Take Cover

If imitation is the biggest form of flattery, check out these gems and their brilliant contemporaries

By Brandon Perkins
Published: Dec 01, 2007

Cover songs are nearly as old as pop music itself and comparably cyclical, moving in and out of the culture with a lunar-like consistency. Well, the moon is about to be full. As 2007 passes the midway point, it’s clear that covers are once again on the come-up. Celebrity DJ Mark Ronson (who is also an accredited producer, remixer, label owner, brother to Lindsay Lohan snitch, Samantha Ronson, tastemaker, etc.) recently released the buzz-worthy Versions, his second full length and one that’s entirely comprised of cover songs. And next month, acclaimed party rebel M.I.A. will release her sophomore album, Kala, an effort sprinkled with interpolations of some surprising sources.

While Ronson’s material skews towards the last decade (see the brilliantly horn-heavy and Ol’ Dirty Bastard-assisted take on Britney Spears’s “Toxic”), M.I.A. makes things political by reworking lyrics by The Pixies and The Clash. One thing shared by the two however, is their tendency to be at the forefront of trends. So, with that in mind, DAME wants to make sure that you’re well-versed in the musical art of taking something old(ish) and making it new again. Here are five must-hear cuts that take it beyond your favorite local cover band’s version of Bob Seger’s “Turn The Page.”

Donny Hathaway, “Jealous Guy”

Lennon
When John Lennon whimsically apologizes to his lover for an uncontrollable jealousy (on his 1971 classic Imagine); it sounds more like a marriage proposal then the tale-end of an argument the lyrics would suggest. (Lennon even whistles the outro like it was “Zippity Doo Dah.”) Soul singer Donny Hathaway’s gut-wrenching version is quite the opposite. Bearing his soul while sitting at the piano, Hathaway pounds out pained chords like his tears are striking the ivories for one of the more destructive resonating covers in music history.

The Zombies, “Can’t Nobody Love You”

zombies
Probably the most consistently overlooked band of the British Invasion, The Zombies sang soul like no other white boys, before or since. Originally penned by Solomon Burke, “Can’t Nobody” is one of those songs to get married by. Detailing a love that can only exist inside the heart of the singer, The Zombies stripped the song to a near naked minimalism. By the time everything crescendos into a match of dueling pet names (“Ray Charles called you his sunshine, but you’re the apple of my eye”), men everywhere will be forced to drop to one knee and women will have no choice but to weepily accept.

TV on the Radio, “Mr. Grieves"

pixies
It takes serious gall to drastically change such a weird, weird song, but that’s one of the characteristics that makes TV on the Radio the best band alive. Originally found on the The Pixies’ classic Doolitle (a record with a plethora of citations, including Nirvana’s entire career), “Grieves” tells the tall tale of, well, we’re not sure, but Neptune’s only daughter gets mentioned, as does praying for the man in the middle. What makes TV on the Radio’s version so special is switching up The Pixies’ original reggae flavor into a haunting acappella that has more in common with slave hymns from centuries past than the music of today.

Cat Power, “I Found A Reason”

Touching the piano seemingly from beyond the grave, Cat Power’s repurposing of Velvet Underground lyrics is as torturously beautiful and compellingly tragic as a virgin suicide. It creeps at a nerve-wrackingly slow pace and Chan Marshall’s quivering voice owns every bit of naiveté in the lyrics written by Lou Reed.

Yo La Tengo, “Speedy Motorcycle”

It really doesn’t get more distinctive than the manic-depressive, gloriously pop music of Daniel Johnston. Beloved by artists from Nirvana to David Bowie, here Yo La Tengo pay wonderful homage to the often-misunderstood genius by maintaining the original’s classically lo-fi organ and wavering voice, but also by making it their own.

Brandon Perkins is the Senior Editor of national music publication URB Magazine. He's also a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and fearful soothsayer about the impending invasion of colossal squids. His profile on Lil Wayne, entitled "Industrial Psychology," will appear in Da Capo Best Music Writing 2007 later this year and his novel is in the works.

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