Covers

I'm a sucker for a good cover tune.  To me, anyone can regurgitate a carbon copy of the original song and this is uninteresting.  What makes a good cover tune is when the new artist enhances or rearranges the original.  This is when cover tune magic happens.  Enjoy.

I Live On The Second Floor - In 1987 Suzanne Vega released what would become the most famous song about a victim of child abuse.  And while I applaud her courage and willingness to take on this uncomfortable subject matter, the song itself was unbearable and it was everywhere!  You couldn't escape it.  Radio, MTV, it was viral before there was such a word.  Suddenly Suzanne Vega and her creation, "Luka" were household names.  The original song was pure 80's cheese, with impressive overproduction and bad synthesizers.  Vega's delivery in the song is almost robotic at times and devoid of the emotion the subject matter deserves.  In 1989, The Lemonheads turned "Luka" on its ear.  They sped up the tempo, added heavy, dirty guitar, Evan Dando's distinctive voice, and gave it the edginess the song deserves.


2 For 1 - The first time I heard this cover I was blown away.  It's 2 covers in one and it's so beautifully done and seamless that it feels like the 2 songs were always meant to go together as one.  Bill Janovitz is the lead singer for the under appreciated band Buffalo Tom.  He takes a Blondie staple, slows the tempo to a ballad and tacks on one of The Rolling Stones more underrated and unknown songs.  The result is a transition from the hope and optimism of Blondie's "Dreaming" to the uncertainty and dysfunction found in "Till The Next Time We Say Goodbye".  It's quite simply, a cover tune masterpiece.


No Yodeling Please - Yes that's right, in the chorus of the original version of this song, there is, what I can only describe as a yodeling type of singing.  Bob Dylan certainly isn't going to be any one's voice coach, but usually the quality of his lyrics makes up for his short comings as a pure singer.  I really love this song lyrically, but I just can't take the yodeling.  Enter fellow Minnesotan Paul Westerberg to rescue this song and make an incredible cover tune.  He slows the tempo, loses the harmonica and gives Dylan's amazing lyrics a depth and breadth that is missing from the original.  This is one of those rare songs that gives me goosebumps and brings a tear to my eye.  It's a perfect description of the nakedness, emotion and vulnerability one feels when they are truly in love with another person.  Westerberg nails it.