There are a lot of songs around these days that sample older songs, blatantly ripping them off and tarnishing artists reputation (some prime examples being Stronger by Kanye West using Daft Punk, Professor Green using INXS - Need You Tonight, there are many more). However thankfully there are some brilliant covers out there by bands and artists that make the song their own without ruining the original.
So how do you do this? The best way is to take a song and completely change the way people look at it. Change the style of music, slow it down, speed it up but most importantly add your style to it. Why cover a song and make it sound exactly the same? It's pointless and it's boring. If you are a punk band and you want to cover Beyoncé, go for it, but make it punk. Don't change your style to match hers.
Also, don't sample a song. It's an easy way out. It means you've written a song but you need to borrow a hook or a chorus or a bass line of another artist. Easy. Anyway here are a few cover songs that take the original and completely change the way you look at it. Some of them make you forget the original and you might not even know that some of them were covers. Enjoy...
The Futureheads - Hounds of Love (Originally by Kate Bush)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMAM9B7yAA
Originally a Kate Bush song, this propelled The Futureheads in to the charts. Taken from their first album this turns the wailing banshee's classic in to some melodic Geordie punk.
The White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (Originally by Dusty Springfield)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp6A1KeXDC0
A brilliant blues rock cover of a Dusty Springfield classic that Jack White completely makes his own. What could be more perfect? Oh yes, Kate Moss pole dancing in the video. I forgot about that.
Cancer Bats - Sabotage (Originally by The Beastie Boys)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrlPuveLAAw
I love The Beastie Boys and I must admit to a sense of trepidation when Cancer Bats came out with this cover but it is fantastic. Yes, it's heavy, but it achieves everything The Beastie Boys did back in the day. They wanted to annoy people, they wanted to create chaos and they did back then. This is chaos for today's generation.
José González - Heartbeats (Originally by The Knife)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4_4abCWw-w
Yes, this song is a cover. Originally done by a Swedish electro pop band called The Knife. The difference between the two versions is monumental and the original is well worth a listen just for a comparison.
Jónsi - Time To Pretend (Originally by MGMT)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdBYv4e5XlU
Anything he sings is unique. This is a beautiful cover of an MGMT song performed in the live lounge on Radio 1.
Jamie Cullum - High and Dry (Originally by Radiohead)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otvsMONDksA
Jamie Cullum has done quite a few covers in his time but this one has always stood out for me. Turning an indie classic in to a piano driven jazz piece.
Queens of the Stone Age - Everybody's Gonna Be Happy (Originally by The Kinks)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z68SxtmSzP4
Ray Davies is a genius. One of the greatest song writers of all time has one of his greatest works transformed in to an american punk gem.
Little Roy - Come As You Are (Originally by Nirvana)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1aEo4SkOWg
Who knew you could turn a Nirvana song in to a Reggae jam? Well, Little Roy did obviously. He made a whole album of Nirvana covers called Battle For Seattle. You should also check out Lithium and Heart-Shaped Box if you liked this.
So there we go folks, proof that not all cover versions ruin the original. It can be done. There are loads more and these are just a select few, feel free to add your own and hopefully one day people will stop sampling others and go back to the good old cover version. If you're going to do something, do it properly.
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