Under the Covers… taken from Pherific

I love cover songs as much as the next person, especially when the artist in question takes what is a good song… and makes it something that is better to listen to. Pherific did his own list of what he thought were five really good cover songs, and here is my version for your consideration:

Tom Jones & The Cardigans: Burning Down the House

This is a really funky update of a rather cool tune. I’ve always been a huge fan of Tom Jones and he’s done a lot of great covers over the years but this has been a recent favorite of mine.

Van Halen: You Really Got Me

This cover of a Kinks song is amazing and one of the best early Halen hits ever. If you can ignore David Lee Roth’s horrid dancing, the song is very cool to listen to and enjoy… and a great hit.

Jesse Cook & Danny Wilde: Fall At Your Feet

I’m a huge fan of Crowded House, and this cover by Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook is amazing. He performed this song with Wilde at the concert I attended last year and it was just as good then. A great cover of a great 80’s tune…

Johnny Cash: Hurt

When Johnny Cash did a cover of this Nine Inch Nails song, even the lead singer of NIN admitted himself that this cover was so good… that Hurt was officially a Cash song. He just owned this song, as it’s ten times better than the original and is a striking melody given the fact that he passed away not to long afterward. I fitting self tribute to a rather unique person… and a killer cover song.

Alan Jackson: Pop A Top/Choices

I really like this performance for a few reasons. One: The first song itself (Pop A Top) is a pretty decent cover of a classic country tune. Two: This performance was at a major music award show. Three: The second song he breaks into is also a cover, of a song that wasn’t allowed to perform at the awards that year because of a dispute with the artist who refused to cut his performance down to two minutes.

The second song titled ‘Choices’ was released by George Jones just after a fatal car wreak that almost took his life. This song is a sad melody of alcoholism and the battle to make the right choice. Jackson was upset because Jones was asked to cut down his song for time restrictions, which resulted in Jones refusing to perform and not attending the award show. Had Jones not survived his accident, they likely would have done a ten minute tribute to the hall of fame performer but the CMA’s refused to give him more than two minutes because he lived. Jackson made the protest performance of the song as his way of flipping a bird to Nashville and the award show for not showing enough respect to Jones and his comeback song. Classy move by Jackson and to do it on nationwide television took some world class minerals. Merle Haggard would have been very proud.

Peter