I'm not sure how I missed this, but I recently came across a cover of John Lennon's 'Imagine'. It's been reworked into a bass driven minor key. It's been stuck in my head. I've also had the classic 'Erie Canal' as covered by Bruce Springsteen stuck in my head. I know there are two general approaches to covering a song- the exact copy and the surprising twist. The exact cover method is technical. For the purposes of this thread, I'm more worried about the second technique. You can transpose key, change from minor to major and back again, change the instruments, change the words... what works for you, both as a player, and as a listener?
Imagine
Erie Canal (I don't like this live version as much as the album version but I can't find that online and I don't want Bruce showing up on at the door.)
I love Cat Power's reworking of New York, New York... very dark and brooding....changes the whole feel of the song, much like the version of Imagine above. First heard the song (her version) as the closing track at the end of an episode of the TV show Rescue Me. It was a very dark scene in an otherwise comedic series. Song captured the mood perfectly...I thought to myself I gotta look this chick up.
Oh, alright two more I can't resist because this is one of my favorite musical topics, bands/artists that rework songs and totally make them their own. Weird thing is I have no use for "tribute" bands, particularly ones that are paying tribute to acts that are still out touring themselves. But i love cover bands that have a way of making the song their own.
Anyway two from my man the late Jeff Healey (RIP).
The Doors - Roadhouse Blues Steelers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle With You
Edit: after listening to your cuts nate, I realize healy's covers are not really what your talking about here, I don't think they've changed the original that much. Stuck in the middle is a little more rockified than the pop SW version...a few things changed around in Roadhouse but still the same feel...imagine on the other hand "felt" way different.
I would say that for me it certainly depends on the song and my take of it. I always find it interesting how people interpret songs.
I have to say that "Imagine" to me is a sacred song. Transposing it to a minor key renders it into a song of resignation and cynicism to me, which is just kind of sad given what that song represents. ---------- Shane
Shanester, a lot of people on the YouTube page thought that. I didn't post the first video I saw. I wanted one that just showed the song without context. Most of the video versions had horrific things going on in the background. The one had all sorts of stuff from Nazi's to Viet Nam, to civil rights protesters being sprayed with fire hoses, but the final picture was a little baby held forward in the cup of someone's hands. I saw it sort of as an opus to the hopes that still hadn't been fulfilled by the original.
Honkin', that New York, New York one is awesome!
Another example might be some of the MTV Unplugged shows where they bring in electric bands and take away their electricity, or some of the reworkings of Metal bands with an orchestra behind them. I suppose even humble Muzak transforms music (usually pretty dramatically- I actually heard a Muzak clip of a Nirvana tune that didn't totally offend the Nirvana fan in me.) I've heard grunge done as swing or dance or gentle piano music and folk covers of Britney's 'Oops I did it Again'. Then you've got the Transiberian Orchestra doing hard rock covers that sound just as energetic, but they play them on classical instruments.
Blues13, yeah, that's a great cover!
So, if you are trying to cover a song but make it your own, what is your process?
Yeah, nacoran, I totally get that about the song and I certainly have no morality around how people interpret or any "shoulds" or "shouldn'ts", just a personal impression.
However it does sound like in the case you mention, it takes the video to fully communicate that, as opposed to the song standing on it's own, no right or wrong there either.
I guess for me there would be no rote approach on the technical side to making a song my own only the personal inquiry of: "What is this song to me, and what would be my expression of it?"
I experience excitement when I sense those two things coming authentically together, and it seems to happen naturally from there, then I know I am in the pocket.
I would say that it could look like all manner of things from something really close to radically different. ---------- Shane
