“Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” was originally written by The Vaselines as an answer song to the early 20th century children’s Christian hymn “I’ll Be a Sunbeam.” But everyone knows it as “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam,” the name Nirvana gave it when they included it in their MTV Unplugged show. That concert turned into an album that became the most successful album from that series. And so the world knows the song by an incorrect name. Continue reading »
Welcome to Cover Me Q&A, where we take your questions about cover songs and answer them to the best of our ability.
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 comes from one of our readers, Micah Goldfus. He wants to know:
What’s your cringiest cover song?
You’ll find his answer below, along with plenty more from the Cover Me gang…
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For a deep cut, Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” is a popular cover selection – it’s their seventh most popular ever. That’s likely because of its nature as a ballad, it’s a little more accessible. And it’s better known than so many deep cuts, featuring both on Nirvana’s biggest record and also on their MTV Unplugged.
Former AutoVaughn lead guitarist Stephen Wilson Jr. has been writing songs for Nashville for more of the last decade. Recently he’s started a career as a solo artist, releasing both his debut EP and LP last year. He performs country that is more than a little influenced by alternative and indie rock. (He’s also married to Sixpence None the Richer singer Leigh Nash, if you’re interested.) Continue reading »
This month, Bambie Thug represented Ireland in Eurovision, coming in sixth (the country’s highest placement since 2000). Shortly before the finals, they released this cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”amidst criticism of their outspokenness about the devastation in Gaza. The top YouTube comment puts it well: “The significance of Bambie choosing to cover this song will not be lost on anyone in Ireland or the UK, or many places outside them. It’s just about the most impactful call for peace an Irish person can give, and they’ve done it as well as anyone ever has.” Continue reading »