TMS Spotlight: Some More Reasons to Appreciate Cover Versions
(via guitar.com)
One of the most popular rock bands—if not the most popular rock band—to break through relatively recently is Eurovision winner Måneskin. Their fans range from all age groups because they make ‘old school’ rock music with the traditional four piece set of vocals, guitar, bass and drums. To younger listeners they uniquely stand out from the contemporary, digitally aided music acts; while the older listeners are reminded of the type of bands who were popular when they were growing up. Another retro thing about Måneskin is how much they seem to enjoy covering other musicians’ and bands’ songs; most obvious with their biggest hit to date: a 2017 cover of the Four Seasons’ 1967 tune ‘Beggin.’’ What surprises me is how often I see Millennial and Gen Z music fans complaining about this, and suggesting the group will lose credibility from performing other people’s music too much. This is amusing to me, since if you look back at the early years of the music industry, you’ll find musicians were covering each other all the time.
Cover versions seem to usually be associated with pop, rock and hip-hop. But even the most ‘serious’ music genre out there, folk, has a wide history of artists interpreting already existing music as well. Legendary folk singers Joan Baez and Judy Collins were famous for making hits out of covers in the 1960s and 1970s. Joan didn’t even record her own original music until her ninth LP, ‘David’s Album,’ in 1969; and spent most of the ‘60s performing other folkies’ compositions [including ex-boyfriend Bob Dylan’s]. Judy was a similar case, with her sixth album, ‘Wildflowers’ (1967), featuring her first three original songs after breaking through as a ‘covers artist.’ But like Joan, most people remember and recognize Judy’s hit singles of other people’s material. Such as Leonard Cohen’s ‘Suzanne’ (1966); ‘Both Sides Now’ (1967), written by Joni Mitchell; ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’ (1968), originally penned by Sandy Denny; and ‘Send in the Clowns’ (1975), from Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 musical ‘A Little Night Music.’
Arguably the most successful female music artist of the 1970s, Linda Ronstadt was also known for covering famous songs and giving them a second wind of success. This includes her two biggest classics: ‘You’re No Good’ (1974), penned by Clint Ballard Jr. for DeeDee Warwick back in 1963; and ‘Blue Bayou’ (1977), co-written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson on Roy’s 1963 LP ‘In Dreams.’ Linda’s pals in the Byrds and the Monkees weren’t strangers to performing other artists’ music either. A couple of my favorites by the two groups are the Byrds’ version of Dylan’s ‘My Back Pages’ and the Monkees’ ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday,’ one of their many Gerry Goffin & Carole King recordings. Both were fittingly on the charts during the Summer of Love in 1967. The greatest of classic rock bands, Led Zeppelin, did their share of covering—though to controversial results regarding songwriting credits on their records. But most rock fans still dig their epic versions of tracks like Anne Bredon’s ‘Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You’ (1969) and Kansas Joe McCoy & Memphis Minnie’s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ (1971). Half of Van Halen’s 1982 album ‘Diver Down,’ is comprised of covers, featuring their hit version of Roy Orbison’s ‘Oh, Pretty Woman.’
Tommy James & the Shondells got a boost of relevancy in 1987, when popstar Tiffany made a no. 1 hit out of their 1967 single ‘I Think We’re Alone Now;’ and as did pop-rocker Billy Idol in 1981 with the Shondells’ ‘Mony, Mony’ (1968). The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first chart-topper was in 1989 with their version of Stevie Wonder’s 1973 classic ‘Higher Ground.’ The grunge generation in the early 1990s appreciated the classics, most noticeably with the Lemonheads’ covers of 1960s staples, Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs. Robinson’ in 1992 and Mike Nesmith’s ‘Different Drum’ in 1990. Even into my own generation, the White Stripes got a popular cover in 2004 out of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ and didn’t lose any cred in the alt-rock community.
So next time you hear about Måneskin doing a rendition of the Who’s ‘My Generation’ or Elvis Presley’s ‘If I can Dream,’ remember it’s not necessarily laziness or lack of talent. And more along the lines of keeping the classics alive.