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Subject: What makes a good cover song?
A question thats been bugging me for a while. I'm sure there has been a thread which has asked for good covers before, but I really want to know why you like these covers and why you think they are good/better.
Some good covers IMHO would be, Alien Ant Farm's, 'Smooth Criminal', Soft Cell's, 'Tainted Love' and The Bangle's, 'Hazy Shade Of Winter - wheras some bad covers would be Atomic Kitten's, 'Eternal Flame', Britney's, 'I Love Rock n Roll' and the list could go on.
I think on some respect, you *tend* to like the cover better if you hear it before the original, but I don't think it's always the case - as I do prefer the Gloria Jones original even thoughI do think Soft Cells version is still good.
So what cover songs do you personally think are good, or worthy of the statment 'better than the original' and why do you think this is?
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Good thread Criz !
I am a rabid Beatles fan but there 2 songs of theirs that I reckon were done better :
Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds (Elton John)
and
Eleanor Rigby (Zoot)
I would normally argue that part of what kills covers versions is the desire by the covering artist to radically change the way the song is sung, and in doing so they change the intent of the lyrics.
I know this has been done to death, but Madonna's abomination of American Pie is a perfect example - she took the line :
"If the bible tells you so..."
And changed it from a 'rolling eyes' type statement into a crooning love song type of line. I mean did she ever even understand what Don McLean was saying when he sung that line ? I think not >:(
Another prime example of cover version recking a good song is Without You by Mariah Carey - just AWFUL. Not a patch on the Nilsson version, which ironically was a cover of a pretty ordinary effort by Badfinger...
Turning full circle again, I think Graham Bonnet's (ex-lead singer of the Marbles (Only One Woman)) version of It's All Over Now Baby Blue racks on the original by Bob Dylan...
So there you go - a ramble by FussBudget which hasn't really given you an answer at all ! But I did get to sink the boot into Madonna and Mariah, so I am happy now :P
FB ;D
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
A good cover should be an homage to the original without being a direct carbon copy of it. I would choose Hendrix' version of "All Along the Watchtower" as a good example, but there are many more.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
A good cover should be an homage to the original without being a direct carbon copy of it. I would choose Hendrix' version of "All Along the Watchtower" as a good example, but there are many more.
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Hey Goreripper !
That's what I started to try to say, but then I side-tracked myself ! Thanks for saying it better !
FB ;)
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
I know this has been done to death, but Madonna's abomination of American Pie is a perfect example - she took the line :
"If the bible tells you so..."
And changed it from a 'rolling eyes' type statement into a crooning love song type of line. I mean did she ever even understand what Don McLean was saying when he sung that line ? I think not >:(
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I gotta say I completly agree with you about American Pie, even though I do love Madonna. The irony/hint of sarcasm doesn't come through in her version at all really, it seems af is it is a literal comment.
I grew up listening to the original and was so shocked when I heard Madonna cover it. In Don Mcleans, there is so much emotion felt in, say the last part of the final verse, ("in the street, the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed, but not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken. And the 3 men I admired teh most, the father, son and the Holy ghost, they caught the last train for the coast. The day, the music, died") it seems as if Madonna sings it almost in a lighthearted fashion - which I dislike very much.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
I usually hate cover versions, but one excellent one I can think of is the Psychedlic Furs' cover of Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife." They took his lighthearted upbeat pop number and turned it back into something dark and evil, much much closer to what Weil and Brecht originally intended....
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Just thought of another point. I like a couple of covers more than the originals beacuse I dislike the voice of the original singer. For example, I dislike Rod Stewarts voice immensely, so I much prefer the Stereophonics version of 'Handbags and Gladrags'. Same goes from 'When Doves Cry' , I prefer Genuwines cover.
Edited to add the further comment: I dislike PRINCE'S voice too, I don't mean that I think that Rod Stewart did 'When Doves Cry' ;D
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
I dislike Rod Stewarts voice immensely, so I much prefer the Stereophonics version of 'Handbags and Gladrags'. Same goes from 'When Doves Cry' End Quote
Criz ! Rod's voice is what made the Doves Cry.... :D
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
Criz ! Rod's voice is what made the Doves Cry.... :D
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Lol! You know I meant Prince! I just kinda forgot to mention his name :P
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
Lol! You know I meant Prince! I just kinda forgot to mention his name :P
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LOL back - I know who sung it ! I meant that Rod's voice was the reason WHY the doves were crying :D :P
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
And for all the right reasons :P
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Well, Bego-Alt-Tab-Bogo, you know canaries didn't die down in coal mines from poisonous gasses - it was because Bonny Tyler was singing backup vocals to Rod....
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
I think a good cover song either has to follow the original exactly or the singer turns the song into his or her own. But the cover versions I hate the most are Pearl Jam's version of J. Frank Wilson's "Last Kiss" (Eddie Vedder can't sing! He makes "straight ahead" sound like "straight, a hinge") and Reba McEntire's version of the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown." (She ruined that song!)
Among songs I think were improved on the remake were Linda Ronstadt's version of the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved" (the Everly version really isn't that bad) and Pat Benatar's version of the Young Rascals' "You Better Run."
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
LOL back - I know who sung it ! I meant that Rod's voice was the reason WHY the doves were crying :D :P
End Quote
So are you telling me the comment was not beacuse I forgot to mention the Prince sung the song!!
Quoting:
Well, Bego-Alt-Tab-Bogo, you know canaries didn't die down in coal mines from poisonous gasses - it was because Bonny Tyler was singing backup vocals to Rod....
End Quote
Lol - she's not AS bad as Rod though!
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
My idea of a good cover is that it has to be lyrically true to the original, with no added or deleted lyrics. It can be different musically, but not so much that it drowns out the spirit of the original. Which is why the Dishwalla cover of the Carpenters' "It's Gonna Take Some Time (This Time)" is a good cover and Van Halen's "Pretty Woman" is subpar, IMHO.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
It baffles me how someone can dislike Rod Stewart's voice but like Kelly Jones'. Meh, it all comes down to people's opinion and crap like that, I guess.
It helps if the singer really understands what makes the original so special; that's what Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" good and Madonna's "American Pie" crap. And of course there's gotta be something new added to the mix; personally, I like the Smashing Pumpkins' version of Landslide because I like the way Billy's voice handles the lyrics, even though besides that there's really not any difference to the original.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
It baffles me how someone can dislike Rod Stewart's voice but like Kelly Jones'. Meh, it all comes down to people's opinion and crap like that, I guess.
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I don't know that it is about Kelly Jones's voice - there is just something about it that I adore. Maybe its beacuse I have always liked the Sterophonics music - it all probably goes down to all that Psychological stuff about assosiation and learning theory really - which I don't think I'll go into right now! Stewarts voice just seems to annoy me for some reason which I can't explain.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
...I think on some respect, you *tend* to like the cover better if you hear it before the original, but I don't think it's always the case - as I do prefer the Gloria Jones original even thoughI do think Soft Cells version is still good....
End Quote
I've found this to be mostly true myself. Two covers that I like very much, I heard long before the originals. Years before.
They are Aerosmith's version of "(Remember) Walking In The Sand", and Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower".
I also really, really, like Aerosmith's version of "Cry Me A River", but I heard the original first and hated it.
I agree that liking the singer (and/or the singer's voice) has a lot to do with whether you like the cover version. I also think the cover artist has to capture the essence of what the original artist was trying to convey, or otherwise you end up with essentially a different song.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
The best cover i've heard was by a band called China Drum, who did a punky cover of Kate Bushs' Wuthering Heights which was nice. This Mortal Coils cover of Tim Buckleys Song to the Siren is also great.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
I also really, really, like Aerosmith's version of "Cry Me A River", but I heard the original first and hated it.
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Believe it or not, when I first heard the original, I liked Michael Jackson's version of "Rockin' Robin" better than the original by Bobby Day. These days I like Bobby Day's original better.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Personally I think what makes a cover song is the "marriage" of material (the song) and the band or singer. It goes both ways. When it works, its great, ie Stevie Ray Vaughn's version of Hendrix's "Voodoo Child". When it doesn't, its laughable, ie (alredy mentioned) Madonna's attempt of Don Mcleans "American Pie".
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
The *A Teens, or A*Teens, or whatever they are called, did some really bad covers of ABBA songs, IMO.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
I agree, lebeiw. WAY too "pop"-py and kiddie for me.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
I agree, lebeiw. WAY too "pop"-py and kiddie for me.
End Quote
You think they're bad? That reminds me... Have you seen those "Kidz Bop" commercials? Man, those are awful... the other night at Wal-Mart I saw "Kidz Bop 2".. it's more recent songs.. some of the original songs are good, but these versions are awful! I read that they make them so they are "kid safe" and "parent approved" but they are the same lyrics none the less.. I mean, they might edit out bad words now and then, but if I was a parent,"Turn Off the Light" and "What a Girl Wants" do not sound like titles of songs I would want my 8 year old kid to hear... Here's a link, they're like 30 second clips of the songs on the CDs http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1081712394/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/album.html/artistid=KIDZ+BOP+KIDS/itemid=1581109 and http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1081712394/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/album.html/artistid=KIDZ+BOP+KIDS/itemid=1427736
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Waylon Jenning's covered Paul Simon's The Boxer a while back. He did a hell of a job of it. Of course, Waylon has the musical chops to carry it off... and the song suited him.
Another song that's been covered by a ton of people (Steve Earle, Paul K and the Weathermen, etc) is Towne Van Zandt's Tecumseh Valley. The definitive cut, in my opinion, is the Nancy Griffith/Arlo Guthrie duet on Other Voices Other Rooms II.
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
You think they're bad? That reminds me... Have you seen those "Kidz Bop" commercials? Man, those are awful... the other night at Wal-Mart I saw "Kidz Bop 2".. it's more recent songs.. some of the original songs are good, but these versions are awful! I read that they make them so they are "kid safe" and "parent approved" but they are the same lyrics none the less.. I mean, they might edit out bad words now and then, but if I was a parent,"Turn Off the Light" and "What a Girl Wants" do not sound like titles of songs I would want my 8 year old kid to hear... Here's a link, they're like 30 second clips of the songs on the CDs http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1081712394/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/album.html/artistid=KIDZ+BOP+KIDS/itemid=1581109 and http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1081712394/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/album.html/artistid=KIDZ+BOP+KIDS/itemid=1427736
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AHhhhhhhhhhhhHhhhhhhhh! Kidz Bop!!!! NOOOOOO!!! :o
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Oooh ooh ooh I know what makes a good cover song:
Keeping Marilyn Manson as far away from it as possible!
Seriously, listen to the way he butchered, "Surrender," "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This," "Highway to Hell," "Tainted Love," ...dear God, how is it possible to ruin those songs? I could make those songs sound good!
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
Oooh ooh ooh I know what makes a good cover song:
Keeping Marilyn Manson as far away from it as possible!
End Quote
Completly, 100% agree!
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Not having checked all the posts, I'm just going to comment on the 1 I always recall as an example of the reverse phenom: cover is better than original.
"Groovy Kind of Love" - Phil Collins. Can't recall the '60s group that did it, but that wasn't my kind of thing even for '60s. I love Phil's schmaltzy romantic arrangement. :)
BTW, since when is "Tainted Love" a cover? If so, who/when did the original? (I know they phase into "Where Did Our Love Go", but I don't count that.)
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, and Soft Cell, in that order. Personally I prefered both the originals.
Quoting:
"Groovy Kind of Love" - Phil Collins. Can't recall the '60s group that did it, but that wasn't my kind of thing even for '60s. I love Phil's schmaltzy romantic arrangement. :)
BTW, since when is "Tainted Love" a cover? If so, who/when did the original? (I know they phase into "Where Did Our Love Go", but I don't count that.)
End Quote
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
The *A Teens, or A*Teens, or whatever they are called, did some really bad covers of ABBA songs, IMO.
End Quote
OMG, is that what they are? I appreciate that they probably were trying to emulate their parents' great song memories, but using that grunge-type teenage lazy-nasal wailing turned me off. Definitely will take the articulate and enunciated adult ABBA version any day!
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Quoting:
Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, and Soft Cell, in that order. Personally I prefered both the originals.
End Quote
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles first released "Groovy Kind of Love" in 1965. Gloria Jones released "Tainted Love" in 1964 (it was written by Ed Cobb of Four Preps fame).
Subject: Re: What makes a good cover song?
Doh, well, I stuffed that up.
Quoting:
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles first released "Groovy Kind of Love" in 1965. Gloria Jones released "Tainted Love" in 1964 (it was written by Ed Cobb of Four Preps fame).
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