Awesome Cover Songs!

On 07/11/2013 at 05:24 AM by Blake Turner

Cover songs can be awesome, or they can be terrible pieces of shit, depending on the band covering the song. What I think makes a truly great cover is a band that takes a song and makes it their own, while still capturing the essence of the original. With that in mind, here are some awesome cover songs!

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Tori Amos (Nivana)

This cover is simultaneously beautiful, depressing and a little haunting. Very different to the original, as this is a piano ballad as opposed to a grunge song. It's also fucking awesome.

99 Problems - Philadelphia Grand Jury (Jay Z)

Try and listen to this song without smiling. It's impossible. Any song that covers a rap song and has a "La, la la la" style segment in it is doing something right. This song is just so bright and cheery, and the folky pop style goes completely against the harshness of the original, yet somehow I think Jay would smile a little when he hears this.

Who Wants to Live Forever - Breaking Benjamin (Queen)

I love Queen, I really do. I'm also not a massive fan of breaking benjamin, but I honestly prefer this cover. It's just more powerful, especially the "When love must die" part kicks in. I get goosebumps every time I listen to it.

Black Boys on Mopeds - Chevelle (Sinead O'Conner)

This is an absolutely brilliant cover. I almost teared up when I first heard it. Don't know why, it's just such a brilliant song. The original is great, and it's really a matter of preference as to which you prefer. I honestly can't tell.

21st Century Schizoid Man - Shining (King Crimson)

First of all, Shining (NOR) are a fucking awesome band. They started as a jazz band, then started adding more and more metal and electronica in their style until they became one of the best avant garde metal bands. This cover might piss off some of the less open minded King Crimson, but if you're a close minded King Crimson fan, you're kind of missing the point of King Crimson.

Looking Out My Back Door - Children of Bodom (CCR)

You can tell these guys had so much fun with this song! There is just so much energy an joy in this song that you can't help but leave with a smile. It's a metal cover, but it has a fucking banjo solo in it! Seriously, listen to the banjo solo. It is amazing!

There are a few that I really enjoy. What are some of your favourite cover songs of all time?

Chris Yarger Community Manager

07/11/2013 at 10:15 AM

The weirdest part of this list is that I know of all of these bands, yet I've never heard of any of those covers before!

Blake Turner Staff Writer

07/11/2013 at 11:51 AM

Fair enough lol.

bullet656

07/11/2013 at 10:24 AM

There's several cover songs I really like, some I can't think of right now. Here's the first one that came to mind, since you led with Tori Amos covering Nirvana. Here's Jawbox covering Tori Amos. I love this song.

07/11/2013 at 11:50 AM

Nice cover! Thanks for showing me!

Aboboisdaman

07/11/2013 at 01:00 PM

Man I hadn't heard any of these lol. Have you heard Blind Guardian's rendition of Don't Talk to Strangers by Dio? It's pretty damn good imo.

07/11/2013 at 01:05 PM

I love that cover! No I hadn't heard it before. I'd heard their cover of Mr Sandman which was amusing as hell. They're one of the few power metal bands I can actually stomach.

Super Step Contributing Writer

07/11/2013 at 04:58 PM

That King Crimson song does weork well with a metal style; I do prefer the original, but don't worry I'm not a close-minded Crimson fan (I only know of them because the ending of Bad Religion's 21st Century Digital Boy has a lyrical reference at the end), I like the cover, too.

The Jay-Z cover reminded me of both his collaboration with Linkin Park, and this:

I liked the Sinead O'Connor cover, will have to check out the original cover. And I love that COB cover; the other two they did for the bonus track on Blooddrunk were "Just Dropped In" by Kenny Rodgers, and "Ghost Riders in the Sky" by ... well a lot of country artists, and that's the one I have on the copy I bought when I saw them at Gigantour 2008.

Good times. And not a cover, but if you like the energy in COB's cover, I think you'd like Alexi's punk side project, Kylahullut, if yu haven't heard of them.. Not sure if he still does anything with them.

Alex-C25

07/12/2013 at 11:42 PM

I think you've mentioned before at 1up that Shining was a really crazy band, but oh boy, was I surprised by that cover. Really impressive how they turned 21st Century Schizoid Man, a song which isn't by any means light, into an even darker and crazier song. Like woah! O.O

Aside from that, good list. Wasn't very concentrated, so I didn't apreciate more the covers of Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin, but I did liked the covers of Tori Amos, the one of 99 Problems and the Children of Bodom cover was a lot of fun. Like if suddenly a bunch of rednecks discovered Death Metal lol.

Another cover that I really like and I never get tired of listening it's Reel Big Fish redition of Take on Me. If you haven't listen to it, do it now!

PixlBit