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Great and Unexpected Song Covers

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 11 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #972 in Music, #22986 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

Song Covers You Have To Hear

 

Sometimes musicians cover a song and it kills...other times they slaughter it. I love a cover song that is unexpected or totally different - whether it is better, worse or just funny. When they push a song into a whole other genre, it is a risk which sometimes pays off. There are many covers that you just have to hear to believe!

The Gourds - "Gin & Juice" 

Cover of Snoop Dogg's "Gin & Juice"

The Gourds - Gin & Juice (Snoop Dogg cover) - Part I of II

This is the Gourds covering Snoop Dogg's "Gin & Juice". Recorded at Bumbershoot in Seattle, WA on September 1st 2007. It gets muffly on the louder parts, I was pretty close to the speakers, but all in all a nice capture of the performance. I had to split it for Youtube as the song is a staggering 12 minutes long (shaking towards the end of the video = my arm getting tired). The Gourds are incredible. I love this cover of classic Snoop D Oh Double Gee.

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The Gourds 

~ CD ~

Shinebox

Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 12/05/2008)Buy Now



Featuring Gin & Juice

If you prefer downloading music, you can get the mp3 of Gin & Juice.

Japanese Traditional Orchastra - Smoke on the water 

Smoke On The Water - funny as hell!

Smoke On The Water

Runtime: 4:33
8817 views
10 Comments:

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Mat Weddle of Obadiah Parker - "Hey Ya" 

Cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya"


Hey Ya Cover

Runtime: 4:31
3081858 views
10 Comments:

Second Hand Songs Database 

Second Hand Songs Database
Database of covered songs - their original writers and origial preformers, and those thereafter.

Alanis Morissette - "My Humps" 

Cover of Fergie's "My Humps"

Alanis Morissette "My Humps" video

Alanis Morissette "My Humps" video

Runtime: 4:09
15632178 views
10 Comments:

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Covers of "Get Ur Freak On" 

"Get Ur Freak On " has been done pretty well by a few different artists.

KT Tunstall- Get Ur Freak On

EELS Get Ur Freak On LIVE

Missy Vs George Michael - Get Ur FAITH On

Who Does the best "Get Your Freak On"? 

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More Great Covers 


'Straight Outta Compton' (NWA) Cover by Nina Gordon

Ted Leo - Since U Been Gone / Maps

Milkshake Kelis/Goodnight Nurse

Magic Numbers cantando Beyoncé!!!

Ben Kweller - Ice Ice Baby

Jenny Owen Youngs "Hot In Herre"

Ukulele Orchestra - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Gregorian - "Tears in Heaven" 

Cover of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven"

Gregorian - Tears in Heaven

Runtime: 4:33
648366 views
10 Comments:

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Gregorian 

Masters of Chant

This CD has an amazing collection of covered songs from Simon & Garfunkel to Metallica.

Masters of Chant

Amazon Price: $18.98 (as of 12/05/2008)Buy Now

1. Brothers In Arms
2. Scarborough Fair
3. Tears In Heaven
4. Still I'm Sad
5. When A Man loves A Woman
6. Nothing Else Matters
7. Fade To Grey
8. Losing My Religion
9. Vienna
10. The Sound Of Silence
11. Sebastian
12. Don't Give Up
13. Save A Prayer
14. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Rockapella - "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" 

Cover of The Temptations - "Papa was a Rollin' Stone"

Since the majority of acapella music is cover songs, I will offer up just one acapella song, by a group whose majority of songs are NOT covers.

Rockapella - Papa Was a Rolling Stone

Rockapella Live in Indiana. 25/08/2007

Runtime: 4:35
499 views
1 Comments:

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More about Rockapella

Jonathan Coulton - "Baby Got Back" 

Cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back"

Jonathan Coulton - Baby Got Back (live)

Jonathan Coulton Live at The Cutting Room in NYC 03/30/07. Paul and Storm - Back-up Vocals

Runtime: 3:52
444920 views
10 Comments:

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The Up and Comers 

Even with just an instrument in your basement, you can do a great cover.

"No One"- Alicia Keys (my style-cover)

Runtime: 3:56
1296060 views
10 Comments:


Green is for Go - Beatles on the Banjo

Runtime: 3:16
7811 views
10 Comments:


Can't Take My Eyes Off of You - Ukulele cover

Runtime: 2:59
42587 views
10 Comments:

What is a cover version? 

In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded, commercially released song.

In its current use, it can sometimes have a pejorative meaning — implying that the original recording should be regarded as the definitive version, usually in the sense of an "authentic" rendition, and all others are merely lesser competitors, alternatives or tributes (no matter how popular). However, Billboard — and other magazines recording the popularity of the musical artists and hit tunes — originally measured the sales success of the published tune, not just recordings of it, or later the airplay that it also managed to achieve. In that context, the greater the number of cover versions, the more successful the song.http://museum.woolworths.co.uk/1950s-embassyrecords.htm

Typically, artists and record companies are not compensated when other musicians perform covers, revivals or contemporary versions. Contemporizes versions are particularly popular among nascent musical acts as they are often used to strategically position well-known music between less popular "originals" by the artist(s).

Paolo Nutini - "Cry Me a River" 

Cover of Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River"

Paolo Nutini also did an excellent cover of Amy Winehouse's Rehab.

Paolo Nutini - Cry Me a River (live, 2004)

Paolo Nutini - Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake cover, live, 2004)

Runtime: 4:01
876631 views
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Somewhere Over the Rainbow 


Eva Cassidy - over the rainbow

Jeff Beck - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

IZ - Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes ~ Somewhere over the rainbow

 

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The Kooks - "Crazy" 

Cover of Gnarls Barkley "Craxy"

The Kooks - Crazy

The Kooks - Crazy

Runtime: 2:06
33630 views
10 Comments:

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Richard Cheese 

EVERY song that Richard Cheese does is an unexpected cover (which from him we now expect). He has done it all...and done it Lounge Lizard style.

More Amazing Covers 


Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit live in Nasvhille

Runtime: 6:37
646175 views
10 Comments:


Corinne Bailey Rae - Sexyback (Justin Timberlake cover)

Runtime: 2:36
33376 views
10 Comments:


Travis - Hit Me Baby One More Time

Runtime: 3:46
193720 views
10 Comments:


The Final Countdown - Orchestra Cover

Runtime: 5:22
9964 views
10 Comments:


I will Survive

Runtime: 5:47
57241 views
10 Comments:


Cake - Mahna Mahna

Runtime: 2:54
8936 views
10 Comments:

Song Covers Guestbook 

What was your favorite cover? Is there a great cover I should check out?

Not-Pop wrote...

What a fantastic lens! I'm a cover junkie myself (as you can tell from my lenses). I've lensrolled you to my cover song lenses.

ReplyPosted October 10, 2008

The_Homeopath wrote...

Awesome choices! Masters of Chant does an incredible "Wish You Were Here" from Pink Floyd too.

ReplyPosted October 02, 2008

ThomasC wrote...

Great Lens! You did an excellent job! 5* and a fav!
ThomasC

ReplyPosted July 14, 2008

chefkeem wrote...

Great lens idea! And it starts off with my hometown band - the Gourds play all the time here, in a neighborhood TexMex restaurant/music venue (Jovita's) just down the road from my house. 5*s

ReplyPosted July 08, 2008

KimGiancaterino wrote...

Loved "I Will Survive" on violin. The short pants were a hit too!

ReplyPosted June 12, 2008

 
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