# They did a cover of that song?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-did-a-cover-of-that-song/363924>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 10, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-did-a-cover-of-that-song/363924 "2006-07-10T20:24:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-did-a-cover-of-that-song/363924/61 "2006-07-12T04:56:49Z")

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[QUOTE=pesch]  
Picking non-country songs for Cash was a fraught business, for there was a fine line between the bold reach and the humiliating exercise in kitsch. During the Unchained sessions, Cash and the Heartbreakers tried out Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love,” a what-the-hell juxtaposition that Rubin was initially convinced could work. “We recorded a basic track of it, and it was hard to stop from laughing,” says Mike Campbell, the Heartbreakers’ guitarist. “But the thing is, Johnny wasn’t laughing. He was totally caught up in it, trying to learn it and find a way into it. [Imitating Cash’s grave basso] 'Might as well face it, you’re addicted to love …’” (From "American Communion” by David Kamp; Vanity Fair, Oct. 2004)  
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I can hear this in my head. I think I’d prefer this to his “Bridge”.

In addition to several already mentioned here, I rather liked his take on “Personal Jesus”.

Also, I’d like to nominate Tori Amos’ _whiskey-tango-foxtrot_ rendition of Eminem’s “Bonnie & Clyde '97”. I think it may be the oddest thing I’ve ever heard from her, and I’ve heard a lot of her covers.

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**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-did-a-cover-of-that-song/363924/62 "2006-07-12T18:18:08Z")

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[QUOTE=ddgryphon]  
Blondie did “Ring of Fire”  
[/QUOTE]

As did Social Distortion.

Collide did a pretty impressive sorta-industrial cover of “White Rabbit”.

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**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-did-a-cover-of-that-song/363924/63 "2006-07-12T18:40:21Z")

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Johnny’s Bridge over Troubled Waters is perfectly decent from his end… Fiona Apple fucks it up. She clearly has no idea how to sing back up for a voice like Cash’s.

A lot of people think Johnny’s unsual covers started when he began working with Rick Rubin, its not true. I’ve been picking up some of his albums from his fame low point of the 80s. He does some interesting covers on those.

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