It is really easy to make up a list of the worst cover songs because it is so much fun to beat up on crappy artists/songs. What I find hard is getting together a list of great cover songs because there are so many that should make the list but do not. If they do not make my list it is not because they were not great covers, it is probably because I was too lazy to come up with anything to say about them. For the songs that did make the list, the criteria was really quite easy: the artist had to make the song sound like their own (like if you did not know it was not written by them), it had to sound good, and they had to bring something fresh to the song. With that said, here is my list of the best cover songs . . . EVER!
First one is kind of easy, and it comes from one of my favorite bands: Social Distortion's cover of Ring of Fire. Not only did Mike Ness and the boys do a great rendition of it, but for a lot of people who do not know any better, they do not even realize that it is a cover of a Johnny Cash song. Now Social D has done some great covers in their time: Making Believe, Under My Thumb, and Maybellene, but Ring of Fire has become a sort of calling card for the band. They are expected to play it at every show they do, and they never fail to bring out the passion and energy that this song has. It is a great modern take on a classic song, and it was also a very fitting choice for a band with the musical styling of Social Distortion. They recorded their version on their self-titled album back in 1990 (I know I can't believe it is 20 years old either), and even now it sounds just as current as it did back then. This album is also a must have for your collection if you do not already have it. It has some great songs on it like Story of My Life, Sick Boys, Ball and Chain, and So Far Away. I do suggest getting your hands on the Japanese Import for the bonus tracks It's All Over Now and Shame on Me. If you are a Social D fan, these are rare gems that everyone salivates over (well at least before the download age came about).
Up next is Joan Jett's cover of I Love Rock 'n Roll. Say what – you did not know it was a cover? Well yes it is my friends. It was first performed and written by the Arrows, but Joan Jett made it a household name in 1981. Not only was this song just a major hit for Jett, but it also launched her career as a solo artist after leaving the Runaways. Joan has done several covers also: Crimson and Clover, Love is All Around and Wild One. All are great covers, but I Love Rock 'n Roll is the one that started it all for her. It was on Billboard's Hot 100 list for seven weeks straight, and the album itself launched a number of hits for Joan Jett. Her gritty vocals and punk style inspired the Riot Grrl movement of the early 1990's and firmly cemented Jett as an icon in the music scene. I guess it is not too shabby considering she has a movie out about her time spent in the Runaways.
During the 1950's it was very commonplace for artists to cover each other's songs. One of Elvis' early hits was his cover of Carl Perkins' Blue Suede Shoes. However, this is not about the king and his songs, this is about one of my favorite artists from that time period Wanda Jackson. While she never had the commercial success that Elvis did, she did become a regional favorite with her tunes like Fujiyama Mama (which was a number one hit in Japan) and Let's Have a Party (which Elvis recorded a year before she did). It is really easy to use one of her covers from this time period (Making Believe, Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On, and a Little Bitty Tear) but I want to mention a cover that she did pretty recently of Amy Winehouse's You Know I'm No Good. Jackson, who is now 72, released this cover in January of 2010 on a 7" with Shakin' All Over. While I am a big Wanda Jackson fan, I have not heard anything recently recorded by her. During the 1970's and 80's she recorded a lot of gospel songs, and I usually am not too keen on them. Plus I always liked her raw voice and did not want to ruin that image of her in my head. Anyway, I always thought that Amy Winehouse was like the polished version of Jackson. No, Jackson did not walk around with a ratty beehive on her head and was not a big lush, but you could definitely see Wanda's influence on Winehouse. So when this single came out, I immediately scooped it up. Released on Third Man Records (Jack White's record label, store, and what have you) it is expected that she will release a full album this fall. Her voice is still just the same if not better. It is a great cover and definitely worth checking out.
The godfathers of New York Hardcore, Agnostic Front, have their own cover that is worthy enough to add to this list. Crucified was written by the hardcore band Iron Cross and released on their first EP Skinhead Glory (and no, not the bad kind of skinheads, there is a BIG difference) and was released in 1982. The song became a staple for many hardcore bands like 25 ta Life, the Business, and many others. As much as I like the other bands' covers, nothing beats Agnostic Front's version. They released the song on a couple of their albums: Liberty and Justice for . . . and Something's Gotta Give. Live versions of the song were released on a bunch of other albums by AF. While celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of Victim in Pain, Sab Grey (of Iron Cross) got up onstage at Agnostic Front's show at the Bell House (in Brooklyn) and performed Crucified with the band. Nearly the entire audience got up on stage to sing and stage dive while the song was being performed, and it was just an incredible evening. Heck, I even got to meet AF's guitarist Vinnie Stigma and had my picture taken with him. Pretty neat stuff!
Finally on my list (which totally is not complete) is Whitney Houston's cover of I Will Always Love You. The original song was written and performed by Dolly Parton in 1974. Parton's version is a very slow and simple country song, whereas Whitney Houston took the song and completely made it her own as a soul ballad with a very low key start until she swings for the fences and hits that most memorable note towards the end. During the entire song you can tell that Houston is building towards something great, but you just did not know what until it happened. This song was a runaway success in 1992, and the version that we know almost did not make it to the Bodyguard soundtrack. The record company was not sure if they wanted the a cappella singing in the beginning of the track, but Houston and her co-star Kevin Costner insisted on keeping the song the way it was. It ended up selling over 15 million copies and spent 14 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 list (which was the record at the time).
So there you have it, some of my favorite cover songs. I know it is very odd to have people like Wanda Jackson and Whitney Houston on the same list as a band like Agnostic Front, but that is the great part about music: there are so many different genres that can be found enjoyable no matter what your preferred one is. The point of a great cover song is that it should be able to cross over the genre lines and be found appealing by the masses. You may or may not agree with my list, but you cannot deny that each one of these songs cemented these artists as icons in their respective genres.
Cheers!
