Covers that just wouldn't work the other way.

Cafe Society
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From time to time, an artist decides to do a cover version of a song by another artist. Sometimes it’s bad, sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s food for thought.

Madonna did “Bye Bye, Miss American Pie”. Can you picture Don MacLean’s version of “Like a Virgin”?

The Reverend Horton Heat does a fine version of “Folsom Prison Blues”. I can see the late and much lamented Johnny Cash doing “Bales of Cocaine”, but I can’t see him performing a credible version of “Interracial Cowboy Homo Kinda Love”.

What other covers are out there that just wouldn’t work the other way?

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I dunno, I can imagine Johnny Cash doing “Cowboy Love.”

Kid Rock covered “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” I can’t imagine Bad Company doing “I Am The Bullgod,” though.

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Britney Spears covered “Satisfaction.” But the Stones doing, say, “Oops I Did It Again” is emphatically not something the world needs.

Actually, it’s not an image I needed in my head either. I may just go and curl into a ball now. :wink:

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I was thinking about this just a few hours ago! Good doper, 2trew, for starting a thread that I didn’t even think to start!

That said…

Peter, Paul & Mary covered ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ but we could live without Bob Dylan’s version of ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’, I’m sure.

(Mistake check: did they (P.P & M) write that? I thought they did, but just realised that it’s just an impression that I’ve gathered together over the years…am I right?)

Robbie Willliams has covered numerous Frank Sinatra tracks, but who would really want to hear Ol’ Blue Eyes belt out ‘Let Me Entertain You’?

Umm, oh, Sarah Brightman has sung Procul Harum’s ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’, lets hope we don’t ever hear a P.H. (As good as they are…IMHO) version of ‘Time To Say Goodbye’

There are obviously loads more, but I am so late for work…

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The Who doing “Nookie”. Yuck.

I have to say that it’s just as disgusting hearing Madonna doing American Pie as it would be in reverse. In fact I’d rather hear MacLean doing her than the other way around. Bitch. And Britney did Satisfaction? Why is this OK? I’d rather hear the Stones doing her shit. Bad. Bad nouveau pop idiots.

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Frida of ABBA did a great Swedish cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne.” Image Cohen doing “Mamma Mia!”

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The Flaming Lips did a semi-novelty cover of Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (or whatever it’s called, by Kylie Minogue - it’s a lot better than the original song, unsurprisingly). I can’t really see Kylie Minogue doing, say, Buggin’ or Feeling Yourself Disintegrate.

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Oh! How could I forget this? Radiohead did a cover of “Rhinestone Cowboy”, years ago. I wonder how Glenn Campbell would handle “Let Down.”

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The Beatles covered “Please Mr. Postman.” I doubt we’d want to hear the Marvelettes singing “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

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Richard Thompson actually did record a cover of “Oops, I Did It Again” for a project called “1000 Years of Popular Music”, or something like that. Can’t wait to hear Britney singing “God Loves A Drunk”.

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Let’s see…

  1. Laura Brannigan sang Squeeze Box," but I can’t picture the Who doing “Gloria.”

  2. The Beatles did “Til There Was You” from “The Music
    Man”- wanna hear a Robert Preston/Shirley Jones duet of
    “Helter Skelter”?

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Insert your own “doing her” joke here…

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Devo did Satisfaction
Don’t wanna see the Stones do Mongoloid

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Manfred Mann did Springsteen’s Blinded By The Light.

Not sure if I’d want to hear the Boss singing Doo Wah Diddy.

Guess I am getting old…

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Actually? Yes. But I think I’d probably want to jam knitting needles into my ears afterwards. :wink:

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[obvious]
Pat Boone did “Enter Sandman.” Not sure if I want to see Metallica do “I Almost Lost My Mind” or anything else by him. No, I take that back, I think it would be awesome. Same with Soundgarten doing anything by Steve & Edyie (or Cibo Matto) who both did “Black Hole Sun.” Same with Burt Bacharach doing “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes (they did “Don’t Know What To Do With Myself.” Maybe “We’re Going To Be Friends” would be easier for him.

Phish, who has covered just about everybody, did an a capella “Freebird.” Wouldn’t want to see Skynyrd try to pull off “You Enjoy Myself.” I sure as hell wouldn’t want to see Sting doing “Mo Money Mo Problems” or “It’s All About the Benjamins.”

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Or do you want to hear Springsteen do a version of “Relax”.

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Well, let’s see. . .

The Carpenters gave the world a rendering of On the Bayou. Turnabout being fair play, how would the world respond to Hank Williams doing a version of Superstar?

My first inclination would have been Close To You, but since that was written by Paul Williams, I thought I’d go with a song written by Richard.

Ray Stevens did a rather catchy cover of Misty. What’s the appropriate payback? Johnny Mathis warbling Gui-Tarzan? Or Erroll Garner slamming out Ahab the Arab?

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Rob Zombie recently did a cover of “Brick House” (with Lionel Richie, no less). It works strangely well. However, the thought of the Commodores doing Dragula or Living Dead Girl makes my ganglia twitch.

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The Smashing Pumpkins did Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” Now, can you just hear SP doing “Rhiannon?” Didn’t think so.

P.O.D. did a good rendition of U2’s “Bullet the Blue Sky”, but I doubt U2 could reciprocate with “Southtown.”

One of Van Halen’s best-known songs is “You Really Got Me”, originally performed by The Kinks. Now, does anyone think The Kinks could do Van Halen’s “Running with the Devil?” Again, didn’t think so.