricLady 
LP: http://smarturl.it/CBSELP_MPStore
CD Boxset: http://smarturl.it/CBSEBoxset_MPStore

After Howard’s version, check out another great version as performed live by Divine Fits (with Spoon’s Britt Daniels on vocals) as captured by KEXP.

The song’s lyrics are at bottom.

“I’ve been contemplating suicide,
But it really doesn’t suit my style,
So I think I’ll just act bored instead
And contain the blood I would’ve shed?
She makes me feel so ill at ease
My heart is really on it’s knees
But I keep a poker face so well
That even mother couldn’t tell
But my baby’s so vain
She is almost a mirror
And the sound of her name
Sends a permanent shiver down my
Spine
I keep her photograph against my heart
For in my life she plays a starring part
All alcohol and cigarettes
There is no room for cheap regrets
She makes me feel so ill at ease
My heart is really on it’s knees
But I keep a poker face so well
That even mother couldn’t tell
But my baby’s so vain
She is almost a mirror
And the sound of her name
Sends a permanent shiver down my
Spine”