# Cover songs without gender changes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053 "2007-12-06T18:31:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/1 "2007-12-06T18:31:01Z")
Two examples that come to mind are Sly Stone’s druggy but touching cover of “Que Sera Sera” where he sings “when I was just a little girl…” (perhaps he wasnt aware of what he was singing 🙂 ) and Suzi Quatro’s cover of “All Shook Up”, which may have caused a stir if it had hit in the US, what with a girl singing “She touches my hand and what a thrill I got/Her lips are like a volcano that’s hot/I’m proud to say that she’s my buttercup…”- any other good examples? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/2 "2007-12-06T18:44:34Z")
Of all the men who have recorded “Memory,” Michael Crawford is the only one I’ve heard that sings “I remember the old days/I was beautiful then.” All others sing “it was beautiful then” or “life was beautiful then.” ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/3 "2007-12-06T18:48:51Z")
Did Joan Jett change the lyrics of “Crimson and Clover?” I can’t recall… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/4 "2007-12-06T18:49:53Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Two examples that come to mind are Sly Stone’s druggy but touching cover of “Que Sera Sera” where he sings “when I was just a little girl…” [/QUOTE] Ned Flanders also sings it that way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/5 "2007-12-06T18:53:08Z")
Jack White begs Jolene not to take his man in the song of the same name. Great song, too. Much better than the Parton original. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/6 "2007-12-06T18:55:17Z")
Rufus Wainwright covered the entire “Judy at Carnegie Hall” show live in concert. I haven’t heard his version but I would be willing to bet that he didn’t make any sex-based lyrics changes to songs like “The Trolley Song” and “The Man That Got Away,” nor to “Me and My Gal.” ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/7 "2007-12-06T18:56:43Z")
Van Morrison (from _Irish Heartbeat_) sings “I’ll Tell Me Ma” in the voice of a young flirtatious Irish girl… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/8 "2007-12-06T19:01:07Z")
Bryan Ferry did a couple of albums of oldies covers, including “It’s My Party (and I’ll Cry If I Want To).” ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/9 "2007-12-06T19:08:16Z")
[QUOTE=Hazle Weatherfield] Did Joan Jett change the lyrics of “Crimson and Clover?” I can’t recall… [/QUOTE] I don’t recall either, but she didn’t change them for her version of Little Drummer Boy- my guess would be no, since she’s known for liking the ladies. ---
**Author:** ![Havik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Havik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Havik)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/10 "2007-12-06T19:10:20Z")
At work, we’ve started with the Christmas music. I really, really hate that song “Santa Baby” sung by a girl, but there’s also one we play where there’s a dude singing it. There’s a long running debate at work as to who sings it. My vote is on Steven Tyler from Aerosmith… Kind of not surprising, really. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/11 "2007-12-06T19:12:18Z")
On The Pogues’ album _If I Should Fall from Grace with God_, Cait O’Riordan sang “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Everyday.” Lisa Gerard of _Dead Can Dance_ didn’t bother to change the gender of her “true love” when she sang “The Wind that Shakes the Barley.” And there’s no end of renditions of _Danny Boy_ being sung by men, despite it being written from the viewpoint of a woman waiting for her man to return from the wars. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/12 "2007-12-06T19:24:49Z")
Cyndi Lauper’s version of “When You Were Mine” (originally by Prince) doesn’t change the gender, so you get an interesting take on lines like “I used to let you wear all of my clothes” and “I know that you’re going with another guy.” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/13 "2007-12-06T19:29:07Z")
Holly Cole covers “Jersey Girl”, informing us that she doesn’t want the whores on 8th Avenue and that, once she gets her baby, she’s taking her on all the carnival rides. There’s other covers where she also doesn’t change the genders but that was my first thought. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/14 "2007-12-06T19:31:05Z")
Joan Baez’s version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” It starts out as “Virgil Cane is the name” and mentioned “Back with my wife in Tennessee.” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/15 "2007-12-06T19:59:22Z")
[QUOTE=Havik] At work, we’ve started with the Christmas music. I really, really hate that song “Santa Baby” sung by a girl, but there’s also one we play where there’s a dude singing it. There’s a long running debate at work as to who sings it. My vote is on Steven Tyler from Aerosmith… Kind of not surprising, really. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Dude, sounds like a lady! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/16 "2007-12-06T20:31:03Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] On The Pogues’ album _If I Should Fall from Grace with God_, Cait O’Riordan sang “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Everyday.” [/QUOTE] from _Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash_ Didn’t Bob Dylan do _House of the Rising Sun_ without lyrics changes, unlike the Animals? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/17 "2007-12-06T20:38:11Z")
[QUOTE=Havik] At work, we’ve started with the Christmas music. I really, really hate that song “Santa Baby” sung by a girl, but there’s also one we play where there’s a dude singing it. There’s a long running debate at work as to who sings it. My vote is on Steven Tyler from Aerosmith… Kind of not surprising, really. [/QUOTE] Ru Paul also does a cover of “Santa Baby” but in his female persona so not really sure how to score that one. He also covers “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and _does_ swap it to have Daddy kiss Santa. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/18 "2007-12-06T20:42:16Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] from _Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash_ [/QUOTE] :smack: ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/19 "2007-12-06T21:00:33Z")
[QUOTE=Havik] At work, we’ve started with the Christmas music. I really, really hate that song “Santa Baby” sung by a girl, but there’s also one we play where there’s a dude singing it. There’s a long running debate at work as to who sings it. My vote is on Steven Tyler from Aerosmith… Kind of not surprising, really. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Both Everclear and a guy named Chris Mitchell (who I’ve never heard of) have recorded the song. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053/20 "2007-12-06T21:17:11Z")
Mary Chapin Carpenter does a cover of Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train” without changing any of the lyrics. I like both versions a lot, and it’s very interesting how the feel of the song changes when it’s sung by a woman instead of man. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-without-gender-changes/429053.md?page=2)