Potentially great songs, you wish someone would do a decent cover version

Cafe Society
1

Your nominations please, for songs where you feel the original artist’s version is pretty dismal, yet you reckon the song itself has plenty of potential, and you wish someone else would come along and do a decent version of it. Preferably where few, if any, cover versions already exist.

A few nominations to start off with.

“Two Of Me, Two Of You” from Jackson Browne’s ‘I’m Alive’ album. It’s a great ballad, with some of the most poignant lyrics you could wish for, but with all due respect to JB I think his version is terrible. Awful arrangement, toe-curlingly poor vocal. It deserves to be given a fresh lease of life.

“Not Too Much To Ask” from Mary Chapin Carpenter’s ‘Come on Come on’ album. On the album, it’s a duet by MCC and Joe Diffie, with a typical MCC twangy country feel. I love the song, just don’t care for this version. I’d love to hear it recorded by a solo singer, with less of a country feel.

“King Of Wishful Thinking” by Go West. Another striking example of a good song buried by the limitations of the original artist(s). A neat little gem of a song with a potentially very catchy hook, which a decent vocalist could go to town with. I think the Go West version, sadly, is just a train wreck of how-crap-can-it-get production and can’t-sing singing.

Over to you…

2

This is embarrassing, but I always thought the song “Say You’ll Be There” by the Spice Girls had a really good hook, and had a nice early-70s-Motown vibe to it. I’d really love to hear it recorded by a genuine soul act with some good pipes.

3

I always wanted Chrissie Hynde to do a cover of The Shocking Blue’s “Venus”, but then Bananarama came along and put the kibosh on any future covers of that tune . . . .

There’s an early Chambers Brothers track called “I Can’t Stand It” (no relation to the Velvet Underground’s song of the same name) that I’ve hoped for a long time someone would do.

Likewise for:
[ul]
[li]“She May Call You Up Tonight”, The Left Banke[/li][li]“When My Baby’s Beside Me”, Big Star[/li][li]“Look Out for Mr. Stork”, from Dumbo – why this wasn’t on the Stay Awake compilation from a decade or so ago I’ll never know.[/li][/ul]

That’s the stuff that pops to mind right away.

4

I always kinda liked “What’s the Frequency Kenneth” by REM, but it would be a phenonemal song if someone did it who could rock 2 or 3 times harder.

5

Some of these are great already, but:

“Honey Pie” by the Beatles.
“I’m Henry VIII I Am” by Herman’s Hermits.
“Atlantis” by Donovan.

For all of those, I’m envisioning fast, loud punk versions.

And a gangsta rap version of “I Am the Walrus.”

And maybe a mariachi “Purple Haze” or something.

6

I can’t hear Kelly Osbourne’s cover of “Papa Don’t Preach” without wondering what Gwen Stefani or Ani DiFranco could do with the material.

7

I’ve always wanted to hear Marilyn Manson do a cover of some 40’s/50’s style love ballad. Something sweet and kitchy. You know, like “My Girl.”

8

I like the original fine, but I think a slow, torch-song cover of Garbage’s “I’m Only Happy when it Rains” would produce a very appealing smolder.

9

I’d like to hear Snoop Dogg do a cover of Morrissey’s Suedehead.

10

Don Henley’s “You Ain’t Drinkin’ Enough” is a near-perfect country song, and I don’t know of anyone who has covered it. If not for the radio biz superstructure, Henley’s original would have been a country hit. I picture Dwight Yoakam or Ricky Skaggs.

Harry Nilsson’s “Joy” is a classic, and should have been covered by Willie Nelson long ago.

11

I like the originals, but I think several Devo songs would sound great as heavy metal. Particularly “Uncontrollable Urge” and “Gates Of Steel”.

12

A heavier (and longer) version of Marillion’s “Hooks in You” would be nice.