Originals and Covers: Videos

I thought I would have a little fun…..

I was listening to “Gala” by Lush when “Hey Hey Helen” came on. What a great cover version to the song; it inspired me to start listening to some original versions against the covers, including “No More “I Love You’s” (The Lover Speaks / Annie Lennox), “Lullaby” (The Cure / Editors), “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana / Tori Amos), and “Strawberry Fields Forever” (The Beatles / Candy Flip – slang for dropping LSD). So I started to think about why cover a song, and what makes a good cover. Not to get into this too much, but as for why: to bring something new out of a song, or to save it from obscurity, or both. As for what makes a good cover? There is no one set rule. Sometimes a complete departure, sometimes keeping a one or two or three elements, and sometimes keeping faithful to the original, I am usually more curious about why a band chooses to cover one band or song and not another. Though I hate to compare the “value” of one against the other, it is sometimes obvious that the cover outdoes the original, but most of the time pales in comparison. Here are five interesting originals and their covers. (I stuck to songs that were singles only, so I could post them with videos.) Enjoy!

“Blue Monday”

Original by New Order, from their MySpace Videos Page.


Blue Monday (1988) by New Order

new order | MySpace Music Videos

Cover by Orgy, from their MySpace Videos Page.


Blue Monday

Orgy | MySpace Music Videos

“Borderline”

Original by Madonna, from her MySpace Videos Page.


Borderline

Madonna | MySpace Music Videos

Cover by The Flaming Lips, from their MySpace Videos Channel.


Borderline

The Flaming Lips | MySpace Video

“Enjoy the Silence”

Original by Depeche Mode, from their MySpace Videos Page.


Enjoy The Silence

Depeche Mode | MySpace Music Videos

Cover by Lacuna Coil, from the CenturyMedia YouTube Channel.



“Take a Chance on Me”

Original by Abba, from the AbbaVEVO YouTube Channel.



Cover by Erasure, from their MySpace Video Page.


Take A Chance On Me (Video)

Erasure | MySpace Music Videos

“Who’s That Girl?”

Original by Eurythmics, from the EurythmicsVEVO YouTube Channel.



Cover by She Is Danger, from their YouTube Channel: sheisdangermusic.