Cover Songs Archive

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Covers Revue – Blink 182 cover “Dead Man’s Curve” :: Originally by Jan and Dean

By
Sara
– September 18, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

In a cover that you never thought you’d hear Blink-182 touch, the band actually handles it quite well. You may think I’m biased since I have a tendency to berate bands who don’t change anything from the original, but for some reason, Blink gets away with it.

With classic surf rock fashion, Jan and Dean prove that The Beach Boys, though they were fiercely popular, weren’t the only artists who can perfect the genre that defined the 60’s. In their song, “Dead Man’s Curve,” horns introduce the surf rock guitars and the snare leads the lyrics through the windy roads of this song. The harmonizing vocals are the perfect addition and characterization of this genre of rock. The monologue in the bridge is pretty creepy, even though it seems emotionless. Also, the car screeches and crashes throughout the song are a nice concept, but really, they just take away and distract from the song.

Known for their potty-mouthed antics and fun, childish songwriting, Blink 182 built a name for themselves as one of the bands of the generation of kids that crossed over to the 21st Century. Blink adopts the surf rock style for their cover of “Dead Man’s Curve,” not really straying from the original style. If they had pop-punked it up with their own style, this song would have been completely different but Blink opted to stick with it. It’s an interesting way to see the band. Just before the song (when vocalists Tom and Mark have a little moment of disagreement) and the ending of the song (where you can hear them screeching and screaming the final notes) are the only times you remember it’s Blink-182. Their version of the monologue, which sees the two vocalists alternating lines, is more favorable for me because they put a little bit of emotion into it.

Blink-182 spice up the song with a slight increase in tempo speed and by substituting howling vocals for the horns of Jan and Dean’s piece, but otherwise the songs are very similar. This is one of the few times that I can go against my normal issue of band’s not making a song their own.

The reason they did this song in the first place was for a CBS mini-series called “Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story,” where Mark and Tom actually played Jan and Dean and performed the song. I guess that explains why they didn’t really stray! Here is the scene.

Here are some other pages you may be interested in:

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Covers Revue – Herman’s Hermits cover “Wonderful World” :: Originally by Sam Cooke

By
Sara
– September 11, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

On this week’s Covers Revue, we have another oldie-but-goodie covering another oldie-but-goodie, with Herman’s Hermits covering Sam Cooke’s “(What A) Wonderful World.”

The great Sam Cooke was a great soul, gospel and R&B singer, so of course his version of “Wonderful World” is laced with those influences. His version has a pace that isn’t very fast but it is definitely and upbeat song. The use of the acoustic guitar make this song a bit poppy but Cooke’s voice and the use of his back-up singers definitely give you a soulful feel as well. Lyrics reflecting a student who doesn’t “know much about history” but who does know that “I love you” and “if you love me, too/What a wonderful world this would be” make this a cute love song. Overall, this song reeks of cuteness while at the same time, still has that air of sex-appeal from Cooke’s voice.

Herman’s Hermits, an English band known for their first hit “I’m Into Something Good” (written by the great Carole King, of course), did a fairly okay job of covering Cooke’s classic. The Hermits rode the British Invasion wave so their version of “Wonderful World” reeks of poppy goodness. An electric guitar dances around the pauses of lyrics and the drum beat is upbeat. The melody and everything about the bridge totally makes you envision these guys in their thick-rimmed glasses on some grainy black-and-white performance. Not straying too far from Cooke’s original formula but giving it that Brit Pop flare, Herman’s Hermits hit and don’t miss with this cover.

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Covers Revue – Urge Overkill covers “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” :: Originally by Neil Diamond

By
Sara
– August 28, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

I know you’ve heard of Neil Diamond. But he isn’t just an idol in the eyes of Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn and Jack Black in the movie “Saving Silverman.” This crooner has been making the hearts of older women (and Turrtle!) melt since the late 1950’s.

In “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” The Jewish Elvis starts off slow then builds up speed, just like any great Casanova should! The song has a bit of a Western feel to it, with the slow strumming of a wah-wah’d guitar and the faster strumming of an acoustic. You can hear the pain in Diamond’s voice as he pleads his case:

“I love so much, can’t count all the ways/I’d die for you, girl and all they can say is/He’s not your kind/They never get tired of putting me down/And I never know when I come around/What I’m gonna find/Don’t let them make up your mind/Don’t you know, girl, you’ll be a woman soon/Please, come take my hand/Girl, you’ll be a woman soon/Soon, you’ll need a man”

Complete with strings to accompany his distinct voice and western guitars, the original “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” is a sure-fire way to melt your mother’s heart the same way it did when she was a little girl!

Thanks to another great movie in “Pulp Fiction,” Urge Overkill’s cover of the Diamond classic garnered its own bit of success. But in all honesty, this 90’s band didn’t impress me with their cover of “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon.” The music and arrangement is pretty much exactly the same, except for more use of the piano as opposed to the strings. Lead singer Nathan “Nash Kato” Kaatrud’s voice doesn’t sound exactly the same as Diamond’s but you can tell he’s trying. This cover is another example of a band covering a song exactly and not really implementing much of their own flavor.

The only thing that makes this song a good cover is the fact that it is an exact copy of a great song!

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Covers Revue: Solange Knowles covers “Stillness is the Move,” originally by The Dirty Projectors

By
Sara
– August 21, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

In an attempt to find more recent covers worthy of posting, I came across Solange Knowles’ cover of The Dirty Projectors’ “Stillness is the Move.” The song is fairly recent (off of DP’s 2009 album, Bitte Orca) so I have to say it’s refreshing to step away from some classics for a second!

The original version of “Stillness is the Move” consists mostly of a stripped-down drum beat and a sprinkled, clean electric guitar melody. The voices of  vocalists Amber Coffman, Haley Dekle and Angel Deradoorian give off a very R&B vibe. There isn’t much variation when it comes to the music besides the bridge, except for the bridge and then immediately after when strings float in near the end to to build the song up to a strong finish. Though “Stillness is the Move” is a simple track musically, the song definitely showcases the vocal talents of COffman, Dekle and Deradoorian.

Solange Knowles’ version of “Stillness is the Move” gets off to a great start immediately when a sample from Dr. Dre’s “Xxplosive” is heard and Solange’s airy vocals compete with those of TDP’s. Though the songs are about the same tempo, Solange’s silky voice and the hip-hop beat give the song a much more R&B/Slow Jam vibe. Once again, the music is kept simple while the vocals are in the spotlight and with pipes like hers, Solange does the song justice.

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Covers Revue: Ray Charles covers “Georgia on My Mind,” originally by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell

By
Sara
– August 14, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

With Bix Beiderbecke’s high-pitched muted cornet and Hoagy Carmichael’s sweet, classic voice, the original “Georgia on My Mind” is the perfect example of 1930′s orchestra-backed band music. With Stuart Gorrell’s ambiguous lyrics about Carmichael’s sister, Georgia, the song has become one of the most recognizable state songs. The short and sweet horns accompanied by the flowing woodwinds make the verses bouncy until Beiderbecke’s sad cornet comes in and flitters about. It’s almost as if he’s telling the story while Carmichael stays silent.

As one of his (possibly THE) signature songs, “Georgia on My Mind” is also one of Ray Charles’ most beautiful songs. Beginning with beautiful strings leading into Charles’ bluesy piano, his voice and a bass-y choir as a back drop. Though the song keeps it’s slower, orchestra appeal, Charles jazzes it up. Or should I say “blues’ it up”? This version of the song was recorded in 1960, the orchestral arrangement and the back-up choir has a very 1930′s sound to it, much like the original. But one of America’s most influential artists sprinkles in just the right amount of blues with his South-soaked (he was born in Georgia and grew up in Florida), soulful voice and underwhelming-yet-sprinkly piano.

Other Covers to Check Out!

Check out these blogs you may have missed!

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Covers Revue: Everclear covers “Brown-Eyed Girl,” originally by Van Morrison

By
Sara
– August 7, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

Are we ready for a classic? Of course we are. It’s Van Morrison for Pete’s sake! You’ve heard it a billion times and sung its “sha-la-la’s” at the top of your lungs. It’s Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl.”

With one of the greatest pick-up lines ever in “My heart’s a-thumpin’ you,” how can you deny this bouncy, guitar-twanging diddy? The guitar’s melody and the whiny organ in the background set up the perfect contrast for Morrison’s nasally-yet-rough, almost slurry voice. The original “Brown-Eyed Girl” is a sweet song you can picture slick-haired, sweater-vested boys and bouncy-skirted, Mary Jane-wearing girls dancing to in the gymnasium at their high schools. You get nothing but good times and smiles listening to this song, especially with catchy lyrics and little claps here and there begging you to participate! It sure doesn’t hurt that I’m a brown-eyed girl myself!

Despite the fact that Everclear’s cover of “Brown-Eyed Girl” is what got me into the band in the first place (I heard the song on the speakers of a store and immediately bought Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile, the album that the song is featured on … It wasn’t until then did I realize that this is the same band that sang “I Will Buy You a New Life”), it’s nothing compared to the original. This band’s version is considerably slower as Art Alexakis and crew implement slower but bigger drums and an overall mellowed out vibe. Though the song captured my attention back then, I kind of laugh at the attempt. I’m fond of Everclear and respect that they implemented their own flavor on the song, but it pails in comparison. There’s only one part I love and I believe it’s because of the slow-down, and that’s the line “makin’ love in the greeeeen graaaaaaass.” That drawn out line just makes it more sexy than Morrison’s bouncy, almost child-like essence the original accomplishes. One more thing I don’t like about Everclear’s version? The music video is flipping horrible.

Click here for Everclear’s official video of “Brown-Eyed Girl”

I think this is an interesting cover; I have a love/hate relationship with it. I guess I can call it a guilty pleasure. It’s nothing compared to the original, but for some reason, I still have love for it!

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Covers Revue: Mélissa Laveaux covers “Needle in the Hay,” originally by Elliott Smith

By
Sara
– July 31, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

Now, I know we’ve already done a Covers Revue on Elliott Smith. In fact, we did a Covers Revue on this particular song already. But NO MATTER! I write the blog, here. I can do whatever I want!

We went over Elliott Smith’s version of “Needle in the Hay.” The slow, melancholy acoustic. Smith’s mournful voice that is almost at a whisper. The immediate feeling of depression the listener gets when hearing the soulful, chilling, simple string-plucking of Smith’s acoustic.

Though also beginning with a slow acoustic, Mélissa Laveaux’s version of “Needle in the Hay” has a bit more bounce, but still maintains the song’s darkness. Her incredibly raspy voice and deep bass-line give the song a bluesy sound right of the bat. That’s pretty much all there is to the song, folks. We’ve got the bass-line, hand-played acoustic guitar, and her most powerful weapon: her voice. The song has an attitude of it’s own while still going for the same overall feeling that Elliott Smith conveyed.

One of those covers that reinvents itself, Laveaux’s “Needle in the Hay” is a definite listen, whether you’re a fan of Elliott Smith or not.

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Covers Revue: Nirvana covers “Lake of Fire,” originally by the Meat Puppets

By
Sara
– July 24, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

We all know Nirvana’s great songs: “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Rape Me,” “Come As You Are,” “Heart Shaped Box,” etc. Some people argue that the band’s entire collection warrants a Best Of for the ages. Personally, my favorite song (and the only one I’m not absolutely sick of) is their cover of Meat Puppets’ “Lake of Fire.”

Blending punk with psychedelic and country rock, the Meat Puppets use a slow, country acoustic guitar with a little twang in their version of “Lake of Fire.” Though the subject matter is quite dark (“Where do bad folks go when they die?/They don’t go to heaven where the angels fly/They go to the lake of fire and fry/We don’t see ‘em again till the 4th of July”), the beat and song itself is somewhat upbeat. There’s a bluesy guitar solo throughout that brings the tone down a notch, but the rock aspect picks the song up somehow.

In Nirvana’s version of “Lake of Fire,” the band keeps the country a prominent aspect despite the fact that they were a known pioneer of the grunge genre. They accomplish this by keeping the soulful and country spirit of the guitars but implement a tad more distortion to the formula. Not to mention grunge god Kurt Cobain’s scratchy, not-able-to-hit-the-high-notes voice gives the song more of a punk essence.

Cobain just can not hit those notes, which would normally be a bad thing. For some reason, though, that adds to the greatness of this song. It’s one of the reasons he was (and still is) looked up to as a great influence on the rock community. The roughness and grungy-ness of Nirvana’s version is the only Nirvana song that I can tolerate (don’t get the band’s “played-outness” confused with disrespect for the band) and that “realness” and carelessness for perfection is the reason why.

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Covers Revue: Soft Cell covers “Tainted Love,” originally by Gloria Jones

By
Sara
– July 17, 2010Posted in: Cover Songs, The Blogs

Soul has slowly been making a comeback over the years with emerging artists such as Raphael Saadiq, Erykah Badu, Mayer Hawthorne, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Janelle Monae and Lee Fields. Though these artists are making it hip to be into Oldies, we should still appreciate the artists that brought this genre to the forefront in the first place.

One of these artists is Gloria Jones. Her name may not be as big as James Brown’s, but her song “Tainted Love” was noticed and apparently liked enough by a little 80’s duo called Soft Cell.

Jones’ “Tainted Love” has all the aspects of an upbeat soul track: a bouncy beat, great harmonizing backing vocals, gospel influences, horns and a powerful voice to lead the way. Not to mention a little heartbreak! The guitars are a little thin, but what carries this song is Jones’ voice and delivery. I am a sucker for backing vocals that are done right and are in just the right places and this song does it well. The horns are sparse so I would’ve loved to hear a little more since the guitars are so thin. But this track is definitely an underrated classic.

Soft Cell should thank their lucky stars and Jones for her great track because their 1981 cover of “Tainted Love” was a worldwide hit and propelled the duo to popularity. The only thing that remains the same with this newer version is the claps (which aren’t even real; they’re studio effects) and the lyrics. Drowning in synthesizers, Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” has a dark and eerie tone while still making you move. The church organ melody is very Phantom of the Opera-esque and the loud and sudden “DUN-DUN” almost catch you off guard. The lyrics are powerful no matter who’s singing them, documenting one of those bad relationships you just can’t bring yourself to walk away from, making this relatable song a hit all over the world.

This song is one of those songs you think of when you think of great 80’s music, but don’t forget that it never would’ve been the soundtrack to your hair-teasing, androgynous-being days without Gloria Jones!

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