# Ideas for Cover Song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642 "2003-07-24T16:10:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BizarroRonJeremy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@BizarroRonJeremy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BizarroRonJeremy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/1 "2003-07-24T16:10:56Z")
Our band is currently considering new cover songs to add to our repertoire. I really think that the Ataris cover of Boys of Summer is top notch (even though it’ll get played to death before this summer is over). What was interesting was that they didn’t Atari-ize the song. It sounds very close to the original (apart from the Black Flag props). What I’m asking, is for suggestions of good songs to cover. Something obscure, maybe something 70’s, or perhaps something recent. Anything goes! To make it a bit easier, our influences range from Tragically Hip, the Stones, QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, RHCP… Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/2 "2003-07-24T16:25:06Z")
How about: Tell me something good by Rufus Papa’s in bed with his britches on by Cab Calloway Cecila by SImon and Garfunkle Tender Trap by Frank Sinatra Someone to Watch Over Me - I forget the original artist… i think maybe Cole Porter? ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/3 "2003-07-24T16:48:41Z")
- “Alone Again Or…” by Love (later done by The Damned) - “I Won’t Back Down” or “Runnin’ Down a Dream” by Tom Petty - “Miss Gradenko” by The Police ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/4 "2003-07-24T16:51:03Z")
Not that you’ll do it, but I’ve been dying for a good cover of “One Boy” from “Bye Bye Birdie”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/5 "2003-07-24T17:04:44Z")
I’ve mentioned this band before, but maybe something like “She Satisfies” or “Karen” from The Shoes album _Tongue Twister_. Their earlier albums, _Black Vinyl Shoes_ and _Present Tense_ have plenty of coverable classics, yet they’ve managed to remain pretty obscure for all these years. Also, what makes them great to cover is that their arrangements are sparse, their melodies are strong, and their songwriting is straight-ahead pop-rock in the style of, say, The Beatles or The Raspberries. [You can find more info on them here](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS80306021330&sql=Bnsr9281c052a) There’s also The Rezillos. A song like “(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures” is another straight-ahead rock-and-roll/punkish number which would work well for interpretation, and it’s silly, whimsical, great for a party atmosphere. I can think of plenty more, but those are my two for now. I haven’t heard the Ataris cover, but I think it’s generally pointless (unless you’re a bar/party band) to redo a song as closely as possible to the original. ---
**Author:** ![TeaRoses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@TeaRoses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaRoses)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/6 "2003-07-24T17:41:34Z")
Somebody should cover “Like China” by Phil Collins. And I love the Atari’s cover of Boys of Summer… it does follow the original closely but has this cool raw edge to it that just makes the song for me. ---
**Author:** ![BizarroRonJeremy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@BizarroRonJeremy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BizarroRonJeremy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/7 "2003-07-24T18:56:17Z")
Pulykamell, thanks for the ideas. What TeaRoses says about the Boys of Summer is right. It’s a very close copy, but there is an underlining edginess to it. Basically, it highlights the great melody and lyrics. I’ve never liked the original, but the Ataris have opened me up to the fact that it’s a very decent song. I’ve always liked the selection of covers by Goldfinger. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/8 "2003-07-24T22:24:56Z")
Not sure if your band is the right type of music to make it work, but every day I _dream_ of hearing a death metal version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/9 "2003-07-25T02:09:23Z")
Pick something by Leonard Cohen like “I’m Your Man” or “Everybody Knows” There’s a song from the 60’s I always wondered what Nirvana would have done with it called “Windmills of Your Mind” See if you can dig that up. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/10 "2003-07-25T02:41:29Z")
**BizarroRonJeremy** if your band (and your singer) is up to it… “Hocus Pocus” by Focus! ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/11 "2003-07-25T04:50:47Z")
I’ve always thought someone should do a punk cover of The Zombie’s “She’s Not There”. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/12 "2003-07-25T05:07:46Z")
Pick your favourite [one hit wonder](http://www.onehitwondercentral.com) for that “Oh, I remember this. Who the hell did the original” kind of feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/13 "2003-07-25T05:19:04Z")
Almost any classic blues song - although that’s obviously not the kind of band you are, they’re songs that cross genres and (in my opinion, anyway) stand up to all kinds of unusual interpretations. I’m talking Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Elmore James, etc. You cite the Stones as an influence, and they sure did their share of this, as did most bands from that era. And if Marilyn Manson can do _I Put a Spell On You_… That’s not necessarily obscure material, but I don’t see a lot of newer bands doing it. If you like Nirvana’s version of Leadbelly’s _Where Did You Sleep Last Night?_ - which I think is absolutely gut-wrenching - you might give this a shot. There are plenty of Dylan songs that might be worth a try, too… everybody covers his stuff, but there’s a lot of it, so who knows. And your singer is unlikely to be afraid of not sounding like Bob. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/14 "2003-07-25T05:43:16Z")
I’d like to hear a techno cover of Cream’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses,” a gangsta rap cover of the Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus,” and any cover of “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight?”. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/15 "2003-07-25T06:11:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BizarroRonJeremy \* > **What was interesting was that they didn’t Atari-ize the song** …Wow… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/16 "2003-07-25T06:14:36Z")
> [@](#): > > I’d like to hear a techno cover of Cream’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses,” I once heard a really interesting cover of _Sunshine of Your Love_ sung in very slow fashion by a woman - a search at the All Music Guide leaves me suspecting it was Ella Fitzgerald… that’s pretty mind-bending… ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/17 "2003-07-25T06:15:46Z")
Tribute by Tenacious D would be pretty cool as a cover. It’s a tribute to the greatest song of the world. Comedy, but also sorta rock. A punk cover of Fight Test by The Flaming Lips would be pretty cool, it’s electronica. Here in My Car, by Gary Numan, would also be cool. Good luck with yur band! ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/18 "2003-07-25T06:54:22Z")
A lot of thinking over many years went into these choices, so please don’t dismiss them outright: _You Dropped A Bomb On Me_ by The Gap Band _Second Hand_ by Bachman Turner Overdrive _You Are In My Vision_ by Gary Numan _Little Death_ by Barstool Prophets If you make a million dollars, buy me a guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/19 "2003-07-25T07:29:33Z")
It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642/20 "2003-07-25T07:36:58Z")
Jazz groups got much of their repertoire from showtunes. A cover of _Poor Jud is Dead_ from Oklahoma! would turn some heads. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-cover-song/190642.md?page=2)