It started with a mysterious concert, became one of the biggest soul hits of the 1970s, and was reborn as a hip-hop phenomenon in the 1990s. 'Killing Me Softly' has one of the most fascinating journeys in popular music: from Lori Lieberman's delicate folk original through Roberta Flack's Grammy-sweeping masterpiece to the Fugees' generation-defining cover.

But did the song really start with a Don McLean concert? Why did Roberta Flack's version eclipse the original so completely? And how did Lauryn Hill and the Fugees bring it to a whole new audience without betraying its soul?

On this episode of Uncovering the Cover, we explore a song about being moved by music, told through three artists, three decades, and three completely different approaches to the same haunting melody.

Featured: Lori Lieberman, Roberta Flack, The Fugees (Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel), Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel.

📱 Follow Uncovering the Cover:

• Instagram: [@uncoveringthecover]
• TikTok: [@uncoveringcover.podcast]
• Website: [pinzondiego.com/podcast]

CREDITS:

Host, Producer, Editor: Diego Pinzón

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

If you enjoyed this episode:

✅ Subscribe to the show✅ Leave a 5-star review✅ Share with a friend✅ Follow us on social media

DISCLAIMER:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any artist, label, or organization mentioned. All music samples are used for educational and commentary purposes under fair use doctrine.

David Bowie's 1970 album 'The Man Who Sold the World' was a commercial flop. The title track - a churning, heavy exploration of identity and doppelgängers - became a cult favorite among Bowie devotees but remained largely unknown to mainstream audiences.

Twenty-three years later, Kurt Cobain chose this obscure song for Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance. What he and the band created - a delicate, haunting acoustic arrangement - would introduce millions to the song for the first time. Most didn't know it was a cover.

In this episode, we explore:

• Bowie's artistic crossroads in 1970 and the creation of his proto-metal masterpiece
• Why the album flopped and how the song became a cult favorite
• Cobain's Bowie obsession and why he chose this deep cut for Unplugged
• How Nirvana transformed a heavy rock song into intimate vulnerability
• The prophetic weight the performance took on after Cobain's death
• Why both versions are masterpieces in their own right

From Mick Ronson's heavy guitar riff to Pat Smear's delicate acoustic picking, from Bowie's theatrical detachment to Cobain's fragile confession - this is a cover that didn't erase the original. It resurrected it.

Featured Music:

• David Bowie - 'The Man Who Sold the World' (1970)
• Nirvana - 'The Man Who Sold the World' (MTV Unplugged in New York, 1993)

Perfect for: Music lovers, cultural commentators, anyone curious about the connection between 1970s proto-metal rock music and 1990s grunge, and how MTV Unplugged paved the way for a new generation.

Episode Length: 26 minutes

📱 Follow Uncovering the Cover:

• Instagram: [@uncoveringthecover]
• TikTok: [@uncoveringcover.podcast]
• Website: [pinzondiego.com/podcast]

CREDITS:

Host, Producer, Editor: Diego Pinzón

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

If you enjoyed this episode:

✅ Subscribe to the show✅ Leave a 5-star review✅ Share with a friend✅ Follow us on social media

DISCLAIMER:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any artist, label, or organization mentioned. All music samples are used for educational and commentary purposes under fair use doctrine.

This episode relies on fair use for educational/critical commentary.

• 'The Man Who Sold the World' - Written by David Bowie
• Original recording © 1970 Mercury Records/RCA
• Nirvana version © 1994 Geffen Records
• All music excerpts used for critical commentary and education under fair use

Publishing Rights

• Songwriter: David Bowie
• Publisher: Tintoretto Music/RZO Music/EMI Music Publishing

Before "Respect" was a feminist anthem... before it became a civil rights rallying cry... before Aretha Franklin made it one of the most powerful songs in American history... "Respect" was Otis Redding's funky plea to his wife.

In this season premiere, we uncover the incredible transformation of "Respect" from a man's request into a revolution.

THE STORY YOU'LL HEAR:

1965: Otis Redding writes (maybe) and records "Respect" with Booker T. and the M.G.'s at Stax Records in Memphis. It's a groove. It's playful. It's about a working man wanting appreciation when he comes home. It hits #5 on the Black Singles chart.

1967: Aretha Franklin has been performing it live for two years, working it out with her sisters Erma and Carolyn. On Valentine's Day, she walks into Atlantic Recording Studios in New York and changes everything.

WHAT CHANGED:

- Two words: "you can do me wrong" became "I don't wanna"

- Three sisters: Aretha's sisters came up with spelling R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the infamous "sock it to me" and "TCB"

- One perspective: From a man's entitlement to a woman's agency

- A nation's needs: Released at the height of the Civil Rights Movement

WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER:

✨ The mystery of who actually wrote "Respect" (spoiler alert: it might not be Otis Redding)

✨ The magic of the Valentine's Day 1967 recording session

✨ How the Franklin sisters created "sock it to me" and the iconic spelling

✨ Engineer Tom Dowd's reaction: "I know that song! I made it with Otis!"

✨ Otis Redding's playful-but-wistful reaction at Monterey Pop Festival

✨ The tragedy: Otis died just 5 months after hearing Aretha's version

✨ Why Aretha earned ZERO dollars from radio play despite 7 million spins

✨ How one cover became an anthem for Civil Rights, Women's Rights, and human dignity

QUOTES YOU'LL HEAR:

"This is a song that a girl took away from me." - Otis Redding at Monterey Pop

"It was like a festival. Everything worked just right." - Producer Arif Mardin

"The fervor in Aretha's voice demanded that respect." - Producer Jerry Wexler

This is the story of how perspective can transform art. How the same song can mean completely different things depending on who's singing it and when.

Because that's what Uncovering the Cover is all about: the hidden stories behind music's greatest transformations.

---

SHOW NOTES:

🎵 LISTEN TO THE SONGS:

- Otis Redding - "Respect" (1965)

- Aretha Franklin - "Respect" (1967)

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

- "Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin" by David Ritz

- "Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records..." by Mark Ribowsky

- NPR Music coverage of "Respect"

- Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs ranking

📱 FOLLOW UNCOVERING THE COVER:

Instagram: @uncoveringthecover

TikTok: @uncoveringthecover.podcast

Website: pinzondiego.com/podcast 🎙️ NEXT EPISODE:

"Bésame Mucho" - A 16-year-old's song that became a global standard

Subscribe so you never miss an episode!Hosted by Diego Pinzón

Editing: Diego Pinzón

Background music composed by Kevin MacLeod, find his music at ⁠incompetech.com⁠.

Other music used for educational purposes.

© 2026 Uncovering the Cover. All rights reserved.

---

Music history • Cover songs • Storytelling

Bad Bunny performing at Super Bowl LX, is iconic. Despite the controversy surrounding the NFL's decision, he becomes the first predominantly Spanish-language halftime show in Super Bowl history. Conservatives are furious. Trump called it "ridiculous." There was a petition to replace him with George Strait, and even an alternative "All-American" halftime show headlined by Kid Rock.

But what everyone's missing is the real story: It's a "this is how the world has changed" moment. A historic feat .

In this episode, we trace the direct line from Atlanta trap music to Bad Bunny's Grammy-winning album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos." We break down how T.I.'s 2003 album "Trap Muzik" didn't just name a genre, it created the template that would eventually give birth to Latin trap, and ultimately, the biggest Latin artist in history.

We dive deep into and Uncover "NUEVAYoL," the opening track of Bad Bunny's album that samples El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico's salsa classic "Un Verano en Nueva York" and wraps it in trap-influenced reggaeton beats. We explore how Bad Bunny uses sampling not just for nostalgia, but as a tool for cultural preservation, ensuring that Puerto Rican musical heritage reaches a new generation.

You'll learn:

• How trap music evolved from Atlanta's underground to global dominance
• Why T.I. naming the genre in 2003 was crucial for Latin trap's emergence
• The story of De La Ghetto and the birth of Latin trap in 2007
• How Bad Bunny's sampling strategy honors the past while creating something revolutionary
• Why "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" becoming the first Spanish-language Album of the Year Grammy winner is more than just a music achievement, it's a cultural milestone
• The real reason behind the Super Bowl backlash (hint: it's not about language)

This isn't just a story about one artist. It's about how Black American music and Puerto Rican culture fused to create a sound that now dominates global charts. It's about immigration, identity, and the real American story: one of fusion, not division.

Whether you're a Bad Bunny superfan, a hip-hop head, or someone trying to understand why the Super Bowl halftime show has become a political flashpoint, this episode gives you the full context.

Perfect for: Music lovers, cultural commentators, anyone curious about the intersection of hip-hop and Latin music, Super Bowl watchers wanting context

Featured Music: Bad Bunny, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, T.I., De La Ghetto, Héctor & Tito

Episode Length: 34 minutes

---

SHOW NOTES:

[00:00] Intro: The Sample That Started It All

• El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico's "Un Verano en Nueva York" (1968)
• Bad Bunny's "NUEVAYoL" and the Grammy win

[04:57] Act One: The Song and the Album

• "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" track-by-track breakdown
• Cultural preservation through sampling
• Why this album matters beyond music

[10:51] Act Two: Sampling in Latin Trap

• What makes Latin trap different from American trap
• How sampling fights cultural erasure

[16:07] Act Three: T.I. and the Invention of Trap

• Setting the record straight: Did T.I. invent trap?
• Shawty Redd and the real trap sound origins
• "Trap Muzik" (2003) and mainstream legitimacy

[20:51] Act Four: The Atlanta to Puerto Rico Pipeline

• How Latin artists adapted the trap template

[27:56] Act Five: Full Circle - "NUEVAYoL" and What Photos Can't Capture

• Intergenerational connection through music
• Music as proof of cultural fusion

📱 Follow Uncovering the Cover:

• Instagram: [@uncoveringthecover]
• TikTok: [@uncoveringcover.podcast]
• Website: [pinzondiego.com/podcast]

CREDITS:

Host, Producer, Editor: Diego Pinzón

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

If you enjoyed this episode:

✅ Subscribe to the show
✅ Leave a 5-star review
✅ Share with a friend
✅ Follow us on social media

DISCLAIMER:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any artist, label, or organization mentioned. All music samples are used for educational and commentary purposes under fair use doctrine.

We're back after five years!

Every music cover tells a story. A story of transformation. Of perspective. Of how the same song can mean completely different things... depending on who's singing it, and when.

After five years away, we're bringing back Uncovering the Cover, the podcast that explores the hidden stories behind music's greatest transformations.

We're going deeper. We're uncovering covers that crossed borders, generations, and changed history, regardless of their language.

From Adele to Smash Mouth. From Quiet Riot to The Beatles. From Bad Bunny to Frank Sinatra.

Because before Aretha Franklin made it a feminist anthem., "Respect" belonged to a man who just wanted his wife to appreciate him. Before "La Bamba" became a rock & roll staple, it was a 300-year-old Mexican wedding song. And before "Killing Me Softly" defined two generations, it was inspired by a mystery performer that no one can quite agree on.

We’ll uncover the songs that have sampled and crossed over, the ones that have made you fall in love, get up and dance, smile, or just vibe along…

These aren't just covers. They're conversations. They're revolutions. They're proof that sometimes... the second version reveals what the first one couldn't see.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

This is Uncovering the Cover - the podcast that explores the hidden stories behind music's greatest transformations.

Because every cover is a conversation. Every transformation tells a story.

This is the story about the fight for fair compensation and creative freedom. Taylor Swift recently released the re-recording of her 2008 best-selling album Fearless, in an attempt to have control over her own music, after a long and exhausting battle with former music label, Big Machine Records and entrepreneur Scooter Braun.

But, Swift is not the first one to re-record an entire album or entire songs because of a dispute with her music label, several other artists from Def Leppard to JoJo to Blondie and even Frank Sinatra have done the same thing in order to gain full control of their own recordings… and sometimes, because of plain greediness.

Welcome to Uncovering the Cover, the podcast where we tell the stories of the songs that have captured our imagination… throughout several generations. I’m your host Diego Pinzón, and today we’re doing things a bit different. We’re going to explore re-recordings - which one could argue is a form of covering your own music -, how it has been shaping the music industry and how Taylor Swift will completely reshape how record labels treat master recordings ownership clauses in the future.

This is Uncovering the Cover, Taylor’s Version of the music industry.

If you want to listen to the episode while reading a FULL TRANSCRIPT of this episode, just CLICK HERE!

To listen to every single song featured on this episode, CLICK HERE for our Spotify playlist about this episode.

--

This is the episode we make a reference to: "I Will Always Love You, from Dolly Parton to Whitney Houston".

Follow us on Instagram @uncoveringthecover

It's already been a month since Daft Punk split up. The most famous French duo since the Lumière brothers decided to call it quits to their almost thirty years of music career.

They have become the most influential dance & electronic music artists in the past three decades, the precursors of French house and EDM and one the most lovable pop acts since the 1990s.

But, they actually started as a punk rock band - together with a current member of the alternative band Phoenix - and it’s actually thanks to a review by a British magazine that we have the name of this electronic music duo, which dominated electronic music for three decades until their separation in February 2021.

Today, we’re going taking a look at the career of the most influential French duo since the Lumière brothers, a duo which defined a new era of pop music and created a wave of electronic sounds that are still present today. This is Uncovering the Cover: how Daft Punk changed the world!

Check out here our episode on Sampling: https://pinzondiego.com/from-the-beatles-to-drake-to-beyonce-and-old-town-road-how-sampling-gave-music-another-meaning/

Vist us at PinzonDiego.com/podcast and follow us on Instagram.com/uncoveringthecover

Este episodio fue publicado originalmente en inglés en febrero de 2020. Esta es la versión en español de la historia detrás de “Last Kiss”, la emblemática canción de Pearl Jam a finales de los 90. El de inglés es hasta hoy, nuestro episodio con más descargas, y como varios de ustedes lo pidieron y por el éxito que ha tenido este episodio, aquí está la versión de este episodio en español… ¡es como si le hubiéramos hecho un cover!

Ya pasó un mes desde el Día de San Valentín, un día que se celebra sobretodo en los Estados Unidos, pero que recientemente ha tenido una amplia acogida en los demás países alrededor del mundo. Durante esos días cercanos al 14 de febrero, probablemente escuchaste e incluso dedicaste una gran cantidad de canciones de amor que parece ya no podemos soportar ... Bien, si has tenido una sobredosis de canciones de amor, aquí hay algo para ti.

Muchos considerarían a esta como una canción de amor, pero te sorprendería saber que el subgénero de música al que pertenece esta canción se conoce como “La Canción de Tragedia Adolescente” y en realidad, es menos romántico de lo que piensas.

La de Pearl Jam es quizás la versión más reconocible de esta canción.  Una canción que casi por accidente se convirtió en la más popular hasta el día de hoy, de la Banda de grunge de Seattle. Una canción que se convirtió también en un éxito con otras dos bandas de rock n roll.

Es una canción que trascendió a tres generaciones diferentes de fanáticos del rock que infiltraron la canción en las listas de éxitos populares en las décadas de 1960, 1970 y 1990.

Esta canción también tiene un impacto profundo en la música latinoamericana, ya que posee una larga tradición en el folclore y la cultura latinoamericana, la mayoría de la gente cree incluso que la canción era originalmente en español debido a los éxitos que se popularizaron en versión bolero.  La canción se convirtió en la insignia de un subgénero musical muy singular que enganchó a los adolescentes en Estados Unidos durante los años 50 y 60, con canciones sobre la muerte, el amor adolescente y accidentes automovilísticos fatales.

Pero a pesar de todo lo anterior, la versión original de esta canción fue un rotundo fracaso comercial.

Esto es Uncovering the Cover: El Último Beso. Visítanos en PinzonDiego.com/podcast y síguenos en Instagram.com/uncoveringthecover

"Last Kiss", episodio en inglés: https://pinzondiego.com/last-kiss-uncovering-the-cover-podcast/

¡Bienvenidos a Uncovering the Cover, EN ESPAÑOL! Este es nuestro primer episodio en tu idioma, y junto a "Start Spreading the News" (en inglés), lanzamos oficialmente nuestra segunda temporada.

Pensemos en esto por un momento… ha llegado el día en que todos podemos volver a reunirnos con nuestros amigos en el bar de karaoke más famoso de la ciudad.

Mientras estás buscando en el libro del bar aquella canción con la que logras impresionar a propios y a extraños, de repente el dj del lugar anuncia a tu mejor amiga, quien con su reconocido desdén se dirige hacia el escenario.

Al llegar, ella toma el micrófono en sus manos, se ubica en la tarima con su particular pose de cantante de los 80 y comienzan a sonar aquellos acordes de guitarra acústica acompañados por ese piano en sol menor que te lleva a la época en que te rompieron el corazón, y justo cuando aparecen las letras en los monitores del bar, tu amiga pone una sonrisa mientras se acerca el micrófono a su cara e inmediatamente todo el bar comienza a corear unas poéticas y eróticas palabras: "fue más o menos así".

Y mientras muchos nos hemos reído de esta canción a media que hemos ido creciendo con otros géneros musicales, e incluso le hemos puesto el sello de “música para planchar”.

Sin embargo, esta canción de 1981, hace exactamente 40 años, fue la que catapultó la carrera musical de la cantante mexicana Yuri y puso su nombre en cada emisora radial del mundo de habla hispana. Pero quizás, lo más importante es que “Maldita Primavera”, o “Maledetta Primavera”, fue la canción que revitalizó y consolidó una nueva ola de la balada italiana en la música latina.

Bienvenidos a Uncovering the Cover, el podcast donde te contamos las historias detrás de las canciones que han capturado nuestra imaginación… a través de cada generación. Soy Diego Pinzón… y hoy, vamos a conocer la historia de una canción que nos ha puesto a cantar más de una vez, en un bar de karaoke, o mientras maldecimos a quien nos rompió el corazón. Una canción que puso a Yuri en el mapa pero que en Europa ya había tenido un éxito significativo, aunque en otro idioma.

Esto es Uncovering the Cover: “Para Enamorarnos Pasó Una Hora y Pasó Ligera”.

---

Quiero recordarte que este es nuestro primer episodio en español. es además nuestro gran lanzamiento de la segunda temporada, que viene precargado con dos episodios al mismo tiempo, este en español y otro en inglés, que se llama “start spreading the news”.

Síguenos en Instagram @uncoveringthecover porque ahí vas a poder votar por las canciones que vamos a desglosar en los próximos episodios. y si te puedo pedir algo más, suscríbete a nuestro podcast y si te gusta el episodio déjanos una reseña, de esta manera el algoritmo hará que más personas conozcan de Uncovering the Cover.

PinzonDiego.com/podcast