When you're all argumentative and you've got a face on

[venta]

It's Friday, it's about 3 o'clock. It's time to go underneath the covers (with the lights out).

I always recommend listening to a cover version without knowing what or who it is, so click on the link before reading ahead...

Today's cover version [link to cover version expired]

That was the Sugababes covering I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, originally by Arctic Monkeys.

Who knew the one day I'd be reviewing mp3s on a Friday afternoon and would find myself spoilt for choice over which Sugababes track to post[*].

Yes, don't worry, I'll be taking myself round the back of the bikeracks later and giving myself a good kicking.

So, it's October 2005. Push the Button by the Sugababes is at #1. Along comes a bunch of nobodys from Sheffield who swoop in to the charts and knock the Sugababes off the top spot.

The Sugababes bow out gracefully, declare it's a great song, and promptly shove a cover of it onto the b-side of one of the later singles from their album. They may be manufactured, rubbish pop but at least they're manufactured rubbish pop with a bit of a sense of humour.

[*] For the terminally curious, the alternative was Killer, by Adamksi/Seal. Which is mostly rather dull but has a great bit in the middle.

Comments

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Manufactured maybe, but certainly not rubbish -- the Sugababes make terrific pop. Another cover of theirs, Freak Like Me (with the Gary Numan bits) was completely brilliant, surely the best thing in the charts in whatever year that was.

[venta.livejournal.com]

"Rubbish pop" was a genre rather than a criticism :)

I've not heard that cover, but then I'm not sure I know the original either. I'll go a-hunting on youtube.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Aha, I'm with you. Rubbish pop is a pretty good name...

The original is pretty obscure tbh, I was only vaguely aware of it at the time. But the Sugababes version was #1 for several weeks iirc.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Then again, ripping off Gary Numan themes is a traditional pop concept ... vis Girls Aloud ...

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I don't know that, what did they do of his?
(Or do you just mean the general sound?)

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

I'm quite possibly confused - I though one of their early songs lifted something from Numan, but it could have just sounded like it did.

[fractalgeek.livejournal.com]

The original is obscure, but familiar enough I knew the Sugababes were a cover. Then the original is a response to a Bootsy Collns tune, and so a reworking too. I thought this was one of the best things the Sugababes ever did; it certainly got my attention. If I was quibbling, I might make a distiction between a mash-up and a cover...

While looking for info on Numan, I came across http://www.coversproject.com/. Many fine things!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Great, that looks like an excellent resource!

*wastes half an hour browsing it*

[venta.livejournal.com]

If I was quibbling

Yes, several people have suggested very fine "covers" for me to post here, and I've declined because I think they're mash-ups or songs-which-just-have-a-lot-of-sampling in. I don't want to end up with a steward's enquiry :)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

The Sugababes song in question started life just as a straight cover of Freak Like Me. This was then subsequently mashed up with the Gary Numan material to create the version that became a hit. So I would say it is a legit cover of Freak Like Me, but definitely not a cover of Are Friends Electric. (I agree with your policy, and think that generally it is pretty clear which is which.)