# Did David Bowie ever cover a song well? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390 "2007-11-06T07:22:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/21 "2007-11-06T15:23:02Z")
[QUOTE=Scumpup] The cover of Queen’s “Under Pressure” that he did with Annie Lennox was great. [/QUOTE] Does that count? I mean, he was on the original track, so if _anyone_ was doing a cover, it was Annie, not him. Having said that, it was a stunning performance. Annie Lennox \> everything. 🙂 ---
**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:** [November 6, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/22 "2007-11-06T15:51:56Z")
His performance of “America” at the Concert for New York City was quite good and very touching given the context. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/23 "2007-11-06T17:53:21Z")
[QUOTE=ForumBot] Little Drummer Boy [/QUOTE] I’ll stick up for the “Little Drummer Boy” duet with Bing Crosby if no one else will. I for one enjoy their version. It’s not traditional, it’s very of its time, and the urban legend about what Bowie did with everyone he ever dueted with kind of squicks me out a little, but I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/24 "2007-11-06T17:54:42Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] the urban legend about what Bowie did with everyone he ever dueted with kind of squicks me out a little, but I like it. [/QUOTE] I’ll hate myself for asking, but what is the legend? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/25 "2007-11-06T18:06:35Z")
[QUOTE=Scumpup] I’ll hate myself for asking, but what is the legend? [/QUOTE] Put it this way: it’s very believable with Freddie Mercury or Mick Jagger, not so much with Bing Crosby. :eek: ---
**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:** [November 6, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/26 "2007-11-06T18:19:56Z")
I liked his cover of “Cactus.” Not as good as The Pixies, but still pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/27 "2007-11-06T18:21:45Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Put it this way: it’s very believable with Freddie Mercury or Mick Jagger, not so much with Bing Crosby. :eek: [/QUOTE] Bing would probably have beat him with a sack of sweet valencia oranges. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/28 "2007-11-06T18:21:49Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] I’ll stick up for the “Little Drummer Boy” duet with Bing Crosby if no one else will. I for one enjoy their version. It’s not traditional, it’s very of its time, and the urban legend about what Bowie did with everyone he ever dueted with kind of squicks me out a little, but I like it. [/QUOTE] Hm. I know the first time I saw their version, on some VH1 Christmas video special or something, I don’t think I listened to the song as much as picked my jaw up off the ground. But yeah, it’s actually enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/29 "2007-11-06T18:22:54Z")
[QUOTE=Scumpup] Bing would probably have beat him with a sack of sweet valencia oranges. [/QUOTE] And Bowie would have _liked_ it, the sicko. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/30 "2007-11-06T18:28:32Z")
I really like his “Alabama Song.” Between this and me liking “Que Sera Sera” in “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” I’m beginning to think I have bad taste! ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/31 "2007-11-06T18:56:12Z")
Hell, I’ll go one further and say Bowie & Bing’s Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth is hands down my favorite Christmas song. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/32 "2007-11-06T19:06:58Z")
Another vote for the Easybeats’ **Friday on my Mind** , negated by his horrible version of The Kinks’ **Waterloo Sunset**. His vocals aren’t too bad, but who the hell thought adding a bouncy horn section to that song was good idea? ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/33 "2007-11-06T19:35:28Z")
This is only tangentially related to the thread topic, but I can’t resist mentioning (and highly recommending) [The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions featuring Seu Jorge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_Aquatic_Studio_Sessions). Lovely acoustic covers of a bunch of David Bowie songs… in Portuguese! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/34 "2007-11-06T20:16:26Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] I’ll stick up for the “Little Drummer Boy” duet with Bing Crosby if no one else will. I for one enjoy their version. [/QUOTE] I’d never heard it. [YouTube to the rescue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTHvW2JcAA)! Not bad, but definitely odd. You have to wonder, every time they exchange a brief look, what they were thinking about. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/35 "2007-11-06T21:56:56Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] I’d never heard it. [YouTube to the rescue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTHvW2JcAA)! Not bad, but definitely odd. You have to wonder, every time they exchange a brief look, what they were thinking about. [/QUOTE] SNL did a parody for “And So This is Chanukah” ([transcript](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/99/99gchanukah.phtml)). Bowie’s _Penny Lane_ is not bad, but it’s really straightforward. I think it was quite early in his career - the arrangement is pretty much identical to the Beatles’ one ---
**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:** [November 7, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/36 "2007-11-07T02:23:27Z")
An interesting bit about Bowie is that he had done the Bing Crosby duet for TV less than a month before Crosby’s death, and also had been on TV singing with Marc Bolan less than a month (nine days) before his death- short clip [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRR05ImHQqA). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/37 "2007-11-07T16:45:04Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Not bad, but definitely odd. You have to wonder, every time they exchange a brief look, what they were thinking about. [/QUOTE] “Now, David, I just want you to know I’ve never done anything like this before.” “Shu’ up and tighten the straps, old man!” ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/38 "2007-11-07T20:06:48Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] Bowie’s version of “God Only Knows” is interesting, and not bad, though it won’t replace Carl Wilson’s original recording. [/QUOTE] Agreed. It’s kind of a Young Americans style take on the song. [QUOTE=Ins&Outs&What-have-yous] His version of ‘See Emily Play’ is…um…interesting. [/QUOTE] I like that a lot too. It sounds like what the original might have if it had been recorded a few years later when Syd Barrett was writing songs like “Scream Thy Last Scream”. I like Bowie’s version of “Across the Universe”. His cover of “Pablo Picasso” by The Modern Lovers is great, and it’s a lot different from the original. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/39 "2007-11-09T01:30:48Z")
Can’t Explain kicks ass. Bo kicks ass. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390/40 "2007-11-09T01:44:04Z")
I popped in to mention his version of “Cactus”, but seeing as that’s taken I’ll go with his excellent cover of The Who’s “Pictures Of Lily”. And I liked “Across The Universe”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-david-bowie-ever-cover-a-song-well/425390.md?page=3)