Nov 012021
 
the best cover songs of october
Andrew VanWyngarden – Dance Monkey (Tones and I cover)

One of the biggest one-hit wonders of the last few years, pop singer Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” emerged out of seeming nowhere to top charts across the world last year. In her home country of Australia, it is the longest chart-topper ever, breaking a record held by Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”! Despite its ubiquity, however, major covers have been sparse (perhaps because many people find the song, you know, annoying). Never one to shy away from putting off his audience, though, MGMT frontman Andrew VanWyngarden gave it a trippy psychedelic-folk cover as part of a radio station fundraising challenge. Continue reading »

Oct 252021
 
Susanna Hoffs Badfinger Aimee Mann

Though The Bangles last released a full-length record in 2011, co-founder Susanna Hoffs has kept plenty busy with touring, solo records and some long-running work in the realm of covers. After collaborating with Mike Myers and singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet as psuedo-Mod band Ming Tea (the group had a number of hilariously spot-on features in the Austin Powers films), Hoffs and Sweet continued their collaboration in the ensuing years — putting aside the jokes and faux-stylings for a trio of all-covers albums, aptly titled Under the Covers (Vol. I – III). Now, Hoffs has returned with a covers record of her own, Bright Lights. The first track out of the gate from the new album is a version of Badfinger’s “Name Of the Game,” featuring Aimee Mann on additional vocals. Continue reading »

Jul 092021
 

Cover Classics takes a closer look at all-cover albums of the past, their genesis, and their legacy.

Hollywood Vampire's self-titled album

We’ve seen a few different motivations for forming supergroups, but another one is to gather together to pay homage to others. One recent example: the Sylvain Sylvain tribute by Halloween Jack, made up of Gilby Clarke (formally of Guns N’ Roses), Eric Dover (of Jellyfish), Stephen Perkins (of Jane’s Addiction), Dan Shulman (formerly of Garbage), and Steve Stevens (guitarist for Billy Idol)).

Hollywood Vampires is made up of Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp (super in a different way, but showing off his musical skills here), and Joe Perry (of Aerosmith). Although they have since worked on originals, their self-titled first album is (mostly) a cover album where the songs are chosen to pay tribute to rockers who “died from excess” in the 1970s. The irony of this is that the band is named after the drinking club for celebrities formed by Cooper in the ’70s.

Throughout their time playing together, the band has had guest features from other big stars, actors and musicians alike. They have postponed their European Tour twice now due to the pandemic, but hopefully fans will get a chance to rock out when the world settles down a bit more. Continue reading »

Nov 202019
 

Welcome to Cover Me Q&A, where we take your questions about cover songs and answer them to the best of our ability.

song at your funeral

Here at Cover Me Q&A, we’ll be taking questions about cover songs and giving as many different answers as we can. This will give us a chance to hold forth on covers we might not otherwise get to talk about, to give Cover Me readers a chance to learn more about individual staffers’ tastes and writing styles, and to provide an opportunity for some back-and-forth, as we’ll be taking requests (learn how to do so at feature’s end).

Today’s question: What’s your favorite cover song of the 2010s?
Continue reading »

Mar 252019
 

In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!

def leppard covers

It seems like just yesterday. I was listening to the radio, when a song by a previously unheard-of band from Britain – who apparently didn’t know how to spell their own name – came on and my eleven-year-old mind was blown! And while this may sound like a scenario during the height of Beatlemania, this was 1983. This was Def Leppard!

Before I continue, I am not stating that Def Leppard is the Beatles of my generation. However, their album Pyromania was my first purchase, which changed the way I listened to music forever. I am ecstatic that they will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.  I spent some time during my winter break re-listening to all of Def Leppard’s covers. And even though it was difficult, I was able pick my personal Top Five.
Continue reading »

May 022018
 

In Pick Five, great artists tell us about five cover songs that matter to them.

geographer cover songs

We first came across Geographer in 2011 with his great cover of New Order’s “Age of Consent.” Seven years later, he’s blossomed into a killer electropop producer, singer, and songwriter. His new EP Alone Time finds him pushing his pop instincts to their limit, on five insanely catchy dance jams that would work equally well in a club or on headphones. Here’s a sample, new single “Read My Mind”:

Geographer main man Mike Deni told PopMatters “Musically, [the EP] represents an obsession with pop music that went to its furthest reaches and boomeranged back again into making not just lyrics, but sounds, that matter.” On the five covers he picked out for us, though, he dug beyond that pop music obsession into his songwriter roots, picking classic performances by the likes of Jeff Buckley and Harry Nilsson (though fans of his poppier side needn’t worry; by the end he gets to a “karaoke classic”). Continue reading »