Sometimes
it only takes a few notes to get into your head. Then once you have gotten past the fact
that it is not the original song, you can either embrace the song for its
original interpretation or disregard it for its lack of respect for the
original. Songs can exist in all formats these days – the original,
the improvisational or the unexpected.
There
are also cover songs that it takes time to realize who originally wrote the
song. After talking with a friend of mine who is knee-deep in song
licensing, he believes the idea of covering a song “is essentially how the
‘American Songbook’ was born. Most performers were playing similar tunes
and this was essential for presenting (live) performing musicians with a set
language upon which folks could instantly communicate on the bandstand.
You just needed a tempo and a key, and a musician could sit in immediately with
the group.”
But I believe it is very, very hard to generate a good cover.
The good cover tends to happen naturally and then it is discovered. I remember being blown away by the fact that
Sammy Hagar was the writer of “I've Done Everything for You” in 1977 but his
version was not successful,
and then in 1981, Rick Springfield released the same song and it became a
chart-topping single. And in a similar
instance, Prince originally released the song 'Nothing Compares 2 U' in 1985,
but it became a worldwide hit for Sinead O’Connor in 1990.
Can
a cover song be better than the original? Can a cover song ruin the
original? Does the artist performing the cover respect the original
song? There is a website called Second Hand Songs
dedicated to compiling statistics on covers and interesting to note is
that The Beatles are the most covered artist/band in the world. Not too
far behind are Bob Dylan; Duke Ellington and Elvis Presley. And of
course, as we move further into the 21st century, remixes can be
looked at as the modern day cover. I would also be remiss if I also did
not touch on the volume of musicians making a living playing other people’s
music – cover bands.
According
to Todd Henry founder of Accidental Creative, "Cover bands don’t change
the world, but this is not to imply that there is anything wrong with
imitation. One of the key phases of creative growth is imitation".
And creative imitation can refer to a strategy in which someone
else establishes the viability of something (i.e. a song) then a second person
improves upon the original idea. We could further analyze Nicola Tesla and Thomas Edison about the concept of creative imitation and their battle over
who discovered what in the field of electrical engineering, but I prefer to
continue to seek out versions of Hall & Oates "Rich Girl".
The one I am listening to right now is by Lake Street Dive.
In fact, I really like the idea of going to a show and being
bowled over by a cover song. If done well, the song has the potential to
rope you in and potentially pursue listening to a new artist. As for a list of some of my favorite,
recommended covers, please check out this eclectic Top 10, listed in
chronological order based on the year the original song was written:
Thanks
again for reading!
A friend of mine was blown away by the fact that Sammy Hagar originally recorded, "I've Done Everything for You", well today I was floored when I learned that David Byrne & Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads originally wrote "Memories Can't Wait", which up until this point I had known as a Living Colour song. Always read the liner notes ;).
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