Matthew Reine
It’ll always be a debate over who did a song better. Many people will prefer the original because it’s untouchable. Others will enjoy a cover because it puts a different spin on a hit. Right now, let’s analyze some covers and decide who performed the track better. I’m not talking about covers that sound almost identical to the original but ones where the latter artist took the song and made it their own. Ready? Let’s go.
“Got The Time”
Joe Jackson – Before embarking on a piano based, classical music career, the U.K.’s own Joe Jackson started out in the late 1970’s as a power pop artist. Jackson scored a major hit in 1979 with his debut album, “Look Sharp” which contained the limitless classic “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”. Another track on the LP, “Got The Time” also helped grab the attention of the public and started Jackson’s rise in music.
Anthrax – New York City metalheads, Anthrax, recorded a thrash version of “Got The Time”(complete with killer bassline) for their 1990 album “Persistence of Time”. The cover was a hit and remains a fixture in the band’s live setlist to this day.
“Boyz-N-the Hood”
Eazy-E – While still in N.W..A, West Coast rapper, Eazy-E recorded his first ever solo track describing life in Compton, Los Angeles entitled “Boyz-n-the-Hood”. Originally written by his colleague, Ice Cube, the rap was graphic in nature and at the time, seemed hard to imagine anyone but E performing it.
Dynamite Hack – In 2000, alt rockers, Dynamite Hack recorded an acoustic version of “Boyz-n-the-Hood” which was unlike anything anyone had ever heard at the time. It was almost like a parody adding humor to the track’s lyrics and showed the world what a gangsta rap song would sound like it it was played by a group of white guys with guitars. Although they’ve virtually disappeared since the cover’s release, they will always be remembered for this hilarious rendition.
“Hurt”
Nine Inch Nails – Trent Reznor and his gang of industrial misfits wrote this cryptic number as the closing track to their 1994 album, “The Downward Spiral”. Although not officially released as a single, the brooding song became popular among NIN fans and helped the album sell millions worldwide.
Johnny Cash – In 2003, at the age of 81, legendary folk singer, Johnny Cash released his own version of “Hurt” to critical acclaim. The acoustic re-imagining retained a lot of the dark imagery of the original and breathed new life into the Man In Black’s career, opening up to a whole new wave of fans. The cover would prove to be one of Johnny’s last hits as he would pass away later that year.
“Imagine”
John Lennon – The always spiritual and positive John Lennon released arguably his biggest hit to in 1971 with “Imagine” about living in a world full of peace. The song became known for its positive yet controversial undertones praising unity among the people but while denouncing topics like war and religion. The legendary Beatle gained worldwide notoriety as a solo artist as a result and went down in history of one of music’s greatest songwriters.
A Perfect Circle – Maynard Keenan’s most famous side-project released a cover album, eMotive, in 2004. The record included a more haunting, less upbeat version of “Imagine” with darker vocals and harsher piano playing. The cover definitely put a different take on Lennon’s version looking at a perfect world and realizing it’s an impossible dream which calls for the more callous approach to the track.
“Turn The Page”
Bob Seger – Accompanied by his Silver Bullet Band, Bob Seger recorded this anthem about the hard life of being a musician on the road in 1973. It wasn’t until a live recording of the track from Segar’s 1976 live album, “Live Bullet” that the song really became popular.
Metallica – The metal gods released their own version of the song as the lead single for their 1998 cover album, “Garage Inc.” The song was accompanied by a rather disturbing music video (which was, for a while, banned from airing on MTV) portraying a day in the life of a stripper who has fallen on hard times and at one point is even abused by her client. The song was transformed with heavy guitar riffs that replaced the saxophone and piano parts that were predominant in Seger’s version.
“Maggie’s Farm”
Bob Dylan – No stranger to taking a stand, the incomparable Bob Dylan released this protest tune in 1965. Armed with his trademark harmonica, Dylan decided to plug in his guitar for this one and belt out one of the more fast-paced tunes in his catalog.
Rage Against The Machine – Rage’s cover sounds NOTHING like Dylan’s version at all. Hard-hitting electric guitars with different key signatures and unorthodox sounds (courtesy of the great Tom Morello) in addition to Zach De La Rocha’s rapping vocals give the song new life. While I don’t hate RATM’s cover and respect them for taking a different approach, no one can touch Dylan’s original.
“Blue Monday”
New Order – After the dissolution of Joy Division in the early 1980’s, the remaining members of the British industrial-pop group carried on under a new moniker, New Order, and scored a hit in 1983 with “Blue Monday”. The song, clocking in at over 7 minutes, is a delightful little number filled with drum machines and synthesizers. It’s a nice, soothing little piece that all fans of the genre can enjoy.
Orgy – Los Angeles “shock rockers” Orgy bursted onto the scene in 1998 in a peculiar fashion. Their very first single from their debut album, “Candyass”, wound up being a big hit which isn’t out of the ordinary except that hit was a cover of “Blue Monday”. The quintet put a hard rock tinge on the New Order classic that did it justice and was able to gain attention from fans in quick fashion. The band would enjoy a few more years of success due to the popularity of their cover before falling off the radar in the mid-2000’s.
