Monday Music Club: Favorite Cover Songs

In previous Monday Music Clubs we've explored our deepest psyches and revealed songs that exposed our obsessions, our happiness and high school. We're going to give our team of analysts a break this week and just go with a basic theme: cover songs we like. There are lots of cover songs out there (77,000+ according to some databases) so we listened to ALL of them* and narrowed them down to our ten faves. Enjoy!

*may not be 100% true





Mei's Songs

1. Earth, Wind, and Fire – Got To Get You Into My Life: This video is hilarious, especially the Bee Gees dressed up as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in a musical of the same name inspired by the album and fake musical group invented by the Beatles, watching Earth, Wind and Fire perform a song originally by The Beatles. WHAAT? I am confused, but love this song in both versions.
(Original - The Beatles)

2. Iron and Wine – Such Great Heights: Amazing song, originally by The Postal Service. I didn’t know that the song had such widespread popularity/street cred/sellout factor/mainstream marketing potential, having appeared in four TV commercials, two TV episodes, one major motion picture soundtrack, and covered by artists like Rilo Kiley and Ben Folds. Apparently, Ben’s version includes piano, forks, tin foil, and glass. Right.
(Original - The Postal Service)

3. Feist – Inside and Out: Back to the Bee Gees! So much interconnectedness. I loved this song and video before I knew it was a Bee Gees cover, which I find entertaining. This song has at times been immersed in my head for days. If you like Feist (or muppets or counting or happy awesomeness) you mustmustmust watch her Sesame Street video . It is my goal in life to be on Sesame Street someday.
(Original - The Bee Gees)

4. Aretha Franklin – The Weight: Originally by The Band, this song rocks and reminds me of my SF sister Annie. I don’t know if Aretha is saying Annie or Fannie in this song, but this song kills it all the same. The name Annie appears in lots of other songs too – ‘Annie Mae’ is a good one for us, as well as the most famous ‘ANNIE ARE YOU OKAY?’ from Smooth Criminal by MJ. I have been known to get drunk and dance about while asking her this repeatedly. I like to think it’s endearing, not horrifically annoying. Miss you and your iPod mixes, Nyborg.
(Original - The Band)

5. Alicia Keys – How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore: Fantastic breakup song, originally by The Artist Formerly Known As/That Skinny Dude In A Purple Bodysuit/The Genius Behind Purple Rain And So Many Other Good Songs/Where Did He Come From, Is He An Alien??!?/The Man Himself, Prince. Alicia Keys is immensely talented and does a bang-up job communicating the emotion of this song. Interestingly enough, one of the most famous breakup songs of all time, Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O’Connor, is also a Prince original, which not a lot of people know. Thought about including that one, but it sort of makes me want to slit my wrists, and that would be messy. It’s depressing-as-hell breakup song, not soulful breakup like Miss Keys. Sing it, girl.
(Original - Prince)

Chris' Songs

1. Smoking Popes - Pure Imagination: My good friend Justin introduced me to this song after our first year in college. It's brilliant and way less creepy than the original.
(Original - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

2. Save Ferris - Come on Eileen: Any band that names themselves after Ferris Bueller's Day Off is alright by me. Save Ferris does a service to Come On Eileen which, in my adolesence, I ranked as my 62nd favorite song (no joke).
(Original - Dexy's Midnight Runners)

3. Cake - I Will Survive: This may be blasphemy, but I like the Cake version better. Sure it doesn't make you want to disco on down like the original, but it does contain the F word. Regardless of the artist, next time we're on the dance floor I'll sing along at the top of my lungs.
(Original - Gloria Gaynor)

4. Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along the Watchtower: I suppose that it's a tribute to Dylan that his songs hold up so well when covered by others. I love the aggression in Hendrix's version - making it far superior to the passionless rendition on John Wesley Harding. Cue Dylan defenders in 3..2..1..
(Original - Bob Dylan)

5. Johnny Cash - Hurt: I get a lump in my throat each time I watch the music video for Johnny Cash's version. I never really liked Trent Reznor's original, but in the hands of The Man In Black it is a masterpiece.
(Original - Nine Inch Nails)