Mitski Archives - Cover Me

The Best Cover Songs of August & September 2025

Posted by Ray Padgett at 12:00 pm No Responses »

Sep 302025

Benson Boone — When We Were Young (Adele cover)

Benson Boone gets clowned on, but dude can sing (and, yes, backflip). “When We Were Young” is not exactly an easy song to nail. But, at a tour stop in Columbus, he did just that—one of many covers he’s been doing on the road.

BRAINSTORM — The Boys Of Summer (Don Henley cover)

Every summer comes, inevitably, more “Boys of Summer” covers. This metal-ish version comes from German power-metal vets BRAINSTORM (all caps so you know they’re serious). Singer Andy B. Franck says: “Even though ‘The Boys Of Summer’ deals with rather nostalgic themes of ‘summer love’ and the memory of a past relationship, for me – at the time a 13-year-old – it was, beyond the metal anthems of the 80s, a great song that I associated with summer, girls and the corresponding feeling for many, many years…Even today, this song still evokes great memories for me, and since it’s also a song about questioning the past, this track fits perfectly into our times.” Continue reading »

Mitski Covers Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door”

Posted by Luke Poling at 12:00 pm No Responses »

Sep 232025

Singer-songwriter Mitski has just released a new cover of Pete Townshend‘s “Let My Love Open the Door.”

While Townshend’s original holds some optimism with an ascending synthesizer riff and an upbeat tone, Mitski’s version goes in the other direction. She slows down the tempo and the only thing accompanying her on the track is piano. In the first few seconds, you may be tempted to think of this song as another in the line of songs where the tempo is slowed to a crawl for no reason. However, in Mitski’s hands, she slowly increases the pace, bringing in optimism by the end. Continue reading »

Mitski Warns of Dark Times at the Door in “Bella Ciao” Cover

Posted by Mike Tobyn at 11:00 am 1 Response »

Jul 282024

Mitski often puts her own drama out for all to experience and examine. She has usually kept her political opinions closer to herself. In 2024 this seems to be changing, perhaps because she perceives some existential threats. She has dipped her toe in the water again by giving us her version of “Bella Ciao.”
Continue reading »

The Best Cover Songs of March 2024

Posted by Ray Padgett at 2:37 pm 2 Responses »

Apr 012024

Aoife O’Donovan — The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (Bob Dylan cover)

Bartees Strange — You Always Hurt The Ones You Love (Mills Brothers cover)

Beyoncé — Blackbird (The Beatles cover)

Mitski Covers Peter La Farge/Pete Seeger’s “Coyote, My Little Brother” for Spotify

Posted by Aleah Fitzwater at 11:59 am No Responses »

Mar 202024

“Coyote, My Little Brother” is often attributed to Pete Seeger, and while the American folk artist did popularize the song, it was actually written by Peter La Farge in 1963. Though it’s no wonder why Seeger’s version is more popular; his vocal delivery was more deep and reliable than that of the original artist. From the composition’s near-yodel jump to the falsetto high note down to the rich country-ish lows, this was certainly an unexpected choice for the artist Mitski to undertake on her latest Spotify single.

In Mitski’s hands, the environmentalist ballad is haunting yet placid, gentle but rich, and definitely indie-folk. She kept the instrumentation bare-bones, just like La Farge and Seeger’s versions, adding just two instruments. Mitski recorded the song with a double bassist (Jeni Magana) and a guitarist (Patrick Hyland). The sage words “Don’t poison the sky, don’t poison the sky…” never sounded so hauntingly sweet.

The Best Cover Songs of February 2024

Posted by Ray Padgett at 9:47 am No Responses »

Mar 012024

Annie Lennox — Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince/Sinéad O’Connor cover)

The emotional highpoint of the Grammys—well, other than Tracy Chapman’s return (covers-adjacent!)–was Annie Lennox’s tribute to Sinéad O’Connor during the In Memoriam. Bonus points because she was backed by two longtime bandmembers of Prince (who, of course, wrote the song), Wendy and Lisa. The teardrop on Lennox’s eye was very Prince, and the political statement at the end was very Sinéad. Continue reading »