If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the cover song is the greatest homage that one artist can pay to another — or, at least, for the most part. Sometimes it’s an audacious move, as the cover artist is assuming that they even have enough credibility to be re-creating the work of the first.
Other times, the second act is a show-stealer; the cover is so great that listeners forget there was ever an original. Maybe it’s even good-natured mockery, an obscure indie artist covering chart-topping pop hits with his acoustic guitar, or more recently his ukelele. At any rate, the cover song is an art form and the perfect method of musical recycling, it keeps old tracks fresh.
The most successful and widely received cover songs are those that re-interpret and re-invent the original songs. No one needs a millionth cover of “Wonderwall.” We all know what it sounds like. Most interesting are songs like ska band Save Ferris’ rendition on the ‘80s pop-rock-Celtic hit “Come on Eileen” or the Watson Twins’ country-folk take on The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
Indie artists love cover songs. This is because indie artists love irony. From Ben Gibbard’s rendition of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” to Jenny Owen Youngs covering Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” and Tegan and Sara’s cover of “Umbrella,” it has become quite evident that there’s no bigger crowd pleaser than an indie favorite taking an acoustic guitar to a genre where it doesn’t belong.
More than that, cover songs have become venues for calling original artists out on their own absurdity — it’s a form of commentary. In 2003, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs made their name known to the world with “Maps.” In 2004, American Idol Kelly Clarkson topped the charts with her hit “Since U Been Gone.” In 2005, singer/songwriter Ted Leo realized both songs had the same guitar solo. Introducing his song as a cover of Clarkson’s hit, Leo picked up with “Maps” on the other side of his guitar solo, leaving audiences with the realization, “Oh, that’s why that sounds familiar.”
Indie artists also love to cover each other, since indie artists are kind of pretentious and tend to believe they can do other people’s jobs just as well as they do, though this is rarely true. Such is the case with “Maps.” Although the song is composed of little more than a simple guitar line and a thunderous drum beat, no one — not even the Arcade Fire, not even the White Stripes — have been able to capture frontwoman Karen O’s quiet, haunting vocals or mimic the way she pleads, “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you.” Sometimes the essence of a song lies in the singer.
The White Stripes have had something of an unsuccessful record with cover songs. Besides “Maps,” Jack and Meg White also did Canadian twins Tegan and Sara the favor of putting them on the mainstream map with the cover of their song “Walking With A Ghost.” The vocals were far above White’s range, and the Stripes’ rock and roll sound meshed poorly with Tegan and Sara’s catchy indie-folk pop, but this was an instance in which quality songwriting prevailed. The simplicity of Tegan and Sara’s words combined with a catchy melody shined through the Stripes’ cover and propelled the twins into the public eye.
And in this way, cover songs may be less imitation and more a portal to mainstream success. Entire albums, like the “Punk Goes Crunk” series, in which punk bands such as New Found Glory and Say Anything cover classic hip-hop tracks, have been devoted to cover songs, and artists have made entire careers of it.
Lounge singer Richard Cheese earned his fame through re-creating kitschy, swing-band style covers of popular rock, rap, heavy metal and pop songs. Even his band, Lounge Against the Machine, is a parody of popular culture. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are another band who, since 1995, have made their living off of punk covers of classics, perhaps most notably “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which has been used as the theme song for HBO’s “Taxicab Confessions.”
Segue to fame or lazy musicianship? It may not even matter, since the best covers inject their own dose of originality. More and more, musicians are straying from the tendency to cover a song note by note and taking covers as opportunities to showcase what they can do with an already existing work.
You can reach this staff writer at kcasino@theeagleonline.com.
