Multiple-Covered Songs

nathanm · « **on:** 2 May 2007, 03:22 am »

I always get a kick out of discovering that a tune I knew for a long time is actually a cover. Also, covers from artists in vastly different genres are very interesting. The problem is, these are hard to come by. The ones that come to mind are very few in my collection so I thought I'd ask ya'll what are some of the most-covered tunes you can think of (I suspect Bob Dylan is the king, it seems like if you don't know where a tune came from chances are good Bob Dylan wrote it). So far I can't come up with something that's been covered more than twice (not off the top of my head that is) Here's just some of mine:

"Raining Blood"
Slayer (thrash metal)
Toris Amos (minimalist piano w\synth, complete deconstruction of the song)

"There's Always Something There To Remind Me"
Don Williams (erm, what is this called?)
Naked Eyes (campy '80s pop)

chadh · « **Reply #1 on:** 2 May 2007, 04:04 am »

Funny you should post this. I was listening to a Brad Mehldau album the other night, and kept coming back to this track that just sounded wonderful. Turns out it was a cover of a Radiohead tune, "Everything in its right place." So, I checked it out on Wikipedia and found this:

Quote

"Everything in Its Right Place" has been covered by other artists working in various musical genres. Club remixes were created by Paul Oakenfold and Josh Wink, among others. Classical pianist Christopher O'Riley and jazz pianist Brad Mehldau have both recorded interpretations in their styles. Jazz pianist Robert Glasper has recorded versions of the song melded with the jazz standard "Maiden Voyage" on two separate occasions. Hip-hop band The Roots performed the song live with Osunlade, who contributed his own dance-friendly version with Erro (Eric Roberson) to a 2006 Radiohead tribute album. Thom Yorke himself has altered the song by playing it live occasionally on solo piano in sessions for radio stations and for Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit in 2002, stripping away the electronic soundscape and emphasizing the haunting melody.

As far as covers go, though, I suspect the Beatles win the prize for most covered tunes. "Yesterday", for example, has been covered a ridiculous number of times (over 3000 apparently).

Chad

JohninCR · « **Reply #2 on:** 2 May 2007, 04:45 am »

Covers generally leave a really bad taste in my mouth if I like the original. 2 exceptions are Roy Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman" and the Kinks "You Really Got Me", both covered by Van Halen. I enjoy the originals and covers equally.

JimJ · « **Reply #3 on:** 2 May 2007, 05:48 am »

While My Guitar Gently Weeps
House of the Rising Sun (which Dylan did not write

)
Street Fighting Man
...And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

JoshK · « **Reply #4 on:** 2 May 2007, 01:24 pm »

Paint it Black (too many to list)...actually many moons ago when I was a member of a music usenet group, we had a contest for who could collect the most number of the same song by different people. PIB was the song, with something like 8 or 9 versions.

All Along the Watch Tower I think has been done by more than Jimi as a cover (Bob Dylan orig).

Didn't Johnny Cash do a cover of NIN's Hurt? That is a pretty big genre cross over. Also, who was that female vocalist who redid one of Nirvanna's tunes off Nevermind?

Anyway, good topic. I always like tracing covers. I usually like covers, to learn different interpretations of the same song, so long as I liked the original.

sts9fan · « **Reply #5 on:** 2 May 2007, 02:04 pm »

The Dead(and JGB) were the masters of the cover. I am not sure if "Not fade Away" was ever on an Album but I heard Cheryl Crow sing it on a commercial so I would imagine she has it on an album. FWIW the cover I think I have heard by the most bands live is "Boogie On Reggae Woman". Always a crowd pleaser.

gitarretyp · « **Reply #6 on:** 2 May 2007, 02:04 pm »

Quote from: JoshK on 2 May 2007, 01:24 pm

Also, who was that female vocalist who redid one of Nirvanna's tunes off Nevermind?

I'm sure others have as well, but Tori Amos covered Smells Like... on Crucify.

Thelonious Monk · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 May 2007, 10:57 pm »

the cake cover of i will survive is great. disco -> alt rock -> ??? -> good.

oh. ben folds covering bitches ain't shit (by dr. dre) was some great stuff. it actualy worked out well as an ABA form rock song...

JimJ · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 May 2007, 11:26 pm »

Quote

Didn't Johnny Cash do a cover of NIN's Hurt?

I thought he did a better job of it than Reznor did.

He also did an excellent job with Sting's "I Hung My Head" on that album (American IV)

Gordy · « **Reply #9 on:** 8 May 2007, 12:20 am »

Quote from: gitarretyp on 2 May 2007, 02:04 pm

Quote from: JoshK on 2 May 2007, 01:24 pm
Also, who was that female vocalist who redid one of Nirvanna's tunes off Nevermind?

I'm sure others have as well, but Tori Amos covered Smells Like... on Crucify.

Some others are Patti Smith, The Bad Plus and Paul Anka.

One of my favorite covers is Leslie Gore's of AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

JimJ · « **Reply #10 on:** 8 May 2007, 12:24 am »

Dolly Parton doing "Stairway to Heaven".

It's out there.

Had the misfortune of hearing it once.

launche · « **Reply #11 on:** 8 May 2007, 01:02 am »

Tori Amos has done a lot of covers like Stairway to heaven, Total Eclipse of the Heart (?), Angie (Stones), Purple Rain (Prince), Dream On (Areosmith), Father Figure (George Michael, Like a Prayer (Madonna) etc... Her Strange Little Girls CD had mostly covers, even one by Eminem. I enjoy her covers a lot she might actual go down as the leading cover artist and not many would know it. The stuff is usually released at B-sides and such on her singles and so on.

stereocilia · « **Reply #12 on:** 8 May 2007, 01:52 am »

Quote from: JohninCR on 2 May 2007, 04:45 am

Covers generally leave a really bad taste in my mouth if I like the original. 2 exceptions are Roy Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman" and the Kinks "You Really Got Me", both covered by Van Halen. I enjoy the originals and covers equally.

The Guess Who's "American Woman" is so much better than the Lenny Kravitz version. Maybe it's the compression that sucks the life right out of it.

On the other hand I never cared much for the often covered "Baby, Please Don't Go," until I heard Webb Wilder do it.

Thump553 · « **Reply #13 on:** 9 May 2007, 08:42 pm »

Someone once gave me a homemade double CD compilation of covers of the song "People Get Ready." It really is excellent, and there is an amazing variety in the compilation.

Rhino has done the same thing commercially with Louie, Louie and La Bamba. but I've never heard them.

Thelonious Monk · « **Reply #14 on:** 9 May 2007, 09:10 pm »

hilary duff - my generation

BEST EVER

anyone else heard frank sinatra's cover of something, by the beatles? laughable...

ctviggen · « **Reply #15 on:** 9 May 2007, 09:19 pm »

Quote from: JoshK on 2 May 2007, 01:24 pm

Didn't Johnny Cash do a cover of NIN's Hurt?

Yes, and it's fantastic in my opinion. The video is also great but disturbing. It's hard to see Johnny Cash go from a strapping man to an older person. Johnny's done a ton of covers -- he's a much better Bono than Bono will ever be.

A side issue is whether the cover is better or worse than the original. For instance, I like Jamie Collum's Wind Cries Mary better than Jimi Hendrix's. I also like SRV's Hendrix songs better than Hendrix's. Others are Frank Sinatra's It was a very good year as compared to Ray Charles and (?)'s version; the Sinatra version is much better. Comparing Sinatra's The Lady Is a Tramp with Ella Fitzgerald's and that's a hard one. They're both very good.

Nels Ferre · « **Reply #16 on:** 9 May 2007, 09:37 pm »

Quote from: stereocilia on 8 May 2007, 01:52 am

Quote from: JohninCR on 2 May 2007, 04:45 am
Covers generally leave a really bad taste in my mouth if I like the original. 2 exceptions are Roy Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman" and the Kinks "You Really Got Me", both covered by Van Halen. I enjoy the originals and covers equally.
The Guess Who's "American Woman" is so much better than the Lenny Kravitz version. Maybe it's the compression that sucks the life right out of it.

On the other hand I never cared much for the often covered "Baby, Please Don't Go," until I heard Webb Wilder do it.

I always Liked Ted Nugent's version of "Baby Please Don't Go" from Double Live Gonzo.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #17 on:** 10 May 2007, 12:27 am »

Quote from: Thelonious Monk on 9 May 2007, 09:10 pm

hilary duff - my generation

BEST EVER

Better than Tiffany's "I Saw Him Standing There"?

I like Stevie Ray Vaughn's cover of "Little Wing", but am not a fan of Sting's cover of the same song...

mgalusha · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 May 2007, 02:21 am »

I've found that that the Slimserver/Squeezebox is very handy for finding these. For instance a search of Fever on my slimserver turns up 7 different versions. If I'm playing something I haven't heard in a long time or that I've just acquired and I hear a cover I often search the system for that song and am usually surprised by the number of versions.

Amelia Prunt · « **Reply #19 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 07:52 am »

I think there are an infinite number of Paint It Black covers. I've heard a goth-rock version from Deadsy (with a lead sitar, no less), a techno/trance version (I can't recall the artist, but I'm willing to bet there is more than one techno version), and even a version by The Mighty Lemon Drops. Can't wait to hear what Hannah Montana does with it.