# Gender in song covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 9, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063 "2024-04-09T21:21:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/21 "2024-04-11T02:10:51Z")
Dennis DeYoung’s cover of “Someone to Watch Over Me” on the _10 on Broadway_ album is a strange case. He _did_ switch the gender to talk about a woman, but he used the line, “I’d like to add her initial to my monogram,” which isn’t how most marriages work. You’d think he’d say, “I’d like to add my initial to her monogram.” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/22 "2024-04-11T02:37:34Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > I’d like to add her initial to my monogram,” which isn’t how most marriages work. A John Ono Lennon homage? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/23 "2024-04-11T02:39:22Z")
Different Drum isn’t overtly male or female and Linda Rondstat did flip the girl to boy. However, in the late 60s, a woman who didn’t want to get married, and called a guy pretty would have been unusual, at least ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/24 "2024-04-11T02:49:36Z")
The Mike Nesmith version sounds a little mean while the Ronstadt version sounds empowering. Nancy Sinatra did the same thing with the Beatles’ rather vile “Run for your Life”. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/25 "2024-04-11T04:09:50Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > If it’s _my_ song, I want the singer to sing what is written, not get creative with the lyrics or melody You probably don’t want to hear my version of Jolene, then. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/26 "2024-04-11T06:24:19Z")
Don’t know, I am always ready to be wowed. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/27 "2024-04-11T12:21:33Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > why would a _drummer_ care what key a song is in? There’s the basic framework of a pizza delivery joke here. _These Boots Were Made For Walking_ has been covered by dozens of male and female performers, pretty much always from a women’s perspective. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/28 "2024-04-11T12:35:55Z")
Depending on how widely you’re willing to define “pop”: Many male singers, perhaps most famously Frank Sinatra in 1957, have performed “The Lady Is a Tramp,” which was originally written in the first person for a female character. Everyplace Frank sings “she,” the pronoun was originally “I.” Despite the popularity of that version (and Tony Bennet’s later duet with Lady Gaga), I don’t think the song really works when done by a man. Sung by a man about a woman, it sounds critical and accusatory. As sung by a woman about herself, it’s a declaration of freedom and liberation, which is how it’s presented in its original context (the Rodgers and Hart musical _Babes in Arms_). ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/29 "2024-04-11T15:36:54Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Silly question, but why would a _drummer_ care what key a song is in? He wasn’t just the drummer, he was the bandleader: it was basically his band. And the ‘play in recorded key’ thing was just one of his ideosyncracies. Still, if you’ve ever been involved in the music business, you probably recall that the guy who has the well-paying gigs booked is usually the one who calls the shots… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/30 "2024-04-11T16:07:35Z")
Reminds me of a gag I saw in a movie about the Beatles. During an audition where they had been assigned a session drummer, one of the lads (probably John) turns to him and says, “We’re doing Dizzy Miss Lizzy.” He waits a moment, then adds, “In E.” ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/31 "2024-04-11T16:16:46Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > During an audition where they had been assigned a session drummer, one of the lads (probably John) turns to him and says, “We’re doing Dizzy Miss Lizzy.” He waits a moment, then adds, “In E.” We still do that. If we transpose a song to a different key, someone turns to our drummer and says, “Got it?” Never gets old, we’re a riot. Also, just one more reason we’re constantly compared to the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/32 "2024-04-11T16:18:43Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Reminds me of a gag I saw in a movie about the Beatles. During an audition where they had been assigned a session drummer, one of the lads (probably John) turns to him and says, “We’re doing Dizzy Miss Lizzy.” He waits a moment, then adds, “In E.” Drummer: hold on a few minutes. I’m going to have to rewrite my chart in the new key… ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/33 "2024-04-11T16:32:30Z")
Nominee for worst counter-example: I once heard Rod Stewart’s cover of “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman,” but he changed “Woman” to “Man.” Not only did the gender change completely undermine the lyrics’ impact, it also messed up the rhythm of that incomparable line. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/34 "2024-04-11T16:52:34Z")
That one’s right up there with Michael Bublé’s “Santa Buddy.” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/35 "2024-04-11T21:31:37Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The Mike Nesmith version [of Different Drum] sounds a little mean… Oh, I dunno, it depends. This performance doesn’t seem mean at all 🙂 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CDgF-A_kGVg/hqdefault.jpg "The Monkees - "Different Drum" from "Too Many Girls"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDgF-A_kGVg) ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/36 "2024-04-11T21:45:58Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > That one’s right up there with Michael Bublé’s “Santa Buddy.” Right. I’m gonna need one of you guys to man up and fuck Santa. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/37 "2024-04-11T21:56:52Z")
I asked a friend (not Weird Al or Beyoncé), and he said that if you perform live in front of fewer than 15,000 (or whatever) people and nobody is cashing in, no one cares. He said he and his band play covers, changing the lyrics etc., in front of 200–300 people, sell around 20,000 records and they do not bother asking for permission. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/38 "2024-04-11T21:59:57Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Right. I’m gonna need one of you guys to man up and fuck Santa. Will this do? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YokTjGAFUkA/maxresdefault.jpg "RuPaul - I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus (Official Lyric Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YokTjGAFUkA) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/39 "2024-04-11T23:30:34Z")
Pretty sure Santa fucks you, not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2024, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063/40 "2024-04-12T20:57:00Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Still, if you’ve ever been involved in the music business, you probably recall that the guy who has the well-paying gigs booked is usually the one who calls the shots… 😉 A competent bandleader shot-caller would want to deliver the best performance and play in the key the singer could sing in. > [@Stratocaster](#): > > We still do that. If we transpose a song to a different key, someone turns to our drummer and says, “Got it?” Never gets old, we’re a riot. > > Also, just one more reason we’re constantly compared to the Beatles. 😄 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-in-song-covers/1000063.md?page=3)