Cover Me

Not long ago, I read a blog which talked about the best and the worst cover songs. It intrigued me, largely because the person who wrote it had such awful taste in music. Of all the music to spolight, he picked uninteresting and boring songs. It actually irritated me as is often the case when it comes to music, art or film. My wife is always telling me to stop being so critical. I think it was art school that ruined me. I can’t just listen to a song or simply watch a movie anymore. I have to analyze it and voice my opinion. My brothers and I are unbearable when we get together to watch a movie or listen to music. Maybe this is the same with the person who wrote that blog.
I had a professor once who said that when we find someone who has different taste than us we automatically view them with suspicion. For example, if I walk into a house and it is full of plastic grapes and Tommy Kincade paintings, I immediately have doubts about not only that person’s taste but also their sanity. if someone tells me that they think Britney Spears is brillant or that their favorite movie is Sleepless in Seattle, I will not trust their opinion on anything.
But back to cover songs, I have heard plenty of them in my life. My old band in college used to play some pretty cool ones. My personal favorites were “Without or Without you” by U2 and “Grace” by Jeff Buckley. It is sad that most people who listened to us didn’t feel the same as I did about the songs.
I think some of the finest covers done recently were the American Recordings series by Johnny Cash. He had a way of really getting inside a song and showing new colors that I heard within a song. He was a great interpreter.

Top cover songs:
Hallelujah Jeff Buckley
Hard to Handle Black Crowes
Hurt Johnny Cash
All Along the Watchtower Jimi Hendrix
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted Joan Osbourne
This Charming Man Death Cab for Cutie
Nothing Compares to U Sinead O'Connor
Rusty Cage Johnny Cash
Untold Stories Sinead O'Conner