Shaken Not Stirred

Monday, June 04, 2007

Copying You

I never understood the need for a band or anyone else to cover a song made famous by another band or singer. Yeah it's fun in a karaoke sort of way, but to re-record the song and put it out makes no sense to me.

I often feel that the band doing the cover is riding the coat tails from the fame of the original song.

Granted, I've heard really good covers and have even enjoyed a cover band in some bars. But what happened to originality? I think this is why music has begun to bore me. I haven't heard new music that I like and I'm bored with the old music that I liked.

Someone come up with something new!

22 Comments:

  • hmmm I never thought of it that way....BUT I don't like the song Black by Pearl Jam or even care for Pearl Jam---Staind re-did Black and I think it is awesome =)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:21 PM  

  • face it, there's nothing left. There are some covers certainly, but most are just re-hashes without any originality. Jimi's All Along the Watchtower is one of the few if any cases where the cover artist got it right and the original got it wrong.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:26 PM  

  • I agree that it's kind of pathetic when a badn covers a song as uses it as their first single, or even any single. But if they stick it at the end of the album and ndon't use it to pull in the audience, i don't mind.

    By Blogger Rocketstar, at 12:04 AM  

  • I dunno I think alot of covers are better then the original. just my two cents.

    By Blogger Phats, at 2:18 AM  

  • Some covers are way better than the original, so that is cool. However, some people butcher songs and ruin the luster of the original.

    I like both versions of "Faith"!

    By Blogger Big Ben, at 12:01 PM  

  • Nutz - You don't like Pearl Jam? I think that means we can no longer be friends. Sorry about that. And Black is one of their greatest songs! Staind did it better?!? AAAAAARRRRGHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ok, I'm fine now, sorry about that.

    angel - There's plenty of new stuff out there big guy, you just need to turn off the radio and/or MTV and go find it. The record labels shove certain stuff down our collective throats, but there's lots of good, completely new stuff out there to be had for those who want to look.

    By Blogger Duck, at 12:02 PM  

  • DUCK--you just waddle your butt out of here!!! lol yeah not a PJ fan!! and I do love Staind's Black cover way better!!!! woohoo

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:09 PM  

  • HAHA!! Who to side with Duck or Nutz, Duck or Nutz? Ducks are tasty, but if you eat honey roasted ones so are nuts, hmmm I know Nutz in real life but I don't like stained, I am not answering

    By Blogger Phats, at 1:11 PM  

  • I couldn't agree more. The second time around the song is never as good as the original recording, so why bother and why not create something of their own?

    By Blogger Chipper, at 5:35 PM  

  • Dammit... who did it?! Who stole my song? :-)

    By Blogger missy, at 5:46 PM  

  • I just heard a new version of the song "Hello" by Lionel Richie, and I was completely appalled. I guess I am getting old, but I thought it was horrible.

    By Blogger Mr. Shife, at 5:47 PM  

  • I guess covers are fine for talent shows.

    By Blogger The Egg, at 6:30 PM  

  • you took the words outta my mouth.
    i totally agree.

    m

    By Blogger mollymcmo, at 12:14 AM  

  • i'm too lazy to find the link and i realize horror of horrors you have no email link up!
    shame on you! :)
    anyway if you visit my blog there is a youtube video on the far left of some med students, i know you'd share in my love of it and find it funny ;)

    m

    By Blogger mollymcmo, at 12:16 AM  

  • I very rarely like cover songs. the atari's covered Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" and totally killed it.

    It is one way to introduce one generation to older music they probably have never heard before, but more likely, it's the record companies playing it safe, thinking "It was a hit ten years ago, it can be a hot for us now."

    I see it as a sleezy money grab by the music company, and a lck of talent by the artist. Unless the artist does the cover in such a
    way they own the song from then on.

    "I Can See Clearly Now' originally a Sly and the Family Stone song, was beautifully and radically covered by the Holly Cole Trio, in a stripped down jazzz mode that takes my breath away even now, after I've heard a million times over.

    In contrast, the Ataris just speed up the beat on "The Boys of Summer". Not original, not good, and not neccessary. Henley wrote it that way for a reason.

    By Blogger blackcrag, at 3:35 AM  

  • I love cover songs, but the whole copying issue hits to close to my industry, since I am effing copied all the time!!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:29 AM  

  • I can't agree with you on this one.

    Disturbed's cover of "Land of Confusion" beats the pants off of it when Phil Collins first sung it.

    By Blogger Aaron, at 9:23 AM  

  • yeah, i never like the cover version of something. to me it looks like the artist ran out of creativity/ ideas and is just riding on someone's success.

    By Blogger Trixie, at 7:47 PM  

  • It's a cop out when a band covers a song - but sometimes..just sometimes..it comes out awesome...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:45 AM  

  • i'm going to have to side with duck on this one dude. not only because it's his b-day, but because i too love pearl jam...and also agree that there is a lot of new stuff out. you just have to turn off the radio and start asking around locally

    By Blogger cher, at 2:33 PM  

  • Hmmm. While I agree, most covers suck, I think a good cover can be quite refreshig, sometimes. Mostly when a different genre of music covers it.

    Take "Boys of Summer" for example. I currently have three versions of that song on my iPod. The original Don Henley version, a hard-ege rock version by the Ataris, and a dance versin (for my workouts) by DJ Sammy. Still, I like the Don Henley version the best.

    By Blogger S.B., at 3:08 PM  

  • One of my local stations is doing a covers weekend ... and most of them stink.

    -- david

    By Blogger David Amulet, at 8:57 PM  

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