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Cover Me, I'm Goin' In - 10 more cover songs worth hearingJul 11 '03 (Updated Dec 07 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line I'm still a sucker for good cover songs. Here's another set of cover songs that manage to create something totally new from the original material.
Everyone's heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When it comes to the music world, I've come to notice that adaptation can be just as flattering, if not more so. Look at the cover songs that keep coming every year. Sure, plenty of these songs are content to copy the original, adding nothing in the process, but those cover songs that really stand out in our mind, those that truly show a love and appreciation for the source material, will put a new spin on the song, taking ownership and making it their own. Not only do these cover songs with a new and interesting twist pay due homage to the original, but they also stand on their own merit in a way some original songs have trouble doing. Sure, I've written about cover songs before, but there are so many worthwhile covers out there, that I felt it was time to pick another crop of reworked songs where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Without further ado... Tequila by Tony Levin (originally by The Champs) There's nothing like starting off with a loud, raunchy party anthem, and this version of the classic fifties instrumental track is clearly no party anthem. Everyone knows the original version's opening acoustic guitar riffs and cymbal beat, not to mention the famous sax line. Tony Levin's version, though, is almost unrecognizable. Here we open with a slow rhythm coaxed out of a set of African drums. A few piano chords and sax licks hint at the lead line from the original, but the tempo has been cut in half, giving the whole song a fuzzy, dreamlike quality. Even the song's two times the lone lyric of "tequila" comes across, it has an unreal quality. Rather than the celebratory growl of drunker reveler, in this version, the song's lone lyric sounds like a secret agent speaking the code word for a safe house in hushed tones through the other side of a thick door. The end result places the song in the realm of African/lounge music, surely one of music's more obscure genres. Love the One You're With by Chris Tart (originally by Stephen Stills) If we can look past the thumbs up given to infidelity, the original version of this song stands as a real masterpiece of celebratory folk rock. Chris Tart's adaptation of the song captures the spirit of the original, but throws a considerable helping of funk into the mix. The whole song is driven forward by a deep, but bubbly bassline over a foundation of sharp drum fills. Well-placed horn fills and short, catchy electric guitar licks round out the song, leaving the acoustic rhythms of the original far behind and giving this update a much more solid dance groove. Chris Tart doesn't quite have the vocal harmonies down the way Stephen Stills did, but he certainly brings in the same level of energy. Take Me Home, Country Roads by Toots and the Maytals (originally by John Denver) John Denver has never been seen as an edgy artist who can come out and surprise listeners, and this probably makes his music perfect for a musical makeover. On their album Funky Kingston, reggae legends Toots and the Maytals recorded a deep, soulful version of Country Roads featuring the classic backbeat rhythm of Jamaican music. Toots Hibbert may never have been to West Virginia in his life, but to get around this in the lyrics, he simply changes words of the chorus to "West Jamaica," and it's simply to hear how much love he has for his homeland. Hibbert's vocals drip with emotion, soul, and energy in a way that John Denver could never have achieved. This new version absolutely leaves the original in the dust. Train in Vain by Dwight Yoakam (originally by The Clash) I don't know what it is about Train in Vain but the song seems a perfect candidate to be made into a cover song. It's not that the original version isn't fantastic, but rather that it's so elegantly simple, that it can easily be molded into any number of styles, much like a classic recipe that world-famous chefs can adapt to their own signature styles. There have been dozens of great versions of Train in Vain, but the most unusual has got to be Dwight Yoakam's version from his Under the Covers album. Accordian, violin, banjo, and acoustic guitar all go into Yoakam's country rendition of the song. In this case, "country" means traditional country music in the style of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, and not the lame pop country style of the last few decades. Yoakam sings with a strong drawl, but it fits the arrangement perfectly, accentuating the feelings without overpowering or feeling like a gimmick. Somehow this one comes off as a country song that even people who refuse to like country music can enjoy. How Sweet It Is by Joan Osborne (originally by Marvin Gaye) These days, most people think of the James Taylor version when they think of How Sweet It Is, but Taylor's version comes across as a bit bland and saccharine when compared to other versions. (Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Taylor's folk rock version, but there's more that he could have done.) In 2002, Joan Osborne put together a collection of cover songs, with How Sweet It Is as the title track. Taylor's familiar version is all sunshine and smiles, celebrating all the positive aspects of love. Osborne's deeper, bass heavy version gives the song a much more sinister tone as it flirts around with a few minor key changes. The frequent electric guitar fills simply add to the darker feel of the song. Here, the song draws out the darker, hidden themes behind lyrics such as "You were better to me than I was to myself" as Osborne cathartically delves into just how much we need love during the darkest moments of our lives. Bad Sneakers by the Push Stars (originally by Steely Dan) Since Steely Dan are known as absolute perfectionists in the studio, it would seem that there isn't much of a point in trying to improve on them. It might not be possible, but at least artists can make new versions that are just as good. On the soundtrack for the movie Me, Myself, and Irene, a dozen or so contemporary acts covered the music of Steely Dan, and while many of the contributors came up with strong adaptations, the best was the Push Stars' Bad Sneakers. Gone is the smooth, jazzy funk of the original, and in its place is a light, indie pop rhythm with acoustic guitar licks and mandolin fills. Rounding out the eclectic sound of this adaptation is an instrumental fill towards the end of the song with a Dixieland-style trumpet and clarinet. The result is a bit of a lightweight song, but it can't fail to make listeners smile. The Weight by Cassandra Wilson (originally by The Band) Few songs manage to carry such a world-weary sense of optimism as The Band's classic The Weight. Cassandra Wilson's version, taken from the Belly of the Sun album, captures the same level of spirit and emotion as the original, even if it doesn't bring along the loose, organic jam session feel. Instead, Wilson's adaptation of the song is grounded in a tight percussion foundation played on hand drums from Jeffery Haynes and Cyro Baptista. In the background, light, airy riffs on slide guitar and banjo give the song a warm, well-rounded feel. Wilson's voice, strong and unusually deep for a woman, is perfectly suited for the song, adding elements that almost sound like old negro spirituals. This version may not sound much like the original, but it still manages to capture the same powerful mixture of sadness and hope. This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) by Shawn Colvin (originally by Talking Heads) This Must Be the Place turned out to be one of Talking Heads' sweetest and least cynical and paranoid songs. Talking Heads, though, were never especially known for being positive and sweet, and Shawn Colvin's new version of their song from her Cover Girl album takes these feelings and emotions to an extreme that David Byrne and company could not have dreamed of. Gone are the layers of synthesizer loops and electronic fills. Instead, Colvin plays the song on a solo acoustic guitar, coaxing airy riffs and arpeggios from the strings. A few violins and flutes provide the only other occasional backdrop for the song. Colvin's voice, too, shines with the wide-eyed innocence, wonder, and amazement with the world only hinted at in the original, creating a new sound for the song that even fans of the Talking Heads may not recognize. For What It's Worth by the Candyskins (originally by Buffalo Springfield) Mash-ups are a relatively new phenomenon in the music world, but if the means to produce them had existed twenty-five years ago, someone back then probably would have made a song like The Candyskins' cover of For What It's Worth from their debut album. When the group arranged their new version of the Buffalo Springfield classic, they must have simply asked themselves," why bother writing a new set of music for the song when there are so many other great tunes that already exist?" As a result, their cover version opens with a set of muted drums and repeated screams that all classic rock fans will know as the intro to Sympathy for the Devil. Soon, the familiar guitar riff from For What It's Worth joins the mix, followed shortly by a gruff, cynical take on the song's lyrics. The entire song maintains the Rolling Stones' drum line, making this cover song a new version of two classic rock gems for the price of one. Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (originally by Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong) The ukulele is supposed to be a novelty instrument. The rules for music say that it should be restricted to fluff novelty songs by the likes of Tiny Tim and Don Ho. How is it, then, that Hawaii's Israel Kamakawiwo'ole can use the ukulele as the only instrument on his medley of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World, and end up with one of the most sincere, honest, and beautiful sounding cover songs out there? The rhythms have a distinctly tropical Pacific feel to them, Kamakawiwo'ole has just the right amount of sweetness and wonder at the world to sound sincere without sounding hokey or maudlin. The songs join together seamlessly, both musically and thematically, giving us an unconditionally upbeat and sincere view of the world. Once again, I know that there are going to be some favorite cover songs that I haven't mentioned, but there are far too many strong covers out there to be able to include them all. Feel free to mention your favorites in the comment section. In the meantime, I'll keep searching for more good covered and post yet another of these lists at some point in the future.  |
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