DahlELama’s Playlist: The Cover Version
Published: October 22, 2009
Recently, Monsieur Lama et moi had an argument in the car regarding cover songs. This is no surprise, as Signor Lama and I disagree about pretty much all things music. He hates anything that came after 1973, with the exception of U2, and I live for 90s alt-rock, no matter how dead and gone it may be. These particular tastes might perfectly explain the subject of our disagreement: Turn the Page, by Bob Seger, and its cover, by Metallica. “I hate this cover,” Gospodin Lama has complained on a regular basis. “I like it,” I would respond, which really does not make for stimulating conversation. “But then again, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the original.”
Well, lo and behold, one night, the original came on in the car, and I must admit, I liked the original as well. However, I argued, I still think there’s merit to the cover.
“But it’s not good!” bitched Herr Lama.
“It doesn’t even sound that different,” I pointed out.
“Then what’s the point?” asked Adon Lama.
Here, he believed he had trapped me, but he was wrong, because I then proceeded to describe how the songs conveyed different emotions (weariness vs. angry frustration, etc.) and therefore served different purposes, which made it a valid cover, and naturally, a discussion of what constituted a valid cover followed shortly. In brief, my feelings were thus: covers are valid* if they
A) bring a totally different sound (e.g. if they’re performed in a different genre or by someone of a different gender), or
B) bring something new to the general message, feeling, or expression of the song, or
C) take a really well-written song by someone who’s lyrically and musically gifted but vocally not so much and make it palatable to the general masses
*Valid, in this case, meaning it is acceptable that they were created. Please note, however, that any destruction of songs or general suckage completely renders this validity null and void. Step the fuck away from the Nirvana catalog, Tori Amos. Yes, I’m looking directly at you.
That said, I bring you my favorite covers of all time (organized by category), and strongly encourage you to share yours (or eviscerate mine) in the comments:
Just Plain Awesome
1. All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix–because category C was pretty much created for Bob Dylan
2. Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright–ditto for Leonard Cohen, or at least, according to my personal taste. I also don’t much care for the Jeff Buckley version, or the version by that chick who did it.
3. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by Guns ‘n Roses–see #1
4. Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Nirvana–originally called “In the Pines”
5. Hurt by Johnny Cash–This is one of those cases where I love both the original and the cover, but the emotions conveyed are so radically different that there is definitely room for two. Just don’t be one of those ignorant assholes who makes a stupid comment about how Nine Inch Nails ruined the song, because that gets a throat punching. Being older doesn’t always mean you got there first.
6. And I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston–you know how sometimes you find out something’s a cover and you’re incredibly shocked because there is simply no way that song could have ever been done right by anyone else? Well, no disrespect to the wonderful Dolly Parton, but that moment came for me with this song.
7. Video Killed the Radio Star by The Presidents of the United States of America–because I just can’t listen to the Buggles version but I love how the sentiment continues to ring true even as reality kills the video star
8. Live and Let Die by Guns ‘n Roses–what can I say? They make some good choices, and Axl may be crazy but he’s got outrageous pipes.
9. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Marilyn Manson–a controversial choice, I know, but the second he roared “some of them want to use you,” I was so, so sold.
10. Higher Ground by The Red Hot Chili Peppers–no comments, just solid goodness. Anthony Kiedis, if you’re reading this, call me.
Best Gender-Benders
1. I Will Survive by Cake–this one definitely belongs in my top 10. Forget that I like sound and the minimalism of it; what gets me about this cover every time is what a great representation it is of the stereotypical male view of a bad breakup–it completely lacks the feelings of urgency and self-empowerment of the original and simply says, “whatever.” Listening to this song makes me want to break up with someone just so I can feel that kind of apathy. (And even if her reasons aren’t the same, I’m glad to see that LargeLimbedLady is on board with this choice!)
2. Baby, One More Time by Fountains of Wayne–this is more because I love Fountains of Wayne, but their mellow, acoustic version of the song that made Britney a star is as pleasurable to listen to as anything else they’ve got to offer.
3. Maybe I’m Amazed by Jem–OK, so this might be sacrilegious, but what can I say? I dig it.
4. Fell in Love With a Boy by Joss Stone–whatever happened to her, anyway?
5. Sweet Child ‘o Mine by Sheryl Crow–not because it’s great, but because it’s nowhere near as bad as it should’ve been, and for that, I respect her greatly. Limp Bizkit’s cover of “Behind Blue Eyes” falls under this category as well, but I can’t list it officially or I suspect Senor Lama will leave me.
Best Punk Covers, Using the Word “Punk” Liberally
1. 99 Red Balloons by Goldfinger–originally “99 Luftballoons,” so, obviously an improvement for those of us not fluent in German. Also, one of my favorite covers of all time.
2. Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm–when you dare to dabble with the greats, sometimes it pays off.
3. Breathe by Smartbomb–makes me like Faith Hill just for OKing it
4. One Tin Soldier by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes–it’s really hard to narrow down the top of Me First and the Gimmes Gimmes, who, if you’re not familiar, cover pretty much every song in existence, from “The Phantom of the Opera” to the Cheers theme, to “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.” Some are more successful than others, but this and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” are my favorites.
5. I Think I Love You by Less Than Jake–excellent for those with no attachment to the original
6. The Freshmen by Mustard Plug–I completely forgot about this one until I Googled punk covers to make sure I didn’t miss anything, since I don’t listen to these nearly as often as I used to, but I was obsessed with this one in high school, and, ya know, memories.
And what list of covers would be complete without mentioning the great atrocities of our time [which haven't already been ripped to shreds by the illustrious WhoreOutMyFurniture]?
The Worst of the Worst
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Tori Amos–No. Just no. This is everything that’s wrong with music in the whole world.
2. Faith by Limp Bizkit–because unless you’re being brutally attacked, that kind of screaming is just not necessary.
3. Satisfaction by Britney Spears–did enjoy the striptease though!
4. American Pie by Madonna–seriously, it was long enough the first time.
OK, I need to interrupt this already too-long post to say that the Israeli radio station I stream at work and just turned on for the first time all day was playing “I Will Survive” by Cake when I tuned it. Tell me that’s not fate. Go on, tell me.
Hmm, well, I guess that wasn’t an interruption because I think I’m done. Phew!
This brings up something from Facebook this morning; I’m a big fan of Rush, and they came out with an album called “Feedback,” in which they covered songs that were influences on them when they first started out. They did a cover of The Who’s “The Seeker” which is patently awesome, and I think does not detract in any way from the original. It helps that both Roger Daltrey and Geddy Lee have some of the most iconic voices in rock.
I haven’t heard the Fountains of Wayne cover of Hit Me Baby, but I love the Travis cover – they’re probably in the same vein:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NwqN-xj9Xs
Also, I like Billy Corgan’s cover of landslide, I think it fits under criteria A.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnzoF2ZlQw0
And Giant Drag’s cover of Chris Issac’s Wicked Game. I know it was used in the Nip / Tuck promos but I still like it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOMLU_pLjME
@Newt: I saw your post on FB this morning and I knew you were going to mention it on this post! Not my genre so much but I will definitely mention to Mr. Lama as he likes Rush and considers The Who his favorite band.
@Hen: Good call on Landslide; I’ll have to check out those other two as well, though I agree that the Travis cover is probably really similar. Never heard of Giant Drag though!
@dahl: for the worst category, and also britney spears you should add her cover of bobby brown’s “my prerogative”… i hated that shit with a passion!
I think that cover songs are valid generally because the band playing the cover loves the song enough to reproduce it. That being said, I hate cover bands with a burning passion. Just write a damn song already! Also, lately bands have been doing covers ironically, which kinda sucks for me because I dislike all things ironic.
I loved Devo’s cover of Satisfaction, but the local rock (now classic rock because they still play the exact same lineup) station broke the 45 on air (asses), and although I love me some Architecture in Helsinki, Dr. Dog’s version of Heart It Races is fabulous.
Dahl: I wish we were best friends in real life. I can still remember going to the Sam Goody (is that store even around anymore?) and buying Goldfinger for 99 red balloons (Hang-Ups, though, was my fave album of theirs). Less Than Jake was also a HUGE favorite of mine back in the day as well.
I also found myself quite surprised to thoroughly enjoy Marilyn Manson’s version of Sweet Dreams… but by goodness do I love Annie Lenox and the Eurythymics version.
Question: Is the cover “The Freshman” a cover of the Verve Pipe’s “The Freshman”? If so, I need to hear it – that song really gets to me… I finally realized the weight of the lyrics last year while jamming out in the car with my old college roommie.
Love this list, you are awesome.
PS EVERCLEAR “In a Different Light” ? How do you feel about it?… I’m going to try and see them here in SF on the 9th… still, what the hell happened to the band? Art’s post on their site doesn’t really explain much, except that I think it came down to personal/artistic differences (like, when does it not?).
You appear to have left out Tori Amos’s cover of ” ‘97 Bonnie and Clyde” by Eminem. Could go in either best cover, or gender bending. It is the most fucked up cover in the world, and I love it. She changes the entire POV and meaning of the song.
When I first heard of this cover I thought “Sacrilege!” but the video brought me around.
@Blix: LOVE this one, but I couldn’t bring myself to put up two Marilyn Manson covers. Great video, too–I’ve seen Not Another Teen Movie many more times than I care to admit.
@Birdie: Soulmates! I actually discovered Bad Religion because I went to their concert to hear LTJ open. And YES, it is a cover of The Verve Pipe’s song, which I think for a super-specific age is one of those defining songs of adolescence. And I haven’t heard any new Everclear, actually–much as I love them, I can’t deny that their music consistently sounds the same, so I gave up after So Much For the Afterglow and just listen to their old stuff over and over. No clue what happened to the band but I would still LOVE to see them in concert–jealous!! I’m pretty sure they’re coming to Philly but I don’t know anyone here who would go with me
@MissP: I wouldn’t say I “left anything out” seeing as this is a list of my personal favorites, which is a place where Tori Amos will never, ever find herself, but I’m glad to hear that she’s done some good in the music world.
@Dahl: The new album is mostly all of the old stuff (and I also gave up after So Much for the Afterglow). I haven’t listened to it in its entirety, but yeah, I’m trying to figure out what poor sap will go with me to their concert.
Joss Stone just released a new album, Colour Me Free and apparently there’s a cover of Nat King Cole’s “LOVE”. Hmm… I think Joss hit that weird “I refuse to be a puppet of a big bad record label” phase so many young women go through, and that’s why she sorta fell off the planet.
The version of ‘my way’ by sid vicious done by gary oldman in alex cox movie of sid and nancy is pretty funny and good if you like that sorta thing, which I do.
Dahl: Agreed on “Higher Ground,” but your inclusion of SC’s “Sweet Child” hurts my soul.
Heneage: Love Travis’s “Hit Me.”
Some of my favorites:
“Alone Again Or” – Calexico: Probably my favorite cover ever.
“Just Like Heaven” – The Watson Twins: I was skeptical—why mess with perfection?—but it’s a wonderfully stripped-down homage.
“Helter Skelter” – U2: I get goosebumps every time the Edge starts in with that guitar.
“Ceremony” – New Order, Radiohead: Two covers of a Joy Division song which don’t sound all that different, but I love them all equally and could never choose a favorite.
“Mrs. Robinson” – The Lemonheads, “Highway 61 Revisited” – PJ Harvey, “Ziggy Stardust” – Bauhaus, “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” – Urge Overkill, “I Wanna Be Your Dog” – Uncle Tupelo, “The Passenger” – Siouxsie & The Banshee.
Mark Ronson’s Version is an entire album of delightful covers sung by different vocalists.
@LL: I know, I felt dirty about its inclusion–I think the reason I have a soft spot for SC’s “Sweet Child” is because the all-girls a capella group at NYU did a rendition of SCOM that I loved and I felt like Sheryl Crow paved the way for them to do that. But it absolutely straddles the line of “cover songs that should never, EVER have come to light,” which reminds me that I also forgot to list Dispatch’s horrendous cover of The Beastie Boys’ “Root Down” in that category.
Funny you mention a “Just Like Heaven” cover because Goldfinger does that too and I love it, but decided just to leave their count at 1 on my list. I’ll definitely check out the one you mentioned though, along with the others!
@HENEAGE: That Travis cover is probably my favorite cover of any song, ever. Also one of my favorite bands.
Worst cover: “Careless Whisper” by whomever is currently singing it on shitty modern rock radio. UGH.
DahlE, we’re soul mates on Nirvana; I love them desperately. I laughed with recognition at your conversation with the ill-informed Mr. Lama. Do husbands take stupid pills right after the wedding ceremony? Just kidding, married men!
@MP: Right before the ceremony. Just kidding, married women!
KRISMRY: I also liked the Sex Pistols My Way. I actually heard that version first in my teen years BEFORE hearing Frank Sinatra sing it. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was young and was familiar with many other Sinatra tunes-just not My Way.
Thanks to So You Think You Can Dance, I’ve just discovered another of my least favorite covers of all time: Blackbird, by Bobby McFerrin. Awful. Just awful.