Today – Let’s talk cover songs!

Covering songs originally performed by other artists has been practiced for quite a long time, and the term cover versions has been used since the 1940s. Some musicians choose to just create a copy of the original version, but the true art is creating a new original version of a long standing song. A good example of cover songs that sound very different from their originals are songs released by the Punk supergroup Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees. They will take classic songs and restyle them into musch faster power punk rockers.

A lot of times cover songs are great for introducing songs to completely different audiences whether it be because of crossing into a different genre or just reaching an entire generation that wasn’t previously exposed to the original. Sometimes this can even cause a resurgence in appreciation of the original as fans of the new version will seek out the original source material.

On this episode, I thought I would take a look at some cover songs that have stood out to me over time, and possibly play a snippet of the cover and the original. I’ve selected just 15 here, but there are definetly a ton more.

“You Really Got Me” by Van Halen (originally by The Kinks)“With A Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker (originally by The Beatles)“Whiskey in the Jar” by Metallica (originally recorded by Thin Lizzy)“The Man Who Sold The World” by Nirvana (originally by David Bowie)“Take Me To The River” by Talking Heads (originally by Al Green)“Tainted Love” by Soft Cell (originally by Gloria Jones)“Red Red Wine” by UB40 (originally by Neil Diamond)“Proud Mary” by Ike and Tina Turner (originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival)“Mad World” by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews (originally by Tears for Fears)“I Love Rock N RolI” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (originally by The Arrows)“Higher Ground” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally by Stevie Wonder)“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper (originally by Robert Hazard)“Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” by Urge Overkill (originally by Neil Diamond)“Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (originally by Bruce Springsteen)“All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix (originally by Bob Dylan)

Alright, so there you have it – a short list of cover songs that I appreciate and enjoy. Let me know what cover songs you find interesting and share them with us on social media by going to @SpinningPodcast on instagram or twitter. You can also reach us via email by using the address [email protected].

Thanks for listening and I’ll catch you on the “flip-side “