Cover songs: like or dislike?
By maezee
@maezee (41997)
United States
January 5, 2010 4:49pm CST
As a general opinion, do you LIKE cover songs - or dislike them? What are some examples of some of the best and WORST cover songs you've heard? I've heard MANY bad cover songs, but I can point out clearly my favorite - which is Fiona Apple's version of the Beatles' "Across the Universe". If you haven't heard this..You definitely should! It sounds totally different but yet amazing.
In case you're not sure what a "cover" song is, it's any song that's re-done after the original, by a different musician or group.
Do you think that the POINT of a cover song is to add an original twist to it, or to exactly mimic the original? This is one question I've pondered over. It seems like many musicians who decide to cover a band's song usually ends up sounding so.. blah.. And not adding any kind of unique pizazz to it, which is uninteresting to me. What do you think, though?
15 responses
@olisaur (1922)
• United States
6 Jan 10
I guess in general I dislike cover songs; occasionally there will be relly god ones. I think the point of covering a song is to put a twist on it, not to do the exact same thing.
I haven;t heard that cover of Fiona Apples', but I have heard her cover of Sally's song from the Nightmare Before Christmas; it is fantastic, it's better than Amy Lee's cover that ended up on the "Nightmare Revisited" album.
And I think all the covers Muse does are excellent; like House of the Rising Sun, Can't Take my Eye off You and Feeling Good. They have such a unique musical style!
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
6 Jan 10
I like covers generally. I really like covers that put a new twist on the song. A lot of people hate it, but I love Cascada's cover of "What Hurts the Most" because she actually took the song into a whole new genre of music. I personally listen to my songs for the lyrics, and I like hearing a song in a whole new way. The way I see it, there are no bad covers, just covers I personally don't like.
@firstcontact1990 (1784)
•
6 Jan 10
I do like Whitesnakes cover of Day Tripper, originally by the Beatles...
@ronnyb (6113)
• Jamaica
6 Jan 10
Well it all depends on how the cover is done .Many cover songs try to sing the song like the original singer and that is where they often fail because many times the original song is entrenched in people's mind and can never be bettered .The aim of a cover song likeyou say is to add something new to the song
@ksbbsk12 (8)
• United States
6 Jan 10
I agree with you that the artist who covers the song should add their own original twist to it. In some cases though people like to cover songs because they like the way that it sounds, therefore mimicking it to sound exactly the same. I believe that artists SHOULD add their own original twist to make it more fitting towards themselves. I'm a musician myself and I try to add something or fix it to make it suitable towards my vocal range and my ability to play the guitar. My favorite cover at the moment is Concrete Blonde's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Perfect example of novice fixing or adding but expressed incredibly well. A cover that's completely different off the top of my head is The Secrete Handshake's cover of Skee-lo's "I Wish."
I believe covers depend solely on the person who performs them. I generally prefer an original twist to them though.
@MrKennedy (1978)
•
6 Jan 10
Depends on how good it is covered to be honest, and how the artist covering a song has altered it to make it more unique to them. However, the only time I do disagree with cover songs is when an artist does NOTHING BUT re-hash the material of others instead of deciding to use some originality
@donsky14 (5947)
• Philippines
5 Jan 10
I usually like the original songs better. One cover song that I like though would be the one that Paramore did, I forgot the title, but I think its "Somebody". They did a good cover of it. Though the original version sounds more rock and rugged...they gave justice to the song. 
Good question you have there, about the cover songs, well with that word "cover songs" it should be exactly the same or something, right? But I think what most of the singers or bands are doing is that they put their own twist to it. Which is a good way of reliving the song. Hope that made sense. lol
Good question you have there, about the cover songs, well with that word "cover songs" it should be exactly the same or something, right? But I think what most of the singers or bands are doing is that they put their own twist to it. Which is a good way of reliving the song. Hope that made sense. lol 
@crimsonladybug (3112)
• United States
6 Jan 10
I'm kind of torn on the cover song issue.... I like when good bands cover good songs.... two weeks ago at their annual New Heart for Christmas show, my favorite band, Kill Hannah, performed a cover of one of my favorite songs, Just Like Heaven by the Cure. I wasn't able to attend the show but I've seen video footage and it literally made me cry it was so terrific (in my opinion, anyway).
But when a bad artist makes a cover of a good song, or a bad artist makes a cover of an already bad song (Britney Spears, My Prerogative...'nuff said), or when bands go outside their genre to find songs to cover...then it doesn't make me all kinds of happy.
@sachii315 (488)
• Japan
6 Jan 10
Hi maezee! I like listening to cover songs especially when it becomes acoustic. My personal favorites are Marie Digby and Boyce Avenue. I like this types of cover because I think the way the artist covey the music is different and the style too is different. For me it is still unique. Happy mylotting!
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
6 Jan 10
Well, depends on the song. Mostly when the covered song is one that I originally liked, it usually ends up in a disaster. However there are covers really nice, and that can sound even better than the original.
A good example of a bad cover is Avril Lavigne's basket case... seriously.
@UpsideDownPineapple (643)
• United States
6 Jan 10
Oh, and I think the POINT (most of the time) is to match the excellence of the song. Sometimes to show a little originality as well.
@UpsideDownPineapple (643)
• United States
6 Jan 10
Dislike(usually).
Unless it's a song I didn't like much by the original artist or a song that's so different from the original that they would't see any resemblance if they'd met. lol
@emediloy (701)
• Indonesia
6 Jan 10
mostly, i dislike cover song.but i really really like manic street preachers cover of rihanna "umbrella" that sound more powerfull and i think its great!
@se7enthbird (8307)
• Philippines
5 Jan 10
fiona apple is a cool singer, i hear my wife listens to a few of her songs. though i dont know the title... it has so sweet crazy i am lyrics on it. there are a lot of cool cover songs, example are the songs that david cook sang at the american idol while he was a contestant. if they will just mimic the original then there is no point on remaking the song. they have to add a touch that will make people say "hey that was a cool rendition"
there are a lot of cool cover songs, example are the songs that david cook sang at the american idol while he was a contestant. if they will just mimic the original then there is no point on remaking the song. they have to add a touch that will make people say "hey that was a cool rendition" 