Evan's Cover Songs

Contrary to popular belief, the cover song wasn't invented by American Idol or Fearless Records. In fact, the past decade or so has done as much harm to the cover song as it has done good, if not more. Some people just don't have what it takes to make a cover, but YouTube and the aforementioned Fox karaoke show have provided far too many musically retarded individuals a stage where they can butcher classics. I miss the good old days where these people were confined to high school talent shows and battle of the bands...es.

People have been covering songs almost as long as they've been writing them. Most orchestras and concert pianists are pretty much highly-gifted cover artists. Many jazz and blues musicians, too (although with a bit more variance). There aren't many musicians out there who haven't performed a cover song in their career, and that's perfectly fine by me. Some musicians are unbelievable writers (i.e. Dylan), and some are brilliant performers (i.e. Hendrix). When the two come together, it usually leads to some pretty excellent music.

There is no mold for the ultimate cover song. Some seem like they're written for the cover artist herself, some pay homage to the original in an epic/ironic/hilarious way, and some are completely dismantled and put back together brilliantly. In a world full of shitty covers, it's difficult to find these gems. I'll do my best. Here goes:

1. bruce springsteen – war (edwin starr) (3:04)
growing up listening to the boss, i always knew that he did a kick-ass version of this song. it wasn’t until i saw him open with this in 2003 that i realized how timeless and poignant this song really is. his brutally desperate delivery brings the song to life in a way that can’t be replicated in a studio. still, the live recording makes a perfect first track on almost any playlist.



2. give up the ghost – kick out the jams (mc5) (2:48)
some people would say it's a no-no to put two awesomely intense intro songs back-to-back on a mix, but i'm not like most people, and that's probably the only thing about me that i like*

3. elvis costello - tomorrow's just another day (madness) (2:52)
this is as much a collaboration as it is a cover, but considering this was first released as a madness single without costello, and the version featuring him is a fundamentally different approach to the song, this can still be considered a cover. maybe i’m cheating, but this song is awesome



4. 7 seconds - 99 red balloons (nena) (3:40)
you can take that goldfinger cover and stick it directly up your ass.



5. cat power - don't explain (billie holiday) (4:19)
chan has a few great covers, but this one really sticks out for me. i usually cringe when people say they’re going to cover an artist of billie holiday’s stature, but chan pulls it off. she’s hot, too.



6. john coltrane - my favorite things (rodgers & hammerstein) (13:40)
everyone has their flaws. for example, allison hates jazz. i can't wait for her reasoning as to why one of the most inventive covers by one of the greatest musicians of all time doesn't deserve to be on this list. i axed 3 other excellent covers to fit this epic on my list.



7. red hot chili peppers - higher ground (stevie wonder) (3:22)
i didn't really learn about/listen to stevie wonder until the late 90s. i first heard higher ground not long after blood sugar sex magic came out (and i subsequently checked out mothers milk). no offense to stevie, but the chili peppers nail this in a way that almost no one else can. it will always be a RHCP song for me.



8. me first and the gimme gimmes - i believe i can fly (r kelly) (3:00)
they've made a career out of covering music, and somehow they don't totally suck. i wish i could say that for pretty much any guy i've seen with a guitar in a worcester bar, or for myself, but i can't. either way, this song is great. any video featuring matt skiba, awk, paris hilton and barry zito is cool with me



9. david hasselhoff - hooked on a feeling (mark james) (3:36)
um...my judgment is blinded by the video



10. dynamite hack - boyz in the hood (eazy-e) (3:05)
this is the last explanation i have to write. like the others, i wanted to listen to this again before i wrote anything. however, immediately after this ended, end of the road by boyz ii men came on, so my lazy ass is taking it as a sign.



11. new found glory - glory of love (peter cetera and david foster) (3:19)
another band that's probably done too many covers, NFG totally rips this one. most covers in the same vein are suffocatingly ironic, but it wasn't until i heard this one that i realized it. and that's why it's on here. i get a medium-sized whiteboy chubby for all things ironic.

i can't tell if i wanna laugh at this video or have a seizure


12. jeff buckley - hallelujah (leonard cohen) (6:54)
this should be a shoe-in and will probably be on allison's list, but just to be safe, here ya go.



13. postal service - against all odds (phil collins) (4:13)
Allison hates jazz and loves Phil Collins with the force of a thousand Katrina's. PHIL COLLINS SUCKS I CANT BELIEVE HE EVEN WROTE A SONG THATS COVERABLE THANKS POSTAL SERVICE



14. bobby darin - mack the knife (weill and brecht) (3:06)
when sinatra finally got around to this one, he didn't stand a chance.



15. william shatner - rocket man (elton john) (4:53)
always brilliant



16. jimi hendrix - all along the watchtower (bob dylan) (4:02)
why are people still allowed to cover this song? i don't condone violence, but if a few brass knuckles keep this song off limits, i'll make an exception.



17. warren zevon – knockin’ on heaven’s door (bob dylan) (4:05)
the fact that zevon recorded this while staring death in the face makes it that much more powerful.



18. joel mazeika – big pimpin (jay-z) (4:43)
i remember this once in a lifetime performance as if it were happening right now. the sun was setting over our high school baseball field just as the bonfire raged to life. the rock legends of tahanto ripped through their sets, but nobody was even close to warmed up for the pants-shitting awefest that was about to ensue. joel stepped up to the mic, and promptly ripped the goddamn house down. it was unexpected magic...it was blissful mayhem. he gave us a special gift that night, something i haven't held since. i wonder what he's doing now.

*jk i'm cool

78:38...bring it on!