Much like my favorite album list from a couple weeks ago, this is a list of my favorite covers of 2010. That’s right, I said favorite. Not top, not best. Favorite. Also, just in case you didn’t know, a cover song is a version by a different artist of a previously recorded musical item. I’m sure you already know that but I used the term cover in conversation the other day and the person had no idea what I was talking about…
You’ll also notice on the below list that there are no covers of Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You.” Get it artists? Knock it off! Please no more covers. It’s great on it’s own.
And now that that’s out of the way, it’s time for my list. O wait, here’s a comic from Cracked.com first. It’s the 8 types of covers with the good from the bad. I don’t 100% agree but it’s a pretty accurate graphic.
10
Whip My Hair, Willow Smith
Covered by Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen
There is not one song that I can think of that makes my skin crawl more than “Whip My Hair.” I won’t get into all the negatives of the original. I’ll let GloZell do that for me here. But as a cover, this one has got to make the list for the pure novelty of it. Between Jimmy Fallon doing his Neil Young impression and a surprise appearance by the Boss, this song belongs on the list.
Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen – Whip My Hair (Willow Smith cover)
9
Georgia, Cee-Lo Green
Covered by Band of Horses
So Cee-Lo Green originally released “Georgia” on what album? Well back in June 2010 when it first appeared on the internet, it was assumed that the song would appear on his solo album The Lady Killer. However, the album released a couple months later and this song was not on it. My guess: it was just an internet release. And a damn good one. However, Cee-Lo did release the song “No One’s Gonna Love You” on his album which is a cover of Band of Horses. In response to an excellent cover, BoH released this cover of a Cee-Lo song. This sounds all too familiar i.e. Gnarls Barkley and Violent Femmes.
Band of Horses – Georgia (Cee-Lo Green cover)
8
Kids, MGMT
Covered by B.o.B
I know. I know. This song has been covered so many times from The Kooks to Weezer to Chidy Bang’s sample to Our Lady Peace and so on. But this one caught me off guard. I’m sorry. Who’s singing this? B.o.B? You mean the rapper? Yeah, exactly. Oh wait and it gets better, Bobby is using his guitar background and he’s playing the guitar in this cover. Did you know he was a trained guitarist? Bobby performed this track on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. You can listen to his interview from this day here.
B.o.B – Kids (MGMT cover)
7
Creep, Radiohead and Down On The Corner, CCR
Covered by Street Corner Symphony
I had trouble deciding how I wanted to incorporate both these songs into the list. I thought I should put one here and one in honorable mentions below, but then couldn’t decided with SCS cover I liked more. So here’s both in one spot. Street Corner Symphony is one of the a cappella groups that was on the latest season of NBC’s The Sing Off, a 5-episode mid-winter television show. Unfortunately these guys came in second place. These two tracks are both live recordings from the show and are a cappella. A studio version of Creep is available on iTunes, but it had added instrumentation and I didn’t like it nearly as much. They are an a cappella group. Let the magnificence of their voices do the work.
Street Corner Symphony – Down On The Corner (CCR cover)
Street Corner Symphony – Creep (Radiohead cover)
6
Your Song, Elton John
Covered by Ellie Goulding
Ellie doing Elton? Sounds absolutely fine to me. As soon as I saw this song pop up online, I couldn’t wait to listen to it. And I’m not talking that dubstep remix that has been floating around. As good as it is, I still want to hear Ellie’s voice and original instrumentation. This track is available as the last track on the re-release of her 2010 album, Lights. When I say “last track,” I mean if you don’t count the iTunes bonus tracks. With the iTunes bonus, it’s more like a 31-song album.
Ellie Goulding – Your Song (Elton John cover)
5
99 Problems, Jay-Z
Covered by Hugo
Before this song, I knew nothing about Hugo. After this song, I know nothing about Hugo. Ok, that’s not completely true. I read his bio and you should too. But here are the Hugo highlights: His album is called Old Tyme Religion (apparently not available on iTunes…) and is on the Roc Nation label. Yes, Roc Nation. Like Jay-Z’s label. O wait, well doesn’t that make sense that he covered a Jay-Z song. Hugo describes his album as a “version of uncomplicated lust music.” As a tip of the fedora to Roc Nation’s founder, Hugo puts a twist on the classic “99 Problems,” finding a new previously unforeseen nexus linking pop, rock, country, urban and hip-hop. Oh and did I mention he’s made a video for his cover of the song? You should really check out his bio. His background is interesting and I can’t believe he’s on Roc Nation. To end it though, the bio says, “Philosophic at heart, Hugo surmises that, ‘if reincarnation is for real, he’d like a couple more go-rounds on the great cosmic wheel.’ For now, that wheel keeps spinning and we can all experience Old Tyme Religion.”
Hugo – 99 Problems (Jay-Z cover)
4
All Together, The Beatles
Covered by Andre 3000
Well this is just unfair… Andre takes a Beatles song. Uses some folk-y music. And yet I still want to dance to it! When I was choosing this list, this song almost didn’t make it. But I gave it one more listen the other night, and as soon as I started moving in my seat to it, I knew it belonged here. I believe Andre 3000 originally did this song for a Nike ad campaign, but then later released it in its entirety online. Whenever I hear this song, I get an image of Andre 3000 in my head where he’s wearing the KFC Colonel’s suit (but, of course , making it look damn good) with a white, wide-brimmed hat. But because he’s never actually worn that outfit, this one will have to do. Or this one. Or this one. Basically it’s him chilling out on a porch on a warm summer evening in the south.
Andre 3000 – All Together (The Beatles cover)
3
Wagon Wheel, Bob Dylan/Old Crow Medicine Show
Covered by Mumford and Sons
Yep, that’s right. It says this was originally by Bob Dylan. He was the one that started writing it, but never finished. That’s where Old Crow Medicine Show came in and finished it. And now Mumford and Sons have done their cover. This time last year, around the birth of my blog, if you had asked me if I would be featuring English Bluegrass, I probably would have laughed at you. Now a year later, I can’t get enough of Mumford and Sons. They came out of what seemed like nowhere and took off. Oh, and in case you’re wondering and you’re burning your own copy of their album Sigh No More, this track fits in real well at number 4 without ruining the overall flow of the album too much.
Mumford and Sons – Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show cover)
2
Rich Girl, Hall and Oates
Covered by The Bird And The Bee
Hall and Oates… Oh Hall and Oates… Staircase and Grits… I am not really a fan of them musically. They just don’t do it for me. Yet I accidentally came across this cover by The Bird And The Bee and was absolutely stunned. The B&B released an entire tribute to Hall and Oates, but this is by far my favorite track off the album, even more than Private Eyes. Between her soothing, inviting voice and their electro-folk-pop sound (that may an incorrect description as I made it up..), I get drawn into the song every single time.
The Bird And The Bee – Rich Girl (Hall and Oates cover)
1
Pursuit of Happiness, Kid Cudi
Covered by Barbara and Lissie
One song covered by two completely different artists made it to number one on this list. Why? Because I like the song that much! And each of these covers brings something to it. First up is Barbara. This is a band that released this cover and then disappeared from the internet for months. One day when I reposted the song, they actually emailed me in response to my post. A month or two later, they released an EP and told me of plans for a future album. They’re a band that cares about their fans and responds. Although I didn’t recognize it at first, the opening to their cover of PoH is eerily similar to the Iron and Wine song “The Trapeze Swinger.” Nonetheless, this is my favorite cover of the year and has definitely gotten the most play by me of any cover.
Barbara – Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi cover)
Lissie’s cover brings something a bit different. Her “I don’t give a f*ck” persona just comes through to me in her music. This track has got its dark intro juxtaposed with Lissie doing what she does vocally, and it works so well. I don’t enjoy it quite as much as Barbara’s, but it still deserved to be paired with it instead of in honorable mentions below.
Lissie – Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi cover)
Honorable Mentions
Gorillaz – Crystalised (The XX cover): Well done. Just didn’t tickle my fancy so much
Cee-Lo Green – Radioactive (Kings of Leon cover): Almost made the list. I love how Cee-Lo’s voice is prominent and not hidden by too much instrumentation.
Cee-Lo Green – No One’s Gonna Love You (Band of Horses cover): Was number one on so many cover lists but not my favorite. Good nonetheless.
Matisyahu – Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover w/beatboxing): Beatboxing at the end sealed the deal. Almost made main list
Passion Pit – Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins cover): Enjoyable but just doesn’t have the raw power Billy Corgan brings to it.
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By this point if you haven’t heard Rebecca Blacks’ “Friday,” you’re one of the lucky ones. Well I can’t stand the song usually even with all the different versions I have heard. Well my mind was finally changed when Stephen Colbert performed it on Jimmy Fallon a couple weeks ago. There’s finally a version I don’t hate.
