I love music, I really do, and I rarely get a chance to discuss it with my friends. They don’t listen to me because apparently I am the only human alive who doesn’t love this genius. Sorry friends — thanks for still letting me come to your houses…I digress.
I was thinking about music and music covers after reading The Squidge’s article. What makes a good cover versus a bad cover? Does the song need to be “good” to start with? Can you really improve upon a classic? What if you love the song but hate the artist? I enjoy a good cover and can go into convulsive fits over bad ones.
In my opinion you need a few things to make a truly great cover.
1) Start with some pretty sweet source material.
2) Make it your own. Truly own your version of the song.
3) Don’t wimp out with a remix and call it a cover.
A list of sweet covers that follows the rules:
Turn the Page - Metallica This is big for me because I don’t like those angry Napster-hating dudes and I love Bob Seger. Metallica took a song that was pretty much woe is me and turned it into an angry anthem about life on the road. And the video was crazy ridiculous.
Goldigger - Kanye West and Jaime Foxx Do you still find this song catchy as hell? Do you love Ray Charles anyway? Yes and yes. Hell,even the edited version is sweet. A rare feat in hip-hop.
All is Full of Love - Death Cab for Cutie Mopey poppy rockers decide to take on ultra weirdo and ultra badass Bjork? Wow. This is so odd it works.
Just Like Heaven - Dinosaur Jr. I love the Cure and hate this song. However when J.Mascis and company cover this song I suddenly think it’s top notch. Maybe it’s his scratchy voice. Maybe it’s the decidely Un-Cureness of Jr’s version. I don’t know but I like it.
Stairway to Heaven - Dolly Parton This is one of the songs that shouldn’t be covered. It’s a joke. It’s too long. We all like it, but god how many times have we heard it? And Dolly Parton? Really? Really. This is the sweeping finale on Parton’s perfect bluegrass album Halos and Horns. She even got Plant and Page approval.
What makes a bad cover?
1) Not following rules 1 - 3.
2) Unnecessary or gratuitous (read you need a hit or are promoting something)
Now for the bad. The truly bad.
It’s My Life - No Doubt Why was this song covered? Was this for a movie for Gwen’s career? The Talk Talk version is really good. This is so far removed from No Doubt and Ms.Stefani that I cannot understand why it was done. Maybe they are big Talk Talk fans.
I love Rock ‘n Roll - Britney Spears Why is this awful? Besides the obvious, there is also this. No further explanantion required.
Take My Breath Away/These Boots Are Made For Walking - Jessica Simpson A double offender. Breath is cheesy at best, the worst hit for a good band. And why the Boots for Dukes of Hazard? I don’t care for your breathy singing anyway.
Imagine - A Perfect Circle - An explicit version of a song about peace, brotherhood and hope. Ummmmmm ok. FAIL.
Burning Down the House - Tom Jones and The Cardigans This pains me in many ways. I am a big fan of The Cardigans and I enjoy some Tom Jones. But this is awful. Unnecessary, silly and just plain bad. What a weird match while we’re at it. How did these two get together?
911 Is a Joke - Duran Duran No comment needed here.
And honorable mention goes to:
ANY SONG DONE IN EUROTRASH STYLE WITH SYNTH BEATS I work at the mall and walk by Abercrombie & Fitch several times a day. Pick a song, any song. It has been covered and synthed up to a pulsing beat and played ad nauseam and so loudly you can hear it at the Cookie Company.
Flyers, care to add to best or worst?
June 28th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Here’s one that splits for me. I was reminded of it when you mentioned the Metallica cover of Turn the Page. They also cover Tuesday’s Gone on that album and the first verse with Hetfield is most likely the worst thing I’ve ever heard, whereas the second verse, with COC front-man Pepper Keenan, is pretty righteous. Impressive if you ask me, doing a good and bad cover all in the same song.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:51 am
how about the “blue monday” dichotomy—with the good half being represented by the bjork-esque (bjork-y?)group flunk and their acoustic take on the classic, and the truly awful being repped by marilyn manson disciples orgy and their unneccessary bludgeoning of said classic?
June 29th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Life is a Highway, as remade by the jism-haired contemporary Chrstian/country act Rascall Flatts.
The lead singer sounds like someone tortured a cat in heat, recorded it, than ran it through a synthesizer.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:33 am
A gooduhn…
The Knife / Jose Gonzales - Heartbeats
Both the original and cover are badass, and VERY dissimilar to each other.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
What if you are a complete badass like Johnny Cash and do a whole album of covers?
June 30th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Bubb Rubb - I’d say if you’re as badass as Johnny Cash, you can cover whatever in the hell you feel like covering.
Now if you’re complete douche faces, like Rascall Flatts, then all bets are off.
I did a show on KXUA many years ago dedicated to the best cover songs. I’ve forgotten a bunch, but I seem to remember really like the Lemonheads version of Mrs. Robinson.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I also remember really liking the Lemonheads version of Mrs. Robinson.
Then, the other day, I watched The Graduate again, and I realized that yes, most of the 1990s remakes of 60s songs were teh suck.
It made me sad. So sad I wanted to wear dirty clothes and whine about crass consumerism and marginalization like a big Lamestain.
Listen up, Puff Daddy. There’s nothing like an original. Ever.
That goes for you too, Pearl Jam.
Yeah, I went there.