Songs That Shouldn't Be Covered

[James_Potter]

I was just listening to Bohemian Rhapsody, and remembered someone singing it on American Idol once and wishing he hadn't done that because it's IMPOSSIBLE to come close to how good the original is...some songs should be classified as untouchable, that no one should ever attempt to do a cover of, and Bohemian Rhapsody is one of them.
What are some others?
I'm thinking a lot of Bob Dylan songs...Beatles too.

[DK]

Originally Posted by James_Potter

I was just listening to Bohemian Rhapsody, and remembered someone singing it on American Idol once and wishing he hadn't done that because it's IMPOSSIBLE to come close to how good the original is...some songs should be classified as untouchable, that no one should ever attempt to do a cover of, and Bohemian Rhapsody is one of them.
What are some others?
I'm thinking a lot of Bob Dylan songs...Beatles too.

No songs should be covered, IMO.

[James_Potter]

Why do you say that?

[DK]

Originally Posted by James_Potter

Why do you say that?

Its not creative really, and I've never heard a cover that was on par with the original. When you play someone else's song you dont have the same passion, emotion, etc that the original artist had. I do agree that some things are harder/worse to cover than others though.

[JJuggle]

Originally Posted by DK

When you play someone else's song you dont have the same passion, emotion, etc that the original artist had.

Bullshit. Songs can and do affect listeners strongly enough to make them passionate about them. Passionate enough to want to create a new version.

Every classical performance is essentially a cover.

[zfreak220]

Originally Posted by JJuggle

Every classical performance is essentially a cover.

been playing in orchestra for 4 years now, and i never thought of it that way.

[zfreak220]

no girl should ever cover a nirvana song.

[James_Potter]

Originally Posted by zfreak220

no girl should ever cover a nirvana song.

Hahah, true that. Obviously referring to Tori Amos doing Smells Like Teen Spirit....
to DK: think about the fact that The Beatles didn't write Twist and Shout, but its one of their most famous, or at least well known songs. It was written by the Isley Brothers, but the Beatles covered it and it was so freakin' awesome that everyone forgets the Isley Brothers version....

[JJuggle]

Originally Posted by James_Potter

Hahah, true that. Obviously referring to Tori Amos doing Smells Like Teen Spirit....

Well notwithstanding that Tori Amos is a bit annoying, it wasn't bad.

Here's a couple of "girls" doing a really nice Battle of Evermore by Led Zeppelin.

[Unitik908]

Originally Posted by zfreak220

no girl should ever cover a nirvana song.

x 10000

Chase

[JJuggle]

Originally Posted by DK

No songs should be covered, IMO.

I will disagree and say that there are no songs that shouldn't be covered. For some songs the likelihood is low that any given cover will be sufficiently well done and original to overcome the established expectations of the original. Nevertheless no song is above a new interpretation.

[john_childs]

Originally Posted by DK

No songs should be covered, IMO.

None of my favorite songs should be covered poorly.

Sometimes you hear a cover and you just sit back and say "yeah, that was good". Sometime someone or a band will have a new interpretation that makes the song interesting again. Sometimes someone will just do the song really well. That's all good.

If there were no covers then we would never have Johnny Cash's version of Hurt (originally by Nine Inch Nails).

I used to consider Pink Floyd songs off limits to covers. Then I heard the Australian Pink Floyd Show (and saw them live) and I changed my mind. They didn't reinterpret the songs or play them differently. They just played them very well. It was as if Pink Floyd was performing. It was good.

When Queen did the reunion tour with Paul Rodgers doing the singing I didn't go. I didn't buy the album and not sure that I want to listen to it. I'm not saying that the tour should not have been done. The reviews said it was all done very well and Paul Rodgers did an excellent job. But I didn't want to see the tour. Plus the show was in Key Arena in Seattle and the thought of the acoustics in there makes me cringe.

[toddw9]

Originally Posted by john_childs

If there were no covers then we would never have Johnny Cash's version of Hurt (originally by Nine Inch Nails).

yet another song where I wasn't a fan of the original, but really enjoyed the cover.

[JJuggle]

Here is a very nice album of covers of songs from the 60s called Bleecker Street.

There's even one by John Gorka which is good.

[harper]

I have heard (and collected) many covers of songs that are as good as if not better than the original. Raphael is right, all songs should be covered. You never know when an artist's interpretation will strike a note (bad pun intended) with you.

There is a thread whose topic is covers of songs.

I found this thread with a little used trick known as the "SEARCH" function.