That’s A Cover? explores cover songs that you may have thought were originals.
You all know the scene: a teenager who took the day off with a couple of his friends somehow ends up on a float in downtown Chicago, lip-synching The Beatles‘ “Twist and Shout” for the masses. And whenever the song comes up, someone inevitably says, “Actually, the Isley Brothers did it first.”
Except they didn’t.
That honor belongs to an almost-forgotten vocal group called The Top Notes.
One Great Cover looks at the greatest cover songs ever, and how they got to be that way.
Forgive me for getting a little personal, but when I first heard Club Nouveau’s cover “Lean on Me,” my reaction was simple: “What? Why?” I loved the Bill Withers original, mostly because it was released the year I was born. During my early mixtape years, I created one with the biggest songs from 1972. (Along with every year of my life up to that point.) As a side note, several other songs from that 1972 tape spawned covers within a few years, including “Without You,” “Oh Girl,” “I’ll Take You There,” “I Can See Clearly Now.”
Bill Withers wrote and recorded “Lean on Me” for his second album, Still Bill. He intentionally kept the lyrics simple. The song connected immediately, reaching #1 on both the Billboard Soul chart and the Hot 100. After its April 21, 1972 release, it earned Gold certification — more than a million copies sold — in less than two months. By year’s end, Billboard ranked it as the seventh-biggest song of 1972. Rolling Stone later included it among “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” and the song is part of the Grammy Hall of Fame.
So now you understand my initial reaction to a cover of this classic: “What? Why?”
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That’s A Cover? explores cover songs that you may have thought were originals.
I know someone out there is thinking, “How did you not know Phil Collins’ version of “A Groovy Kind of Love” was a cover of the Mindbenders?” Of course I knew that. But this is not about Phil’s version. This is about the Mindbenders’ cover of the song.
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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!
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.
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Welcome to Cover Me Q&A, where we take your questions about cover songs and answer them to the best of our ability.
Eric Taylor is a former Clear Channel DJ who now serves as an elementary school teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah. He’s been writing news pieces for Cover Me since 2015.
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Banjo Guy Ollie is a multi-talented musician from Ireland. He spends most of his time recording covers of video game music using acoustic instruments. I first heard of him a couple of years ago when my friend, Dave, sent me the Double Dragon theme song. (Dave and I spent most of our time in high school at the arcade trying to save Marian from the Black Warriors.)
Ollie admitted to me, though, that occasionally he likes to cover the odd rock/pop tune. His most recent in this category is Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam.” For the song, he uses a mandolin, an Irish bouzouki and a five-string tenor banjo. (I love his creative drumming, as well.) Continue reading »