2005, age 35. "How Come U Don't Call Me?" by Alicia Keys, from the album Unplugged.
I once had this idea for a mixtape that I wanted to call "Cover Me." The basic idea was that each track would be an artist covering a song by the previous artist on the mix, with the first track being a cover of a song written by the final artist. I thought it was a pretty good idea, actually, and spent a lot of time working on the mix. In the end, I kind of lost interest in it, partly because I wasn't sure how the flow of the thing worked. My favorite part of the mix was The Stylistics doing Willie Nelson's "Always on My Mind," followed by Prince with "Betcha By Golly, Wow," and then Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U." I got stuck trying to find a cover of a Sinead tune that I actually liked, but those three tracks work really well together.
I've thought a lot about covers and what they mean. Musicians have always covered other artists' material, of course, but it seems different now. In the post-modern era, it's not enough to faithfully recreate a beloved song. Instead, artists feel the need to re-imagine the original. I love this. There is something wonderful about listening to someone perform a piece that they have digested so completely and so lovingly that their own performance is something entirely new. The piece becomes not only a work of art but a meta-commentary on art itself and what it is to really love music.
So here for you are my Top Ten Favorite Re-imagined Cover Songs. Not all of them are of recent vintage, but they all represent a fairly substantial departure from the original in a way that only makes me love the song more. I hope you'll take the time to check them out.
1. "Life on Mars," by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Let me begin here by saying that "Life on Mars" is one of the great, great, greatest of David Bowie's songs, one that cannot be improved upon in any way. Unless it is performed by a ukulele ensemble. The UOGB do a mash-up of the Hunky Dory song with "For Once in My Life," by Stevie Wonder; the title track from the film Born Free; and the Sinatra staple, "My Way." The weird thing is that they manage it without mocking any of the sources and making an already poignant song a little more poignanter (?). Not available anywhere but on DVD, unfortunately.
2. "Nothing Compares 2 U," by Sinead O'Connor. I think doing a cover of a Prince song is a pretty risky proposition. His work is so quirky, so of-a-piece with his personality, that one risks sounding like a parody (witness Maroon 5's take on "Kiss"). But I gotta say, I think Sinead has it going on with this one. I was never a big fan of the production on the original, so the relatively sparse setting when she sings, "It's been seven hours and fifteen days," sends chills up my spine.
3. "Crimson and Clover," by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. I love, love, love this record and have since I was 8-years-old and joined the Joan Jett and The Blackhearts fan club. The original, by Tommy James and the Shondells, is most notable for the the tremolo on the vocal toward the end, which I think is a really annoying effect. When Joan sings, "Yeah, I'm not such a sweet thing, wanna do everything . . . " it still gives me butterflies and I can see those big eyes going wide in the video.
4. "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love with You)," by Isaac Hayes. (Link unavailable.) Hank Williams songs seem incredibly coverable and there are lots of good ones out there, but there is something about this b-side to "Never Can Say Goodbye," that I really dig. The lush orchestration (it has French horns!) and the R&B vocal styling completely transform this honky-tonk classic and somehow make it seem that Hayes really spent some time feeling the import of these words.
5. "More Than This," by Norah Jones. Have you ever had a song from your youth that you didn't really think about at all until you heard someone cover it in a way that made you re-think the whole thing and go, "Dayum! That's a great song!" That's how I feel about this Norah Jones' cover of the Roxy Music original. I pretty much love Bryan Ferry's voice, but something about Ms. Jones interpretation helps me hear this song, almost like it's the first time every time I listen. Charlie Hunter on guitar, which is nice, too.
6. "I'm Shakin'," by Jack White. Now, it takes some real talent to improve on a Little Willie John song, but I really think Jack White has it. Is it possible that the cover sounds more raw than the original? The back-up "oooohs" from the chick singers and White's overdrive send this one over the top. (Great video, too.)
7. "Overkill," by Colin Hay. Ok, this one might be cheating. Colin Hay was the lead singer of the Down Under pop act Men At Work and here he is covering a song they made a top-ten hit. But this version deconstructs the original in a way that you really hear it afresh, especially if you are 40-ish and mostly remember the silly video that was in heavy rotation on MTV with this one. The spare, lone guitar just reinforces the lyric, and you can easily imagine Mssr. Hay sitting at home, late on a weeknight, singing his hymn to neurosis: "I can't get to sleep, I think about the implications . . ." Bonus points for first appearing in a Scrubs episode.
8. "Qué Sera Sera," by Pink Martini. This one is just plain creepy and brings out the really dark nature of the lyrics. Asking your mother if you will be happy as an adult and being answered with, "Whatever, kid." Pink Martini blows Doris Day out of the water, with an atonal, angular accompaniment to an relatively straight vocal delivery, broken by an instrumental chorus that feels like the carnival in Something Wicked This Way Comes.
9. "How Come U Don't Call Me," by Alicia Keys. Ok, remember when I said a little while back that covering Prince songs is a risky premise? Well, that's true, but lots of artists try it, and some of them are bound to hit. And let me be clear: I am talking about Alicia's live version here, on her Unplugged album. Keys' own soulful piano, the churchy Hammond, spot-on back-up singers, the entirely predictable but entirely satisfying vocal cadenza, and the energy the record captures between the performer and the audience is really electrifying. As a rule, I am not a fan of live records, but this one just sends me.
10. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" by Roberta Flack. Songwriter Carole King was reportedly displeased with The Shirelles up-tempo take on her song, even though it went to #1. But she loved Roberta Flack's version, and it's easy to see why. The simplest piano with a touch of strings in just the right places and time to listen to the real heartbreak in the lyric. It really makes you ache. (King recorded her own version on her Tapestry album, but it would be hard to top Flack's.)
What about you? You got a favorite cover version —or do you agree with His Purple Majesty that cover versions should be banned? I'd like to hear your thoughts.
