There must be some kind of way out of here

[venta]

Well, today NME has published a chart of the "best cover versions of all time".

It's here: http://www.nme.com/news/muse/53090

Virtually none of them meet my criteria for a good cover. In particular, I don't believe that most people will have had any idea that the songs were covers when they first heard them. If someone had to tell you the song you know is a cover, it doesn't count.


[Poll #1622076]

Other reasons why the NME is wrong: in their corresponding chart of the worst cover versions ever, Madonna's American Pie only makes #8.

Edit The Beatles' song should of course be Twist and Shout. Search and replace error :)

Comments

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Where's 'I know the original and have never heard the cover'? ;-) I had to go and look for the White Stripes' version in order to answer the last one. ('Don't know it at all' to me suggests not knowing the song, which is not something I could answer for that one, unlike the Nirvana/whoever one.)

[ar-gemlad.livejournal.com]

The White Stripes one is a tricky one for me to answer, as I haven't heard either version, but I have the piano music and a CD with generic recordings of Bacharach :)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I knew I should have included a "I'm a unique and special snowflake" button ;)

[ar-gemlad.livejournal.com]

I think anything by Bacharach/David is bound to lead to special snowflakes :P

Their songs are ones I associate more with the composers than the 'original' artists, so I find the concept of a cover odd in this case.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd agree about things like Bacharach songs.

It's the converse of Manic Monday (by the Bangles) which is occasionally claimed as a cover because Prince wrote it.

[ar-gemlad.livejournal.com]

Aha! I was going to make that point, but couldn't remember which song or band I was thinking of - only that Prince wrote something that was relevant to this discussion. Thanks for being psychic and having a greater retention of music trivia ;)

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

He did however record it with Apollonia 6 two full years before it was offered to the Bangles. So it is a cover, just not of a released track. :)

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

*LIKE*

[venta.livejournal.com]

Damn, I thought I had that option in there. I rewrote the answers several times to try and covers as many bases as possible in as few options as possible, and obviously that one fell out by mistake.

the Nirvana/whoever one

Lead Belly, since you ask.

Oh, except according to Wikipedia, it's another traditional song and Lead Belly isn't even the earliest recording of it anyway.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Me ditto on this. Is the White Stripes version any good then?

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

It's ... different. I think on balance I probably like it.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Thanks... hmm, it's OK I guess, but not really my cup of thing.