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Cover songs ... don't ya just hate'em !?
Posted at 3:55 PM on January 14, 2008
by Mark Wheat
(64 Comments)
For many years I did, illogically, I would dismiss them even before I heard them!
Perhaps it was a generational thing. Covers seemed dislocated from their origin in a way that disabled me from loving them. I know I was stupid, but I thought that the whole point of creating music was to bear your soul as a singer, which you could only do by writing the song yourself or being very close to the source. Now I love them, so does Barb Abney, she even is a self confessed connoisseur of Bee Gees covers, so she was smitten by The Bird and the Bee.
I've been listening a lot to the soundtrack for the film "I'm Not There" which is all covers of Dylan songs. It's traditionally very tough to cover a legend, but I think the album benefits from having different voices deliver those huge songs (sorry I don't always like Bob's voice!)
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy takes on some legends on his latest CD "Ask Forgiveness" and also delivers wonderful renditions which we discuss on the latest 'Musicheads." When you discover a song from a cover, it is sometimes interesting to go back and research the source, like Dale from the Morning Show did with one of the B.P.B. choices, originally written by Mickey Newberry, "I Came To Hear The Music."
It has a wonderful line about the concept of time and Dale discovered "one very specific attribution is to a writer named Ray Cummings, who supposedly put it in a story called "The Girl in the Golden Atom" in 1919. Somebody even put the relevant section online, starting with a line from a character simply called "The Chemist":
"To get a conception of this change you must analyze definitely what time is. We measure and mark it by years, months, and so forth, down to minutes and seconds, all based upon the movements of our earth around its sun. But that is the measurement of time, not time itself. How would you describe time?" The Big Business Man smiled. "Time," he said, "is what keeps everything from happening at once.""Very clever," laughed the Chemist.
An idea like that is worth covering!!
Last week we talked about "Shipbuilding" which was written by Robert Wyatt, another artist with a distinctive voice that might be described as an acquired taste so perhaps it worked better as an Elvis Costello song?
Does an artist have to bring something new to the song, or just in a style of their own that makes it work?
Comments (64)
Wheat, I gasped at the heading of this post! Luckily, I read on. I love cover songs of all kinds. I especially like the trend happening of bands covering their contemporaries like Dr. Dog's cover of Architecture's "Heart it Races," The Shins version of Postal Service's "We Will Become Silhouettes," and (though WAY too overplayed) Iron & Wine's cover of PS's "Such Great Heights."
To answer your question directly, I think a band needs to adapt the song to their style to make it a truly remarkable cover. One of my favorite cover-ers is Aimee Mann, whose voice alone can reinvent whatever song she's singing, from "Two of Us" from the I Am Sam sdtk, to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Wow. And let's not forget Johnny Cash and Tom Waits, who, like Aimee, can make someone else's song into something completely different.
I heard somewhere of a theory that there are only a certain amount of new ideas and by now, we've got to come up with new takes on the ones that are already out there. Isn't that what a cover song should do?
I prefer that a cover bring something new to the song. For instance, I love Saint Etienne's cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." I already liked the original, but then Saint Etienne came along and completely kidnapped the song, and I love them for it! I'd argue that transformation--not imitation--is the best kind of flattery. It can be slight, too, like the creepy quaver Cat Power brings to "Sea of Love" (Sasha Frere-Jones explains the phenomenon well here.) And here's an example of when it doesn't work for me: Talk Talk's "It's My Life" is an amazing song--full of angst and desperation. However, in Gwen Stefani's hands, it feels glossy and void of emotion. A slick imitation without the exigency that made the song so amazing in the first place. It's a matter of taste, I suppose, but why mimic someone's art unless to take it to new places?
On a different note, I'm with Jess on Dr. Dog's cover of "Heart it Races." In fact, I think I find their cover infinitely more tolerable than the original!
I think some of the most appealing covers are those that retain one strong attribute from the original song, while successfully changing the rest. My best example for this is Sun Kil Moon's "Tiny Cities" album, consisting of all Modest Mouse covers. They use basically only the lyrics, and completely change the entirety of the rest of the songs. In addition, the songs are given a different tone without losing what made them special in the first place. When done well, this can be equally as good as the original.
I think cover songs are great! More so if they are an interpretation/tribute of the work than a 'note for note' cover....I remember seeing Soul Asylum on a few occasions, years ago, where the majority of the set was covers. Then there were the Annual Golden Smog Holiday shows when whoever was in town would show up and they'd rock the covers! Yes, you have everyone doing 'Mustang Sally' or 'Brown Eyed Girl' but there are a ton of great songs still yet to be covered...and in a bar, nothing gets a crowd reacting faster than a good cover song or two!
I love them, whether its Jesse Lacey's cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy" or the insanity of everyone covering Gnarls Barkley a few summer's ago all the way to the supergroup Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies. I eat that stuff up. The Gimmie Gimmies liven up any party hands down. I love to see how another artist will interpret their favorite songs. Not to mention the I Am Sam soundtrack, now I've never been a huge Beatles fan but I always said that they were great songwriters so heard others cover those songs was ear candy. I loved almost every version on that album Ben Harper doing "Strawberry Fields" and Nick Cave's deep voiced " Let It Be" were awesome.
As a musician/singer I like to throw in a couple cover songs. They are a crowd pleaser at shows. I like to change them up a bit... revamp them... add some spoken word and make them my own. For example, I have a song on my myspace that I covered called "God Bless the Child". I do it accapella and have a beatboxer Carnage give hip hop flavor.
Covers if done right turn out to be amazing. But they must be done right. Otherwise, it's just not worth it.
As a musician/singer I like to throw in a couple cover songs. They are a crowd pleaser at shows. I like to change them up a bit... revamp them... add some spoken word and make them my own. For example, I have a song on my myspace that I covered called "God Bless the Child". I do it accapella and have a beatboxer Carnage give hip hop flavor.
Covers if done right turn out to be amazing. But they must be done right. Otherwise, it's just not worth it.
lavabard does not play cover songs, people can cover us. nor do we "open for" anybody, nor do we tell our fans "i love you."
Yeah - covers really depend. However, I have to mention that I heard 2 stunners in one night a few weeks back when the Pines, Roma di Luna and Jeremy Messersmith played the CCC. Roma di Luna covered Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" and Jeremy did the Replacement's "Skyway". They were both amazing!
hate them?
When a band records or plays a cover it should be a unique interpretation or homage to the original creator. It should not be a carbon copy. I think a lot of people miss this. I am grateful to those who consider it an art form and give a song their own flavor if you will.
These people above me all ready know this.
I would say the consensus is almost unanimous.
mark -
gotta say there are some great covers in this world and without them, this world of music would be a lesser place. The beautiful thing about a radio station like the current is you can separate the wheat (no pun intended) from the chaffe. totally on board with ellie's comments on sun kil moon / mark kozelek. That guy knows how to take a song and reproduce it with a brand new beautiful sound nearly to the point you don't recognize that there was an original before it... but maybe that's not even so much of a cover.
However, i want to steer my comments to take this moment to honor Jeff Buckley and say that he alone is verification of the necessity of covers. Now here is a guy that knows how to make magic with a song previously sung. Let's consider a sampling of his work...
the easy and obvious:
Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
The Smiths - Boy with the Thorn in his Side
Edith piaf - Je N’ en Connais Pas La Fin
Nina Simone - Lilac Wine, All I Ask, the other woman
the more obscure:
Elton John - We All Fall in Love Sometimes
Hank Williams - Lost Highway
Velvet Underground - All tomorrow’s parties
Led Zeppelin - Night Flight
Van Morrison - The Way Young Lovers Do
Bob Dylan - Just Like a Woman, I shall be released
so this is just a start of what i have of the database of incredible recordings from a man who left us all desparately wanting for more.... and if it weren’t for his covers, we’d be left with so much less in life.
For that reason alone, i can’t help but be grateful that artists are willing to put twists on each others music to reshape and reform it in new and beautiful ways via the medium of covers.
On a sidenote, the very first day and moment i tuned into the current, Buckley was playing.... and the rest is history. thanks for bringing musical brilliance to minnesota.
Back in the "day", weren't most songs covers? I type that kind of tongue in cheek. But a lot of great songs weren't written by the person who made them famous. The line between songwriter and artist was much clearer.
Anyways, it all depends on the particular cover. You can't throw a blanket statement across them all. I've heard some piss poor covers. But then again, there is always "All Along the Watchtower". It's all about bringing your own personal stamp to the song.
Cover songs....it depends. I think there are rules that shouldn't be bent. Like, no one should cover Radiohead or Bjork. I think there should be a particular list of artists that are not allowed to be covered. It's just wrong; it will never capture the spirit of the original performance. But apart from The (yet to be created) List, I think covers are great if they are done tastefully (subjective, I know). That could mean with a different layer, twist, or more scaled down....ah, the options are limitless.
I think covers are amazing when done right: Iron & Wine - Waitin' For Superman, Primus - Making Plans For Nigel, etc. They are a nice little surprise in concert or as a b-side (those of us who still buy wax know this) treat. However the cover album is gaining my love - I Am Sam, Tiny Cities, The Grey Album, Bonnie Prince Billy/Tortoise - The bold and the brave, and of course I am not there. Imitation may not be the greatest form of flattery but, it is till better than anything on "alternative rock" radio.
once in a blue moon i will find a cover i actually like and more rarely find one that i prefer over the original (Shawn Colvin's "looking for the heart of Saturday night") but there is a deep rooted tradition in me that respects the artists original even if it is horrible.
kasey - what happens when radiohead covers bjork a la Unravel?
look at the johnny cash covers of nine inch nails and how many others, the trecent ribute cd to joni mitchell,(love the bjork and prince covers best) artful covers of carpenters elevated what once seemed trite to amazing on the tribute cd, so many more...sometimes the covers change and evolve the meaning and musical interpretatin of the songs to an incredible new level; something so far beyond the original performance. Joni Mitchell's remake of her own Both Sides Now, changed the whole tone and texture of it...beautifully matured....
I say cover away.
For me, studio recordings of cover tunes are separate from live performances of cover tunes. The Flaming Lips' cover of The Stones' "Moonlight Mile" on tour last year was so fantastic. Their Lennon cover from the "Instant Karma" charity record was only so-so. I love the live performance of Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright covering Wham's "Careless Whisper", and a strange hybrid of members of U2 and REM at an awards show, with Stipe singing U2's "One" is pretty wonderful. I'm not a Cowboy Junkies fan, but I do like their "Sweet Jane."
How about White Light Riot going all Yacht Rock with this cover of The Doobie Brothers' "What A Fool Believes."
FYI - "Shipbuilding" is a Costello composition. Wyatt is one who recorded the cover version. But Costello's co-writer is the link between them. More info here.
If the song sounds just like the released song and its on a cd, then its kinda lame. But if they do it live and you don't expect it then its fun. Like of montreal doing gnarls barkley - crazy live that was awesome. Val Kilmer doing a cover of neil dimond was bad. Sissor sisters doing pink floyd...amazing. But its all a matter of preference. I like it when bands put their own version to songs...good or bad.
You asked "Does an artist have to bring something new to the song, or just in a style of their own that makes it work?"
An artist has to appropriate the song he or she is covering. To sing a Bob Dylan song exactly the same way Bobby did doesn't do it justice, since there's only one man who can sing and play exactly like Mr. Dylan - the man himself. And even he covers his own songs, adding to and changing them: consider the many different styles in which he'll play "Highway 61" live. I know my iPod has at least three different versions.
It's like a poetry reading, or a jazz club, or a classical music concert. There are many emotions, words, notes, colors to bring out in any given poem or song. What each person performing - or covering - that piece has to do is find the part that spoke to them most strongly then show that to the audience.
Oops... forgot to mention that The Varsity's strict enforcement of a "no covers" rule for bands leaves me a little disappointed. I saw the Paul "Wallace" Esch group perform there. I think the only reason they got away with playing one of my favorite songs of theirs is that it's a cover of a song from a video game - which meant it was fairly obscure.
hmmm - interesting question. Maek, it seems like you are drawing a distinction between "something new" and "style of their own" - in a sense, making it their own. i'm not sure if there is much of a difference between those 2 things - certainly from what the response has been i don't think people see much of a difference. everyone seems to be in agreement that covers which sound the same as the original are lame - with the possible exception if you catch it live (Soul Asylum was great, but they never really "re-interpreted" their material). on record, though - that's completely useless. but, i do believe there is a distinction in what you are asking.
i'm gonna take "something new" to mean a completely new twist on a song - something that makes you think of it a different light. the best example i can think of that is Devo's deconstruction of the Stones' "Satisfaction". i'm old enough to have seen that classic performance on SNL when it happened - and it was absolutely cathartic! for me and my little new wave/punk rock friends it turned everything upside down and re-made the world in our image - it quite literally opened a whole new world of possibilities for us. many of the other covers listed here - all quite great covers, truly - do not do that.
Hendrix's "Watchtower", Buckley's "Hallelujah", Elvis' "Shipbuilding" - these may even be the definitive readings of these songs, the proverbial measuring stick, but they do not constitute a redical re-working, a deconstruction, a twist. they are simply those performers making those songs their own. and i guess what that means is, in answer to your question Mark, covers do not need to be "something new" in order to be good.
i guess in the end, totally fresh radical twists on songs are few and far between.
The cover songs I enjoy the most are the ones that bring a unique twist to the original, either by deconstructing them, or even making me laugh. I’m fascinated with them. A couple of years back I started listing and compiling mix CD’s from all the cover songs I had in my CD collection or on MP3. At last count it was about 70 songs spanning about 5-6 CD’s
A guy I used to know collected all the cover versions he could find of Johnny Cash songs, including Brian Eno’s take on “Ring of Fire”. Heck, it would be interesting to compile a whole CD of covers of the same song. It’s probably been done, but it’s interesting to me.
My all-time fave rave cover versions are:
Oingo Boingo – You Really Got Me (the best version ever!!!)
Devo – Satisfaction
DeVotchKa – Venus in Furs (Lou would be proud)
Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
The Mavericks – All That Heaven Would Allow (Springsteen)
The Residents – Satisfaction (the scariest version ever made)
And lastly: Polyphonic Size – Mother’s Little Helper. This is a Belgian synth duo from the ‘80’s and was only available as a 12” single. It can now be found on MP3 if you look hard enough. Cheap drum machine, synth and guitar, sung in English with a monotone Belgian accent. Priceless!
Great topic Mark!
I love covers. even when they don't venture far from the original. As long as they are done with affection and feeling (and sometimes irony). Just the idea of a certain band covering another band intrigues me. Sometimes it doesn't work, of course. I don't think anyone is off limits. Cover Bjork and Radiohead. Please! you might just have to try a little harder to make it work.
Best Cover Ever: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by Devo
others I love: These Days(Jackson Browne) by Nico
Jump (van halen) by Aztec Camera
Helpless(Neil Young) by Nick Cave
Love Buzz(Shocking Blue) by Nirvana
I would argue that these versions are better than the originals. I get more out of them, at least.
I think cover songs can easily go either way. It really depends on the motive of the band doing the "covering." Is it purely financial? Or is it out of love? I think they can be really special when they are able to make you feel something you had not felt before with that song. My favorite example would be Catherine Wheels' cover of "wish you were here" by Pink Floyd. Lovely and haunting indeed!
I couldn't get enough of Feist's cover of "Inside and Out" when it came out, and I'm still in love. I hope Barb Abney agrees with this one!
I would have to say that when covers or remakes of songs are done right its a fantastic tribute to the original composer. For example; I just picked up Billie Holiday: Remixed and Reimagined. Its a bunch of Billie's tunes with DJ's mixing new beats behind them. So they are remakes.. Its a great disc. Now for the traditional cover songs.. like I said before.. when they are done right they are great. For example when Phish on 10/31/94 came out for thier 2nd set and played the beatles white album from start to finish. That was amazing. Also Nirvana's cover of Leadbelly's "Where did you sleep lastnight".. another great cover. I recall a few years back hearing someone covering Pink Floyd's "Wish you were here".. and it was just horrible. If you are going to cover something do it right. Another example of a great covers are pretty much all the songs on the "I Am Sam" soundtrack. They are all Beatles songs. Dave Matthews cover of the old Johnny Cash tune "Long Black Veil".. it was reinvented, and beautiful.
So bottom line. Covers are great if you don't screw them up. Pay your respects to the artist... add your flare to the song.. but don't disrespect the masters and where modern day music came from.
Oohh.. anyone heard that new Fats Domino cover album... its really cool.. one to check out for sure.
I forgot about one more that is just amazing.
Thom York covered Neil Young's After The Gold Rush @ the bridge school benefit about 6 years ago. It was freaking amazing. I swear if radiohead ever fails.. he could go on tour as Neil Young.
Speaking of a band bringing their own personal stamp to a cover - I am immediately reminded of Satisfaction by Devo! One of my all time favorites.
I agree with most of the postings that cover songs should bring something different to the table; after all, there might be something that each of us inteprets differently, whether its the tempo or the lyrics.
One of the best examples that I can think of is in fact an album of all cover songs- that being Siouxsie and the Banshees "Through the Looking Glass". Might seem a bit of a strange concept, but to me each song on that album is beautifully done and offers the group's own take on their selections.
I think that most musicians have at some point or another covered a song in their career, so it's not really worth fussing about. Music is music after all, it touches each of us in a unique way. Besides, you can always skip over it if you're that bothered!
My opinion as to covers has gone back and forth over the course of many years now. I don't think there are very many situations (if any) where a cover really out performs the original song. But I think that the most important element in a great cover is having something new brought to the table. None of this playing a song note for note with a new singer.
At one point in this discussion Iron and Wine's cover of "Such Great Heights" was mentioned. Although I like this cover I like the (albeit much harder to find) Ben Folds cover of the song even better.
Even some of our favorite singer/songwriters can find things to do with a song to make it their own. The Beatles started as primarily a cover group and in his solo career John Lennon released a whole record of rock standards called "Rock and Roll." George Harrison recorded an incredible version of Bob Dylan's "If not for you" on his first post Beatles album "All Things Must Pass"
I love it when an artist can find a completely new and original take on an older song. Check out sever covers by The Bad Plus if you want to know what I mean. Covers can be great, but in order to pull em off you need to put as much effort into it as though it were your own song. Though most covers I hear aren't as good as the original (ie: Every Beatles cover ever) the new takes on the songs are still fun to explore and fun to listen to
My favorite covers
Without covers, we would have never heard Sinead sing her righteous rendition of Prince's "Nothin' Compares 2 U". I love both versions. Covers work best when the artist brings a new perspective to a song we all know and love.
Two covers that I just remembered are awesome:
They Might Be Giants' cover of "Yeh Yeh" by Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames. "No need to ask me if everything is ok / I've got the answer / the only thing I can say / I say yeh yeh."
Joe Satriani's cover of "Sleep Walk"... though I can't for the life of me remember the original artist's name!
Like other posters have stated, I like cover songs when there is something new added or the artist brings something interesting to the song. Although the majority of cover songs may not do justice to the originals, at least some of them attempt to find their own voice in covering the song, and in some cases their versions far surpass the original (Who says the original version is always "better"?). Anyway, I do like listening to the Coverville podcast to hear some of the best and worst cover songs out there.
I myself enjoy a good cover. Many times I think that the cover song should remind me of the original and stay true to it's beauty.
However, I am a GIANT fan of The White Stripes and their covers of Son House's "Death Letter" and "John the Revelator", Dolly Parton's "Jolene", Burt Bacharach's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", and most recently Patti Pages "Conquest" have completely reinvented the originals in a way only the Stripes can do. Also, covers are beneficial in exposing artists that you wouldn't normally hear about. If the Stripes hadn't covered Son House, there wouldnt of been any way for me to expose myself to him!!
Whenever I hear a cover of a song I like, my brain imagines the original as a mountain and the cover singer as someone trying to climb the mountain but just can't make it to the top. The original is sacred, and you have no business climbing to the peak.
That being said, there is a small minority of covers that I love. I've heard some wonderful covers of the Smiths on The Current and someone mentioned Sinead above.
In general though, I want to hear original material from an artist. It is no coincidence that my least favorite song from one of my favorite bands, The Replacements, is "Black Diamond".
well, part of the 'Mats mythos was that they were a notoriously bad cover band - a bootleg of theirs from Iowa was actually entitled "When the s*** hits the fans"!
actually, i've been thinking alot about this question since it was raised, and it occurred to me that the Twin Cities has birthed quite a few excellent covers, some of which i'd called truly revelatory in their re-imagining. tops for me would be HusKer Du's Eight Miles High - Bob Mould just wailing away at the end of that song - you had the feeling he was singing about something alot more devastating than simply getting stoned (or getting lost in England, as the Byrds would have it).
2 newer local ones that will make you re-think the original material are the Mandragora Tango Orchestra's version of "Oelle como espiritu adolescente" (which means "Smells Like Teen Spirit") and Spaghetti Western String Co.'s take on Radiohead's "Exit Music for a Film". the latter hasn't been released - you have to catch it live. they re-imagine it as an Italian Opera Aria - complete with a guest tenor singing with lots of vibrato! you haven't lived until you've heard the dying refrain of "I hope that you choke" belted out that way, truly.
also, although this may not count 'cause they are "jazz" - but some did mention the Bad Plus, so i'd like to add the New Standards. their whole thing is to make you re-think what you think you know. and, in reply to an early respondant saying one should not cover Bjork - they did: on Holiday show 2006 at the Fitzgerald - "Big Time Sensuality". it was riveting.
Joe Satriani's cover of "Sleep Walk"... though I can't for the life of me remember the original artist's name!
It was Santo and Johnny who did it originally. I have that version on The Pod. Jazz/fusion guitarist, Larry Carlton, (session man extraordinaire for Steely Dan, Hill Street Blues, etc.) did a very nice cover of "Sleepwalk" in the early 80's. I remember trying my darndest to learn how to play his version in high school for the Jazz Ensemble.
Not going to say too much, since other people have said it pretty well. Just a couple examples of my favorite covers, ones that I feel take the songs in amazing new directions while still remaining reverential of the old ones:
- The Bad Plus' version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
- Sex Mob's "Dr. Yes" (a cover of the James Bond Theme)
A solid example of when a cover outshines the original: The Zuton's "Valerie," extraordinarily covered by Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse.
I MUST second David from Mpls about Husker Du's truly awe-inspiring (and in some senses, scary) cover of the Byrds' "Eight Miles High". Guaranteed to raise your pulse and BP considerably. Mark, please please please give this some airtime sometime!
Generalizations are pure silliness. That being said, if you don't like covers, you've never heard "The Detroit Cobras". Crossing genres like Social D covering Johnny Cash is a groovy kind of thing but I especially love when a band my kids listen to covers something old school from when I was their age. For a music geek like me, that's a special bonding moment.
AH, the Cover Song: the great debate unleashed!
I suppose I prefer it when artists add something new, radical even, to a cover and truly make it their own. And then there are times when a cover seems to fit the secondary artist even more than (or equally as powerfully as) the original.
Case in point:
In the Mark Romanek video collection DVD (he directed the beautiful Johnny Cash video for Cash's cover of 'Hurt'), Bono is interviewed about the song and video and he says something like, "Trent Reznor was born to write that song, and Johnny Cash was born to sing that song." And I have to agree: I think that Cash's cover of "Hurt" is solid gold proof that covers, once in a blue moon, simply WORK. Some sort of alignment of the stars, some distant collaboration between those very different artists fits perfectly. And the song kind of blossoms in this completely new way.
This also worked amazingly (in my opinion) with Madeleine Peyroux's cover of Eliot Smith's "Between the Bars" and Al Green's cover of The Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" (FANTASTIC!...everyone should hear that Al Green cover at some point in their lives...)
...and then, occasionally, you get William Shatner singing 'Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds' and you kind of want to heave.
You win some, you lose some.
ok - i was going to try not to jump back into this (i think i've said enough already), but i simply had to add something after that last post re: William Shatner.
i've been kinda thinking about radically different re-workings of songs, and William Shatner's version of Pulp's "Common People" is definitely on my short list.
another not already mentioned would be Clem Snide's version of "Beautiful" (made me like the song).
several have already mentioned Johnny Cash' "Hurt", and someone has even mentioned Aztec Camera's "Jump", but one cover that i cannot believe has gone overlooked and unmentioned in all of this is Aretha's version of "RESPECT". that song, in her hands, at that time, meant so much more. add to that she & her sister added that whole "sock it to me" part themselves.
I generally don't appreciate cover songs. But occasionally a cover is done so well that it completely changes my mind. Usually to achieve this the artist needs to bring a different interpretation to the song. I love Ryan Adams' cover of "Wonderwall" for the haunting, suspended-in-space vibe he lends to the song.
Several others have mentioned the soundtrack. I enjoy Howie Day's version of "Help" from that album (while not many other tracks because I am a huge Beatles fan and, generally, a Beatles purist). He changed the happy, upbeat feel of the original and brought it more into line with the lyrics and the despondency I've read John Lennon was experiencing when he penned it.
I've also been quite taken with the Boy Sopranos' version of "Into the Spin" that was the song of the day a while back. And I also love the Bad Plus' deconstruction of pop songs.
Generally, if an artist can add something to a song when they cover it, great. If not, leave it alone!
Cover songs are hit or miss with me, just depends on what you like. I personally really enjoyed the cover of Seven Nation Army that was played sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 on Wednesday.
there are tons of covers that i love. some are totally different than the original, some aren't.
some of my favorites...
primus - have a cigar
ween - hot for teacher
white stripes - jolene
bad plus - lots, lately tom sawyer
thom yorke - after the gold rush
Hi ya Wheat..just wanted to put my two cents in....as many cover songs annoy the f*&! outta me...there's one that's always stood out...one that I've been ALMOST ashamed to say its better than the original....and that's a VERY hard thing to say...Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" covered by Catherine Wheel...no one knows about this gem but it seriously blew me away the first time, and every time after that....the harmonica?...Wish It Were Here...in the original!!!!!! Hats off to Pink Floyd, pants off to Catherine Wheel...they had balls...and they proved themselves worthy... LOVE your show.....
Peas,
Jennifer
P.S...kinda sick of hearing how great Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt" is...yeah it was ground shaking...but alas Trent Reznor's version is the best...it happened to fit Johnny Cash's life at the time..and towards the end ALL his albums were covers....soooooo...its not like he had an original album with an AMAZING cover as a hidden track...there were many great covers by Johnny........that go unmentioned.. I still favor Trent's. Trent retired playing the song live after Johnny rerecorded it...and I had the pleasure of hearing it live in 2005 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul...all of a sudden Trent and his synthesizer on stage....everyone roared.....
Amen.
I love cover songs. It shows who the artists listen to and influence them. They put a new spin on something old, bring out something you might not have noticed in the original, express the differences and similarities between the two artists. I got a kick when I discovered that "Rusty Cage" was a Johnny Cash song before Nine Inch Nails did it. Same human struggles expressed in different styles and times.
okay, one more addition. I was making dinner last night and Tom Jones' version of "Burning Down the House" came on the pod and it reminded me that Jones is also the king of covers, and a savvy singer for taking covers and re-inventing himself every so often. His version of "Kiss" with Art of Noise certainly gave him a career boost when he really needed it.
I just took a listen to Husker Du's version of Eight Miles High and it was truly haunting. WOW! Husker could cover "Here We Go, Down The Road, To A Birthday Party" and make you pay attention.
umm. Rusty Cage was a Soundgarden song before Johnny Cash did it. Not sure NIN ever did it.(?)
While I'm at it... Yo La Tengo has done countless covers. They're kind of famous for them, actually, so they should probably be inculded in this discussion. Three of my favorites are:
Little Honda (Beach Boys)
Dreaming (Blondie)
Ashes on The Ground (Jad Fair)
I like Jane's Addiction's cover the Grateful Dead's Ripple. I also love Jeff Buckley's and Rufus Wainright's covers of Leonard Cohen's Halleluja. Come to think of it, there are lots of covers that I love!
Another vote for the Cowboy Junkies' "Sweet Jane", one of my fav covers. I was totally dumbfounded when I finally heard the original Velvet Underground version, after years of loving the Cowboy Junkies song and having no clue that it was a cover.
Iron Horse doing Modest Mouse's Dark Center of the Universe.
It is great. Yes
Oh and Sheep on Drugs doing I'm Waiting for My Man of the Velvet Underground.
i agree with everyone who's already said that cover songs are only fun when they actually sound different from the original - maybe even a different tempo, time signature, key or at least instruments (like the orchestral version of "smells like teen spirit" that was just played).
even though they often come off sounding the same (slow and breathy), i like all of tori amos' covers, such as "smells like teen spirit" and the stones' "angie." but my all-time favorite covers are tori amos' version of led zeppelin's "thank you" and "ironman" by the cardigans.
the cardigans actually make black sabbath sound sweet and i LOVE that cover! it's the only cover song i've ever heard that sounds _completely_ different from the original. sweet and cute. it's unbelievable!
: )
Dear Mr. Wheat,
hello, i enjoy your well chosen subject of covers. Funny animals are cover songs. To borrow music heads terminology they are either working or not.
ones working for me.
anything by Grant Lee Buffalo on his 1980's record. one of my favorite musicians of all time. the version of under the milky way by the church is not as good as the original but pays homage to a fine piece of music that has faded into history, how many songs have a bagpipe solo.
Lake of Fire by Nirvana, i admit i like cobain's version better than the meat puppets but then again any song that name checks duluth is cool with me. i am not actually sure they are talking about duluth, mn. i like to think that they are.
lastly billy bragg and wilco covering california stars is hard to beat. both versions are aurally impressive in their own right.
peace
jason
Correction for comment #60:
The artist is Grant Lee Philips and he was a member of Grant Lee Buffalo. I guess i was nervous.
thanks
jason
I almost always dislike covers. Many people have put forth really good commentary in this discussion, but I will suggest one different line of discussion: an artist "covering" themselves.
For instance, I think some of the best Dylan covers are ones he's done himself. Possibly the greatest example is comparing the Original NY sessions version of "Tangled Up in Blue" to the MN album version, the 1975 Rolling Thunder Review version (available on "The Bootleg Series: Vol. 5"), the sax-ballad versions from about '78, and the dramatic reworkings from '85/'86 (see "Real Live"), and the late '90's/early 2000's versions.
The lyrical changes alone from version to version is material enough for a book, let alone the many subtle musical alterations he's made to the song over the years.
Thoughts?
Thanks again to everyone for the great response and I hope you heard the hour of programming we created between 8 and 9pm last night, it was tough to choose and I will be dropping in suggestions every now and again....forever! I am making a list of tunes that we need to get too, especially the Husker Du and Catherine Wheel! Cover songs will never die, that seems to be the synthesis of this discussion. Ryan right there was one of the only naysayers. He also brought up a good point, if Dylan is the best at covering himself does that make him one of the best songwriters ever AND the best interpreter?! I would have liked to hear from more musicians, and why they cover what they do,
I'll put a call in to Cat Power as her new cd "Jukebox" is all covers! Here's one thought from our myspace page;
Cover songs - they're a complete blast to perform on stage. In the studio: use sparingly, if ever... The interesting thing about the cover song, is that to use it judicially is only necessary in the Rock media. In the Country genre it's not only accepted, but expected. When we were playing rock in the Wobblies, we almost never covered other artists (except the occasional Pixies or Cheap Trick song) , however nowadays (playing country) we throw covers in all the time. Merle Haggard put out two full albums with all covers - one covering Jimmie Rodgers, and another covering Bob Wills (both heroes of ours).
Andy Strom of Roy Hubbs
We've been working on archiving these discussions a little better so that we can keep them going and preserved, to honor all the time and effort that you are all putting into them, so please be patient with that process. This feature is growing organically with your help, thanks, have a great weekend and log-on Monday for a new topic!
OK.. so I know this conversation is long over but I just realized that I made a pretty huge flub and i just wanted to recognize the error of my ways.. I listed as one of my favorite covers Nico's version of Jackson Browne's "These Days". Well That song is on Nico's solo debut ('67, i believe) on which Browne plays and wrote like two other songs. Jackson Browne's solo debut didn't come out until, I think, 1972. So unless it was a song he wrote while he was in The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, it wasn't a cover at all. (I should check on that Nitty Gritty Dirt Band bit, though)... anyway. I feel kind of stupid.
And Mark; as for your comment about wishing to have heard from more musicians on covers... I have always loved performing covers. For the obvious reason, it's a way to show what songs have given you inspiration. It's also a way to expose a song that others might not appreciate for the genius you know it to be.. One of my favorite covers that I have been a part of was "Cherish" by Madonna; an amazing pop song. We tried to turn it into a killer power pop song and kind of succeeded (sloppily, at least). Not sure if we converted anyone to its genius, however... And sometimes it's just fun to make fun of songs. Of course, one shouldn't waste too much time doing that. There are plenty other reasons I think of covering certain songs but I'm already rambling.. I know. not much real insight. but, I can't tell you how many songs are on my list of songs I would love to cover.... anyway. thanks for the discussion.
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