"Mad World" by Gary Jules immediately comes to mind, as does Thomas Dolby's version of "I Scare Myself". Hula Hifi's version of "Wicked Game" is haunting. And then there's "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by the Whirling Dervishes...
This is a great discussion. The first that comes to mind for me is Heartbeats, originally by The Knife; covered by José Gonzales.
And the first time I heard Tommee Profitt and Fleurie's cover of Avicii's Wake Me Up, it stopped me in my tracks. It's incredible how the words can take on new meaning depending on the melody beneath them.
I'm inspired to make a playlist of amazing originals and covers; thank you!
I know less than nothing about Heavy Metal. I'd never heard of Disturbed and I thought who the hell could cover that song? I mean we all sang it in our bathrooms and strummed our hearts out with it on our first guitars but there is and always will be only one original singer (and Art). Until now. I listened again and again and again. Don't even mention the tattoos. Blew me aWAY. Thanks loads for Keef and Nora - what an improbably perfect duo.
Melanie's Ruby Tuesday is amazing! The drama in her voice...
And Frankie Miller doing Jelous Guy with that slow groove. Top stuff.
Bonus the whole Paul Anka covers album , Rock Swings. I usually hate these albums, but he hired a top swing band and they seemed the really have fun slaying popular rock/pop hits
Love the Stones take on Buddy Holly's 'Not Fade Away.' Their rave-up version, with a killer Keith riff and (I believe) Brian's wailing harp, became a true Stones classic. It's so Rolling Stones, as if they stole it and now forever own it. Sorry Buddy.
Marillion’s cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Abraham, Martin & John’ is something else: all that lush instrumentation stripped down to the bluesy gospel song underneath. The live version is the best: this video is blurry as fuck (it was arty b&w and the resolution on this upload is for shit) but the audio is all there:
Everyone probably knows that Ryan Adams’ cover of ‘Wonderwall’ is a revelation - Noel Gallagher reckons that Adams is the only person who ever got the song right, and apparently he’s since rearranged his live version of the song to follow this one:
And Canadian metrohippie pop geniuses Walk Off The Earth have made a career out of brilliant covers of popular tunes with baffling, often improvised instruments. You’ve probably seen them all playing that Gotye song on a single guitar. My favourite is their cover of Adele’s ‘Hello’: this live version with percussion provided by a surfboard, two tap dancers and a couple of zippers should be completely ridiculous, and yet as always the band’s sheer musicality and commitment to the song make it inexplicably moving.
I think the difference is that the Hurra Torpedo cover is ironic, and the Walk Off The Earth cover is, despite the batshit instrumentation, absolutely straight. But I do love this, just for entirely different reasons.
Annoying that last video's blocked here... but whoa, on Wonderwall. Hadn't heard that version: but you're right - YouTube served me up a live performance by Noel that pretty clearly takes influence... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2UeZ44HR7w
Christ, it really does doesn't it? It's worth jumping on YouTube and popping the search terms in to watch that WOTE video, although I should warn you that this usually leads down a rabbit hole of covers, like their bluegrass cover of Thunderstruck, or their absolutely peerless pub Beatles medley, or, or, or...
Chris Cornell’s version of Prince’s classic Nothing compares 2 U is always worth a listen, he also did a superb version of Billie Jean. A more than honourable mention for Sonic Youth’s cover of the Carpenter’s Superstar, used in the soundtrack to The Frighteners also well worth a listen (there is actually a whole album of Carpenters covers called I wish I were a Carpenter, so worth a listen)
This entire album by the bird and the bee doing covers of Hall and Oates songs. And that's coming from an '80s kid who loves Hall and Oates. https://lnk.to/InterpretingTheMastersVolume1
This Mortal Coil Doing Tim Buckley's Song to the Siren. I'm embarrassed to say I thought the TMC one was an original😬
This one will get me rinsed by the musos on here but the first time I heard Stairway to Heaven was in 1986 by Far Corporation. I bloody loved it. In my defence I was 12yrs old...
"Mad World" by Gary Jules immediately comes to mind, as does Thomas Dolby's version of "I Scare Myself". Hula Hifi's version of "Wicked Game" is haunting. And then there's "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by the Whirling Dervishes...
Ooh, listening to that Mad World cover, and you're right... it's actually rebirthed a song for that I'd I'd heard too many times...
Paul, thanks. I didn't realize the Dolby version was a cover. That's a favorite album of mine.
This is a great discussion. The first that comes to mind for me is Heartbeats, originally by The Knife; covered by José Gonzales.
And the first time I heard Tommee Profitt and Fleurie's cover of Avicii's Wake Me Up, it stopped me in my tracks. It's incredible how the words can take on new meaning depending on the melody beneath them.
I'm inspired to make a playlist of amazing originals and covers; thank you!
I'll go check those out, thank you - and love the sound of that playlist!
Sinead O’Connor doing Abba’s Chiquitita https://youtu.be/iE3meFEZEyI?si=yQWVl3erW9G0VH6P
And the Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson version of Valerie.
You found it! I've looked for that O'Connor cover so many times over the years... and big yes on Valerie, obvs.
I think Disturbed’s cover of The Sound of Silence is beautiful. I can’t always bear to listen because it can tear me to shreds. https://youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4?si=P3rnxQbFo9G8gsiC
God, yes — I know that, and it always finishes me off.
I know less than nothing about Heavy Metal. I'd never heard of Disturbed and I thought who the hell could cover that song? I mean we all sang it in our bathrooms and strummed our hearts out with it on our first guitars but there is and always will be only one original singer (and Art). Until now. I listened again and again and again. Don't even mention the tattoos. Blew me aWAY. Thanks loads for Keef and Nora - what an improbably perfect duo.
That is an epic cover, and a great video.
Even better is the live version with Myles Kennedy taking Garfunkle's part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3By4DZyTNM
Bloody hell that Chiquitita cover is beautiful!! I don’t even miss the oompah band ending not being there!
I know, right? We heard it literally decades ago on some TV show and I've been trying to find it ever since...
“Love Hurts” is nice and also triggered a flashback to prom night.
I like the Pixies rendition of “Que Sera Sera”.
That is good, actually...
Ben Fold’s version of The Divine Comedy’s Songs of Love. Also known as the Father Ted theme tune. It’s delightful. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KoivqGxccoI&pp=ygUXYmVuIGZvbGRzIHNvbmdzIG9mIGxvdmU%3D
Listening now and enjoying it a lot!
Heartbeat by Wire - amazing song; cover by Big Black even more amazing. One song not massive difference but each make it their own.
Wow - had never heard that before, and love both versions.
Melanie's Ruby Tuesday is amazing! The drama in her voice...
And Frankie Miller doing Jelous Guy with that slow groove. Top stuff.
Bonus the whole Paul Anka covers album , Rock Swings. I usually hate these albums, but he hired a top swing band and they seemed the really have fun slaying popular rock/pop hits
Yes, I've got a sneaking affection for that Anka covers album too...
Love the Stones take on Buddy Holly's 'Not Fade Away.' Their rave-up version, with a killer Keith riff and (I believe) Brian's wailing harp, became a true Stones classic. It's so Rolling Stones, as if they stole it and now forever own it. Sorry Buddy.
Yes, good call... I'd even forgotten it was a Holly song originally!
Another TFF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlm4QqNAPiE
Oh, that's good — I like Lorde's stuff but didn't realize she'd done this!
If you like Lorde: do you know the Struts cover of her hit?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAgEDAzHwio
Marillion’s cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Abraham, Martin & John’ is something else: all that lush instrumentation stripped down to the bluesy gospel song underneath. The live version is the best: this video is blurry as fuck (it was arty b&w and the resolution on this upload is for shit) but the audio is all there:
https://youtu.be/HteHMe3U35A?si=HOeK0qpnK9eiBFs-
Everyone probably knows that Ryan Adams’ cover of ‘Wonderwall’ is a revelation - Noel Gallagher reckons that Adams is the only person who ever got the song right, and apparently he’s since rearranged his live version of the song to follow this one:
https://youtu.be/hbvpCkDleDo?si=mvM8BtgIDpduleHm
And Canadian metrohippie pop geniuses Walk Off The Earth have made a career out of brilliant covers of popular tunes with baffling, often improvised instruments. You’ve probably seen them all playing that Gotye song on a single guitar. My favourite is their cover of Adele’s ‘Hello’: this live version with percussion provided by a surfboard, two tap dancers and a couple of zippers should be completely ridiculous, and yet as always the band’s sheer musicality and commitment to the song make it inexplicably moving.
https://youtu.be/LT7MOirwZdM?si=qOHo46hNVQzsNDkm
This is beautiful… and please let me apologise in advance for taking you to the ridiculous from your sublime…. but for some reason this has reminded me of Hurra Torpedo who did a version of Total Eclipse of the Heart on a cooker, and fridge 😄 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TNOVL8axH8A&pp=ygUhdG90YWwgZWNsaXBzZSBvZiB0aGUgaGVhcnQgZnJpZGdl
I think the difference is that the Hurra Torpedo cover is ironic, and the Walk Off The Earth cover is, despite the batshit instrumentation, absolutely straight. But I do love this, just for entirely different reasons.
Oh, totally! Walk Off The Earth’s cover is infinitely more replayable without going insane! :)
Have you heard their cover of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’?
https://youtu.be/YV5KAbV34NU?si=qWB407Icdqu5ri6j
What have I just watched.
Annoying that last video's blocked here... but whoa, on Wonderwall. Hadn't heard that version: but you're right - YouTube served me up a live performance by Noel that pretty clearly takes influence... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2UeZ44HR7w
Christ, it really does doesn't it? It's worth jumping on YouTube and popping the search terms in to watch that WOTE video, although I should warn you that this usually leads down a rabbit hole of covers, like their bluegrass cover of Thunderstruck, or their absolutely peerless pub Beatles medley, or, or, or...
Chris Cornell’s version of Prince’s classic Nothing compares 2 U is always worth a listen, he also did a superb version of Billie Jean. A more than honourable mention for Sonic Youth’s cover of the Carpenter’s Superstar, used in the soundtrack to The Frighteners also well worth a listen (there is actually a whole album of Carpenters covers called I wish I were a Carpenter, so worth a listen)
I'll check them out - thank you!
This entire album by the bird and the bee doing covers of Hall and Oates songs. And that's coming from an '80s kid who loves Hall and Oates. https://lnk.to/InterpretingTheMastersVolume1
Listening to "I can't go for that" right now... zany, but I like it.
This Mortal Coil Doing Tim Buckley's Song to the Siren. I'm embarrassed to say I thought the TMC one was an original😬
This one will get me rinsed by the musos on here but the first time I heard Stairway to Heaven was in 1986 by Far Corporation. I bloody loved it. In my defence I was 12yrs old...
I have hear that Mortal Coil version and I'm with you... until I read this comment I had no idea that was a cover...
I also love this Pearl Jam cover when the actual artist shows up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvtdbfI1sqQ
Okay, that's FANTASTIC :-) Especially the way he just wanders on from the back... excellent!