Covering My Fifteen Favorite Covers

A lot of people don't like it when people cover songs. Usually they're fans of the original and don't think anyone can do it better/do it justice. Often they're right. There are incredibly unnecessary covers (see anything that Britney Spears has covered) and some that are simply better than the originals, whether it be because they're done by someone with a superior voice or even just the tone of their particular interpretation of the song; emotion counts for a lot, especially when the song isn't yours. I love covers, especially well-done covers, the ones that make me forget someone else sang it or that make me appreciate a certain song all over again because someone found a new way to do it. And there are covers that have introduced me to singers that I'd never even heard of, which creates that weird space where you hear the cover before you've ever heard the original. Well, these are my fifteen favorite covers. Because I couldn't pick just ten. The order isn't important, really, but the number one is my favorite out of all of them.

15. "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," Seal (originally by James Brown)

You can't really ever beat James Brown, let's be honest. Sure, he was crazy in his personal life, but we'd be missing so much great music if he hadn't been around. People not only cover his songs but the beats from his songs have been sampled over and over and over again to make new music. He's always going to be there.

I always feel like this is an underrated James Brown song, even though most people know it. It's nothing like the "normal" James Brown, the "Papa Don't Take No Mess" James Brown. This is sweeping, soulful, epic ballad James Brown. The song has been called chauvinistic and derided, sure (it's lyrics were actually written by a woman, Betty Ann Newsome, to reflect her feelings on the relationship between the sexes), and it can be seen as an overtly chauvinistic statement. But hearing Seal belt this out, with the soaring strings and brass, that seems to fade away. When I hear Seal sing this song, I feel like he's ashamed of the fact that it's a man's world, and while he is listing all of man's achievements (electricity, cars, etc.), when he says it would mean nothing without a woman or a girl, it's like he's saying "but none of this would have been possible without YOU." He reveres the woman, where James Brown simply wanted a woman by his side because all of the money, fame, whatever, was pointless unless he could have a woman to share it with. At least, that's how I interpret it. Whatever your interpretation, Seal is amazing. End of story.

14. "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want," She & Him (originally by The Smiths)

I'm a huge fan of She & Him, so I'm biased. But I'm also a sucker for women covering songs originally performed by men. It's refreshing and offers a new point-of-view. A song that was once whiny and overbearing can become wistful and raw with emotion. That's not to imply that the original version of song is whiny and overbearing, because I love The Smiths and I love that version of this song, but Zooey Deschanel's voice just drips with so much aching sadness and longing, you can't help but fall in love with her. It humanizes the song in a way that Morrissey's voice just can't, and that's why it's here.

13. "New Age," Tori Amos (originally by Velvet Underground)

Tori Amos covers a variety of songs, from every genre. She's covered everything from Public Enemy and Eminem to Radiohead and Joe Jackson. She possesses the ability to inhabit a character and sing a song from the perspective of that character. She's not fucking around, in other words.

This particular cover is from her Strange Little Girls album, which a lot of people mocked at the time for including a cover of Eminem's "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" (which I thought was brilliant) and Slayer's "Raining Blood" (also brilliant). Some of the covers were questionable or just poorly executed, like her version of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun;" she should've just stuck to the piano instead of layering news clips and gunshots all over her vocals. But this song, "New Age," is perfect. It opens the record and really sets the tone for what we're about to hear. This particular version of the song is from a live performance in 1969; the "original" original didn't include most of the lyrics heard in this cover. And that actually makes her version of the song more her own and more unique, because it's not the "New Age" most people know. Tell me you don't want to start yelling with her towards the end when she sings, "All you little sick little fucks!" Just tell me you don't.

12. "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)," Placebo (originally by Kate Bush)

This probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. But then, neither Kate Bush or Placebo are everyone's cup of tea, so that's kinda perfect, huh? I love Kate Bush, but her songs tend to outlive her influence and become better when others sing them. She has a unique voice, but it's a thin voice. The driving beat on this version of the song, coupled with Brian Molko's voice, which is ethereal and creepy but also oddly sad, makes it a winner. It builds to a climax that serves the song better than Kate Bush's original arrangement, which I think tends to be weighed down in that "'80s Sound." You know what I mean. It's dated, and I think this version holds up in a way that her version just doesn't. The lyrics match the overall sonic tone Placebo establishes with the driving drum beat and the tweaky little synth sounds that stay consistent throughout the whole song. It's a song with a beginning, a middle and an end, and it offers the rare(r) chance to see a male vocalist covering a female vocalist's song, adding a level of masculinity and confusion to the lyric that you don't get when you hear Kate sing it.

11. "Train in Vain," Annie Lennox (originally by The Clash)

Annie Lennox could sing the dictionary to me and I would be in awe, let's just say that and get it out of the way, right? To turn a song by The Clash, a punk rock establishment, into a soul song that evokes early Aretha Franklin, is a brilliant step. This song is from Annie's cover record, Medusa, which, like Tori's Strange Little Girls, was an album of songs originally performed by men, offering the female perspective. Annie also covered "A Thin Line Between Love & Hate" and "Downtown Lights" and "Waiting in Vain" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and...well, they're all great, but this has always been my favorite from that album. This is a brilliant cover. Brilliant, because it completely changes the tone and intent of the original song until it sounds like something altogether new, and does it well.

10. "Willin'," Linda Ronstadt (originally by Little Feat)

I remember the first time I heard this song back in the early-90s, around the time the movie The Abyss came out, and this song was featured in it. The characters sing this version of the song while they're working in the subs underwater. It was many years before I knew what the hell the song was about, though. But when I did understand the lyrics (and what the hell "weed, whites and wine" meant), I appreciated it even more.

The original is perfect already, mainly due to Lowell George being a genius, but Linda, like the other women I've already mentioned, makes the song her own and gives it a new heft. A woman singing about smuggling cigarettes and people over on a tractor-trailer? Count me in. She gives it a sense of longing and sympathy that the original version doesn't have. When you hear her sing the lines, "And I've been from Tuscon to Tucumcari/Tehachapi to Tonopah/Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made/Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed," you believe it.

9. "Houses," Vetiver (originally by Elyse Weinberg)

Vetiver is one of my favorite bands. Andy Cabic has a clean, relaxed tone to his voice and is one of those people who escapes into the song they're singing. That's all well and good, but when you do it with someone else's song, I think that's an admirable skill. "Houses" fits the style of Vetiver so well, it's hard to believe it's not their song. Everything about it screams "Vetiver." The lazy rhythm, Andy's casual voice, the electric guitar licks...exactly what I expect from them. I originally wanted to put their cover of Garland Jeffreys' "Lon Chaney" in this spot (they're both songs from their 2008 album Things of the Past) but, since I wanted to include a clip of the cover songs for reference, and I couldn't find the Vetiver version of "Lon Chaney," I opted for this instead. But really, just get that album. Every cover they did on that album could be on this list.

8. "The World's Greatest," Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (originally by R. Kelly)

Tell me this isn't brilliant. No one owns a cover like Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (aka Will Oldham...or is it aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy? Whatever...) and he makes this song HIS. The amazing thing with this cover is that the original was an overproduced, self-fellating "anthem" performed by R. Kelly. It took itself too seriously. When Will sings this song, he is able to make himself endearing and almost adorable. You're rooting for him because, by god, he IS the world's greatest! One of the rare examples of a cover far exceeding the original.

7. "Hallelujah," Jeff Buckley (originally by Leonard Cohen)

Now I love Leonard Cohen, but he's not a "singer." I love HIS versions of HIS songs that HE wrote, but I find that when people cover his songs, they always make them into something Leonard can't. Leonard is a helluva songwriter and he's an amazing man, but he could never sing this song like Jeff Buckley did.

"Hallelujah"'s been covered by everyone. Two of the more memorable covers are by John Cale (which is the version Jeff's cover is based on) and Rufus Wainwright (who based his own cover on Jeff's cover). Jeff Buckley made this song a Jeff Buckley song. I consider it sacrilege to have never heard this version of the song, because Jeff sang this song like he had written it, and puts more emotion into the few minutes he spends on this song than most singers today put into an entire album.

6. "I Must Be in a Good Place Now," Vetiver (originally by Bobby Charles)

This is a summertime song. You know, those days when the sun is so bright and it's so hot that you want to do nothing but lie on the bank of a river and let yourself bake all afternoon. Again, it has that lazy little sway that makes Vetiver who they are, but it maintains the "vibe" that the original singer, Bobby Charles (who just passed away in January) intended it to have. And, on top of all of that, it's just a beautiful song with terrific, simple lyrics that are easy to remember. Sing along.

5. "One Man Guy," Rufus Wainwright (originally by Loudon Wainwright III)

This is an interesting cover because it's Rufus Wainwright covering a song by his dad. It's a completely different song in Loudon's hands than it becomes in the hands of Rufus, though both of them lend it a solitary, sad slant. Rufus's version, though, seems more vain than Loudon's. He gives it a heavier tone, a more self-centered tone. You still feel some empathy for this lonely, lonely man, but not quite as much as you'd feel for the normally jovial Loudon. Rufus's "character" has made his bed, and he sounds resigned to live his life out solo, perfectly alone. (Note: sorry for the video on this one...I couldn't find a version with just Rufus or a copy of the album version, so this is a video of Rufus, his sister Martha and Teddy Thompson singing the song).

4. "Come as You Are," Caetano Veloso (originally by Nirvana)

If you don't know who Caetano Veloso is, you're doing yourself a serious disservice. He's been called the Bob Dylan of Brazil, but I think he's better than Dylan to be honest. Even if I can't understand a lot of his songs (because of the language barrier), he is so emotive and passionate that you can't deny him. I am in love with this man. He is a patriarch of Latin folk music, a god among men. And then he did an album of covers, all in English, and holy shit: it wasn't a sell-out project; it was amazing! And this cover is one of the best from A Foreign Sound. Who would expect a Brazilian folk singer in his 60s to cover Nirvana? Not me. But I'm so glad he did.

3. "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," She & Him (originally by The Miracles)

Zooey and Matt, at again. Really, most of what I said before about "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" holds true here: Zooey Deschanel makes this song more feminine and airy than it has ever been. This song has been through many transformations since it was first released in 1963. The Beatles covered it, the Supremes covered it, the Temptations covered it, Mickey Gilley covered it and a myriad of others have covered it, as well. So that's a lot of influences flying at you when you record a song like this. And this version doesn't sound like any other version of this song that I've heard. It's simple, and in its simplicity lies its beauty.

2. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," Johnny Cash with Nick Cave (originally by Hank Williams)

No one has ever done a better version of this song, at least not since Hank Williams first sang it. Johnny covered this song years ago in the 60s, and there's even a version with Johnny and Bob Dylan, but it has never been better than this duet with Nick Cave.

Johnny Cash did a lot of covers, especially once he started working with Rick Rubin in the 90s. The most famous one is probably his cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails, but I think this is better, to be frank. It's so painfully simple and bare, and honestly has brought me to tears on occasion for no other reason than it is one of the saddest songs ever written. Add to that Johnny's shivery voice and Nick's almost consoling tone, and you've got a piece of work.

1. "This Woman's Work," Maxwell (originally by Kate Bush)

This is an example of a song that, while a reinterpretation, sonically mirrors the original in a lot of ways. Maxwell's falsetto (and the fact that he maintains it for almost the entire song) is almost indistinguishable from Kate's original vocals at some points. The difference here is really the way the song's meaning changes. Whereas in Kate's hands it is a song about confronting adulthood head-on, and the impending birth of a child (it was written for the John Hughes movie She's Having a Baby in the mid-80s), in Maxwell's hands it becomes a song about a man lavishing praise on the mother of his child, professing love and admiration despite hard times. It's a beautiful transition and he's probably one of the few male singers who can make this work the way he does, falsetto and all. Which is why Maxwell is not only one of the sexiest men EVER, he's also an incredible artist who rarely gets his due.

Well, that's it for now. I might make this a series this week: lists of my favorite kinds of songs. We'll see what I can conjure up for tomorrow. Go. Enjoy these songs. Now.

Lighter Fare: My 10 Favorite Albums of 2009

I plan on doing posts about Sarah Palin and her ridiculous appearance on "Glenn Beck" last night and about Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson's blatantly racist comments about Haiti later today, but I wanted to do something lighter for now. So, I'm doing my top 10 albums of the last year. I'm a bit behind, but it took me a hot minute to get this thing started up properly. So blow me. I'll do a top 10 list when I damn well please. It's not like 2009 is going anywhere.

Ready?

10. Mandy Moore, Amanda Leigh

No, I'm not kidding. This is a surprisingly great album. She's come a long way from singing that awful "Candy" song. I started giving her a chance with her cover album from a few years ago, which wasn't exactly horrible. She had a couple of really inspired song choices, especially her cover of Joan Armatrading's "Drop the Pilot." But, I'm a sucker for all things Joan Armatrading, so there you go. But this new album is mature and folksy in a way that's a little hard to take coming from a former bubblegum pop princess. But it's great. She did a duet with Ben Lee back in 2007 called "Birds and Bees" which indicated a move in this musical direction, so I'm glad she followed up on it. Plus, her album is much better than her husband's effort this past year. (Her husband is Ryan Adams if you're not up on your celeb marriages. OMGZZZ!!!) You have to have an open mind to listen to this album, admittedly, because it is still Mandy Moore. Download "Merrimack River" and "I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week" to get an idea of what it sounds like.

9. Cass McCombs, Catacombs


Cass McCombs is a good dude. He's consistent, too. And this is a really, really good album. It's light and quirky. A good summertime record, in other words. He's been crafting this really laid back sound for a while now and I think it's his best. The first song, "Dreams Come True Girl," features Karen Black. You know, Karen Black, from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark? Yeah, no shit. It's interesting. I have no idea how they're connected, but it works, so who cares. Download that and "Don't Vote" to get a feel. They're similar in sound, but very different songs.

8. Levon Helm, Electric Dirt

Levon Helm is amazing. That's all there is to it. His voice is so distinct. I dare you to find me someone, anyone, especially from Appalachia, who can listen to Levon Helm and not like him. His music suits our region perfectly. Growing up in a state like West Virginia, one hopes that you would have great taste in bluegrass, REAL country music, et cetera, but it's not always the case. And if you think you don't like those things in your music, listen to Levon Helm. He'll make you feel good. All that said, I like Electric Dirt a little less than his first album, Dirt Farmer, but that album was bare bones and raw and sad and emotional. This new album is fun and is basically an album version of the shows he does on his property every Friday night. Download "Tennessee Jed" and "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" to get an idea. Embrace Levon!

7. Maxwell, BLACKsummers'night

Maxwell is one of the sexiest men to ever sing a song. He's just...well, he's it. He's been gone for too long. This is his first album in eight years. I loved Maxwell when I was in high school and college. He awakened feelings in me that I didn't even know existed, all with that sexy little (big?) voice of his. But, he wasn't just a sexy soul singer, he was emotional and interesting. He covered Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" about ten years ago and that is still, to this day, one of my favorite songs of all time, thanks to him. He's a beautiful creature. It was a given that this would be somewhere on any top ten album list thing I would compose, it was just a matter of where I would put it. BLACKsummers'night is a new Maxwell, but it echoes his older stuff at the same time. He's grown a lot. He cut off all of that amazing hair, too. Damn. But he's still fine as hell. Download "Bad Habits" and "Pretty Wings." And go enjoy some baby-making music.

6. Paolo Nutini, Sunny Side Up

Jesus. Speaking of sexy men. Paolo Nutini is a whole new breed. He has one of the most unique voices I've ever heard, I'm guessing due to his Italian-Irish background. I know, right? Sexy. If you don't know who Paolo is, you at least know his "big" song, "New Shoes." It was used in that shoe commercial from a few years ago. YouTube it, you'll see which one I mean. Adidas maybe? Either way, while I found that song horribly obnoxious, we saw Paolo on a British talk show a few months ago and he sang a new song, "Coming Up Easy," and Billy and I both had to pick our jaws up off of the floor. Incredible. And so it began. Sunny Side Up is a jazzy, rocky, poppy, folksy, soully album that just makes you feel good. It's peppy. And his voice has so much structure and pain and joy and character that you can't help but to at least be interested in what he's saying. Download "Coming Up Easy" and "No Other Way" to get a good feel. Those are the two jazziest songs, I think, and they showcase his voice the best.

5. fun., Aim and Ignite

The Format was (is, in fact) one of my favorite bands of all time. Like, top three or four. They were catchy and poppy but intellectual and Nate Ruess has one of the best voices in music, period. And then they broke up. Of course. That's how it always goes. But, then Nate Ruess formed fun. with Andrew Dost of Anathallo and Jack Antonoff from Steel Train. And now, we have this amazing little record, which is, for all intents and purposes, what the third Format album would have been. Fortunately, Nate got the rights to the music while the other Format members got the rights to the merchandising stuff, et cetera. This is a fun album. That's pretty much all there is to it. There's these insane chord changes and the lead song, "Be Calm," sounds like four songs combined to make one big, epic, fantastic joyride. Nate's a great leader. And this is just so much goodness to take in. Download "Be Calm" and "Benson Hedges." So good.

4. Elvis Perkins, Elvis Perkins in Dearland

This is the son of Anthony Perkins, of Psycho fame. You know, Norman Bates. No shit. He's one of the best discoveries of the last decade. I thank Billy for turning me on to him. This has to be one of the best albums I've ever heard, period. His voice is lazy, but emotional and strained, like he's actually having trouble getting some of the words out. The opening song (and my personal favorite), "Shampoo," riffs off of the lyrics to Nina Simone's "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" (also one of my favorite songs) but laid over a methodical, driving beat with lots of harmonica. The best thing about the album is its flow, and the fact that, while the lyrics are obviously personal, it's not quite as heavy as his first album, Ash Wednesday. Download "Shampoo" and "I Heard Your Voice in Dresden," which is evidently about his mother and has some terrific, quirky lyrics. Fall in love with Elvis Perkins, seriously.

3. Devendra Banhart, What Will We Be

Devendra Banhart has become one of my favorite singers ever over the last 5 years or so. While this album is small time compared to what I think is his best, Cripple Crow, it's also probably his most casual album. There's a bit of a disconnect between the songs, and sometimes even within the songs ("Angelika") but it suits his style so you don't really think about it. He still has the same wavering, drifting, sometimes sexy and soulful voice he's always had, and the lyrics are still quirky and sometimes hard to grasp, but the music is more accessible. It's easier to move your hips to but he also keeps in touch with his Latin roots (though that influence isn't as heavy as it has been in his other albums) while using some sassy, driving guitar and drums right out of the filthy rock music of the 1970s. Which is my favorite kind of rock music. Download "16th & Valencia Roxy Music" and "Chin Chin & Muck Muck."

2. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

Isn't that one of the greatest album covers you've ever seen? Neko Case has come a very long way, from her time with The New Pornographers (which was where I first heard of her) to her time with Her Boyfriends (the name of her old backing band), she's taken a lot of interesting roads. However, she's always maintained this country aesthetic, if not with the actual music on her albums, at least with her voice. She has a voice that tells the truth, or at least it makes you think it's telling the truth. She's an honest singer, a singer who lets it all hang out but doesn't take any shit from anyone. You listen to a song like "This Tornado Loves You" and tell me who else could sing that convincingly? It's a tragic love song from the perspective of, well, a tornado. Not really, obviously, it's metaphoric, but it's sung as though she is the tornado and the graphic imagery of a tornado's destruction is laced throughout the song. It's beautiful and this is up there with the best albums of the decade, let alone 2009. Download "This Tornado Loves You" and "People Got a Lotta Nerve." She's a better maneater than Nelly Furtado or Hall & Oates could ever dream of being!

1. The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You

This is not just my favorite album of 2009, but it's one of the best albums I've ever heard in my entire life. And that's a lot of albums. The Avett Brothers have been around for about a decade now, but this is their big, major label debut. They got Rick Rubin (Dixie Chicks, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers) to produce this album and he has maintained the quality he gives to everyone he works with. He never exerts influence, but he plays up the great qualities already inherent in the musicians. With the Avett Brothers, it's their relationship with one another, as brothers, and the love they share as family. It's a theme they've visited consistently on every album they've made, but the theme of family, both blood family and married family, is heavy here, especially on songs like "I and Love and You" and "January Wedding." They also visit the theme of friendship and growth and what it means to grow up and leave some friendships behind, especially on "The Perfect Space," which is one of the greatest studies of friendship and what it means to outgrow a friendship I've ever heard. It also features one of the best lyrics on the entire record toward the end, when Seth Avett proclaims, "I wanna have pride like my mother has, and not like the kind in the Bible that turns you bad." I mean, come on. Listen to him sing that line and tell me you don't choke up a bit. Then there's "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise," which I have proclaimed to be the greatest song I've ever heard. I'm not kidding. It's big, but not Celine Dion big. It features terrific lyrics and big vocals. They also go upbeat with songs like "Kick Drum Heart," which is jangly in a very Beatles-ish way. The themes are varied but the boys bring it all together and the album flows so well from song to song and theme to theme, that it's easy to forgive them for changing their sound, which seems to be the primary criticism from their long time fans. Sure, there's less banjo, but their voices and their personalities are at the forefront and that's what really makes these guys shine. Download "Laundry Room" and "The Perfect Space" for an idea, but just go ahead and get the whole thing after that, because there's no reason for anyone to not have this album. It's that good.

Of course, these are only opinions. But I have good taste, right?

Oh! And real quick, I want to give my friends Jess and Michelle credit where it is due for coming up with the name and subtitle for this blog. I put it to a vote and they had the best suggestions, by far. Thanks guys!