# Cover Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2001, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468 "2001-05-25T11:40:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/21 "2001-05-28T02:56:17Z")
The Leonard Cohen tribute CD I’m Your Fan is loaded with great covers, but the standouts are: James “So Long, Marianne” The Lilac Time “Bird on a Wire” John Cale “Hallelujah” R.E.M. “First We Take Manhattan” I strongly recommend this CD to anyone who likes Leonard Cohen’s lyrics. Ian McCulloch “Lover Lover Lover” Still LC, just from a different CD Hazies “Turning Japanese” The original seems sedate compared to this. ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/22 "2001-05-28T15:01:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DynoSaur \* > \*\*“Lady Marmalade” - Christina Aguilera, et al. The song sucked the first time it was released. Did we really need it released _again_? \*\* Actualy, I liked the Lords Of Acid version… ---
**Author:** ![ColonelMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@ColonelMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelMoose)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/23 "2001-05-28T21:07:28Z")
Hmm… so many choices, so little time. First, it would be criminal of me not to mention Toots and the Maytals’ version of “Country Roads”. Everyone and their momma covers this song (see: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes for a good punk version), but Toots just nails it. Next, the only Dylan cover I’ve ever heard than I’ve liked more than the original. Mike Ness (lead singer of Social Distortion) does a rockabilly version of “Don’t think Twice” that is pretty much a polar opposite of Dylan’s version, and nearly makes me choke up. It’s unbelievable. Third, a generalized vote for anything that the Grateful Dead ever covered. Now there’s a band. Now, for the hijack. There are a lot of covers that shouldn’t have been recorded, but most of them (see: Limp Bizkit, anything with the label “rap-rock”, etc.) are excusable due to the fact that the band probably didn’t know any better. However, there are some that should. Like 10,000 Maniacs. They had no right to defame Patti Smith with “Because the Night”, and they should have known it. (Plus, I seem to recall that Natalie Merchant changed one or two of the racier lyrics, which really watered down the song’s intent.) Finally, two good covers of songs that shouldn’t have been recorded: Cake- “I Will Survive” Pearl Jam- That damn auto-wreck song (I don’t really like Pearl Jam, and this isn’t the best possible cover of the song, but the song was so annoying in its first incarnation that anyone could do it better.) M. ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/24 "2001-05-30T07:41:47Z")
**Moose** _Everybody’s Talkin’_ (Harry Nilsson) **Brendan Perry** _Happy Time_ (Tim Buckley) **My Bloody Valentine** _Map Reference 41N 93W_ (Wire) **Roy Montgomery** _Used To_ (Wire again!) Wire are like the Tim Buckley of punk… they get covered and covered and covered. What else… any **This Mortal Coil** cover, but especially _Another Day_ (Roy Harper) and _Morning Glory_ (Tim Buckley again!) **Tricky** _Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos_ (Public Enemy) **Kendra Smith** _Bold Marauder_ (??? Farina… I forget) -fh ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/25 "2001-05-30T07:54:26Z")
**Apocalyptica** is a string quartet that has a disc of (purely instrumental) covers of various Metallica songs. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![SallySimpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@SallySimpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SallySimpson)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/26 "2001-05-30T08:04:34Z")
1. Pearl Jam does any cover ever (and there’s been a lot!) Neil Young. The Who. The Beatles. They’re all good. 2. Jimi Hendrix does “All Along the Watchtower.” Now tell me when you listen to Dylan doing his OWN SONG you don’t hear that guitar riff Hendrix throws in? 3. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band does “Blinded by the Light.” God, how I would love to be able to hate this song. It’s so cheesy. It makes no sense whatsoever…and yet, I can’t help but think about little early purly coming by in his curly wurly and asking me if I need a ride. 4. The Clash does “Time is Tight.” A punk band doing Booker T? F\*\*\*ing amazing. 5. The Who does “Young Man Blues.” Okay, I’ve never heard the original, but regardless, this is a very, very, very cool song. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/27 "2001-05-30T09:35:58Z")
My favourite covers: Black Steel - Tricky Tainted Love - Soft Cell Everlasting Love - U2 Dancing Barefoot - U2 Dancing Barefoot - Johnette Napolitano Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley Everybody Knows - Concrete Blonde Little Wing - Concrete Blonde All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix You Really Got a Hold on Me - The Beatles We’ve Only Just Begun - Grant Lee Buffalo Hazy Shade of Winter - Bangles Baby One More Time - Travis Bizarre Love Triangle - Frente Brass in Pocket - Suede The Loved One - INXS It’s Oh So Quiet - Bjork Being Boring - Merril Bainbridge One - Johnny Cash I love both versions of “Dancing Barefoot” - Johnette’s got the killer vocals, but the guitar in U2’s version is awesome. With “Baby One More Time”, Travis somehow manage to simultaneously take the piss AND find the real heart and soul of the song. It’s genuinely moving! And I’d agree that Westlife’s “Uptown Girl” is an evil abomination from the darkest pits of hell. It’s like A1’s “Take On Me”. I mean, really, how could you go wrong with classics like those? Easy - just make them as bland as humanly possible. ---
**Author:** ![VitrolicBump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@VitrolicBump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VitrolicBump)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/28 "2001-05-30T10:02:20Z")
“Blue Monday” covered by **Orgy** (original by **New Order** ) “I Feel You” covered by **Placebo** (original by **Depeche Mode** ) And **racinchikki** , I second your choice of **Alien Ant Farm’s** cover of “Smooth Criminal”. I remember when the original came out, I loved it. Now that **AAF** made a cover of it, I love it even more. Of course, there are those songs that are covers that I love that I am not aware are covers. Put those here, too.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/29 "2001-05-30T12:12:06Z")
eh, you know that after jimi covered “all along the watchtower” bob realised it was better that way and always played it like that in tribute? good covers jimi-watchtower jeff buckley- hallelujah nirvana- man who sold the world bob marley- go tell it on the mountain james brown- soul man aretha- respect otis redding- (can’t get no) satisfaction praise you- fatboy slim run on- moby a sample of my eclectic musical taste. bad covers rainin’ men- geri halliwell (eat woman, for gods sake EAT!) am. pie- madonna (hmmm…not well judged) westlife. full stop. under the bridge-all saints (why oh why, they did a bad lady marmalade as well) i will always love you-whitney (leave it to dolly sweetheart) the best cover of all time? i reckon the time my friends and i sang “hey johnny” by paul brady at a wake for our best friend. but that’s my (humble) opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/30 "2001-05-30T12:17:11Z")
Green Day - Eye of the Tiger Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night Live - Imagine Can’t really think of any other ones. ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/31 "2001-05-30T12:29:27Z")
Dweezil Zappa-Baby One More Time (Spears’ songwriter) PM Dawn-You Got Me Floatin’ (Hendrix) The Cure-Purple Haze (Hendrix) The Cure-World In my Eyes (Depeche Mode) David Arnold & Shara Nelson-Moonraker(John Barry & Shirley Bassey) Bryan Ferry-Rescue Me (Miner & Smith) Candy Dulfer-I Can’t Make You Love Me (Reid & Shamblin) Battery-The Chauffeur (Duran Duran) Limp Bizkit-Mission Impossible Theme (Instrumental only, thankyouverymuch) Guns & Roses-Sympathy For The Devil (Jagger et al) …_now putting on flame-retardent clothing for that last one_ Fun Boy Three-Our Lips Are Sealed (Go Gos) ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/32 "2001-05-30T12:44:54Z")
The Byrds - “Mister Tambourine Man” (Bob Dylan) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/33 "2001-05-30T13:10:01Z")
Deep Purple- _Hush_ (Joe South) The Beatles- \*I Wanna Be Your Man \* (The Rolling Stones) Not sure if this counts as a cover, since Mick Jagger wrote it for her, but, The Rolling Stones- _As Tears Go By_ (Marianne Faithfull- her voice is just a bit too sweet for this song) Nazereth- _Love Hurts_ (The Everly Brothers) Honorable Mention- _Spirit in the Sky_ (Norman Greenbaum) Dr. and the Medics did a pretty decent job with this one, and I heard a country/western version of it once that was just awesome, but I don’t know the name of the band that did it. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468/34 "2001-05-30T13:58:04Z")
Juice Newton’s _Queen of Hearts_ (original by ?) Duran Duran’s _White Lines_ (Grandmaster Flash?) Rolling Stone’s _Ain’t Too Proud to Beg_ (?) Eric Clapton’s _Bell Bottom Blues_ (Bob Dylan) Kim Carnes’ _Bette Davis Eyes_ (Jackie De Shannon) Tesla’s _Signs_ (Five Man Electrical Band) Chrissy Hynde’s _I’m not in Love_ (10 cc) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs/66468.md?page=1)