So I was riding to work the other morning, satellite radio jamming, and I heard the familiar guitar licks of one of my favorite songs, Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.” My happiness, to my dismay, was short-lived. Once the vocals started, and the voice of Brandon Boyd, lead singer on Incubus, started, I quickly realized that Prince had become yet another victim to cover-song-itis. A disease that has been around forever and shows no signs of slowing down. Ironically enough, the very next song was a remake of the WHAM! emo-hit, “Careless Whisper.” My first thought was “do we really need covers of George Michael songs floating around and melting the minds of another generation??” But there is a bigger, more serious issue here: Are cover songs a good thing? Is imitation really the best form of flattery? The answer appears to be yes and no.
If one was to look at the wide range of cover songs that are out there, it is quite the hodge podge of attempts. You have choices such as Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” (legendary), The Ataris’ “Boys of Summer” (respectable), and Marilyn Manson’s “Sweet Dreams” (creepy). It would seem some songs just shouldn’t be covered (the aforementioned Prince number comes to mind), but still yet bands choose to fill slots on albums with “tributes” to the hits before them.
And it seems that covers fit into a variety of categories:
• The successful ones – Cash’s “Hurt,” Black Crow’s “Hard to Handle,” Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Higher Ground.”
• The career-defining ones: Sinead O’Conner’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Alien Ant Farm’s “Smooth Criminal,” Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love.”
• The creepy ones (where an artist does a duet with a dead parent and freaks everyone out in the process): Natalie and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable,” Hank and Hank Jr.’s “Tear in My Beer.”
• The ones that have been done a gazillion times: “Crazy Love,” “Ring of Fire,” Anything by the Beatles, or apparently George Michael.
The cover song is quite the fickle beast.
There does seem to be one sure-fire exception that always seems to work. When a band or artist does a cover song in concert. Have you ever been to a concert and the band rolls into a cover of some past hit? Everyone goes wild. Why? Because everyone knows the song and can sing along? Because you want to hear how your favorite band makes a past hit their own? Perhaps these are questions we won’t ever have answers for. What we do know is there will inevitably be another cover lurking just around the corner (and with Michael no longer with us, be prepared for about 40 million MJ covers over the next 50-60 years).
So fearless reader, what great, awful, weird ones did I miss? Are covers a harmless form of imitation, or a complete lack of creativity? Leave a comment and let the debate continue to rage on …
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2009.
I personally hate country singers remake pop songs. The country versions are always horrendous.
Here are some of my least favorite remakes in the history of the world
“Take my Breath Away” by Jessica Simpson
“Sweet Child O’Mine” by Sheryl Crow
“She Bangs” by William Hung
I was at a concert a few weeks ago and Darius Rucker belted out “Purple Rain” by Prince. It was amazing to hear his rendition, and the audience LOVED it and was able to sing along. Guess cover songs will be around as long as there’s music!
* Foo Fighters – “Darling Nikki”
* Korn – “Another Brick In The Wall” & “Word Up”
*Dan Fuchs – “Dear Prudence”
*Cake – “I Will Survive”
*Sublime – “Summertime” (yes, this song is overlaid onto the funky beats of George Gershwin, so I think this technically counts as a cover)
*Bono – “I Am The Walrus”
*Live – “I Walk The Line”
*The Lemonheads – “Mrs. Robinson”
*The Ramones – “What A Wonderful World”
“Wonderwall” by Ryan Adams is WAY better than the Oasis version.
All the groups/people that have “covered” Eagles songs should just stop. There is no way they can replicate or better that harmony or Don Henley’s voice.
this is quite possibly one of the lamest blogs I’ve ever read. And BTW… it’s Black Crowes (w/ an “e”).
I suppose cover are a tribute to the originator. However, I think that imitators should stop trying to “cover” George Michael’s music. Opposed to your opinion, I think he is a brilliant and unique singer/songwriter and much of his music is timeless. By the way he has been making amazing music for 20 years beyond his Wham days. Listen to some of it!
You definitely missed this one, because it’s from a relatively unknown indie band from NJ, Van Atta High (hugely popular around here) who were asked by S1 Songs America to cover the song “Afternoon Delight” for them (music publishing company).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OatWwF5S7FU
I think if you’re going to cover someone else’s song, you better change it up and make it your own (like Van Atta High did), or don’t bother covering it.