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Covers of a Cover

Covering a Cover

By Tom SharpPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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I found myself listening to the radio today, which is not something I’d normally do. On it, I heard two cover songs, both of which, I presume are currently in the charts. So I thought to myself: ‘Is music going the way of cinema, where everything is just remade for a newer audience?’ Obviously, the level hasn’t got so bad that every other song is a cover version, but it sometimes feels like it might get that way if it isn’t stopped. Now might be an apt time to remember why some covers are good, but not all cover versions are born equal. So what are the very best, and what are the very worst?

The Good...

Eva Cassidy - "Fields of Gold"

Eva managed successfully to take Sting’s melancholic song, and turn it into a proper emotional one. Sting’s version was probably too quick and monotonous to get across the pure emotion found in the lyrics. However, this song was probably made more poignant and melancholic due to the fact that it was released in 1998 on Cassidy’s Songbird album, which was released two years after her death. It’s well worth a listen if you can get your hands on it. With discount codes from Promo Codes For, you can make a whole host of savings on physical and digital music purchases through retailers such as Amazon, Music Magpie, and Zavvi.

Tom Odell - "Real Love"

Sometimes the best covers come from television adverts. When you think of banging covers for TV ads, your most obvious go-to would probably be something from the John Lewis Christmas collection, and your thinking isn’t wrong here. Whilst there are some good covers stemming from that particular songbook, this song kind of tops the lot. The original, released by the Beatles as late as 1988, was originally recorded by John Lennon with the three surviving members adding their magic to it when it was rediscovered after his death. The deft tones of Tom Odell lent well to the heart-swelling tale of Monty the Penguin in John Lewis’s 2014 Christmas ad, and if you want to revisit the commercial, you can do.

And the Bad.

Matt Cardle - "When We Collide (Many of Horror)"

This one is pretty bad. Probably not for the execution, which is demonstrably fine, but for the idea. The original, called "Many of Horror" was written by Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil, and became a big hit in early 2010s when it was released. It ended up hitting eighth place in the UK charts. All was fine, it seemed. However, when Matt Cardle won XFactor later that year, he released his winner’s cover single just in time for Christmas, and it was a version of the original song that had been released only 11 months earlier. There just wasn’t enough time for that song to breathe on its own before it was co-opted by the corporate music machine. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Syco decided to change the title to the more generic "When We Collide," which is a big no-no. If you’re going to rip off a song so soon after it was released, at least pretend you want to be faithful to the original.

Avril Lavine - "Imagine"

There are just some songs that can never be bettered, and thus, should never be covered by a professional recording artist. Avril Lavigne decided in 2007 that she should cover it for a compilation album for Amnesty International. So, to its credit, the recreation of the song is coming from a good place, with Lavigne wanting to put her stamp on an anti-war classic whilst also raising a bit of money for a charitable cause. So, in that case, it’s miles better than the Matt Cardle, many-of-horror show. However, it’s just not a good cover. It’s like someone doing karaoke. Whilst Lavigne has released a number of tracks, this is one you should avoid if you can.

There are so many covers out there, so, unfortunately, we couldn’t cover them all (if you’ll pardon the pun). However, if you like slamming down poor attempts to make sure the industry isn’t dominated by song remakes, then this article from the Standard will whet your appetite for musical criticism.

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About the Creator

Tom Sharp

Creative entrepreneur and freelance photographer

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