Sometimes you hear a cover and go to yourself, "hey, that's doper than Sam Perkins at Woodstock." Other times, you wonder (possibly aloud) "that no talent hack! They couldn't even carry [inset original artist here]'s guitar case!" [Ed. note: You should have seen what the author originally wanted to use as the carried item. Believe us, it wasn't a guitar case.]
Today was an example of the second. Some fool whose name I cannot even spare the mental RAM for, has covered "High and Dry" by the esteemed Radiohead. This is up there. With the worst covers of all time. Some songs just don't ever need to be covered. Like this one. And like "It's My Life" by Talk Talk. But No Doubt did a decent job with that one, although they crapped all over it with that video.
This one today was bad. When you do a cover, you're supposed to bring something to it. Maybe your sound is similar to the original artist's, and you bring a slightly different energy, maybe an updated feel. Maybe you go in an entirely different direction, like the late Johnny Cash did with "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode. Great cover. This chucklehead brought nothing to the table. A lot of piano and whining. "High and Dry" doesn't ever need to be covered, but Coldplay would do a better job, since they are apparently from a different dimension, one in which Thom Yorke's eye isn't lazy, and Radiohead did make The Bends II, like everyone told them to. That's what Coldplay is. Radiohead circa "The Bends" from a different dimension.
This screetchingly awful rendition made me think of other covers that were really bad ideas. Here they are in no particular order:
Please feel free to add to this list.
Today was an example of the second. Some fool whose name I cannot even spare the mental RAM for, has covered "High and Dry" by the esteemed Radiohead. This is up there. With the worst covers of all time. Some songs just don't ever need to be covered. Like this one. And like "It's My Life" by Talk Talk. But No Doubt did a decent job with that one, although they crapped all over it with that video.
This one today was bad. When you do a cover, you're supposed to bring something to it. Maybe your sound is similar to the original artist's, and you bring a slightly different energy, maybe an updated feel. Maybe you go in an entirely different direction, like the late Johnny Cash did with "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode. Great cover. This chucklehead brought nothing to the table. A lot of piano and whining. "High and Dry" doesn't ever need to be covered, but Coldplay would do a better job, since they are apparently from a different dimension, one in which Thom Yorke's eye isn't lazy, and Radiohead did make The Bends II, like everyone told them to. That's what Coldplay is. Radiohead circa "The Bends" from a different dimension.
This screetchingly awful rendition made me think of other covers that were really bad ideas. Here they are in no particular order:
- "High and Dry" by an idiot
We need to get some big government grants to develop new adjectives to describe the badness here. - "Sweet Child o' Mine", Sheryl Crow
What. The. Fuck? - "Lovesong", 311
Go back to the skate park anthems. - "Landslide", The Dixie Chicks
It's not good when Billy Corgan sounds better than you do. - "Our Lips Are Sealed", Hillary Duff & sister
Given the nonexistence of vocal talent in the Go-Gos, you would think that this was one of those covers that would be better than the original. You'd be wrong. - "American Pie", Madonna
Um. No. - "Take My Breath Away", Jessica Simpson
You're not doing yourself any favors when you're a slightly talented blonde and you're taking on a song done by a very talented blonde. The comparisons just will not come out in your favor.
Please feel free to add to this list.
Comments
Funny you should mention Sheryl Crow... we're on the same wavelength (without actually agreeing because I LOVE that cover). I'd like to add:
"The Beat Goes On," Britney Spears
"Blue Monday," Orgy
"What's Going On?," assorted self-aggrandizing celebrities
Love the Cash "Personal Jesus"... love that whole album... another example of a good cover is Cake's version of "I Will Survive."
Spring Show '94 - Asbestos Zombies just absolutely massacring Into the Great Wide Open.
(Note to self, evaluate pros and cons of disabling anonymous posting on my blog...)
Then of course the song wasn't actually in the movie, just the trailer. That should be illegal!
-brian
More more examples of elevating the original, see Jimi Hedrix's covers of Bob Dylan. Then see Stevie Ray Vaughn's covers of Hendrix—sometimes I think SRV was Hendrix, although that doesn't make any sense unless you apply Terminator-type time logic.