Ahhh the cover song, helping unsigned bands gain fans and signed bands produce something when they really can’t be arsed doing anything on their own. However, some covers are actually pretty good, very good in fact, so good that they’re actually better than the original. This rare phenomenon only happens when the cover is significantly different to the original, like Anne Hathaway singing “I Dreamed A Dream”…oh wait that sounded just like every other version. When a band takes a song and completely changes it, that’s when covers become good and acceptable. Imagine a heavy metal version of Britney Spears, how crazy would that be? This crazy…
10. Children of Bodom – Oops I Did It Again (Britney Spears)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGtXlBbWeB4
Children of Bodom are a Finnish heavy metal band that, clearly, don’t take themselves too seriously. They did an entire album of covers, including a very good cover of Rebel Yell by Billy Idol, but this Britney cover really is something special and epitomises exactly what a cover should be – a re-imagining of a song that brings something new to the table.
9. Scary Kids Scarring Kids – Losing My Religion (R.E.M.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utdATtJ88iE
Another heavy reworking of a classic song that changes the entire mood conveyed in the original. I think what really makes this cover work is the vocal harmonies. The shouting behind the lead vocals scream (pun intended) desperation and feeling. Also there’s a fucking awesome guitar solo in there too.
8. Placebo – Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KEEXyRL0qE
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this about a month ago, and since then I’ve become a huge fan of Placebo. It sends uncontrollable shivers down the spine and contains an ambience that even the original found difficult to capture. Brian Molko really shows how insanely graceful his voice is. Personally, I believe this is better than the original.
7. Creedence Clearwater Revival – I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Marvin Gaye)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXJQOWsp6f4
Clocking in at an impressive 11 minutes 11 seconds (I don’t expect you to listen to it all) CCR showed dedication and determination in transforming this classic. Again the vocals take centre stage, Jon Fogerty really does have a fantastic voice, and it is perfectly suited for this song. He also plays the solo a few minutes into the song, showing he’s a man of many talents. As far as production goes, this cover is challenging for the top spot.
6. Gary Jules – Mad World (Tears For Fears)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR91Rj1ZN1M
Possibly one of my favourite songs of all time, this cover was actually a fortunate accident. During the production of Donnie Darko, director Richard Kelly told his long time friend Gary Jules to have a go. In one take it was recorded, used in the film and made Christmas Number 1 when it was released two years later. Even today, it is used widely within films, TV and video games, most notably in Gears of War. One of the most elegant and damning songs of all time.
5. Editors – Road To Nowhere (Talking Heads)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdW2FSrsneQ
Editors really are the masters of the cover. With fantastic renditions of Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz), Lullaby (The Cure) and Orange Crush (R.E.M.) they have had a fair few stabs at it, but with this version of the Talking Heads classic they nailed it. Released as a B-Side on their single Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors, it got a bit lost in their back catalogue, luckily it’s easy to find online if you look for it. A true, lovely rendition that begs the question, “Why don’t Editors do more acoustic stuff?”
4. Reel Big Fish – Take On Me (A-HA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHpU0ZfXZ_g
Reel Big Fish have produced many a good cover, just like Editors. Versions of New York, New York (Frank Sinatra) and Hungry Like The Wolf (Duran Duran) could easily have made this list, but I’m difficultly limiting myself to one per band. Ska is quite an obvious genre to look to for fantastic covers, and Reel Big Fish are arguably the biggest Ska band around, and it’s easy to see why. Everything about this song is impressive, from the guitar solo, the adaption from synth to brass and the stupidly high-pitched note in the chorus, though not quite as impressive as the original, are all top notch. A song that injects youthful, energetic life into a classic “dad-song”.
3. Powerman 5000 – Should I Stay Or Should I Go – (The Clash)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPgM-KkCG-0
Powerman 5000 are an Industrial Metal band that produced such classics as Bombshell and When Worlds Collide, that flew into popular culture via the Tony Hawk’s video game franchise. Since then they’ve been rather quiet, until 2011, when they recorded a covers album. Whilst this cover isn’t the best thing on there in terms of listening, in terms of producing and adaptation, it is by far the winner. They transformed a high-energy punk classic into a mellow and creepy electronic track that seems to bubble below the surface like a shark.
2.. Anberlin – Enjoy The Silence – (Depeche Mode)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpD5695Kfis
Anberlin are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated bands ever. Their own stuff is unique and catchy as hell, but this cover is the best thing they’ve done. Depeche Mode’s original was good enough, but I prefer Anberlin’s version. More gritty, more in your face than the 90s hit (and this is most prominent at 1 minute 45 seconds) it really is a fantastic modernisation of a song that at the time of its release was one of the most forward thinking songs around.
1. Taking Dawn – The Chain (Fleetwood Mac)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6PNZLehuGU
It is a crying shame that this cover is not more widely known. It gets some airplay on the heavier radio stations, but that is nowhere near the amount of attention it deserves. Of course, the original is one of the greatest songs of all time, but this cover is even better. Once again metal has transformed a rather withdrawn song into a force of brutality, but not the kind seen with the Children of Bodom cover. This brutality is like that of a Terminator marching towards you. It fills you with adrenaline and makes you want to shout and fight and live life as if the Terminator was about to rip your throat out. It gathers momentum after the famous bassline and fires into a double-pedalled frenzy that cannot be imagined, only heard.
A cover becomes great when the covering artist stays true to their style and doesn’t conform to what will make them popular. No band does that quite like Taking Dawn, a relatively unknown band that has found fame from melding a golden-oldie into a raw, pounding anthem. Fair play to them, I say.
P.S. Taking Dawn’s other stuff is really rather poor so they’re not really worth an investigation.
P.P.S To anyone who was disappointed, here’s a brilliant cover that was not included by Bill Murray!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53DQgbj2mIc