# Covers that surprised you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644 "2007-12-11T19:45:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/1 "2007-12-11T19:45:48Z")
I just happened upon a Heart cover of Elton’s _Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters_. It caught me by surprise for a couple of reasons. One, it didn’t seem like the sort of song Heart would do. Two, it was interesting to hear it with female voices (especially on the harmonies). And three, it is one of the more obscure Elton & Bernie tunes. It never got any top 40 airplay that I can recall. What covers have you stumbled upon that surprised you in those or other ways? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/2 "2007-12-11T19:59:04Z")
I’m a punk rock fan. I’ve always liked NOFX’s punk cover of All of Me by Billie Holiday (titled Olive Me). No Use for a Name does a decent cover of Bob Marley’s Redemption Songs. Oh, and in the spirit of the holidays, Bad Religion did Silent Night! I’m sure I’ll think of more as the day goes on. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/3 "2007-12-11T20:00:37Z")
**Judas Priest** covering Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust.” Arguably Baez’s greatest song, a bittersweet kiss-off to onetime boyfriend Bob Dylan, and Judas Priest absolutely nails it, adding lots of muscle and drive without losing any of the beauty or feeling. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/4 "2007-12-11T20:02:43Z")
[QUOTE=Flander] I’m a punk rock fan. I’ve always liked NOFX’s punk cover of All of Me by Billie Holiday (titled Olive Me). No Use for a Name does a decent cover of Bob Marley’s Redemption Songs. Oh, and in the spirit of the holidays, Bad Religion did Silent Night! I’m sure I’ll think of more as the day goes on. [/QUOTE] **NOFX** also pulled off surprisingly good covers of Don McLean’s “Vincent” and the traditional “Champs Elysees.” Their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” (as a duet with BR’s Greg Graffin)? Not so much. Fat Mike was just too crummy a singer back then, and it comes off sounding like parody, which rarely makes for good covers. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/5 "2007-12-11T20:04:17Z")
Recently, Himself played me an all instrumental version of “House of the Rising Sun” done by, of all groups, Thin Lizzy. I kept guessing groups like Procol Harum & stuff. I was quite pleasantly surprised at the complexity. ---
**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 11, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/6 "2007-12-11T20:13:21Z")
I have little knowlege of and I’m no fan of rap, but even I appreciate Run-D.M.C.'s cover of Aerosmith’s [Walk This Way](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_This_Way). ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/7 "2007-12-11T20:19:40Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] **Judas Priest** covering Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust.” Arguably Baez’s greatest song, a bittersweet kiss-off to onetime boyfriend Bob Dylan, and Judas Priest absolutely nails it, adding lots of muscle and drive without losing any of the beauty or feeling. [/QUOTE] Wow. That was so surprising that I felt compelled to check it out myself. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/8 "2007-12-11T20:37:28Z")
Junip, a Swedish alternative band, covered Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad” that is simply amazing. I can’t find it on youtube, though, which dissapoints me. Some other covers that really surprised me are Neil Young’s [Cinnamon Girl](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0bHCY865xs) as covered by the Goth-Industrial band Type O Negative and [Rocking in the Free World](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofLv8ELoq8o), another Neil Young song, covered by K’s Choice and the Indigo Girls. Oh! And [Losing My Religion](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P4mmwJDs_k) by the Dutch singer Anouk and Nick Cave’s [The Mercy Seat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGGSTiDOjKU) by Johnny Cash. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Wing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@Little\_Wing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Wing)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/9 "2007-12-11T21:22:03Z")
I stumbled across [Fields of Gold](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDMqFvh5Lcs&mode=related&search=) covered by Eva Cassidy. I was astounded by her voice and wondered why the heck I hadn’t heard of her. In our current pop culture of female singers _screaming_ out songs and running up and down the scales (what _is_ that word?) just because they can, her voice was so refreshing and expressive. I did some digging around and discovered, sadly, that Eva died in 1996 of melanoma. It’s my understanding that she didn’t write any songs of her own, preferring instead to do covers. [Autumn Leaves](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7-haKkFnT8&mode=related&search=) is my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/10 "2007-12-11T21:41:45Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] **NOFX** also pulled off surprisingly good covers of Don McLean’s “Vincent” and the traditional “Champs Elysees.” Their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” (as a duet with BR’s Greg Graffin)? Not so much. Fat Mike was just too crummy a singer back then, and it comes off sounding like parody, which rarely makes for good covers. [/QUOTE] Agreed on “Go Your Own Way”, fucking terrible. Of course, it should also be noted that Fat Mike’s other band, [**Me First and the Gimme Gimmes**](http://www.gimmegimmes.com/) do nothing but covers. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/11 "2007-12-11T21:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] I just happened upon a Heart cover of Elton’s _Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters_. [/QUOTE] Buckshot LeFonque (Branford Marsalis’s fusion/funk project of the 1990s) has a nice cover of this too. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/12 "2007-12-11T21:48:12Z")
Seconding Eva Cassidy. The ringing clarity of her voice never fails to give me goosebumps. She was a rare singer of both talent AND taste who could switch between multiple genres as easily as she could hit the high notes. Her death was a tragic loss. > [@Little Wing](#): > > In our current pop culture of female singers screaming out songs and running up and down the scales (what is that word?) I’ve been known to call it [melismatic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melisma) masturbation. Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” is a particularly egregious offender. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/13 "2007-12-11T22:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=Little Wing] I stumbled across [Fields of Gold](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDMqFvh5Lcs&mode=related&search=) covered by Eva Cassidy. I was astounded by her voice and wondered why the heck I hadn’t heard of her. In our current pop culture of female singers _screaming_ out songs and running up and down the scales (what _is_ that word?) just because they can, her voice was so refreshing and expressive. I did some digging around and discovered, sadly, that Eva died in 1996 of melanoma. It’s my understanding that she didn’t write any songs of her own, preferring instead to do covers. [Autumn Leaves](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7-haKkFnT8&mode=related&search=) is my favorite. [/QUOTE] My God. Wow. Just wow. I ordered 3 of her CDs for overnight shipment from Amazon — _Song Bird_, _Imagine_, and _American Tune_. I never thought that in my lifetime I would hear a voice more beautiful than Karen Carpenter’s, but lo and behold. I can’t wait to pop them in. Thanks for sharing that. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Wing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@Little\_Wing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Wing)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/14 "2007-12-11T23:08:57Z")
Melisma! Thanks, **Hodge**. I kept wanting to type “miasma,” for some reason. Regardless of what it’s called, it’s annoying as hell to me and will practically guarantee I’ll change the station anytime I hear it. And you’re very welcome, **Liberal**. I haven’t gotten any of her CDs yet (they’re on my Christmas list) so I have to content myself with YouTube clips for the time being. Eva had an extraordinary talent, IMO, and it’s a shame she didn’t receive the recognition she deserved while she was alive. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/15 "2007-12-11T23:09:34Z")
Matt Weddle of Obadaiah Parker takes an up-tempo, hip-hop Top 40 song (Outkast’s “Hey Ya”) and slows it down into a [soulful and emotional love song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8nkkOA_AM), accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. Definitely a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/16 "2007-12-11T23:11:40Z")
[QUOTE=Jurph] Matt Weddle of Obadaiah Parker takes an up-tempo, hip-hop Top 40 song (Outkast’s “Hey Ya”) and slows it down into a [soulful and emotional love song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8nkkOA_AM), accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. Definitely a surprise. [/QUOTE] That reminds me: the acoustic (but still jammin’) cover of **Come and Get My Love** in _The Postman_. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/17 "2007-12-11T23:39:57Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] My God. Wow. Just wow. I ordered 3 of her CDs for overnight shipment from Amazon — _Song Bird_, _Imagine_, and _American Tune_. I never thought that in my lifetime I would hear a voice more beautiful than Karen Carpenter’s, but lo and behold. I can’t wait to pop them in. Thanks for sharing that. [/QUOTE] I envy your chance to hear her music for the first time, **Lib**. I was literally awestruck when I discovered her about 4 years ago and immediately purchased (and, yes, downloaded) everything I could find by her. I really believe she’s one of the best song interpreters of the last century who, alongside her technical talent, had a rare ability to cut to the emotional core of a song. While she only released 2 albums when she was alive, she did a lot of recording in small clubs so there are lot of compilations and live sets floating around. Of the three you ordered, _Songbird_ is probably my favourite. If you still want to here more, _Live at Blues Alley_ is probably my #1 fave. > [@Little Wing](#): > > Melisma! Thanks, Hodge. I kept wanting to type “miasma,” for some reason. Regardless of what it’s called, it’s annoying as hell to me and will practically guarantee I’ll change the station anytime I hear it. Heh! Miasma is actually a pretty good description of some of that music. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/18 "2007-12-11T23:51:40Z")
Cake’s cover of [I Will Survive](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10C68Gzd5GM) has to be one of the greatest ever. Gotta love to see how a disco anthem, and a good one at that, can be remade and become even better. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/19 "2007-12-11T23:59:34Z")
In the 80’s [Fasterpussycat](http://www.fasterpussycat.com/) remade Carly Simon’s “You’re so vain.” Hearing the male voice sing it reminds me of the scene in The Blues Brothers where ‘the band’ sings “[Stand by Your Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dABTi1byfZY&feature=related)” in Bob’s Country Bunker. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644/20 "2007-12-12T01:09:43Z")
Can we talk about covers that surprised us in a negative fashion? When I heard that _My Chemical Romance_ did a cover of “All I Want for Christmas is You”, I thought “well, that should be interesting”. It was…bad. Supremely awful. I couldn’t listen for more than 20 seconds. Turned me off the band for good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-surprised-you/429644.md?page=2)