(Touched Several Times)
John Cafarella
In contemporary popular music, covering or adapting songs signals a tribute to or reworking of popular hits, thus acknowledging the original musicians……..and making money for the “coverer”. Our idea was an exploration of covers of famous and even obscure songs. Then we started thinking, “is there a difference between a cover of a song and a version of a song?” We suggest that perhaps a cover is a note for note replication of the original, whereas a version changes the beat or tempo. Most research and websites, however, use the words cover and version interchangeably. A ‘cover’ is anyone’s version of a song originally written and performed by someone else. The deeper we dug into (under?) the covers, we learned that any successful, moderately successful, barely successful, unsuccessful songs, and even horrible songs, have covers. Basically, everybody covers everything! So, version and cover are mostly similar. Except when they’re not. There are versions of versions. One is a previously recorded song that aims to reproduce the sound and feel of the original, such as Cher’s cover version of The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) and Betty Everett’s original which goes note for note, or a completely different version - as in Elvis’ version of Big Mama Thornton’s Hound Dog.
Many cover versions are simply treacle. Others stand up well, and still others are better than the originals.
We’re going explore the sometimes bizarre world of song covers, or versions. Our research, as noted, determined that everybody covers everybody. Very rarely is a popular, radio, satellite or streaming song not covered by someone. The same goes for unpopular and obscure songs. Nothing is so bad that it won’t be covered by another singer. We thought Wayne Newton’s Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast set the bottom for substandard mush - until we discovered that not only were there 31 covers including those by Eddie Arnold, Charlie Rich, and the Ray Coniff Singers, but that Wayne’s version was a cover of the original by someone named Daniel Boone recorded in 1971. You will note as you read on and we survey covers/versions that there should be rules (laws?) with severe penalties preventing some people from going near some songs.
Record companies began releasing more than one version of a song in the 1930s and 1940s. This policy benefited songwriters and music publishers but not the performers. They only received payment for their own versions. In the 40’s record-buying trends changed with teenagers (bobby soxers) as the catalyst as they made their purchases based on the singer, not the song itself, usually Frank Sinatra.
Teenagers not only drove Rock and Roll in the 50’s, they also owned it. There were some bumps in the road, these bumps were Pat Boone and frequently their parents. It must be said, however, that most White singer versions of Black originals in the 1950s have to be taken in the context of the time, racism included. They catered to the (non teenage) White audiences of that era, and many are unspeakably bad. They were bad then and they are painful now. Fortunately, most have been forgotten save in surveys of mediocrity in music. Rock and Roll was still establishing its foothold in popular music. Many hit songs by early Black rock ‘n’ roll performers generated safer, softer cover versions by other artists who crafted milque toast (white bread?) images. We have Pat Boone’s painful cover of Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti or the McGuire Sisters’ syrupy version of the Spaniels’ Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as their sincerely earnest treatment of the Moonglows’ Sincerely. Anyone hearing the Crew Cuts’ cover of the Chords’ Sh Boom, will run away while covering their ears. Ricky Nelson eventually evolved as a singer but his Cliff Notes version of Fats Domino’s I’m Walkin’ was embarrassing. As a result, cover versions did not have much value to teenagers, who (although my friends and I weren’t teens), enjoyed the original songs by the original Black Artists with increased buying power. As a child of the 50’s, it never occurred to me to differentiate between black and white music. I just loved Rock and Roll music and yet looking back, I realize I mostly purchased songs by the original Black artists. Yes, I even have the ‘45’ of Little Darling by the Gladiolas (lead singer was Maurice Williams who went on to record the classic Stay in 1960), as well as the note for note hit cover by the Diamonds. White versions as seen on Ed Sullivan were tepid and they weren’t really Rock and Roll. Pat Boone snapping his fingers to Little Richard’s Long Tall Sally on the Ed Sullivan Show was unbearable then, excruciating now. I played Little Richard’s original for my parents. They liked Pat better. My mother, harkening to the Sullivan Show, thought he had a nice smile. My father stuck with Louis Prima and Keeley Smith.
Cover me, come on baby, cover me…Bruce Springsteen
The 1960s included White singers doing Black originated Blues and bringing it into the mainstream while acknowledging and supporting their roots. Many originals were pretty good, …….. Right Mick Jagger? The Stones first album featured songs by Willie Dixon and Jimmy Reed as well as Chuck Berry plus Can I Get a Witness originally recorded by Marvin Gaye as well as Stones’ own original song, Tell Me. Note, we had to filter our research as we avoided the dictums of the rigidly doctrinaire world of the Politically Correct music historians and bloggists. Even music can’t be just music without them preaching to us, so I left that rabbit hole to the Thought Police. We’ll stick with music based on the cover’s merits.
Like a Version (Virgin – touched for the very first…but not the last…… time). Even Madonna’s hit has been covered 97 times. As with all covers, which version is better? Which is the best? Singer or the Song? Time to explore. This study contains my opinions. If you disagree with them, you are wrong.
First, some of the most covered songs of all time.
· Yesterday has been covered more than 2200 times, with Joan Baez, Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, En Vogue, and Boyz II Men among the plethora of artists to apply their own wistful yearning to the wistful nostalgia of the song. Worst covers? It’s a tie – Liberace and Lawrence Welk. On second thought, Liberace wins.
· My Way was written by Paul Anka for Frank Sinatra in 1969. Anka based his version on The 1967 French song Comme d’habitude composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François. There are around 332 covers in existence including an assault by Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. Seems like more.
· According to the indispensable site, Secondhand Songs, there are nearly 600 versions of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water including Barry Manilow.
· Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen. We were beaten to death with 503 versions of this one, as it seemed to be injected into too many majestic cinematic and television dramatic moments. Cohen himself once agreed with a suggestion that maybe it was time to retire Hallelujah and its endless cover versions. Although “apres moi, le deluge”, when Leonard went to that big recording studio in the sky, we suffered a deluge of Hallelujahs all over again including Bon Jovi and The Osmonds.
· Hey Jude, The Beatles. We counted 628 so far. Most regrettable cover? Bing Crosby or possibly the Tottenham Hotspur soccer team.
· I Walk the Line- Johnny Cash, over 200 including unforgettable attacks by The Dave Clark Five and Telly Savalas. Yes, Telly Savalas.
· Imagine - John Lennon also has over 552 including versions by Antonio Banderas, a Gregorian Chant, and the execrable Yoko Ono.
· Over The Rainbow- Judy Garland 1,530 including versions by The Flaming Lips and Billy Ray Cyrus
· Edith Piaf’s La Vie En Rose has 424 covers including a Grace Jones Disco rendition.
· Summertime - Abbie Mitchell originally sang Summertime in the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess by George and Ira Gershwin. I played the 1966 Billy Stewart version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VkA8HoB5m8 for our niece, the recording artist, Nelly Ake. She looked at me in horror. This song, however, may be in our top three. According to the English National Opera website, there are 2,337. But then we have….
· Amazing Grace - The Guinness World Records regards Summertime as the most recorded song in history. However, they also note that Amazing Grace has been recorded beyond count, appearing on at least 11,000 albums. That’s not surprising as minister, John Newton wrote the lyrics in 1772 and music in 1779. The song has been recorded more than 7,000 times. Judy Collins’ version was in the top 100 record chart for 67 weeks between 1970 and 1972. Oh, and David Hasselhoff also recorded it.
· We couldn’t leave out White Christmas, Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1942 for the movie “Holiday Inn”. Yes, and, surprise! in 1954 he and it reappeared in the film, “White Christmas”. There are over 1,985 versions to date . Of all the songs that have been abused in cover versions, this could be near the top of list thanks to David Hasselhoff, (again), Iggy Pop, and White People’s Chia Pet, Snoop Dogg.
· Motown is/was a favorite Cover Target. My Girl, by the Temptations has 236 including, gasp, Bobby Vee and Glen Campbell. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On? Has 256 of them including, arrghh! a duet of Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp as well as a mauling by U2.
· The Beatles are the most covered group with 16,825 versions of their songs followed by Duke Ellington with 10,564 and the Bing Crosby (mostly because of White Christmas) with 7,011. “Why do they cover Paul's songs but never mine?” …….Yoko Ono
On the way to Cover glory
– Adele’s Rumour Has It is up to 30 covers
-Taylor Swift’s I Knew You Were Trouble is at 53 and counting.
- Edge of Glory, Lady Gaga has 43.
-Alicia Keys has had her songs covered 184 times
-John Legend’s All of Me has been covered 141 times.
While seemingly every song ever recorded has been covered by someone, there are some that somehow escaped thus far, notably many contemporary Hip-Hop contributions. No sure why. We thought that Paul Anka & Odia Coates, Having My Baby was cover proof. That’s what we originally researched. Continued investigation revealed…… there are 20 versions.
“For imitation is natural to man from his infancy.” — Aristotle
No-no, no, no, no-no-no, no, no-no, no, no-no
Na-no, no, na-no, no-no, na-no, no-no, no, no-no, no…….Nobody But Me, The Human Beinz
No Jury in the World Would Convict for the musical effluvia listed below:
· William Shatner – The Beatles Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds. We surveyed several worst cover lists and this one is almost unanimously #1. Shatner also mutilated The Byrds cover of Bob Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man. The album cover features Shatner “playing” the guitar, for a seemingly enthralled Leonard Nimoy.
· Britney Spears - I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll. Joan Jett promptly announced she didn’t love Rock n’ Roll anymore.
· Britney Spears – I Can’t Get No Satisfaction………….Please make her stop.
· Avril Lavigne – Imagine . Yes, you heard right. John Lennon could never imagine anything like this.
· Madonna - American Pie – As proven over the decades, the woman has no shame. This is wrong on so many levels.
· Michael Bolton - When A Man Loves A Woman – well basically, anything with Michael Bolton’s bombastic bellowing, but the wanton destruction of the Percy Sledge classic is pretty bad. “Can't keep his mind on nothin' else. He'd trade the world for the Sledge version”. Bolton also perforated Otis Redding’s (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
· Money (That’s What I Want) – Barrett Strong on Motown. But, no, no no, not Freddy and the Dreamers who clearly wanted money but should have been drummed out of the music business.
· Cher, Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss). Cher went note for note with Betty Everett and lost badly but sold better because she was Cher. If you want to know why you love it so, it’s in Betty’s original. In comparison, Cher’s is like Pat Boone revisited.
· James Taylor’s Prozacian cover of Jimmy Jones’ 1960 hit, Handy Man. “I fix broken hearts” but nothing can fix this.
· Anything by the Blues Brothers and especially, Soul Man. Sam & Dave could have justifiable homicide here. A clear case of the songs, not the singers. Soul Man has 83 covers.
· Cure - Purple Haze – Perfect songs should be left alone, right Jimi? In fact, no one should cover Jimi. ….Actin' funny but I don't know why. 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky
· Glee Cast- Don’t Stop Believing. Couldn’t Journey have made them unbelieve?
· Cyndi Lauper What’s Goin’ On. “Mother, mother, There's too many of you crying”. Marvin Gaye would be crying over this maudlin whining.
· Bruce Willis’ Respect Yourself. Why? asked the Staple Singers. Because he was Bruce Willis, movie star. Did anyone actually purchase this?
· Jessica Simpson – These Boots Are Made For Walkin' This record never should have been made in the first place as non-singer, celebrity spawn, Nancy Sinatra inflicted this on an unsuspecting public in 1966. If she was Nancy Schwartz instead of Sinatra, they wouldn’t have let her in the recording studio. But Jessica Simpson? Aren’t there provisions of the Geneva Convention prohibiting this? Incidently, there are 236 covers of this song including those by The Supremes, Don Ho, and Loretta Lynn.
· Hilary Duff - My Generation – This was not The Who’s generation. In fact, the original has some advice for Hilary to wit, “Why don't you all f-fade away?”
· Miley Cyrus – Nirvana’s Smell Like Teen Spirit except this one stinks.
· Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, Lil Kim ruined Lady Marmalade. They tried way too hard to be sexy and it came out as screechy camp. In 1974 original Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash established the standard.
· Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? – Rod Stewart covered by Tiny Tim or Paris Hilton. A bad song to begin with and as sexy as Tiny Tim marrying Paris Hilton.
· Shoulda stuck to Country - Big & Rich in 2007. Their batteries went dead with their cover of 1980’s AC/DC’ You Shook Me All Night Long.
· Pearl Jam, Last Kiss, 1999. This torpid cover of another cover J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, 1964, who, we discovered, were covering Wayne Cochran’s 1961 original. J. Frank and Wayne should have run over Eddie Vedder in “my daddy’s car”.
· U2, Fortunate Son – see Michael Bolton above for Bono’s bombastic wailing as he destroyed the Creedence Clearwater classic. It ain't me, it ain't me Bono…..I ain't no fortunate one, no
· Lenny Kravitz, American Woman 1999. Original by The Guess Who in 1970. American Lenny, stay away from me.
· Pat Boone – Pat should get an entire section… Long Tall Sally, Tutti Frutti, Ain’t That a Shame (Fats Domino). He also covered the Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand but then so did Homer and Jethro, The Chipmunks, and The New Christy Minstrels.
· Have you heard Ethel Merman’s disco - No Business Like Show Business?
· And lastly, in a list replete with musical horrors, what we think is the worst, and topping Madonna with American Pie is saying a lot. The absolute nadir of cover versions. It established a low in the 1950s that still exists today. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers rock classic, Why Do Fools Fall in Love was covered by Doris Day. I’ll repeat that. Why Do Fools Fall in Love – Doris Day. Frankie Lymon of the Teenagers died of drug addiction. He may have heard this atrocity which symbolizes all that was wrong about White covers of Black songs in the 1950s and on to this day.
I asked a guy if he could do an imitation of a pheasant.
He said, "Sure, I'm game!"
“Which, Your Honor, is why I shot him.”
Some great singers have covered some great songs and the results were highly questionable.
· Mick Jagger/David Bowie completely botched Martha and the Vandellas’ Dancing In the Street.This wasn’t questionable, it went down in flames. You couldn’t dance in the street or anywhere else with this stuck in your head.
· Bruce Springsteen’s War, covering Edwin Starr’s 1969 hit. Brucie Brucie Bruce Brucie, what is your version good for? Absolutely nothing.
· Alan Jackson Summertime Blues. Likewise, The Who, Summertime Blues – covering Eddie Cochran. More on this later
· Some good singers make mistakes: Sheryl Crow should have left Guns n’ Roses Sweet Child O’ Minealone.
· And Taylor Swift –Did you really need to cover Earth Wind and Fire’s September
· No one could ever top my personal favorite song (still after all these years) – Stay by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. And that goes for you Jackson Browne.
Many covers are better than the originals
· Always on My Mind – Willie Nelson (also Elvis). Written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher and Mark James, it was originally recorded by Brenda Lee in 1972.
· Janis Joplin, Me and Bobby McGee…..Kris Kristofferson couldn’t sing a lick and he admitted it. Roger Millers’ version pales in comparison.
· Jimi Hendrix, All Along the Watchtower ……..Dylan good. Jimi, superb
· I Will Always Love You……… Whitney Houston drowning out Dolly Parton. This is generally ranked as the most successful cover of all time.
· Critics say Whitney’s is the most successful cover of all, see above, but we disagree……which, of course, means the critics are wrong……..In 1960 Chubby Checker covered the B side of a Hank Ballard record, The Twist. And then he was even more successful with as a re-release in 1962. “Take me by my little hand and go like this.”
· Kim Carnes, Bette Davis Eyes- 1981 Jackie DeShannon 1974….Carnes was the perfect singer for the song.
· House of the Rising Sun –The Animals outdid any folk singer.
· Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah Of course Leonard Cohen couldn’t sing.
· Santana, Black Magic Woman – Fleetwood Mac
· I Fought the Law – critics prefer the Clash to the original. I’ll take the Bobby Fuller Four and as I’ve noted, if you or they disagree, you and they are wrong.
· Ray Charles, I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You, original by Don Gibson…..”sing the song children”.
· George Benson, On Broadway …….The Drifters. Hard to outdo the Drifters but Benson succeeds.
· Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door - Guns N’ Roses, 1990, originally Bob Dylan, 1973 who wrote the song for his embarrassing “acting” debut in the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
· Soft Cell, 1981 Tainted Love …….Gloria Jones, 1965
· Unchained Melody – Originally recorded by Liberace in February 1955 but thankfully covered by Al Hibbler a month later. There have since been 533 more covers including 13 more in 1955. The most fun though was the 1963 Vito and the Salutations treatment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHwDeGDkEFk
Speaking of one month covers, Rock Around the Clock was recorded by Sunny Dae and His Knights (a White group) in March 1954 and covered by Bill Haley and His Comets in May 1954. Haley’s version opened the movie Blackboard Jungle (1955) and became a rock standard.
· With a Little Help From My Friends, Joe Cocker covered the 1967 Beatles in 1968 but became a legend in the 1969 movie, Woodstock.
· Talking Heads, Take Me To The River 1980. Original by Al Green 1971. Tough to top Al. This was the only cover ever recorded by the Talking Heads.
· Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Woodstock - Mitchell good but CSNY better. Judy Collins cover of Clouds was better than Joni’’s too.
· The Ramones, Do You Wanna Dance - Bobby Freeman Good but hey, it’s The Ramones. If I recall correctly, Bobby Freeman sang this song to an elephant on Dick Clark’s Saturday prime time show.
· Bette Midler, Do You Want to Dance – not as good as Bobby or the sainted Ramones but a different slow, mellow version for her 1972 audience.
· The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man- Bob Dylan. Many covers of Dylan, especially the early years are better because, again, Dylan couldn’t sing. Blowing in the Wind has 338 covers including Patty Duke.
· Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 1981, I Love Rock N Roll - The Arrows. 1975
· Chris Stapleton, 2015 over David Allan Coe’s original (and all other covers), 1981 for Tennessee Whiskey. We’ll drink to that.
· Elvis covered anyone he wanted to cover and his versions usually became Elvis. Hound Dog. Although he “covered” Old MacDonald Had a Farm in the 1963 movie Double Trouble.
· Twist and Shout Beatles? Originally written as Shake It Up Baby but changed to Twist and Shout to take advantage of guess what dance craze of the early 60’s. We think the Isely’s original is better than the Beatles but we are open to other opinions…..just this once. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTaqn8_gMR0
Some songs you didn’t know (or care) were covers:
· Toni Basil’s Mickey is so fine, but it might blow your mind to know that the song was first recorded by a British quartet called Racey, and it was about a woman named Kitty.
· If the first cut is truly the deepest, then it’s only right that we recognize that, despite Sheryl Crow and Rod Stewart’s effective renditions, this track was not only first written by Cat Stevens, but also first recorded by singer P. P. Arnold.
· If asked to sing a Johnny Cash lyric, the majority of people would respond with “I fell into a burning ring of fire,” or a slight variation of the lyric. Yet, before the song’s 1963 release, Cash’s sister-in-law Anita Carter recorded it first. We should mention that, in another “can you believe this?” Olivia Newton John covered the song.
· A year before Billy Ray Cyrus and his mullet had us stomping about concerned for the painful state of his left ventricle, country music trio The Marcy Brothers released the track titled as Don’t Tell My Heart.
· Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Before Cyndi Lauper dropped this anthem for all women, new wave musician Robert Hazard recorded the song. Oh, and there have been 150 covers since Cyndi’s.
· Lou Bega’s (who?) career can be summed up by a medley of his hit, Mambo No. 5. However, yes, it’s a cover of bandleader Perez Prado’s, (noted for Patricia, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White) 1949 composition.
· Ebb Tide Robert Maxwell wrote and recorded the original in 1953 but the Righteous Brothers, actually Bobby Hatfield, established the standard in 1965. With 177 covers and counting, you knew that Pat Boone would be in there somewhere and so he was in 1958.
· Many Bruce Springsteen fans have no idea that Jersey Girl is a Tom Waits song.
“When I find a cover song that I like, I'll work away at it until I kind of believe that I wrote it”…………Nick Lowe
Yes, Hip Hop/Rap has its covers
No Diggity - BlackStreet – Klaxons
Heartless - Kanye West – the Fray
Same Drugs -Chance the Rapper - MisterWives Cover
Hotline Bling Drake - Kayjo
Superstar Christine Milton - Jameliais and then David Puentez and Albert Neve (2020)
Jump Around House of Paine - Everlast
No Brainer DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Quavo - Kidz Bop Kids
How fast can covers appear? Some top songs of 2023:
What Was I Made For? By Billie Ellish has 12 covers.
Flowers by Mylie Cyrus as 22 covers.
Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo has 8 so far.
A word, actually a few about three pet peeve versions. First, Otis Redding vs. Aretha Franklin. With all due respect, (pun intended) Otis wins with his original. The record is all about the horns, just listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7uSHlPi7YI
We’re talking about the music not the “anthem” or symbol of feminism that the song morphed into. Redding wrote Respect in 1965. Reportedly, when he heard Franklin’s version of the song, he said, “well, I guess it’s that girl’s song now.” when Franklin recorded her smash hit R.E.S.P.E.C.T in 1967. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A134hShx_gw
Redding died in yet another rock star plane crash in December of 1967 at 25. Musically, we’ll take Otis’s version with the trumpet in B-flat, Saxophone Alto, Saxophone Tenor, Trombone. We looked it up.
Second is Eddie Cochran’s 1958 Summertime Blues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAM1k9vEVqg
The Who https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcNqDQ48baE
and Alan Jackson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9x0wbKHos0
did notable covers. Neither version uses Cochran’s essential Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins guitar riff. Just three chords E, an A and a B7. Yes, we looked that up too. Neither The Who nor Jackson has the chords, which are the heart of the song. Neither version works. Not even close.
And thirdly, speaking of use of brass and woodwinds, the opposite of the Redding/Franklin versions of Respect occurs with Proud Mary. Ike and Tina Turner covered and sped up the 1969 Creedence Clearwater original (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hid10EgMXE) in 1974. No contest. Creedence wins. The Tina Turner version loses the heart of the original in a cacophony of shrieking Tina and blasting horns. The alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet 1, trumpet 2, trombone, alt. alto sax(3 horn) alto trumpet (3 horn) even overwhelm this paragraph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lfT9TWAaMY
So that’s the Good, the Bad, and the (very) Ugly of covers. It doesn’t hurt that they can make lots of money from it but covering a song allows a musician to put their own spin on the original and showcase their unique style and interpretation. Cover versions also attract new fans and …….money. Many artists are paying tribute to their musical influences as well as a way to honor their musical heroes and pay homage to those who inspired them. Covers of the Blues genre are a prime example Most performers love to do song covers and the consumer loves to hear them, unless it’s by Britney Spears, or William Shatner, or Pat Boone, or Doris Day. They want to be able to connect to their favorite songs in their own way. For so many artists it’s a way of expression but also an appreciation of the song itself. Finally, many up-and-coming artists are now performing/recording cover versions because it is a popular way of getting heard and recognized. Media sites like YouTube and streaming sites such as Spotify, Sirius or Apple Music contain numerous recordings as well as videos of artists covering songs with oodles of hits which have helped them towards their musical (and financial) success. “Hey if it was a hit for fill in the blank___________it may be a hit for me.” So, the singer or the song? It doesn’t have to be one or the other, but singers eventually fade away while a great song lives forever.
I guess a good song is a good song is a good song, ya know………….. George Thorogood
Time to think of some of your favorite covers or your unfavorite covers. Let us know.
Sources –
https://secondhandsongs.com If you want to know if a song has been covered, it’s here. The essential site.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/20811/most-covered-songs-in-music-history#
https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8055012/ Cover versions as an impact indicator in popular music: A quantitative network analysis
