Ten Cover Songs That You Should Listen To
I enjoy listening to cover songs, so I started wondering what were my favorite ones. To me, covers should convey a particularly unique interpretation of the song, and not simply reproduce it note by note. I also didn't consider some that define the song, having made more success than the original. Following these guidelines (and sometimes breaking them), I made a list of cover songs that you should listen to. What are your favorite ones?
Original image by Angela Quitoriano
#10
In 2001, Stone Temple Pilots played Revolution live in a John Lennon tribute. As this version started becoming popular, they went to the studio to record it. STP covers are usually close to the original recordings, but still somehow include the band's characteristic signature sound.
Stone Temple Pilots - Revolution (Originally from Beatles)
Bonus Track: Stone Temple Pilots - Dancing Days (Originally from Led Zeppelin)
#09
And there's not just popular bands in this list. Kawehi is an independent artist that didn't cover but fully reinterpreted Heart-Shaped Box. Yes, Kurt must be spinning on his grave, and her style is not for everyone, but I can see great talent and really enjoy this.
Kawehi - Heart-Shaped Box (Originally from Nirvana)
#08
Chris Cornell also transforms music into his unmistakable style, this time taking it from a dancing pop hit to a dark ballad. On the bonus track, I picked his partnership with Santana with a pretty cool version of Whole Lotta Love.
Chris Cornell - Billie Jean (Originally from Michael Jackson)
Bonus Track: Chris Cornell + Santana - Whole Lotta Love (Originally from Led Zeppelin)
#07
From the many Black Sabbath covers floating around, I love this fast rendition of Snowblind by System of a Down, creating a song with a different kind of mood, that should be listened to at a different moment than the original (which I also love).
System of a Down - Snowblind (Originally from Black Sabbath)
#06
And I didn't just pick highbrow versions for this list. Dave Grohl appears to be a skilled troll and to have a knack make fun of other people's songs in a light-hearted way. And even though this is satire, every time I play these versions I end up listening to the end, laughing, and singing along. Shout out for Stairway to Heaven solo.
Dave Grohl - Stairway to Heaven (Originally from Led Zeppelin)
Bonus Track: Dave Grohl - Tiny Dancer (Originally from Elton John)
#05
OK, I'll admit it. I enjoy punk/ska cover songs. But the one I picked for number five, Killing in The Name, is not punk or ska, but a funk/jazz/scratch kind of sound that I only heard from The Apples. And their version is awesome. As bonuses, a punk cover, a ska one, and the third more rock, but all of them can be considered alternative versions.
Apples - Killing (Originally from Rage Against the Machine)
Bonus Track: Pennywise - Stand By Me (Originally from Ben E. King)
Bonus Track 2: Attaboy Skip - Ghostbusters (Originally from Ray Parker, Jr)
Bonus Track 3: Muse - Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Originally from Frankie Valli)
#04
Hard to pick just one (or three) covers recorded by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I ended up choosing Higher Ground, even though it almost fits my more popular than the original version criteria. As bonuses, a funky Bob Dylan cover and a version of Iggy Pop's Search and Destroy that I often listen for hours on repeat.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground (Originally from Stevie Wonder)
Bonus Track: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Subterranean Homesick Blues (Originally from Bob Dylan)
Bonus Track 2: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Search And Destroy (Originally from Iggy and the Stooges)
#03
This version of Tears for Fears' Mad World haunts me. Gary Jules transformed the pop original into some kind of sadness relieved. From the Donnie Darko soundtrack, it presents the ideal tone to the movie.
Mad World - Gary Jules (Originally from Tear for Fears)
#02
Cake has a gift of transforming songs into their own and making fantastic renditions. It's said that Gloria Gaynor doesn't approve of this version due to all the profanities that appeared in the new unrated lyrics.
Cake - I Will Survive (Originally from Gloria Gaynor)
Bonus Track: Cake - War Pigs (Originally from Black Sabbath)
#01
And finally, Johnny Cash, who recorded definitive versions turning the old ones, previously originals, into copies. When I first heard about Cash, a country artist, almost 70, recording a grunge song from Soundgarden, I couldn't believe it could work. But it did, and I was very wrong. As a bonus, I couldn't leave Hurt out, as the original author Trent Reznor, from Nine Inch Nails, said that he felt a huge loss when he first heard it, as after that moment the song was no longer his own, but now it belonged to Johnny Cash.
Johnny Cash - Rusty Cage (Originally from Soundgarden)
Bonus Track: Johnny Cash - Hurt (Originally from Nine Inch Nails)
Liked any of these versions? What is your favorite cover? Leave a comment below and follow @burnin for more!