Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.
“It doesn’t sound that great when I’m singing it myself. Why don’t we make it a duet?”
According to Ken Caillat, producer of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, when Christine McVie said that to Lindsey Buckingham, it proved to be the key to making “Don’t Stop” the song it is today. With the two of them exchanging vocals, compressed so much they almost sounded alike, and McVie playing a jaunty tack piano, they make the song so uplifting you’d never know it was about the end of Christine’s relationship with bassist John McVie. The Guardian called it one of the band’s five best songs, saying that “its cantering rhythm and chorus are so impossibly, infectiously buoyant, the song so flawless, that it cancels out the unhappiness that provoked it.”
Here are five covers of “Don’t Stop.” Better than before? Debatable, but don’t you look back – just listen and enjoy.
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox ft. Maiya Sykes – Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac cover)
You can always count on Postmodern Jukebox to give a special spin to whatever song it is they’re covering. Here, Scott Bradlee and company give the song a slow, vintage N’Awwwwlins blues sound, complete with some standout trumpet. But really, the song serves as a spotlight for Maiya Sykes, who belts it out with conviction, making “Don’t Stop” a Message with a capital M.
Random Hearts – Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Random Hearts also choose to take the joyous romp out of “Don’t Stop,” but not to its detriment. It’s more modern jazz, and since they don’t play it too darn fast, I got no kick against it. Turning the romp into a cool strut gives the song a whole other spin, and it works just as well in its own way.
Pink Turtle – Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac cover)
It’s been a hot minute since we wrote about Pink Turtle the first time. For their second appearance, we’ll zero in on their “Don’t Stop,” which picks up the pace a little bit while paring down the instrumentation. Now it’s peppy!
The Dead Suns – Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac cover)
God, I miss The Blog That Celebrates Itself Records. The late, great label specialized in tribute records to ’80s and ’90s acts, with most of its roster delivering shoegazing bliss at full volume. This Dead Suns take on “Don’t Stop” is from the label’s tribute album Sunny Side of Heaven; in the liner notes, they say, “Some bands make music, some make magic, and some others do both, and there was Fleetwood Mac.”
Thirteen Mile – Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac cover)
From their debut EP Don’t Stop Never Stop, the collective known as Thirteen Mile turn “Don’t Stop” into a completely different animal. Not just a change of species, either – this is a different order, a different class, maybe even a different kingdom. With no small assistance from vocalist Tristan Henry, this reworked version loses some words, gains some steel, and goes out to win.
