Music
Cover Me!
Excellent cover versions of excellent songs.
Ah, the veritable cover song. When done right, it will outshine the original. Do it wrong, and it will be a cloud over the rest of your career.
Doing it mediocre? Congratulations- you’re one of the 5 million bands playing “Gimme Some Lovin’” at the county fair.
Not a writing challenge per se, but after seeing Francis B.’s article on covers, I thought it’d be fun to make my own list. And a perfect excuse to put off shoveling my driveway.
Let’s get right into it!
Talking Heads- “Take Me To the River”
Al Green did it well. The ‘Heads just did it better.
In the liner notes for their 2004 compilation, The Best of Talking Heads, David Byrne noted that “Take Me to the River” is “a song that combines teenage lust with baptism.” God love him.
Mavis Staples- Slippery People (live)
One good turn deserves another. Mavis puts her smooth stamp on this track. The groove has to be heard to be believed. There should be laws against sounding this good. Amazing.
Pet Shop Boys -Always On My Mind
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe take Willie Nelson’s ballad, add synthesizers turn up the BPMs, and flip the track on its head. The result is a danceable gift.
Devo- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Devo is the gift we didn't know we needed. And one of the best things to ever come out of Akron, Ohio (with apologies to Chrissie Hynde).
Madness- “Madness”
The Prince Buster original is a classic. Suggs & co. just brought it to the rest of us in MTV’s early days.
Linda Ronstadt- Poor, Poor, Pitiful me
It takes a special talent to one-up Warren Zevon, but Ronstadt did it on this track. And how.
RHCP- Higher Ground
No notes. See above.
Social Distortion- Ring Of Fire
This entire 1990 S/T record is fantastic and even better live- especially if you get to meet that band after the show.
BTW, they made sure I knew where the soda & Gatorade were. 15 year old me was pissed. In hindsight, that’s actually a pretty rock & roll thing to do.
Goo Goo Dolls- I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
From Hold Me Down. From the era when the band was still a little bit rowdy and a lot less polished. The Nickel City’s favorite sons brought in Lance “Love Doctor” Diamond to help ’em knock this track out of the park.
This wasn't the only cover they did with him, either. Together, they also covered “Down on the Corner,” “My Girl,” “Do You Believe,” and “Bitch.”
Aces.
Otis Redding- Try A Little Tenderness
A little Otis makes the world go round. Regular readers know I’ve been on a huge Redding kick lately. Lake Monona is almost frozen over, by the way.
Blondie- Hanging on the Telephone
Yep, this really is a cover. The Nerves nailed the original, and for the 135 people that have heard it, it remains a fave. Deborah Harry and co. took it to the next level.
Take That- It Only Takes A Minute
1992 was an absolutely bonkers year for music. The boy band takes the Tavares’ original and kicks it right into outer space, fueled by Stock Aitken Waterman’s pop wizardry.
Note: Want to jump down the 1992 rabbit hole? Bernard O'Leary’s got you covered.
The Four Tops- Save It For A Rainy Day
The recipe for a good cover:
- Take Steven Bishop’s catchy original.
- Add multiple vocals.
- Stir in generous amounts of brass.
- Turn up the volume to taste.
Sugar For Sugar- Bizarre Love Triangle
Yes, this is Scarlett Johanssen’s band. Yes, the actress. Yes, they did the track justice. That’s not something I always say about bands redoing New Order songs. I’m looking at you, Frente.
And saving the oddest for last…
The Sorels- I Can Dream About You
This is a song that long outlived the movie it was from, with a much more intriguing plot. The Sorels (the band you see in the video) aren't actually singing- either in the song or the movie. Dan Hartman is.
And, like a lot of things, it’s… complicated. Click through to check out the full story:
For the “I don't have time to read all of that!” crowd:
What’d I miss here? Have a favorite cover song I need to hear? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Francis B’s article:
More Stuff from Me.
→ Subscribe to On Repeat and get new music, old favorites, record reviews, interviews, and more! 📻
