Post by the Scribe on Apr 12, 2020 12:18:05 GMT
20 Cover Versions of Classic Songs That Improve on the Originals
From Robert Wyatt and the Monkees to Whitney Houston and . . . Robert Wyatt, here are 20 revelatory takes on classic tunes to surprise and delight even the most ardent music snobs.
BY GLENN KENNY
NOVEMBER 26, 2015
It can start with a Justin Bieber joke.
The Internet may be revenue boondoggle for plenty of worthy musicians, and that sucks, but it does make sharing enthusiasms and discoveries a lot easier. A little while back I was cracking wise on the subject of Justin and a pal remarked that the tune I seemed to be humming, by his lights, was “I’m a Believer,” or rather “I’m a Belieber.” To which I responded that, as long as it was the Robert Wyatt version, it was O.K. with me. My buddy hadn’t heard that version, and once he found it online, he checked it out and pronounced it “magical,” ’cause it is.
And so it begins.
What follows is a highly subjective gallery/mixtape of cover versions that top the originals. They’re not necessarily inherently superior, but they do give the songs a dimension—sometimes artistic, sometimes commercial, sometimes highly eccentric—that you don’t find in the originals. A couple of the unavoidable usual suspects are here, but mainly this list aims to surprise.
BONUS TRACKS
22. “Tumbling Dice” (Composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; first performed by the Rolling Stones; covered by Linda Ronstadt.)
“That’s my favorite Rolling Stones song,” my wife said to me the other morning. “If you put the Linda Ronstadt version on your ‘best covers’ list, there’s gonna be trouble.”
“But, honey,” I replied, “according to Robert Christgau, the live version she does of the song on the soundtrack to FM ‘is so passionate and revelatory that it leaps out of its context and stomps all over the Rolling Stones!’”
You be the judge! Anyway, Keith Richards can’t have completely disapproved, as he later recruited guitarist Waddy Wachtel for his own solo band, the X-Pensive Winos.
www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/11/20-cover-versions-of-classic-songs-better-than-originals
50 Cover Songs Way Better Than the Original
IN FACT, YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT THESE WERE THE ORIGINAL.
When you hear the lyrics, “I fought the law and the law won,” which artist comes to mind?
If you’re musically inclined, a certain English punk-rock band likely pops into your head. Or what about the crunchy guitar riffs and raw power of “American Woman?” That particular permanently be-spectacled rock star is instantly recognizable. What about “Somewhere Over the Rainbow?” Strummed ukulele chords and the crooning vocals of a Hawaiian pop star. See: I don’t even have to mention the musicians behind these tunes. They’re (both the songs and the rockers) recognized the world over.
Well, get this: none of them are original works; they’re just extreme versions of the best cover songs of all time.
Yes, when it comes to music, first is not always best. Often, the original rendition is merely the first draft, a starting-gun inspiration for other singers and songwriters to take a good song and make it great. Herein, you’ll find 50 such examples of the world’s best cover songs. So listen on, and see how many you knew were cover songs. And for more great music, check out Every Song of the Summer for the Past 50 Years.
50. “You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt (originally by Dee Dee Warwick)
"You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt - best cover songs
One of the most prolific hit-makers of the 1970s, 11-time Grammy winner Linda Ronstadt gives this someone-done-me-wrong song a sinister edge as she weaves through her many moods, supported by Motown-like backup vocals. Many have recorded Dee Dee Warwick’s poppy jingle, but none come close to Ronstadt’s, a number one chart-topper in February 1975.
bestlifeonline.com/cover-songs-better-than-original/
From Robert Wyatt and the Monkees to Whitney Houston and . . . Robert Wyatt, here are 20 revelatory takes on classic tunes to surprise and delight even the most ardent music snobs.
BY GLENN KENNY
NOVEMBER 26, 2015
It can start with a Justin Bieber joke.
The Internet may be revenue boondoggle for plenty of worthy musicians, and that sucks, but it does make sharing enthusiasms and discoveries a lot easier. A little while back I was cracking wise on the subject of Justin and a pal remarked that the tune I seemed to be humming, by his lights, was “I’m a Believer,” or rather “I’m a Belieber.” To which I responded that, as long as it was the Robert Wyatt version, it was O.K. with me. My buddy hadn’t heard that version, and once he found it online, he checked it out and pronounced it “magical,” ’cause it is.
And so it begins.
What follows is a highly subjective gallery/mixtape of cover versions that top the originals. They’re not necessarily inherently superior, but they do give the songs a dimension—sometimes artistic, sometimes commercial, sometimes highly eccentric—that you don’t find in the originals. A couple of the unavoidable usual suspects are here, but mainly this list aims to surprise.
BONUS TRACKS
22. “Tumbling Dice” (Composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; first performed by the Rolling Stones; covered by Linda Ronstadt.)
“That’s my favorite Rolling Stones song,” my wife said to me the other morning. “If you put the Linda Ronstadt version on your ‘best covers’ list, there’s gonna be trouble.”
“But, honey,” I replied, “according to Robert Christgau, the live version she does of the song on the soundtrack to FM ‘is so passionate and revelatory that it leaps out of its context and stomps all over the Rolling Stones!’”
You be the judge! Anyway, Keith Richards can’t have completely disapproved, as he later recruited guitarist Waddy Wachtel for his own solo band, the X-Pensive Winos.
www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/11/20-cover-versions-of-classic-songs-better-than-originals
50 Cover Songs Way Better Than the Original
IN FACT, YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT THESE WERE THE ORIGINAL.
When you hear the lyrics, “I fought the law and the law won,” which artist comes to mind?
If you’re musically inclined, a certain English punk-rock band likely pops into your head. Or what about the crunchy guitar riffs and raw power of “American Woman?” That particular permanently be-spectacled rock star is instantly recognizable. What about “Somewhere Over the Rainbow?” Strummed ukulele chords and the crooning vocals of a Hawaiian pop star. See: I don’t even have to mention the musicians behind these tunes. They’re (both the songs and the rockers) recognized the world over.
Well, get this: none of them are original works; they’re just extreme versions of the best cover songs of all time.
Yes, when it comes to music, first is not always best. Often, the original rendition is merely the first draft, a starting-gun inspiration for other singers and songwriters to take a good song and make it great. Herein, you’ll find 50 such examples of the world’s best cover songs. So listen on, and see how many you knew were cover songs. And for more great music, check out Every Song of the Summer for the Past 50 Years.
50. “You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt (originally by Dee Dee Warwick)
"You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt - best cover songs
One of the most prolific hit-makers of the 1970s, 11-time Grammy winner Linda Ronstadt gives this someone-done-me-wrong song a sinister edge as she weaves through her many moods, supported by Motown-like backup vocals. Many have recorded Dee Dee Warwick’s poppy jingle, but none come close to Ronstadt’s, a number one chart-topper in February 1975.
bestlifeonline.com/cover-songs-better-than-original/