Genre Swapping Covers
By: Kendall | in: Music |
Over the years great songs get covered by great (and sometimes not so great) bands/artists from a completely different genre. The results are as mixed as the styles, but occasionally something really interesting and genuine is invented. Here’s the best of what we could dream up.
The Gourds (Snoop Dogg) - Gin and Juice
One of the first rock-ish type groups to cover a gangster rap song.
Paul Anka (Van Halen) - Jump
The multi-million selling crooner lets it all hang out on this one. Who knew that Paul Anka could, in a weird way, be almost as charming as David Lee Roth?
Sid Vicious (Frank Sinatra) - My Way
This is classic. Pulling a reverse of Paul Anka, Sid Vicious turns crooning to sneering punk.
Ben Folds (Dr. Dre) - Bitches Ain’t Shit
Another gangster rap cover. Ben flexes his suburban whiteboy chops on this one. This is perhaps the best cover of a gangster rap song ever. It adds a certain elegance.
Charlie Hunter Trio (Nirvana) - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Charlie Hunter and company manage to translate the grunge classic to a crazy, cool jazz triumph.
The Postal Service (Phil Collins) - Against All Odds
Who would have guessed that Against All Odds would make a good emo/dance cover? Postal Service does Justice for the film Wicker Park.
The Scala Choir (The Divinyls) - I Touch Myself
There is something not quite right about a choir of 40+ German girls singing this song.
Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails) - Hurt
Did Johnny Cash know death was coming? He manages to take the NIN classic and make it even creepier than Trent Reznor could.
Me First And the Gimme Gimmies (Boys II Men) - End of the Road
These guys bend about every genre they can from show tunes to classic rock. Here they give Boys II Men the MFATGG makeover.
Hard N’ Phirm (Radiohead)
Pulling of f a Radiohead cover is difficult by itself. Translating it to honest to God bluegrass is even tougher. But apparently it can be done!
Posted on May 13, 2008
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12 Responses to “Genre Swapping Covers”
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That Divinyls cover is really eerie…
I understand the stellar creep quotient of a bunch of Belgian 8th graders singing ‘I Touch Myself’, but really, it just sounds beautiful. So much better than the original it blows it completely out of the water. This is one of those covers that so completely supplants the original you may never want to listen to that first version again.
And who knew Paul Anka could OWN Van Halen like that? Well, I did.
For me, a good cover entails the musician taking an original piece and making it their own. Wrapping their genre around the song until it becomes different from the original, like Tina Turner with Proud Mary. My faves are the Divinyls and Johnny Cash, talk about owning a song. Although now that I know The Divinyls were covered by 8th grade girls I feel a little icky.
~Thanks~ I have enjoyed this very much..
You missed the best one, Goodnight Nurse’s cover of “Milkshake”
Check-out all my videos on YouTube for more, mind-blowing, genre-swapping action! I recommend my latest dub: Carnival in Coal & Pantera - F*cking Hostile. Just search for the SmacG logo.
I hope you all enjoyed my gin n’ juice dub.
Cheers!
I’m pretty sure that Nirvana cover is not “Smells like teen spirit”, but of “Come as you are”. Though the intro to the song might be “smells like teen spirit”.
whichever it is, that nirvana cover is great. its kinda got a peanutsy feel to it. (and yes, i did just turn schultz into an adjective)
the scala choir is actually made up of 16-26 year olds. not eighth graders. and if you think that them singing i touch myself is eerie, hear them sing heartbeats or the blower’s daughter.
Scale is not German, but a Belgium choir. Please, don’t use the internet for faulty information.
Wasn’t the internet invented for spreading false info?
Quote “Scale is not German, but a Belgium choir. Please, don’t use the internet for faulty information.”
Please don’t use it for misspelling either…