Tuesday Top Ten: Song Covers

It took me awhile to make this list. It ended up being several days of work because when I started writing down the list I came up with a list of 96 covers that I really liked and if I kept going I could have came up with alot more so I just stopped at 96. Weird number but I wasn't counting as I was thinking of them. Then I made three rules:

1. Only one song per artist: I had to pick through the list and pick my favorite cover done by that artist. That eliminated quite a few choices.

2. The song had to be as good as the original and bonus points if I liked it better then the original. That eliminated a lot of the list because even through I loved the covers I love the originals a lot more. This rule removed all the Glee covers. It also removed Smashing Pumpkins version of "Landslide" and Matchbox 20's cover of "Time After Time."

3. Once a song was removed from the list it could not be placed back on. That stopped me from any second thoughts and saved a lot of time.

From there I just kept listening to the songs and removing them from the list until I was down to only ten songs. And here they are:

                 

10.  Starfucker: Girls Just Want to Have Fun

The original is such a guilty pleasure now and when I heard Starfucker's cover I get the same fun experience I get when I dance badly to Cyndi Lauper.

 

   

9. Mozella: Say It Ain’t So

One of my favorite Weezer songs and somehow Mozella makes it better. She has a haunting way of singing the lyrics and adding a new meaning to the song.

8.  Ben Taylor: I Try

I love the lyrics of this song but Macy Gray`s voice gives me a headache. Ben Taylor solves that problem.

7.   Ingrid Michaelson: Can’t Help Falling in Love

It`s impossible to do a version better then Elvis but Ingrid Michaelson comes close. She simplified the song and got right down to the core of the song. 

 6. Jack Savoretti: Ring of Fire

 This one comes the closest to being equal with the original without really being better then the original. Both versions bring a different flavor to the table.

5.  Chantal Kreviazuk: Feels Like Home

I don`t care for the original at all. I just never felt like Randy Newman`s voice brought much to the song but Chantal Kreviazuk is amazing on the song.

4. Kris Allen: Heartless

While I love the original I find that the meaning of the lyrics get lost in the auto tune and the beat. Kris Allen took away all the sugar coating and just got down to the lyrics and showed that it is actually a really well written song.

 

3.      Eva Cassidy: Fields of Gold

I never really card for any of Sting`s music after he left The Police but I always liked this song. Eva Cassidy`s voice on the cover is beautiful as it is on a lot of the covers she did. When I was making the list  it came down to this song or her cover of Time After Time which is equally beautiful but in the end this was the song that introduced me to her music.

2. Johnny Cash: Hurt

Even through I would never call myself a fan of Nine Inch Nails I have to admit that Trent Reznor is a great song writer and it is proven on this song. I`ve always been a fan of Johnny Cash and seeing him look over his life in the music video is a haunting.

1. Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’olw: Over The Rainbow/ What A Wonderful World

Any artist who can take two classics and infuse them into one beautiful and inspiration song has to be at the top of the list. He was able to take the songs and make them his which is a hard thing to do.