[MUSIC] Cover Heaven

For me, most cover versions are more miss than they are hit. They usually elicit a “WTF HAVE YOU DONE TO THAT WONDERFUL TUNE?” and “MURDERERERER!!11!1!” reaction from me. But every so often, one surprises me. I believe it’s hard to capture and repackage the feel and genius of the original to the extent that the cover not only equals, but sometimes even bests its predecessor. It’s a rare thing but when it happens it can be wonderful. I’ve compiled a list of a few cover versions of excellent songs that I believe manage to do so convincingly. I hope you enjoy the oncoming eargasm, I know I certainly did!

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Let’s kick this off with an absolute favourite of mine. Originally penned by R&B artist Mack Rice in 1965 and subsequently gaining popularity when Wilson Pickett covered it a year later, Mustang Sally is a classic. Covered by a plethora of noted artists including John Lee Hooker, BB King and Eric Clapton, it is Andrew Strong’s soulful and powerful version that I have always championed. It was recorded for the film The Commitments and if you haven’t seen it then I highly recommend it. The music is fantastic, it’s hilarious and it’s Irish (I’m not biased at all).

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For me, nothing says ‘guitar genius’ quite like Jimi Hendrix (notable exception being, of course, Rory Gallagher). It was his cover of Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower that made me yearn to pick up a guitar and replicate the amazing sounds to make it sing.

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Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ song Hurt never fails to hit me in the feels. Not only because it’s a wonderfully crafted song, with Cash’s voice lending a certain despair and finality to the lyrics, but also because it is rumoured that this is the last song he recorded before he died.

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I’m not exactly a fan of Jason Mraz. He had that one catchy tune that every poser at a party strums on a guitar to impress the ladies and involve them in a sing-song. I’ll admit, when I first heard his version of Seals and Crofts’ Summer Breeze I was pleasantly surprised and happy to be proven wrong about his talents. This is a lovely, laid-back version, and I’d be much more receptive to someone rocking this particular treat over I’m Yours any day of the week.

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When it comes to Michael Bublé we have a wide range of covers available to us to choose from, and he does justice to most of them. I’m a big Dean Martin fan (thanks Dad) so I love Bublé’s version of Sway. He does a wonderful rendition of Feelin’ Good (though nobody can compare to Nina) too. However, my all-time favourite would probably have to be Moondance, a Van “The Man” Morrison classic. Here’s the velvet-voiced crooner Michael Bublé singing the very same live on an episode of Parkinson.

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Nobody can match David Bowie in my eyes. He is iconic and his music will last throughout many more ages to come. Even with that in mind though, Nirvana surprised many of us with a fine version of The Man Who Sold The World. During their 1993 MTV Unplugged show they recorded a live performance of Bowie’s song that would later prove to be one of the most watched covers on YouTube.

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I just love Chris Cornell’s voice. I was a very young Soundgarden fan, and later an adult Audioslave fan. You Know My Name is even one of my top Bond film themes. But when I first heard his live, purely acoustic cover of the late, great Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, I fought an overwhelming urge to arrange to have Cornell kidnapped so I could tie him up at the end of my bed and make him sing me to sleep every night.

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 American R&B group Blackstreet’s 1996 massive number one hit single No Diggity was an instant favourite for me. Its funky beat proved to be a dance-floor filler and prompted booty-shaking ladies world-wide to squeal and declare “OMG IT’S MY SONG!” Recently I came across an interesting version from a perviously unknown to me electronica musician by the name of Chet Faker. The video was passed on to me via Facebook from my super-hip Aussie cousin. It’s a very sexy version (despite the awesome lumberjack beard), give it a whirl.

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Who doesn’t enjoy a slice of the Prince of Soul, Marvin Gaye? So many of his songs have been covered with varying success. I Heard It Through The Grapevine was actually originally a Smokey Robinson & The Miracles song but it was this delicious delight that catapulted Marvin into fame. Notable versions include Gladys Knight & The Pips (fantastic, definitely worth a listen – or ten!) and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I’ve posted the CCR version here, all eleven minutes of it. And holy crap, the first time I heard it I grooved on every single second.

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Wonderwall. The Oasis classic sung at some stage by every drunken crooner, in every karaoke bar and is possibly one of the greatest songs of the last twenty years. While I completely agree that this song is a force itself, the over-saturation and overplaying of it rendered me liable to want to stab myself in the ears every time someone at a party began a rendition that would consist of the first verse and chorus repeated over and over for at least ten minutes. Then Ryan Adams came along with his take on the song and I fell in love with it again. It was simple, lovely, and it cemented my growing appreciation for Adams. To this day it still remains the only version that songwriter Noel Gallagher approves of.

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There are so many more I’m sure I have missed. What is your favourite cover version? Share them with me! One can never have too much epic tunage in one’s playlists.

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Categories: List ALL The Things!, Music, Review

Tags: Andrew Strong, Chet Faker, Chris Cornell, Cover songs, Covers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jason Mraz, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Michael Buble, Music, Nirvana, Ryan Adams, The Commitments

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