# Song Covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824 "2008-11-03T04:55:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/1 "2008-11-03T04:55:13Z")
So what are some of your favorite covers? Let’s pretend we’re making the ultimate covers playlist. What songs should we add to the playlist? ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/2 "2008-11-03T05:46:25Z")
I’ve been on a bit of a covers discovery run lately… these are my picks: Toxic - Stevie Ann Smells Like Teen Spirit - Patti Smith Hurt - Johnny Cash Downtown - The B-52’s Superstar - Sonic Youth Hazy Shade Of Winter - The Bangles Running Up That Hill - Placebo Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley Little Wing - Concrete Blonde A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker Time After Time - Eva Cassidy Common People - William Shatner All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix Bizarre Love Triangle - Frente Gloria - Patti Smith Everlasting Love - U2 Wild Horses - The Sundays Money (That’s What I Want) - Flying Lizzards Be My Baby - We Are Scientists Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner House Of The Rising Sun - Sinead O’Connor Time Of The Season - Ben Taylor Band Seven Nation Army - The Flaming Lips These Days - Fountains of Wayne Wonderwall - Ryan Adams Crazy - Alanis Morissette Glory Box - John Martyn Mad World - Michael Andrews … god I could go on and on. I’ll stop now. ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/3 "2008-11-03T05:55:48Z")
Mad World, originally Tears for Fears and covered by Gary Jules. The cover version is truly beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![DarRRva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@DarRRva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarRRva)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/4 "2008-11-03T06:33:00Z")
Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit Tori Amos - I Don’t Like Mondays Garbage - Wild Horses Lacuna Coil - Enjoy The Silence Ben Harper - The Drugs Don’t Work Antony & The Johnsons - Crazy In Love Nancy Wallace - Young Hearts Run Free Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse - Valerie Tina Turner - Simply The Best Bonnie Tyler - Have You Ever Seen The Rain Bettye LaVette - Down To Zero Cat Power - New York There are hundreds I’m sure, but those are all I can think of right now 😕 ---
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/5 "2008-11-03T07:39:26Z")
That’s easy. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4\_zA7nukoZA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_zA7nukoZA) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/6 "2008-11-03T08:00:51Z")
I really love a lot of the Beatles covers on the I Am Sam soundtrack, especially: Two of Us - Michael Penn and Aimee Mann I’m Looking Through You - the Wallflowers You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away - Eddie Vedder Blackbird - Sarah McLachlan And the rest are great, too. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/7 "2008-11-03T11:07:38Z")
Al Green’s How Can You Mend a Broken Heart Manhattan’s Tomorrow Soft Cell’s Tainted Love I’m old. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/8 "2008-11-03T11:17:52Z")
Frente’s version of New Order’s _[Bizarre Love Triangle](http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ1c9ErCn7w)_ I’ve always found endearing. Jill Sobule’s rendition of Warren Zevon’s _[Don’t let us get sick](http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=N1SvHwzl3x4)_ is a recent favourite. ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/9 "2008-11-03T11:30:52Z")
Queensryche: Heaven on their minds (from Jesus Christ Superstar) Welcome to the Machine Ugly Kid Joe: Cats in the Cradle Motorhead: Please Don’t Touch ---
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/10 "2008-11-03T14:48:29Z")
Cake: Guitar Man Weezer: The Weight Shinedown: Simple Man ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/11 "2008-11-03T15:19:47Z")
HIM - Wicked Game (Chris Isaac original) HIM - Don’t Fear the Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult original) Oingo Boingo - I Am the Walrus (Beatles original) Puffy AmiYumi - Joining a Fanclub (Jellyfish original) Shonen Knife - Daydream Believer (Monkees original) Shonen Knife - I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones original) Tommy February[sup]6[/sup] - I’m In the Mood For Dancing (The Nolans original?) Tommy February[sup]6[/sup] - Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You (Frankie Valli original) Cruxshadows - Here Comes the Rain Again (Eurythmics original) Cruxshadows - Happy Xmas (War is Over) (John Lennon original) Most every Apocalyptica version of a Metallica song, but Nothing Else Matters is a favourite. Sort of ‘does it really count as a cover?’ Brian Setzer Orchestra - Rock This Town (Stray Cats original.) ---
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/12 "2008-11-03T15:49:46Z")
_hugs **Tengu** for showing love for HIM and Apocalyptica_ I’m assuming (dangerous, I know) that Shonen Knife is a J-pop band? I’ll be cheking them out for sure! ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/13 "2008-11-03T16:00:22Z")
Wilson Pickett’s cover of “Hey Jude.” Aretha Franklin’s cover of “Respect.” (original by Otis Redding) The Jeff Beck Group’s cover of “Jailhouse Rock.” For that matter, their cover of “All Shook Up,” too. (Both on **Beck-Ola**.) Willie Nelson’s and Merle Haggard’s cover of “Pancho and Lefty” by Townes Van Zandt ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/14 "2008-11-03T16:02:02Z")
> [@freekalette](#): > > _hugs **Tengu** for showing love for HIM and Apocalyptica_ Another fan! Ginchy! > [@](#): > > I’m assuming (dangerous, I know) that Shonen Knife is a J-pop band? I’ll be cheking them out for sure! Yeah, they’re Japanese. Been around since the 80s, and still active. (And have a new album coming out this week!) They also have great covers of Cherry Bomb (Runaways) and Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Carpenters)… Obviously, their influences (and thus their sound) are broad. Going in the other direction, Nirvana apparently did a version of their Twist Barbie live, and Sonic Youth have done Burning Farm. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/15 "2008-11-03T16:15:52Z")
Check out most things by [Nouvelle Vague/Marc Collin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqAPbFm4tXQ) for some takes on 80s new wave. A few others would be [Blue Monday](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDWVPcwOpvA) by **Tanghetto** , and you haven’t lived until you hear the Theme from Shaft by **Malik**. There’s even a [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMqX1RS8-Q). Also, Senior Coconut’s version of[Smoke on the Water](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puc0ZiVRESU). The Gourds doing [Gin and Juice](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SunrKwykK_Y) (some language) Goldfinger’s [99 Red Balloons](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QYIlgRg9TY) For any horn lovers, Bonerama doing: [The Wizard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG13EKb00Bc) [Crosstown Traffic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rFyO6KrVwE) [Whipping Post](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9PglauPii4) [Frankenstein](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m359HPdrWw) I could do this all day! ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/16 "2008-11-03T16:55:41Z")
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but two of my favorites are Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and Ben Folds’ version of “Bitches Ain’t Shit”. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/17 "2008-11-03T17:04:11Z")
If you are a fan of covers, [The Covers Project](http://www.coversproject.com/) might be a help. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/18 "2008-11-03T17:09:38Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Brian Setzer Orchestra - Rock This Town (Stray Cats original.) Not to pick nits, but didn’t Brian write the song for The Stray Cats when he was with the band? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/19 "2008-11-03T17:17:22Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > Not to pick nits, but didn’t Brian write the song for The Stray Cats when he was with the band? Which is why I put that one under the header ‘Sort of ‘does it really count as a cover?’’ ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824/20 "2008-11-03T17:54:33Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Which is why I put that one under the header ‘Sort of ‘does it really count as a cover?’’ My bad. I misread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-covers/470824.md?page=2)