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About 2 months ago I was at the mall, visiting the Apple Store because the power cord for my Macbook wasn't charging. Sitting down to wait for my appointment, I couldn't help but overhear the conversation of a group of girls near me. Their argument centered on the television show Glee and which of the [cover] songs was their favorite, their aggressive negations narrowing the field down to three songs, with each advocating for their own.**
Later that night as I was relaxing and catching up on social media, I started thinking about the conversation in the mall. Since the only way I've come close to watching an episode of Glee is Michael Buckley's Glee Caps (Check him out: WHAT THE BUCK), I had to do a little research, and then discovered that the cast of Glee has had 200 some singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.
After this finding, I began to question how the popularity status structure affected these singles. How would these singles rank if we considered them one by one, based on quality alone? Eventually, this query of which cover song is the most unique, shifted the focus on to my own favorites.
Whenever I am deciding what covers to put on my favorite list, my main deciding factor is a piece of advice I found several years ago on youtube (of all places).
"A cover is technically not suppose to be compared [to the original]. The point of a cover is not to upstage the original version. It is to reinvent it in a new direction."
The idea behind this is that all the covers on my favorites list are completely unique in their own right, and should be able to stand all by themselves. By breaking down walls some of the covers are even better than the originals.
"A cover is technically not suppose to be compared [to the original]. The point of a cover is not to upstage the original version. It is to reinvent it in a new direction."
The idea behind this is that all the covers on my favorites list are completely unique in their own right, and should be able to stand all by themselves. By breaking down walls some of the covers are even better than the originals.
(In each of following I have listed the original version followed by the cover)
1. The first cover on my list is from the very first band I started listening to (when I was 6). My dad loved the Beach Boys and they were constantly playing at home and in the car.
The first time I heard "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & The Papas on the radio I thought it was the Beach Boys cover version. (Must not have had very good hearing).
The first time I heard "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & The Papas on the radio I thought it was the Beach Boys cover version. (Must not have had very good hearing).
"California Dreamin'"
The Mamas & The Papas
The Beach Boys
"California Dreamin'" Cover
The Beetles
"Eleanor Rigby"
Pain
"Eleanor Rigby" Cover
3. The British band Coldplay has been quite popular with audiences around the world. I had a listen to most of their hits when I watched the closing ceremonies for the Paralympic Games.
This cover of Paradise is from a group of guys that create amazing covers using only their voices, a piano, and a cello.
This cover of Paradise is from a group of guys that create amazing covers using only their voices, a piano, and a cello.
Coldplay
"Paradise"
The Piano Guys
"Paradise (Peponi) African Style" (Piano/Cello Cover)
4. Gnarles Barkley created a classic with their single "Crazy", and it was one of those songs that was instantly recognizable . One of my friends had it as her ringtone and would start dancing every time someone would call her.
This cover comes from symphonic metal band Within Temptation, who are from The Netherlands.
This cover comes from symphonic metal band Within Temptation, who are from The Netherlands.
Gnarles Barkley
"Crazy"
Within Temptation
"Crazy" Cover
5. Legendary British artist Mike Oldfield has composed many brilliant pieces over the course of his career. One such masterpiece is the song Moonlight Shadow. The Polish band Pathfinder composed a cover for this song which was released in 2009. When I first heard their version I couldn't find the bottom half of my jaw. (In fact I think I'm still missing it).
Mike Oldfield (Feat. Maggie Reilly)
"Moonlight Shadow"
Pathfinder
"Moonlight Shadow" Cover
6. Finnish vocalist Ari Koivunen, who currently sings lead vocals for the band Amoral, started out solo after winning the Finnish Idols competition. On his first album, Fuel for the Fire, Ari did a cover of the song "Hetki Lyö" by Kirka which is actually a cover of the original "Beat the Clock" by The McCoys.
So in other words, one Finnish artist (Kirka) covered The McCoys' song in Finnish, and a second Finnish artist (Ari) covered the first Finnish artist.
So in other words, one Finnish artist (Kirka) covered The McCoys' song in Finnish, and a second Finnish artist (Ari) covered the first Finnish artist.
The McCoys
"Beat The Clock"
KirKa
"Hetki Lyö"
Ari Koivunen
"Hetki Lyö"
7. Finnish band Nightwish has done a variety of covers from many different artists and genres. There are two I'd like to highlight, each of them come from different periods during the bands history.
The first is a cover of "Walking in the Air" by Howard Blake from the 1982 animated Film The Snowman. Nightwish really made this song their own while also retaining the beauty and mysticism associated with the film.
"Walking in the Air"
Howard Blake
The Snowman
"Walking in the Air"
Nightwish Cover
The second song is "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" from the movie The Piano. This song was recorded as they were in the studio working on their 6th album. However it wasn't until 2012 that the single was finally released. According to some sources Michael Nyman wasn't keen on the recording, but with persuasion he decided to let Nightwish release it. Nightwish's cover features an instrumental track, as well as a track with lyrics that were composed by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen.
"The Heart Asks Pleasure First"
Michael Nyman
The Piano Soundtrack
"The Heart Asks Pleasure First"
Nightwish Instrumental Cover
"The Heart asks Pleasure First"
Nightwish Cover with Additional Lyrics
8. The Northern Kings is a Finnish symphonic metal cover super group. They consist of four musicians who have already become well known in their existing bands. They have several albums out full of amazing covers. There are three covers I wanted to highlight from them.
The first is by Tina Turner. Her single "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" which was the hit song to the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome. Here the Kings have a music video to showcase their cover.
The first is by Tina Turner. Her single "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" which was the hit song to the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome. Here the Kings have a music video to showcase their cover.
Tina Turner
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)"
Northern Kings
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" Cover
The second cover is Cutting Crew's number one hit "(I Just) Died in your Arms Tonight." The vocalist for this cover is J. Ahola.
Cutting Crew
"(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight"
Northern Kings (J. Ahola)
"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" Cover
The final cover is Australian artist, Kylie Minogue's 1987 worldwide breakthrough hit "I Should Be So Lucky" The track's vocalist is JP Leppäluoto.
Kylie Minogue
"I Should Be So Lucky"
Northern Kings (JP Leppäluoto)
"I Should Be So Lucky" Cover
9. The last couple covers on my list involve a Swedish band by the name of ABBA. I think its only natural to have a few ABBA covers because they [the band] are so iconic.
The first is ABBA's hit "Lay All Your Love On Me" which was released in 1980. It is covered by German artist Tobias Sammet and was recorded with Avantasia, his symphonic, power metal super group.
The first is ABBA's hit "Lay All Your Love On Me" which was released in 1980. It is covered by German artist Tobias Sammet and was recorded with Avantasia, his symphonic, power metal super group.
ABBA
"Lay All Your Love On Me"
Avantasia (Tobias Sammett)
"Lay All Your Love On Me" Cover
The second cover is of ABBA's 3rd single, "SOS", from their self-titled 1975 album. It is covered by the German power metal/Neo-classical metal band At Vance.
ABBA
"SOS"
At Vance
"SOS" Cover
The third and final cover is one of ABBA's biggest euro disco hits, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight)" It was recorded and released in 1979 with "The King Has Lost His Crown" as the B-side. The Swedish humorist heavy metal group Black Ingvars who are famous for cover versions from many different musical styles (really worth checking them out), covers this song on their album Kid's Super Hits.
ABBA
"Gimme! Gimmie! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
Black Ingvars
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" Cover
**BTW the three songs those girls at the mall had picked out were Bohemian Rhapsody, Defying Gravity, and Don't Stop Believin, in case anyone was curious.
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