In the last few decade, I’ve noticed a trend by young singers to do cover versions of previous big hits that closely mimic the original recording. For example, No Doubt’s cover of “It’s My Life” is practically a clone of the original ABC recording of the song - not just note for note, but vocal inflection for vocal inflection. Apart from being sung by a girl, nothing about the cover is different from the original. I often wonder why the hell they bother going to all the trouble of recording an already well-known hit if they aren’t going to bother to try to do anything original with it.
And then there are songs that seem to undergo radical metamorphoses with every recording. I submit “Sally Go Round the Roses” as an example.
Original ‘girl group’ recording by the Jaynetts
Raga-fied acid rock version by Grace Slick (pre-Airplane)
Bluesy folk-rock version by Tim Buckley
Funk rock version by Donna Summer
Disco version by Yvonne Elliman
Country-fied version by Pentagle
And a punk version by some band called Fanny who look like the punk-rock Heart.
I’ve also heard a version recorded by k.d. lang, but for the life of me I can’t find a video for it.
That song got a lot of mileage. Any other songs out there that got revamped more times than that?
And just to be clear, I’m NOT talking the cover with the MOST EVER recorded versions. I believe “Yesterday” by the Beatles is supposed to be the most covered song ever, but most versions I’ve ever heard are pretty much the same. I’m talking about cover songs that sound COMPLETELY different version to version.
I don’t know if this fits your scenario, but Eric Clapton’s acoustic remake of “Layla” is quite a change from the original. I like them both.
Any cover by Disturbed is going to be radically different from the original. The Wikipedia entry for Shout originally done by Tears for Fears lists over a dozen covers by all sorts of bands, but I can’t say how different they all are, having only heard the original and Disturbed versions. Disturbed’s Land of Confusion will never be confused with the original by Genesis, and Wikipedia lists covers by jazz, ragae, and death metal groups.
My way - Sinatra
My way - Sex Pistols
FWIW, It’s my Life is by Talk Talk, not ABC.
I was listening to Louis Prima’s version of “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” yesterday and it’s surprising how directly David Lee Roth copied his cover version directly from Prima.
Dylan does his own songs in totally different ways also. Compare The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll on Times They Are A Changin’ and the Rolling Thunder Revue official bootleg.
Barnes & Barnes (you may know them for Fishheads) has a weird version of Please Please Me.
Celine Dion cover AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long.
Presented for your amusement… the Village People cover
The Muse militaristic rock/techno version of House of the Rising Sun verses the original folk style song.
Another would be the Rammstein version of Barbie Girl.
WFMU once upon a time collected two or three dozen versions or “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” including the “original” lounge version, but I can no longer find the list.
There’s 79 Versions of Popcorn, but they mostly sound the same.
Oh, and if you take it back a generation or two, Jazz has long found ways to rethink songs from other genres. Compare John Coltrane’s version of My Favorite Things with the one by Julie Andrews.
Frank Zappa’s renditions of “Purple Haze” and “Sunshine of Your Love” on The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life are… interesting. Also, the album closes with a cover of “Stairway To Heaven”, done in a sort-of reggae style, with the ending guitar-solo-part played by the horn section.
I can’t find a recording online, but a few years ago, a band called The Recliners recorded a lounge lizard version of Wanna Be Sedated http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMD7Ezp3gWc I was horrified…
There’s the original Opus version of Live is Life.
And then there’s Laibach’s
Ditto Queen’s One Vision.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by
The Eurythmics
Marilyn Manson