Oh, how I love cover songs. Maybe it’s the feeling of the familiar made strange, maybe I appreciate an artist’s homage to the original, maybe I just fear change; but dear Lordy I love me some cover songs.
Good ones, of course. The bad ones can die in a fire.
Here’s my list of Sad Bastard Songs: The Covers Edition.**
1.) Ben Folds – Golden Slumbers
Ben Folds still holds a special place in my heart for being part of the soundtrack of my high school and college years. (I still hear the phrase, “Y’all don’t know what it’s like, being male, middle-class and white!” in my head when I hear the entitled whining…) And he’s still on my nerdy crush list.
He also did a kick-ass version of a Beatles classic. This really isn’t a sad bastard song, but when I think about the movie that this is from, “I Am Sam,” I just want to curl in a ball and hug a teddy bear.
2.) Make You Feel My Love – Adele
This is one of those songs that can be thought of as crazy romantic if you’re in a good mood – or distressingly sad bastard if you’re not. It could be the song that wins you over, or the last salvo before the heart-wrenching gutting of a break-up. (For this list, we’re going with that morbid latter. Just watch the video and not tear up a little.) Plus, Adele is beautiful and amazing.
3.) The Heart of the Matter – India.Arie
I love India.Arie. Anyone cool enough to have a useless period in their name is awesome in my book. Plus a friend of mine once set up sound for her at an event and said that she is the nicest, most grateful artist ever. I also have a secret love of Don Henley and this song. The fact that it’s not the radio edit and has a whole other chunk of lyrics left in (my favorite part, incidentally) makes this an upbeat sad bastard song.
4.) Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain – Brandi Carlile
You can’t out-Willie Willie, but if you can kinda give him a run for his money. This lady can wail with the best of them. Love the Brandi. (Do not even bring up the Sheryl Crow version. We will be in a fight.)
5.) Jolene – Mindy Smith
You don’t mess with Dolly. Unless Dolly gives the okay and sings it with you. Then you can mess with Dolly.
6.) Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
No words. Do I really need any?
Alrightly, moppets, what’s your favorite cover song, sad bastard or otherwise?
**I still have not switched over to hosting, hence the Youtube videos. One day I will be like the cool kids and be able to embed a player so you can just hear the songs. One day….probably when someone shows me how.
Kind of a Mess 
will we be in a fight if I mention the white stripes cover of jolene? because I love that one. but I don’t know if it’s dolly approved!
are you a tori amos fan? she did an entire album of covers and a lot of them were really good.
Nope, all covers are welcome. And since The White Stripes are Loretta Lynn approved, they don’t need Dolly’s. 🙂
And I have that one! (massive Tori fan in college.) It’s not my favorite, but Bonnie and Clyde ’97 kills me…
that one is so haunting!
so I was just out on a mission to get some tacos for lunch (darn Meg’s post today about the taco guy! haha), and heard Iron Man on the radio. and it reminded me how much I love the Cardigans cover of that song. and I had to share.
*Possible heresy alert* but I have to add to the Jolene lovefest with an Aussie blue grass five-piece called the Wilson Pickers.
Their version is even better than the White Stripes one (sung but not one man but five!) to my mind, and its slower pace and haunting harmonies even rival DP herself.
Check it out at: http://www.myspace.com/thewilsonpickers/music/songs/jolene-54979215
(My favourite is the last verse, done a capella – I don’t know if it’s intentional, but the light thrumming on the guitar is a pretty eery rendition of the heartbeat of a soul in torment….or is that just me?)
Also, clearly: “Hurt” by the Nine Inch Nails, covered by Johnny Cash. I don’t know if it’s apocryphal, but apparently when Trent Reznor heard that version, he said something like “I knew it wasn’t my song anymore.” Shivers.
Ben Folds! I LOVE him. And Jeff Buckley is obviously the best Hallelujah cover ever.
Last weekend, my sister and I were looking up really crappy covers, but of Brasilian versions of (mostly) crappy American songs. It was really funny and obnoxious all at once.
I gotsa few: Gladys Knight and the Pips: I Heard It Through The Grapevine; Stevie Wonder, We Can Work It Out (covering the Beatles’ hit); and the Glee folk covering “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga…
I’ve really been enjoying Greg Laswell’s cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which was used to great effect on Damages which I have been re-watching. Really great.
Adele is perfection – I’ve loved that song since it came out yet somehow never saw the video ..till now. I think she switched it up in the vid & somehow it sounds even more raw & amazing. Even the video concept is great, did I mention she’s perfection? How did I not realize what song India was singing until she got to the hook… then it was all “aaah, yea! I love that song”…. so embarrassed – the 80’s are gonna disown me. And Jeff Buckley! WHAT! Chills every time… gone too soon.