# Popular songs covered in a significally different style. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2005, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314 "2005-07-13T09:59:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/61 "2005-07-13T20:35:32Z")
[Los Straitjackets](http://www.straitjackets.com) did a surf guitar version of “My Heart Will Go On” a few years ago, complete with the sound of waves. 'Twas much different from Ms. Dion’s version. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/62 "2005-07-13T20:43:20Z")
**The Derailers** do a country music cover of Prince’s **“Raspberry Beret”**. Highly recommended. **Salamander Crossing** does a bluegrass cover of Bruce Springsteen’s **“Two Faces Have I”** which works well. Then there’s **T-Bone Burnett’s** talking blues cover of **"Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend."** ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/63 "2005-07-13T22:25:11Z")
I may regret forevermore posting this on a message board, but I like The Cure’s cover of [Purple Haze](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002MNC/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/102-1127052-1586544) much better than the original… ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/64 "2005-07-13T23:00:18Z")
Cibo Matto’s cover of “About A Girl.” Sounds like it was peeled off an AM radio on Japan. Just lovely. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/65 "2005-07-13T23:14:44Z")
Barbra Streisand turned the ebullient “Happy Days Are Here Again” into an ironic, bitter plaint. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/66 "2005-07-14T00:15:38Z")
Aztec Camera did a great, slow version of Van Halen’s “Jump”. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/67 "2005-07-14T00:36:48Z")
All these posts, and no one’s mentioned Pat Boone’s attempt at hard rock? I still laugh until I cry when I hear him sing “Holy Diver.” ---
**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/68 "2005-07-14T00:54:10Z")
Cassandra Wilson does a (quite sultry) version of [Last Train to Clarksville](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005H0D/ref=pd_sxp_f/002-7653950-0460828?v=glance&s=music). ---
**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/69 "2005-07-14T00:59:58Z")
I almost forgot about this album: George Martin’s [In My Life](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000DFE9/ref=pd_sxp_f/002-7653950-0460828?v=glance&s=music). There are some great Beatles covers on this one. I particularly enjoy _Because_ and _Come Together_ (the latter by Robin Williams and Bobby Mcferrin.) ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/70 "2005-07-14T02:57:58Z")
[Bluegrass Pink Floyd](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005OW56/qid%3D1121309811/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-2654191-6691312) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/71 "2005-07-14T23:42:43Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Then Holly Cole has an entire album of Tom Waits covers called _Temptation_. I will have to find that one! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/72 "2005-07-15T01:46:33Z")
Pet Shop Boys’ cover of Elvis’s **Always On My Mind**? And let’s not forget (all right, let’s _do_ forget) Rolf Harris’s version of **Stairway to Heaven**. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/73 "2005-07-15T01:52:03Z")
The Kronos Quartet does an amazing version of Purple Haze. And then there are the Dickies… ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/74 "2005-07-15T05:59:49Z")
**Warren Zevon** does a melancholy cover of Steve Winwood’s _Back in the High Life_ that’s very good. And **Hindu Love Gods** , which is just Zevon backed by REM, did a weird and good gover of Prince’s _Raspberry Beret_. ---
**Author:** ![spiralscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@spiralscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spiralscratch)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/75 "2005-07-15T07:19:13Z")
**Frente, "Bizarre Love Triangle"** The New Order song reduced to light female vocals and a simple acoustic guitar arrangement. **Slowdive, "Some Velvet Morning"** Nancy Sinatra, if she were staring at her shoes with a Rickenbacker in her hands. **Primal Scream, "Some Velvet Morning"** Same song, done as some kind of electronic monstrosity. **Saint Etienne, "Only Love Will Break Your Heart"** Neil Young’s song goes pop electronic. **Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Higher Ground"** Stevie Wonder’s funk and soul out, straight-ahead rock in. **The Vines, "Sorry Ms. Jackson"** More of a remake of the Outkast song than a true cover (The lyrics are rearranged). To me, they sound a lot like Ride here. **Red House Painters, "All Mixed Up"** The Cars song. A standard 80’s pop-rock song slowed down, simplified, and sung with enough emotion to make Bob Mould proud. **Ottmar Liebert, "Mercy Mercy Me"** Marvin Gaye’s classic, done in Spanish with a flamenco guitar. **Love And Rockets, "Ball Of Confusion"** The Temptations’ Motown classic by goes modern rock. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/76 "2005-07-15T10:19:22Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > [Bluegrass Pink Floyd](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005OW56/qid%3D1121309811/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-2654191-6691312) The Austin Lounge Lizards recorded a bluegrass cover of “Brain Damage.” ---
**Author:** ![phoebo32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@phoebo32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phoebo32)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/77 "2005-07-15T19:07:42Z")
I was also going to say Smells like Teen Spirit by Tori Amos, and also her version of 97 Bonnie and Clyde. Unbelievably haunting, but very good. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/78 "2005-07-15T23:56:23Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > Barbra Streisand turned the ebullient “Happy Days Are Here Again” into an ironic, bitter plaint. You misspelled “boring, sleep-inducing crapfest.” Cyndi Lauper did a reggae-ish cover of her own “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” which I disliked fairly intensely when I first heard it but now like at least as well as the original. ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/79 "2005-07-16T10:03:28Z")
Were it for nothing else, i’ll always consider **Joey Ramone** a genius for his cover of _What a Wonderful World_. I’m also kind of partial to **Type O Negative’s** cover of _Cinnamon Girl_. # ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314/80 "2005-07-16T12:09:53Z")
I ran across [“Gregorian”](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004YZ1G/ref=pd_sim_music_2/102-8406749-9912154?v=glance&s=music) on iTunes, awhile back. Not bad, though I think I’d like it a lot more as a cappella. And [Kashmir: Symphonic Led Zeppelin](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000040V8/qid%3D1121515762/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-8406749-9912154) holds a very dear place in my heart. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-songs-covered-in-a-significally-different-style/312314.md?page=5)