# What Song would you cover if you actually had talent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089 "2003-07-26T14:32:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/21 "2003-07-27T00:29:52Z")
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus or Ring of Fire, by Johnny Cash… greatest country tune ever 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/22 "2003-07-27T01:08:02Z")
Don’t you dare touch **Ring of Fire** by Johnny. It is perfection in itself. Even though I am not a fan of Rap, some Disney tunes could be snazzed up alot with a rap beat. _When you wish u-pon a star (uh uh uh) It does not ma-tter who U R. (oral sex microphone trick thing)_\* Word. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/23 "2003-07-27T01:54:33Z")
Bobby Darin’s Mack the Knife ---
**Author:** ![Quack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e99b99/32.png) [@Quack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quack)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/24 "2003-07-27T03:04:02Z")
Goldfinger’s version of Nena’s _99 Red Balloons_. It’s just really fun. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/25 "2003-07-27T03:58:40Z")
Styrofoam Boots (It’s All Nice on Ice) by Modest Mouse. It just has the coolest lyrics (I’m in Heaven trying to figure out which stack/They’re gonna stuff us athiests into when Peter and his monkey laugh) and it goes out with such a toe tapping jam at the end. It’d probably be more fun to play/sing than listen to. That or Oceans by Pearl Jam. Man I love that song and I fancy I can hit those notes. The closest I ever came to doing karaoke was when I was casually and uninterestedly flipping through the song catalog at a bar and saw that song as an option. ---
**Author:** ![rolandgunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/26 "2003-07-27T04:19:47Z")
“More than a feeling”- Boston “Godzilla”- Blue Oyster Cult ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/27 "2003-07-27T05:29:13Z")
“Master of Puppets” or “The Four Horsemen” by Metallica. Acoustically, especially since the acoustic version of “Horsemen” sounded great when they did it (with Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney and John Popper.) Those, or “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/28 "2003-07-27T06:48:34Z")
“Oh, my love, my darling, I’ve hungered for your touch …” “Unchained Melody”, of course. But then, “Johnny Be Good” would work as bluegrass, with fiddle and banjo up there beside the guitar, and maybe a female singer scatting in the breaks. And I always liked doo-wop, so I could probably find a dozen songs there. Not to mention all those great blues tunes. Now if only I could sing… ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/29 "2003-07-27T07:23:05Z")
Cover tracks. heh heh,. I do a cover track every now and then to get used to new equipment in the studio or just to kill time when nothing comes to me. I’ve done an industrial cover of **Princes, When Doves Cry**. It’s rough, but it’s not bad I guess. Just recently did a techno cover of **The Cars, Moving in Stereo**. I’ve wanted to do that one for awhile. Once as a joke I did a dorky electro-funk version of **Jesus loves me**. I used to play it for an old band mate. I’d say “hey, I got this really cool idea last night for a song” then play the cover track. It drove him up the wall. On my current list right now: **Kate Bush, Experiment Iv** - I love the lyrics and concept of this track. I could have fun with this one. **Blue oyster cult, Don’t fear the reaper** - I’ve been thinking about an electronic version of this song with vocorders doing the backup vocals. **The Scorpions, The Zoo** - I’ve actually started this one. It has a semi-industrial feel to it. I’ve had to put it aside due to an alarming amount of new ideas (why waste time doing a re-hash of an old song when there’s new music to be made yeah?) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/30 "2003-07-27T07:45:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shirley Ujest \* > \*\*Don’t you dare touch **Ring of Fire** by Johnny. > > It is perfection in itself. > > Even though I am not a fan of Rap, some Disney tunes could be snazzed up alot with a rap beat. > > _When you wish u-pon a star (uh uh uh) > It does not ma-tter who U R. (oral sex microphone trick thing)_\* > Word. \*\* Don’t worry, dear, I would never dream of trying to improve on Mr. Cash’s work. It just seems like a nice idea to think that in some universe, I could… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TeaRoses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@TeaRoses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaRoses)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/31 "2003-07-27T12:00:58Z")
Actually I like the Wall of Voodoo version of Ring of Fire (I’m going to die and go to hell now so don’t bother throwing things) And if Eaten by the Monster of Love is already taken… I pick Love is a Stranger by Eurythmics. (For the record, if you hear me singing, run!) ---
**Author:** ![Winterwren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Winterwren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winterwren)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/32 "2003-07-27T12:10:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*I’ve always fantasised about doing a techno house and hip-hop version of Jesus Christ Superstar. \*\* There is, gods help us all, an album called JESUS CHRIST SURFERSTAR. And, yes, it is the entire musical done in Dick Dale and Beach Boys style surfer music. Not as cool as Petra Haydn doing a full acapella version of THE WHO SELL OUT, but still, enough to alter your consciousness for a while. ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/33 "2003-07-27T13:03:22Z")
Since I’m a huge Disneyfan, I’d love to be able to _decently_ do the sort of bluesy/gospel uptempo version of “Zip A Dee Doo Da” that I have on a CD. It’s a really FUN version of the song, which I crank up and belt out, off key of course, at every chance I get. IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/34 "2003-07-27T15:11:07Z")
We’re talking about vocals here, right? If I could sing like **Mel Torme** , I’d be all over “Lullaby of Birdland,” the coolest standard ever. Except for maybe “Blues in the Night.” But I’d rather sing that with **Sarah Vaughan** ’s voice. ---
**Author:** ![Theom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@Theom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theom)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/35 "2003-07-27T17:12:43Z")
“The hedgehog song” by the Incredible String band. It’s phillosophy needs to be given to the yoof of today!!! They are lost without it!!! Either that or the one about the ameoba (sorry, can’t spell) ---
**Author:** ![maleinblack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@maleinblack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maleinblack)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/36 "2003-07-27T17:55:46Z")
**Sweet Home Alabama** in a metally kind of a way and **Hotel Califronia** ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/37 "2003-07-27T20:32:07Z")
What song would I cover if I had the talent? That’s easy. _Last Kiss._ Only I wouldn’t need talent. I’d need about sixty tons of concrete, then sixty more tons of asphalt. Anything to keep it from ever surfacing again. ---
**Author:** ![Delly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Delly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delly)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/38 "2003-07-27T23:30:22Z")
Building a Mystery by Sarah Maclachlan ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/39 "2003-07-27T23:57:03Z")
Well, if I had a good recording studio, I’d do a professional version of **Twist in My Sobriety** which was my audition piece for Star Search back in 1992. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089/40 "2003-07-28T00:36:08Z")
Since I’m mostly in a country rock mood as of late, more of a fantasy band play list: “Pissin’ In The Wind” - Jerry Jeff Walker “At The Crossroads” - Doug Sahm (but I’d want a band to play like the Mott The Hoople version) “Hot Burrito #2” - The Flying Burrito Bros. “Four Days Gone” - Buffalo Springfield “Balada Du Louco” - Os Mutantes (with phonetic Portugese) “Little Hands”, “Books Of Moses”, “Skip’s Song” - Skip Spence “Big Sky Country” - Chris Whitley “Fearless” - Pink Floyd “Anodyne” - Uncle Tupelo “Amos Moses” - Jerry Reed “Portrait Of A Man” - Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (probably his only song I could manage not to screw up) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-would-you-cover-if-you-actually-had-talent/191089.md?page=3)