Author Topic: Songs that change when re-interpreted (Read 5844 times)

AndyH · « **Reply #25 on:** 07 April, 2011, 08:51:03 pm »

Quote from: nicknack on 07 April, 2011, 03:04:25 pm

Quote from: tiermat on 07 April, 2011, 12:35:39 pm
I was reminded about this from another thread that mentioned a cover of Britney'S pears "Hit Me Baby One More Time".

When Ms Spears sings it, it is a light, frothy pop song about teenage love.

When stripped down to an acoustic version, sung with a modicum of passion (ala Matt Cardle) it is more about spousal abuse (at least to my ears it is).

Any other examples?

Possibly this one, which is my favourite

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/acULghgYUg0&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/acULghgYUg0&rel=1</a>

I've always understood Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" to be about heroin. The BBC reverse engineered that one.

Kathy · « **Reply #26 on:** 07 April, 2011, 08:51:30 pm »

Two words:

Hayseed. Dixie.

clarion · « **Reply #27 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:03:25 pm »

Or Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #28 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:05:23 pm »

Smells Like Teen Spirit usually sounds like a celebration of teenage American energy and optimism, but when Patti Smith sings it, you can hear it's written by a completely lost spirit (cause when Cobain sang it you didn't really pay attention to the words).

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #29 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:11:24 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 07 April, 2011, 08:37:05 pm

Johnny Cash was mentioned upthread, and it's worth touching on his version of Personal Jesus.

Hmm.

Just had a listen to it.

Very Johnny Cash. I like. I'll have to go find the original now (no idea who by?)

clarion · « **Reply #30 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:14:01 pm »

Quote from: Kathy on 07 April, 2011, 12:41:14 pm

Katy Perry's I kissed a girl (and I liked it). Was covered by a gay male singer, whose name escapes me. Changed from a flirty faux-lesbian song into an utter crisis of sexual identity.

Ian Shaw, the jazz singer, used to (probably still does) do a fantastic line in reinterpreting love songs from a woman's perspective as gay torch songs. Marvellous.

In a similar vein, Will Young, on Radio 1's Live Lounge*, did a touching version of the Pussycat Dolls' Doncha. It was quite beautiful.

* When Jo Whiley was on Radio 1, instead of squatting in Radcliffe & Maconie's spot on Radio 2. I now have to do Listen Again on my laptop, which has pretty crappy speakers.

clarion · « **Reply #31 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:15:49 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 07 April, 2011, 09:11:24 pm

Quote from: clarion on 07 April, 2011, 08:37:05 pm
Johnny Cash was mentioned upthread, and it's worth touching on his version of Personal Jesus.

Hmm.
Just had a listen to it.

Very Johnny Cash. I like. I'll have to go find the original now (no idea who by?)

Depeche Mode. I get the impression that DM were not such close friends of Billy Graham* as Cash was

* WTF? I can imagine they had some, er, interesting discussions of politics over the Sunday dinner, which they regularly shared...

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #32 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:21:17 pm »

Yeah, I'd worked it out and watched the video

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cNd4eocq2K0&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/cNd4eocq2K0&rel=1</a> from which I would not really have been able to work out what it was about. Except that there's a girl in the video who looks just like Boy George!

Who had dinner with Billy Graham? Johnny Cash? !!! They may have shared a religious belief - well, broadly - but I can't imagine them getting on very well.

LEE · « **Reply #33 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:28:11 pm »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SRPa0GhxGUs&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/SRPa0GhxGUs&rel=1</a>

clarion · « **Reply #34 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:29:30 pm »

Johnny & Billy

Exit Stage Left · « **Reply #35 on:** 07 April, 2011, 09:29:51 pm »

I reckon that the Johnny Cash U2 cover is the best one, and rarely heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8d_8fM6PQc

pcolbeck · « **Reply #36 on:** 08 April, 2011, 10:03:54 am »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qpZ7BOSmO64&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/qpZ7BOSmO64&rel=1</a>by Bonnie Bramlett, a great paen to the emptiness of the relationship between groupies and rock stars becomes something saccharine when transformed into

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/F9Nm_0pC4FM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/F9Nm_0pC4FM&rel=1</a> by the Carpenters - and they changed the words to make them less controversial.

clarion · « **Reply #37 on:** 08 April, 2011, 10:05:05 am »

Quote from: LEE on 07 April, 2011, 09:28:11 pm

OK, so you've played the trump card of reinterpretation...

pcolbeck · « **Reply #38 on:** 08 April, 2011, 10:16:37 am »

"If you go away" (best version probably

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/wyCVxPEPx5Y&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/wyCVxPEPx5Y&rel=1</a>) is about heartbreak but the

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/za_6A0XnMyw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/za_6A0XnMyw&rel=1</a>is a lot deeper and shows the singer as more pathetic than merely heartbroken. A lot of the subtly gets lost in translation from the French, the song just doesn't work as well in English.

Exit Stage Left · « **Reply #39 on:** 08 April, 2011, 10:59:00 am »

Quote from: clarion on 08 April, 2011, 10:05:05 am

Quote from: LEE on 07 April, 2011, 09:28:11 pm

OK, so you've played the trump card of reinterpretation...

That's this one surely.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/DvQwXOCKNLY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/DvQwXOCKNLY&rel=1</a>

clarion · « **Reply #40 on:** 08 April, 2011, 11:00:56 am »

I meant the artiste, not the recording.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds also has a certain... je ne veux pas savoir quoi.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #41 on:** 08 April, 2011, 12:19:19 pm »

Quote from: Rhys W on 07 April, 2011, 05:30:11 pm

Laibach are masters of turning seemingly banal pop songs into something sinister and rather scary. They've done The Beatles, Stones, Status Quo, Opus's "Life Is Life" and Europe's "The Final Countdown". Intriguing.

For some reason that one always makes me want to annex the Sudetenland...

Flying_Monkey · « **Reply #42 on:** 08 April, 2011, 01:55:13 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 08 April, 2011, 11:00:56 am

I meant the artiste, not the recording.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds also has a certain... je ne veux pas savoir quoi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-yy2URAYqU

itsbruce · « **Reply #43 on:** 08 April, 2011, 10:35:37 pm »

Quote from: Rhys W on 07 April, 2011, 05:30:11 pm

Laibach are masters of turning seemingly banal pop songs into something sinister and rather scary. They've done The Beatles, Stones, Status Quo, Opus's "Life Is Life" and Europe's "The Final Countdown". Intriguing.

Here they are doing Queen's "One Vision"

That has long been one of my favourite tracks.

I found the Mike Flowers cover of Wonderwall quite amusing. But then I've always thought Oasis were shit.

citoyen · « **Reply #44 on:** 08 April, 2011, 11:13:42 pm »

Surprised no-one has mentioned Terry Jacks' Seasons In The Sun yet - schmaltzy and sentimental, and totally lacking the bitterness and sarcasm of Jacques Brel's original Le Moribond.

Another one I like is the Fatima Mansions version of Bryan Adams' Everything I Do, which sounds like the deranged ramblings of a psychotic stalker...
YouTube - Fatima Mansions Everything I Do(i do it for you)

d.

citoyen · « **Reply #45 on:** 08 April, 2011, 11:17:00 pm »

Of course, that Fatima Mansions track was the B-side to the Manic Street Preachers version of Suicide Is Painless, which is a nice cover but not much of a reinterpretation.

Both were on Ruby Trax, the NME's celebratory tribute to 40 years of the charts. Among other notable tracks on that album was Vic Reeves doing the bizarrest version of Vienna you're ever likely to hear... or not, because I can't find a clip online. Dammit.

Suffice to say the bits about the Belgian police and owls weren't in the original lyrics...

d.

citoyen · « **Reply #46 on:** 08 April, 2011, 11:24:41 pm »

Aha! Found it!

http://homepage.mac.com/simon_aughton/audio/Resources/Vienna.mp3

pcolbeck · « **Reply #47 on:** 08 April, 2011, 11:26:32 pm »

That's odd, very very odd.

Rhys W · « **Reply #48 on:** 08 April, 2011, 11:27:37 pm »

Quote from: itsbruce on 08 April, 2011, 10:35:37 pm

I found the Mike Flowers cover of Wonderwall quite amusing. But then I've always thought Oasis were shit.

Have you heard the version by Ryan Adams? Big improvement.

Rhys W · « **Reply #49 on:** 08 April, 2011, 11:33:07 pm »

The Manics have a way with cover versions - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Velocity Girl, Umbrella...

I also like The Cardigans doing Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Iron Man and The Boys Are Back In Town. This was when they were a slightly jazzy, twee indie band, well before they turned a bit edgy with My Favourite Game etc.

Author Topic: Songs that change when re-interpreted (Read 5844 times)

AndyH

LEE

Flying_Monkey