soopastryheart

I accidentally hit the “Name” tab in my iTunes the other day, organizing all my music in alphabetical order by song title. It never occurred to me how many versions of the same song I had in my library, but as I scanned the list, there were indeed, quite a few. Some I hadn’t heard in played in recent memory, but there were others, that by judging by the play count, were obvious perennial favorites.

And I know plenty of music snobs, people who swear and die by the originals, never wanting to give covers a shot. And while there are plenty of misfires, versions that make a complete mockery of its predecessors (GTFO Mariah Carey with “I Wanna Know What Love Is”), I think it’s foolish to block your ears to adaptations that give a different spin on a classic. Great songs will stand the test of time (and the dreaded auto-tune). Great lyrics will remain meaningful and relevant, even if it jumps genres and decades. And for the current, desperately-yet-ironically-seeking-originality generation, contemporary covers and remixes may be the only way to introduce the “good stuff”, or the stuff that hasn’t been tainted by over-stylization and the rap industry.

Some of my favorites:

1. Adele, Garth Brooks “To Make You Feel My Love”

Thanks to Bob Dylan, only a song this beautiful could remain consistent when sung by two distinct voices, one being a modern day Etta James (Remember in Little Mermaid, when Ursula captures Ariel’s voice in a conch shell and wears it around her neck? Yeah, I’d like to do that to Adele’s), and the other being a country superstar. I love both versions with equal affinity, and remains one of the few love songs I have yet to get sick of.

 

2. Maxwell, Greg Laswell “A Woman’s Work”

Originally written and performed by Kate Bush, these two covers make it hard to believe that the song should’ve been sang by anyone but a dude (although Maxwell’s pitch is high enough to be mistaken for the other gender).

 

3. Jeff Buckley “Hallelujah”

Interpret it any way you want; it can be reflective and a little heartbreaking, but always, always stunning. This song is about as lyrically perfect as any song is ever going to get, and reaffirms my belief that Leonard Cohen is one of the most brilliant songwriters ever.

 

4. CCR, Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”

 

I’ve been so in love with both versions of this 1966 original that I’ve given up trying to choose a favorite. In this contest, there are no losers.

 

5. David Gray “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today”

Six degrees of separation: “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today” was written by Randy Newman, who also penned “Feels Like Home”, which Chantal Kreviazuk covered. Chantal also did a cover of “Leaving On a Jet Plane”, originally written and sang by John Denver. The song was also previously made popular by being covered by Peter, Paul, and Mary, who were also responsible for “Puff, the Magic Dragon”, one of the few songs from my childhood that I absolutely loathed. Is that six degrees or five?

 

6. Jason Mraz “In My Life”

Taking a break from his side job as a toilet paper guru, Jason Mraz covered one of my favorite Beatles songs, giving it a subtle-yet-undeniably-Jason hint of spice, making teenage girls oblivious to the fact that Paul and John were originally responsible for the masterpiece.

 

7. Ryan Adam, “Wonderwall”

Let’s get this straight: I absolutely love the original by Oasis, but this rendition by Ryan Adams swept me off my feet.

 

8. The Side Project “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”

If there’s a decade of music that gets constantly shit on for being a bit on the cheesy side, it would be the 80’s. But how could you hate on a period of time that gave us this, this, or this (okay, maybe not this one). Whitney Houston has always been my favorite pop diva (beat it, Beyonce), and her original version still remains one of my go-to’s to bust out corny dance moves. But leave it to a local Seattle band to be able to take a song that makes me dance like this, and transform the composition into something this beautiful.

 

9. Sarah Blasko “Hey Ya”

Some covers are arranged so uniquely that they take on an entirely new perspective. Who knew Outkast, responsible for lyrical gems such as “roses really smell like poo-oo-oo” could provide for such a lovely backdrop?

 

10. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You”

It broke my heart to see clips of Whitney’s most recent tour endeavor, where she sounded utterly deflated trying to sing this song (crack, is indeed, whack), but I have remained a fan, choosing to remember the Whitney during her glory days, blowing people away with her jaw-dropping voice. So many forget that it was the great (and my personal hero) Dolly Parton who wrote and originally performed this song, but with Whitney making it the classic as we all know it as being today, it’s hard to believe that anyone else but her was ever supposed to sing this song (often imitated, never duplicated).

 

11. Etta James “A Sunday Kind of Love”

I’ve heard countless versions of this 1946 jazz favorite, but none that ever came close to touching Etta and her powerhouse of a voice. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, folks. This is the gold standard.

There have been countless times where I’ve heard my dad play an oldie that I particularly enjoyed, only to be informed of its rich history involving multiple renditions performed throughout decades of time. With the exception of the musical diarrhea that American Idol manages to purge out each season, I’m always open to new and different interpretations of music, especially if an artist can create new meanings and bring in new audiences by making the smallest architectural changes in melody. Good music will remain good music and can hit different emotional tones when sang by unexpected voices.

Uh, except you, Jessica Simpson, and your version of “Angels”. That shit was unacceptable.