Write Back Weekend "It's All Been Done Before"
On Tuesday I asked you for some of your favorite musical remakes as in play that for me one more time.
Around seven or so years ago, I started becoming obsessed with the idea of reheated classics. I attribute it to around this time period because that's when I started getting into (shh) downloading. In the downloading world you can often run across hard to find B-sides or songs redone by some of your favorite artists at an impromptu, live performance. Sometimes you even run into them on purpose. Gone are the days when you have to scour mom and pop record stores to unearth that hard to find '45. In a way this makes me a big sigh of relief, but sometimes it also serves to make me feel sad, too.
But just like anything else, there is something to be said for too much of a good thing. Sometimes, some artists remake other songs needlessly. This bothered me so much a few years ago that I even wrote a post about it called The Rules of the Remake. The same can be said for movies. A lot of times the reason behind this, no matter the form of expression, is the same-- artists resort to remakes when they can't think of anything new to say.
Think about it. How many movies today are just leftovers of cancelled tv shows or comic book concepts? Sure they might have to write a new script, but the framework, characters and all, is built in and for the taking. Call me crazy, but that's not all that much different from the world of musical remakes, or sampling for that matter (another TITMT for another time, perhaps).
My favorite though (note my sarcasm here) has to be the "fall from grace" type of artist. You know what I'm talking about. Once they were on top for having original hits of their own. But then they got older and they mellowed out which also usually means SELLING out. A perfect example of this is Rod Stewart. How the same guy cycled from Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Young Turks, Forever Young and finally, a remake of Young At Heart baffles me. In my mind, these kinds of remakes place one foot in the grave of the former popular artist. The last nail in the coffin is placed after the release of the dreaded "Greatest Hits" album.
A moment of silence, please.
What you see before you however is a list of artists that I believe managed to get it right in one way or another. Interestingly enough in almost every case I actually like the remake better than the original itself, which is why I chose to add it to the list. I've included video/audio links whereever possible although it wasn't for lack of trying. I guess you can say I made a list of songs that someone checked twice.
1. Overkill-Lazlo Bane In the early eighties, the late, great Australian band, Men At Work recorded this tune. The lead singer, Colin Hay, has gotten a bad rap over the years for having a crazy look in his eye, which I think is really just lazy, not crazy. They had a few major hits before more or less falling off the face of the Earth. Enter Lazlo Bane, an unknown band. They not only made this song sound better than the original, they managed to score Colin on a guest vocal, too.
2. What A Fool Believes- Self I stumbled upon this remake by accident. It's fun and refreshing. Self is a band that's a lot like Weezer's playful demeanor, only without the massive fan base. To further illustrate this point, their first LP was recorded entirely with toy instruments. If only I could find a sample of the cover itself online, but I can't.
3. No More Lonely Nights- Merrymakers The Merrymakers are another fun pop band. They contributed a cover of Paul McCartney's No More Lonely Nights to tribute album entitled, Listen To What The Man Said: Popular Artists Tribute to Paul McCartney. They are one of many bands to try to emulate the sounds of Paul McCartney and The Beatles, but in my experience, they are one of very few who actually managed to get it right.
4. Boys Don't Cry- Oleander Boys Don't Cry was a song originally done by the brooding, black clothing wearing group, The Cure. In 1999 an alternative rock band named Oleander whose biggest "hit" was probably a song called I Walk Alone covered the tune, turning it into a hard rocking song that would be perfect for many cover band bar rockers, both far and wide.
5. Hit Me Baby One More Time- Fountains of Wayne Every once and awhile a song comes along that seems like it should be fluff, but if you listen to the lyrics, there really is a strong pop sensibility. Hit Me Baby One More Time is one of those songs. A good tune in its own right, it has a lifetime of unfortunate association with Britney Spears. But a few years back, the pop rock band Fountains of Wayne took the song and slowed it down, emphasizing the heartbreak edge giving it dare I say, a sarcastic undertone. Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa also did a rendition that wasn't half bad, but that one sounded like it was much more a mockery. Fountains of Wayne meanwhile, turned it in to something brand new.
6. Last Kiss- Pearl Jam Most people don't know that Pearl Jam's cover of Last Kiss is actually a cover of a cover. The first version was done by Wayne Cochran and the CC Riders according to Wikipedia. Unfortunately I never heard that version, but I do know the original hit of the tune, as done by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. Something about this version, although a hit, never sat right with me. I think it's because the tone and delivery of the song didn't match the song itself. The lyrics are from the point of view of a man who is retelling the story of a horrible car crash that took his "baby". In J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers version they are actually rather...caviler in their take. Pearl Jam, meanwhile, took this song and sang it in a haunting way, emphasizing the ache of the loss and ultimately, making it one of the most unlikely, hit best covers of all time.
7. I Will Survive- Cake Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive seemed like the type of song that would forever be destined to live on in a disco one hit wonder vault somewhere. But then in the nineties, along came sarcastic rockers Cake who decided to slow the song down and give it a male point of view. The results surprisingly, worked.
8. Wild Horses- The Sundays The first time I ever heard The Sundays version of Wild Horses was when I saw the movie Fear. It was played in the somewhat infamous rollercoaster scene. It wasn't until sometime later that I found out it was actually a remake of a Rolling Stones hit. I've never been a huge fan of The Stones anyhow, but even if I were, The Sundays eerie take on the tune gave it a romantic appeal that has stayed with me for years.
9. A Different Drum- The Lemonheads First things first. No matter who sings A Different Drum, it remains one of my favorite songs to sing, period. It's just so much fun. It was originally recorded by The Stone Poneys in 1967, featuring Linda Rondstadt on lead vocals. The song, however, was actually written by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees. In the nineties, The Lemonheads, featuring then long-haired pretty boy, Evan Dando, had a more rocking rendition. As a result, the songs sounded completely different, but were equally entertaining. We don't hear much from Linda or Evan these days, but sing to the beat of their own drums at one time they did.
10. Wrong Way- Richard Cheese If Weird Al didn't change the lyrics and went Vegas instead, the result would be Richard Cheese. He's the fun of The Rat Pack and the Laugh Shack rolled into one. A comedian/performer, Richard Cheese, also known as Mark Jonathan Davis, formed the band Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, covering a slew of popular tunes with an unexpected "love ya baby" feel to them. There's just something about their take of Sublime's Wrong Way though that feels the most right.
11. Across the Universe- Fiona Apple Everyone knows The Beatles had a ton of great songs, so it only makes sense that a least one cover would make it to my best of list. In the late nineties Fiona Apple took this song and made it her own as part of the soundtrack for the movie Pleasantville. She managed to keep the great song intact will also giving it her signature stamp of melacholy and medley.
12. Baker Street- Foo Fighters When I was a child, I was inexplicably fearful of the song Baker Street. As I got older though I began to hear the song for what I believe it really was; an ingenious blend of jazz and pop. Why more people haven't had more mainstream success with the infusion baffles me. Maybe that's why it intrigues me so. I always thought Baker Street was a great one hit wonder by Gerry Rafferty and technically, I guess it is. What I didn't know though was that Gerry Rafferty was the singer for the band Stealers Wheel who had another great singular hit of the seventies, Stuck In the Middle With You. But back to Baker Street. When the Foo Fighters decided to record this classic, they added another musical element, rock, making it the song that is like a fine wine, just getting better with age.
13. Lean On Me- Club Nouveau I know that the original Lean On Me a sung by Bill Withers is a classic. It's the type of classic that in the eyes of many, should not or cannot be done better than the original. But I was a child in the eighties. And back then, Lean on Me by Club Nouveau was all over the radio. I picked this song as a great remake for the memories attached as much as the cover itself. The beat was infectious and in a way, with a song like this, it almost seemed inevitable.
14. Over the Rainbow- Sam Harris Another thing I have memories of from when I was a child is watching Star Search. Before kids had American Idol, Star Search was the show to watch. That show managed to both intrigue and repel me. How they always seemed to be on the semi-finals for instance, was so frustrating. While there weren't any breakout stars at the time, quite a few celebrities have flashback moments from Star Searches gone by. Back then, I do remember there being quite a buzz about the short singer with coattails, high tops and spunk named Sam Harris. I can still see our family around the television set amazed at his enthusiastic rendition of the Judy Garland classic, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. To this day just thinking about it gives me chills. Harris never had mainstream pop success (although he did record an album or two, which I own, of course). He did, however, find success on Broadway and more recently as a very flamboyant "straight" man on The Class.
15. Fields of Gold- Eva Cassidy The first time I remember hearing Eva Cassidy's rendition of Fields of Gold was while watching ice skating. I don't recall who was skating, but I remember thinking it was the perfect song for a subdued, solitaire skate. Since then I've heard this version many times over. For me, it resonates far more than the original Sting recorded. Incidentally, Eva also does Over The Rainbow beautifully as well.
16. Hey Ya- Matt Weddle of Obadiah Parker Finally we have an unlikely cover of Outkast's Hey Ya. If you know the original Hey Ya you know it's a feel good, upbeat song that comes across as rather nonsensical. A few years ago though my boyfriend starting playing it stripped down a bit on the guitar. So when a few years later this version started floating around You Tube, it seemed perfectly natural to me. I love how they took a straight up R&B song and turned it into a folk throwback.
They say imitation is the best form of flattery. In the case of all the artists above, I hope the covered artists were halfway as impressed as I was. They might be rehashed, but at least they weren't half assed.
Around seven or so years ago, I started becoming obsessed with the idea of reheated classics. I attribute it to around this time period because that's when I started getting into (shh) downloading. In the downloading world you can often run across hard to find B-sides or songs redone by some of your favorite artists at an impromptu, live performance. Sometimes you even run into them on purpose. Gone are the days when you have to scour mom and pop record stores to unearth that hard to find '45. In a way this makes me a big sigh of relief, but sometimes it also serves to make me feel sad, too.
But just like anything else, there is something to be said for too much of a good thing. Sometimes, some artists remake other songs needlessly. This bothered me so much a few years ago that I even wrote a post about it called The Rules of the Remake. The same can be said for movies. A lot of times the reason behind this, no matter the form of expression, is the same-- artists resort to remakes when they can't think of anything new to say.
Think about it. How many movies today are just leftovers of cancelled tv shows or comic book concepts? Sure they might have to write a new script, but the framework, characters and all, is built in and for the taking. Call me crazy, but that's not all that much different from the world of musical remakes, or sampling for that matter (another TITMT for another time, perhaps).
My favorite though (note my sarcasm here) has to be the "fall from grace" type of artist. You know what I'm talking about. Once they were on top for having original hits of their own. But then they got older and they mellowed out which also usually means SELLING out. A perfect example of this is Rod Stewart. How the same guy cycled from Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Young Turks, Forever Young and finally, a remake of Young At Heart baffles me. In my mind, these kinds of remakes place one foot in the grave of the former popular artist. The last nail in the coffin is placed after the release of the dreaded "Greatest Hits" album.
A moment of silence, please.
What you see before you however is a list of artists that I believe managed to get it right in one way or another. Interestingly enough in almost every case I actually like the remake better than the original itself, which is why I chose to add it to the list. I've included video/audio links whereever possible although it wasn't for lack of trying. I guess you can say I made a list of songs that someone checked twice.
1. Overkill-Lazlo Bane In the early eighties, the late, great Australian band, Men At Work recorded this tune. The lead singer, Colin Hay, has gotten a bad rap over the years for having a crazy look in his eye, which I think is really just lazy, not crazy. They had a few major hits before more or less falling off the face of the Earth. Enter Lazlo Bane, an unknown band. They not only made this song sound better than the original, they managed to score Colin on a guest vocal, too.
2. What A Fool Believes- Self I stumbled upon this remake by accident. It's fun and refreshing. Self is a band that's a lot like Weezer's playful demeanor, only without the massive fan base. To further illustrate this point, their first LP was recorded entirely with toy instruments. If only I could find a sample of the cover itself online, but I can't.
3. No More Lonely Nights- Merrymakers The Merrymakers are another fun pop band. They contributed a cover of Paul McCartney's No More Lonely Nights to tribute album entitled, Listen To What The Man Said: Popular Artists Tribute to Paul McCartney. They are one of many bands to try to emulate the sounds of Paul McCartney and The Beatles, but in my experience, they are one of very few who actually managed to get it right.
4. Boys Don't Cry- Oleander Boys Don't Cry was a song originally done by the brooding, black clothing wearing group, The Cure. In 1999 an alternative rock band named Oleander whose biggest "hit" was probably a song called I Walk Alone covered the tune, turning it into a hard rocking song that would be perfect for many cover band bar rockers, both far and wide.
5. Hit Me Baby One More Time- Fountains of Wayne Every once and awhile a song comes along that seems like it should be fluff, but if you listen to the lyrics, there really is a strong pop sensibility. Hit Me Baby One More Time is one of those songs. A good tune in its own right, it has a lifetime of unfortunate association with Britney Spears. But a few years back, the pop rock band Fountains of Wayne took the song and slowed it down, emphasizing the heartbreak edge giving it dare I say, a sarcastic undertone. Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa also did a rendition that wasn't half bad, but that one sounded like it was much more a mockery. Fountains of Wayne meanwhile, turned it in to something brand new.
6. Last Kiss- Pearl Jam Most people don't know that Pearl Jam's cover of Last Kiss is actually a cover of a cover. The first version was done by Wayne Cochran and the CC Riders according to Wikipedia. Unfortunately I never heard that version, but I do know the original hit of the tune, as done by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. Something about this version, although a hit, never sat right with me. I think it's because the tone and delivery of the song didn't match the song itself. The lyrics are from the point of view of a man who is retelling the story of a horrible car crash that took his "baby". In J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers version they are actually rather...caviler in their take. Pearl Jam, meanwhile, took this song and sang it in a haunting way, emphasizing the ache of the loss and ultimately, making it one of the most unlikely, hit best covers of all time.
7. I Will Survive- Cake Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive seemed like the type of song that would forever be destined to live on in a disco one hit wonder vault somewhere. But then in the nineties, along came sarcastic rockers Cake who decided to slow the song down and give it a male point of view. The results surprisingly, worked.
8. Wild Horses- The Sundays The first time I ever heard The Sundays version of Wild Horses was when I saw the movie Fear. It was played in the somewhat infamous rollercoaster scene. It wasn't until sometime later that I found out it was actually a remake of a Rolling Stones hit. I've never been a huge fan of The Stones anyhow, but even if I were, The Sundays eerie take on the tune gave it a romantic appeal that has stayed with me for years.
9. A Different Drum- The Lemonheads First things first. No matter who sings A Different Drum, it remains one of my favorite songs to sing, period. It's just so much fun. It was originally recorded by The Stone Poneys in 1967, featuring Linda Rondstadt on lead vocals. The song, however, was actually written by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees. In the nineties, The Lemonheads, featuring then long-haired pretty boy, Evan Dando, had a more rocking rendition. As a result, the songs sounded completely different, but were equally entertaining. We don't hear much from Linda or Evan these days, but sing to the beat of their own drums at one time they did.
10. Wrong Way- Richard Cheese If Weird Al didn't change the lyrics and went Vegas instead, the result would be Richard Cheese. He's the fun of The Rat Pack and the Laugh Shack rolled into one. A comedian/performer, Richard Cheese, also known as Mark Jonathan Davis, formed the band Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, covering a slew of popular tunes with an unexpected "love ya baby" feel to them. There's just something about their take of Sublime's Wrong Way though that feels the most right.
11. Across the Universe- Fiona Apple Everyone knows The Beatles had a ton of great songs, so it only makes sense that a least one cover would make it to my best of list. In the late nineties Fiona Apple took this song and made it her own as part of the soundtrack for the movie Pleasantville. She managed to keep the great song intact will also giving it her signature stamp of melacholy and medley.
12. Baker Street- Foo Fighters When I was a child, I was inexplicably fearful of the song Baker Street. As I got older though I began to hear the song for what I believe it really was; an ingenious blend of jazz and pop. Why more people haven't had more mainstream success with the infusion baffles me. Maybe that's why it intrigues me so. I always thought Baker Street was a great one hit wonder by Gerry Rafferty and technically, I guess it is. What I didn't know though was that Gerry Rafferty was the singer for the band Stealers Wheel who had another great singular hit of the seventies, Stuck In the Middle With You. But back to Baker Street. When the Foo Fighters decided to record this classic, they added another musical element, rock, making it the song that is like a fine wine, just getting better with age.
13. Lean On Me- Club Nouveau I know that the original Lean On Me a sung by Bill Withers is a classic. It's the type of classic that in the eyes of many, should not or cannot be done better than the original. But I was a child in the eighties. And back then, Lean on Me by Club Nouveau was all over the radio. I picked this song as a great remake for the memories attached as much as the cover itself. The beat was infectious and in a way, with a song like this, it almost seemed inevitable.
14. Over the Rainbow- Sam Harris Another thing I have memories of from when I was a child is watching Star Search. Before kids had American Idol, Star Search was the show to watch. That show managed to both intrigue and repel me. How they always seemed to be on the semi-finals for instance, was so frustrating. While there weren't any breakout stars at the time, quite a few celebrities have flashback moments from Star Searches gone by. Back then, I do remember there being quite a buzz about the short singer with coattails, high tops and spunk named Sam Harris. I can still see our family around the television set amazed at his enthusiastic rendition of the Judy Garland classic, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. To this day just thinking about it gives me chills. Harris never had mainstream pop success (although he did record an album or two, which I own, of course). He did, however, find success on Broadway and more recently as a very flamboyant "straight" man on The Class.
15. Fields of Gold- Eva Cassidy The first time I remember hearing Eva Cassidy's rendition of Fields of Gold was while watching ice skating. I don't recall who was skating, but I remember thinking it was the perfect song for a subdued, solitaire skate. Since then I've heard this version many times over. For me, it resonates far more than the original Sting recorded. Incidentally, Eva also does Over The Rainbow beautifully as well.
16. Hey Ya- Matt Weddle of Obadiah Parker Finally we have an unlikely cover of Outkast's Hey Ya. If you know the original Hey Ya you know it's a feel good, upbeat song that comes across as rather nonsensical. A few years ago though my boyfriend starting playing it stripped down a bit on the guitar. So when a few years later this version started floating around You Tube, it seemed perfectly natural to me. I love how they took a straight up R&B song and turned it into a folk throwback.
They say imitation is the best form of flattery. In the case of all the artists above, I hope the covered artists were halfway as impressed as I was. They might be rehashed, but at least they weren't half assed.
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