Sometimes they work; sometimes they don't. When they don't work, it's usually the cover artist's fault for somehow violating the song.
I shall use 2 Dons to illustrate.
Example: "Boys of Summer"
Original By: Don Henley
Original Quality: Excellent, Classic, Rock-able
Covered by: The Ataris
-Alterations: Changed "Deadhead" to "Black Flag" to match time frame
-Cover Quality: Excellent, Rock-able
Covered by: DJ Sammy
-Alterations: Sung by a woman, reason unknown
-Cover Quality: Nauseating, Head-throbbing
Example: "American Pie"
Original By: Don McLean
Original Quality: Excellent, Classic, Touching
Parodied by: 'Weird Al' Yankovic
-Alterations: Full lyrics to match subject, 2 less verses for time.
-Parody Quality: Excellent, Hilarious, Modern Classic
Covered by: Madonna
-Alterations: 3.5 less verses for time, instrumental & fade for pop format, sung by a woman for obvious reasons
-Cover Quality: Horrifying
Then of course there are times when the cover is BETTER than the original, but those are extraordinarily rare, so there's not much point in talking about it.
And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!" |