# Song Remakes: i.e.: "Covers" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085 "2003-07-17T06:14:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/1 "2003-07-17T06:14:35Z")
Why don’t today’s bands simply remake all the big hits of the past 30 years for sure-fire way to fly to #1? Not saying it hasn’t been tried before, but only by a minority of rockers… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/2 "2003-07-17T06:31:00Z")
Perhaps somebody (the bands, labels, whoever) doesn’t think today’s audience would be interested. But then again, Britney Spears has covered the Rolling Stones’ _(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction_ and _I Love Rock and Roll_ by Joan Jett. Both were supposed to be horrifyingly bad. Oh, and I see she also did a Sonny and Cher tune. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/3 "2003-07-17T06:36:35Z")
Yeah, Marley23, I was giving them a huge benefit of the doubt that they had any semblence of talent from the start. And, I am assuming they can recognize talent from those before them. Who wrote that “Complicated” song? Avril Nobody? I love what Casey Casom quoted her as saying: “I taught myself guitar by playing the same [uno, solo, lone, one and only, swansong] song over and over and over and over…”. Yes, it shows! (IMHO) But, overlooking all the above…looks like Uncle Cracker knows how to play the game quite well… - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/4 "2003-07-17T06:43:54Z")
It’s the semblence of talent you mentioned Jinx: in order to cover a song and have it be a sure-fire #1 hit, the group would have to cover it well. Otherwise they’ll just get mocked for butchering a classic. In addition, if the group has the ability to cover a song well, they usually also have the ability to create original material, which is typically viewed as more desirable by the audience. For example, The White Stripes have done a cover of Dylan’s _One More Cup of Coffee_, and even though it’s quite good, I believe it was not as popular as it could be because listeners prefer new material; for whatever reason, it’s been my experience, (though not necessarily my opinion) that covers tend to get looked down on. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/5 "2003-07-17T06:51:04Z")
Certain types of bands - “jambands,” as much as I hate the title - seem to love doing covers as tributes to their influences and predecessors. Less so for other types of bands, perhaps. You could also say that some artists might prefer to create new material, but that doesn’t hold true for many popular acts - any more than the term ‘artist’ is accurate for many of them. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/6 "2003-07-17T07:47:42Z")
Yeah, I would have to agree that Geateful Dead type bands aren’t afraid to do cover versions. I think that cover versions can be nice, as long as they aren’t exact remakes of the original song. ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/7 "2003-07-17T07:57:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mudshark \* > \*\*I think that cover versions can be nice, as long as they aren’t exact remakes of the original song. \*\* Absolutely. Why bother covering a classic song if you’re not going to try to take it somewhere new? You’ll never be able to live up to the original if for no other reason than it _is_ the original. Who’d want to hear somebody who sounds almost exactly like Eric Clapton both vocally and on the guitar cover _Layla_ when they could just…hear Eric Clapton play _Layla_? Taking an old song and changing the tempo, swapping musical styles, switching a male for female vocalist, sing an optimistic song pessimistically, whatever. But change it. Show it from a different angle. I think the trademark of a good cover is when the covering band makes the song their own. Shows it from a different slant. ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/8 "2003-07-17T11:22:53Z")
The formula seems to be that to hit the charts with a cover version (or I suspect to release a cover version) you need two things: (1) a very popular song to cover, and (2) an already-present fanbase. Speaking of the British charts, bands like Take That and Boyzone had hits with whole series of cover versions; TT built up their popularity slowly on the basis of their teen appeal, which Boyzone sold their souls to the devil (acheived instant lasting fame with a mix of covers and original material and by looking cute and getting hyped). Faith No More’s biggest hit was probably their cover of Easy, but this was quite far on in their career. Other people like Gareth Gates and Will Young from Pop Idol (British American Idol), and Robson and Jerome (originally from the TV show Soldier Soldier) have hit the charts with covers on the back of TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/9 "2003-07-17T21:11:27Z")
It’s always gone on… In the fifties in the UK there were regularly several versions of the same song in the charts. The Rolling Stones first hit was ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, a Beatles cover. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/10 "2003-07-17T22:24:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mascaroni \* > \*\*It’s always gone on… > In the fifties in the UK there were regularly several versions of the same song in the charts. > The Rolling Stones first hit was ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, a Beatles cover. \*\* And The Beatles did many covers, including “Til Their Was You”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, “Rock And Roll Music”, etc. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/11 "2003-07-18T04:01:27Z")
One of the more amusing covers the Beatles did is [Boys](http://www.ciudadfutura.com/poprock/beatboys.html). Sure they changed some of the lyrics, but there’s no avoiding the clear interpretation of > [@](#): > > Well, I talk about boys, now, > Aaahhh, boys, > Well, I talk about boys, now, > What a bundle of joy! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/12 "2003-07-18T13:39:48Z")
> [@](#): > > The Rolling Stones first hit was ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, a Beatles cover It wasn’t exactly a cover, because the Beatles hadn’t even done the song yet. John and Paul wrote (or finished) the song with the Stones around, and Mick and Keef and co. were said to be very impressed. ---
**Author:** ![DaveX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@DaveX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveX)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/13 "2003-07-18T16:19:54Z")
Well, I think it happens quite often in popular music. Recently, the Alien Ant Farm cover of Micheal Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and the Atari’s cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” come right to mind. They might not be “#1 Hits” but they are certainly ubiquitous radio staples. Also, if you expand “cover” to include the sampling that occurs in hip-hop (a familiar hook often puts these songs over the top), it appears even more common. Some of the more popular crossover artists like Hammer, P. Diddy, and Eminem have often sampled almost entire songs, changing only the backbeat… ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/14 "2003-07-18T17:03:43Z")
The really sad thing is when a band you like only gets popular with a crappy cover. See the Atari’s mention in **DaveX** ’s post. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/15 "2003-07-18T17:15:12Z")
It’s a lot tougher to make a living on covers than to make a living on origionals. A good chunk of the money from a cover goes to the origional artist, so even a number one hit may not make a lot of money. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-remakes-i-e-covers/189085/16 "2003-07-18T22:46:00Z")
I think **DaveX** is on the right track – it’s usually a marketing tool. Not that that’s inherently bad, of course. I never would have bothered with Alien Ant Farm without their fantastic cover of “Smooth Criminal”, and I bought the CD just for that song. And their original songs turned out to be quite good as well…not really my style, but it was a worthwhile purchase. On a different note, I also bought **Orgy** ’s CD based solely on their AWESOME cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday”. Unfortunately, their original songs were total suckage. It was worth buying the CD for the cover song, but I’m certainly not gonna spend any more money on that no-talent band. And don’t EVEN get me started on those “tribute CDs” that are flooding the market…