# Weird/ironic song covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2007, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679 "2007-04-04T06:28:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/1 "2007-04-04T06:28:54Z")
Anyone else seen the [video](http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=C580B724-47CE-4D0F-AADF-285553F73781,53ACE105-25E5-472C-9823-3E9762D69E08,AA3EC095-E84E-40B7-A2A4-0149AD30F6F6,93CDF0ED-12CE-424D-8662-680FABF01583&t=c156&f=06/64&p=Source_ifilm&fg>1=9246) (that link may not work…) of Alanis’s cover of “My Humps”? It reminds me of the Tori Amos album _Strange Little Girls_ somehow, & not just because of “'97 Bonnie & Clyde” (actually, maybe more because of her version of “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”). I know there are other cases of 90’s college-radio style covers of hip-hop. What other weird covers are there that really change the sense of the song? ---
**Author:** ![Secret\_Volcano\_Lair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Secret\_Volcano\_Lair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Secret_Volcano_Lair)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/2 "2007-04-04T06:56:28Z")
Anything by Richard Cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/3 "2007-04-04T12:30:47Z")
Everything by Cake sounds inherently ironic due to the singers singing style, but they claim that their cover of “I Will Survive” is not ironic. I don’t really see that: it still seems a bit forced and self-consciously a cover. In a straight reading, it doesn’t change the meaning of the song completely, but it does seem more apathetic resigned to their decision and less crowing and celebratory than the original. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/4 "2007-04-04T12:32:08Z")
“I am the Walrus” by Lol Coxhill. The weirdest cover of any song. Can be found about halfway down [this page.](https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/2887) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/5 "2007-04-04T12:39:04Z")
“Walk on By” turned into a psychedelic-punk rave-up by the Stranglers. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/6 "2007-04-04T14:25:55Z")
A musical episode of Xena: Warrior Princess had a warlord singing a cover of Naked Eyes’ “Always Something There to Remind Me” and coming off like a complete madman. Not sure how weird or ironic it was but it was pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/7 "2007-04-04T14:37:18Z")
Acoustic guitar god Michael Hedges doing Madonna’s _Lucky Star_ or Neneh Cherry’s [Buffalo Stance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41l3UzA64sE) . And turning them into great songs. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/8 "2007-04-04T14:51:56Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] “Walk on By” turned into a psychedelic-punk rave-up by the Stranglers. [/QUOTE] Thanks! I have a bunch of covers of that song, now I have one more. **Lyle Lovett** doing _Stand By Your Man_ is my contribution. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/9 "2007-04-04T14:54:09Z")
“Boyz In Da Hood” by Dynamite Hack – Eazy E’s gangsta rap classic done as pretty, acoustic folk-rock by a '90s college radio band, drenched in irony. “Gin and Juice” by the Gourds – Snoop Dogg’s early G-funk hit transformed into a semi-sincere bluegrass jam. “Common People” by William Shatner, Ben Folds, and Joe Jackson – my favorite cover of all time, which turns the song by Britpop mainstays Pulp into something awe-inspiring and epic. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/10 "2007-04-04T14:57:28Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] A musical episode of Xena: Warrior Princess had a warlord singing a cover of Naked Eyes’ “Always Something There to Remind Me” and coming off like a complete madman. Not sure how weird or ironic it was but it was pretty cool. [/QUOTE] You do realize that the Naked Eyes’ version of that song was already an ironic cover of an old Bacharach-David chestnut? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/11 "2007-04-04T15:02:13Z")
I always thought the cover of one of England’s sexiest gay guy’s (George Michael) most famous songs (“Faith”) by one of America’s ickiest “manly” bands (Limp Bizkit) was a bit off. Granted, the sex of the partner in the song is irrelevant but it made me think “Heh, you guys know that’s a song from a dude to a dude, right? PWNED!” ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/12 "2007-04-04T15:58:58Z")
My personal favorite is Ben Folds’ rendition of “Bitches Ain’t Shit,” by Dr. Dre. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/13 "2007-04-04T16:08:32Z")
Top of my “weird” list would have to be **Sid Vicious’** version of “My Way” and **Devo** ’s cover of “Satisfaction”. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/14 "2007-04-04T16:11:04Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] You do realize that the Naked Eyes’ version of that song was already an ironic cover of an old Bacharach-David chestnut? [/QUOTE] I wanna say the original was by the lovely Sandie Shaw, but I’m not certain. ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/15 "2007-04-04T16:13:37Z")
[QUOTE=Secret Volcano Lair] Anything by Richard Cheese. [/QUOTE] I was at a bar with a rather eclectic jukebox and someone put on the Richard Cheese cover of “Me So Horny”…needless to say, everyone cracked up at a cheesy lounge singer mentioning the rather explicit instructions in that song 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/16 "2007-04-04T16:21:19Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] I wanna say the original was by the lovely Sandie Shaw, but I’m not certain. [/QUOTE] That’s what I thought, too, but according to Wikipedia the original was by one Lou Johnson (unfortunately, the link on that name leads to an entry for a baseball player of the same name). ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/17 "2007-04-04T17:32:47Z")
Cristina’s version of “Is That All There Is” took already ironic lyrics to depths (heights?) of irony previously unknown. Leiber/Stoller didn’t like her additions, so the single was pulled. (Now, I believe it’s available on CD.) Not Cristina Aguilera–this Cristina’s “hit” LP was the lovely, decadent _Sleep It Off_. And I remember a hard-core punk medley on the radio: “She’s Having My Baby” & “D I V O R C E.” Didn’t catch the band’s name. But it was rather touching. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/18 "2007-04-04T17:39:38Z")
**Aztec Camera’s** cover of “Jump” by **Van Halen** ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/19 "2007-04-04T18:33:21Z")
Does “absolutely horrific” count? If so, I was in Gap Kids last week and heard Mandy Moore doing a shitty cover of the Waterboys tune **Whole of the Moon**. :eek: ---
**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:** [April 4, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679/20 "2007-04-04T18:45:13Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] **Aztec Camera’s** cover of “Jump” by **Van Halen** [/QUOTE] Mary Lou Lord does a good cover of it as well. Mellow and acoustic until the guitar solo. Cat Power does the Stone’s “Satisfaction”.. its been awhile since I’ve heard it but I am almost certain she never actually says the word “satisfaction” in the song. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ironic-song-covers/398679.md?page=2)