We like music, a lot. Covers are a great way for an artist to give respect to another, but we especially like when they put their own unique little spin on a song. Think something like Johnny Cash covering Depeche Mode. So we’ve put together a nice list of the top ten covers of the year. Don’t worry, we passed on Katy Perry’s Rebecca Black cover.
10. Losing My Religion (R.E.M. Cover)
Dia FramptonIn case you hadn’t heard, R.E.M. broke up this year. Dia Frampton gives us a fairly straight to the point cover of the song in a live performance. Despite this, she still manages to bring the same emotion Michael Stipe brought in the original.
9. Stay Away (Nirvana Cover)
Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street BandNirvana helped create the grunge movement in the 90s, as they were influenced by many different musicians in different genres, they have done the same. Who can forget that Paul Anka cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”? Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band bring a great jazz vibe to the guitar thrashing and incomprehensible lyrics of “Stay Away.” Whereas the original had a very distinct rushed eel to it, the cover slows the song down significantly while still retaining the feeling of Kurt Cobain’s strained vocals.
8. Lovesong (The Cure Cover)
AdeleThere could be no way the biggest artist of the year escaped this list. “Rolling in the Deep” has to be one of the most covered songs of the year, but hearing Adele cover The Cure is better than anything else related to her name. The original, set against that 80s synth-pop vibe that was so popular, has the same lyrical approach of Adele. After stripping the song down to her haunting voice and a few instruments, she turns the song from a sad song with upbeat music into an Adele song full of emotion. Just like all her other songs, this cover could bring anybody to tears. My only issue with this is the number of kids that will grow up thinking its originally an Adele song.
7. Skinny Love (Bon Iver Cover)
BirdyOver the past few years, we’ve been forced to listen to some bad music from kids under the age of sixteen (Justin Bieber, Rebecca Black, and any kid that’s ever been on the Disney Channel). Remove your prejudices against those kids because this cover “Skinny Love” is brilliant. Yes, she may have only been eleven when the song originally came out in 2008, but she packs in more emotion in her cover than the original had. Replacing the guitar with a piano, Birdy keeps the distant vocals but forces us to listen to the words. Yes, both songs are beautiful, but Birdy creates an atmosphere that acutely captures the feelings of failed love described in the song.
6. Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)
LissieLissie has done a number of great covers this year but there’s something about the way she does “Pursuit of Happiness” that is more memorable than her other ones. Perhaps its that the original song already had such a distinct sound, notably the minimalistic music that MGMT and Ratatat helped bring to the table. Like the original, the real meat of the song comes from the singer and the music comes secondary. Lissie builds the song up and down with the listener, forcing them to follow her voice turn the words into an emotional journey that makes the original almost seem a little flat and devoid of any real meaning at times.
5. Look at Me Now (Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes Cover)
KarminPersonally, rap and hip hop songs are my favorite covers, especially when they’re done by non-rappers (think Mat Weedle covering Outcast’s “Hey Ya”). Initially when the video first went viral, its exactly what I expected, then as she managed to keep up with the speed rapping, well, damn. The viral video helped propel the group to stardom, appearing on Ellen (not that we sit around in the middle of the day and watch Ellen or anything like that). Anyways, they make it a a really fun song and to hear, and Amy Heidemann was clearly having fun with the song while recording the video.
4. The Suburbs (Arcade Fire Cover)
Mr. Little JeansArcade Fire’s album, The Suburbs, was an aptly named collection of songs about the Suburbs, you know, that whole cookie cutter, pointless feeling the intro to Weeds had and the ennui that undoubtedly comes with living there. The lyrics of the original seemed too bleak to be put to the pop-like music Arcade Fire used, which is how Mr. Little Jeans turned the song into something special. The repetitive beat and ghostly synths capture the uninspired designs of suburbia and its lack of spirit and character. Though the songs have the same message, they use completely different methods of telling the story. We just like the bleak version better. Sorry if you live in the suburbs, truly, we are.
3. Only Girl (In the World) (Rhianna Cover)
Xiu XiuOut of all the songs on this list, Xiu Xiu and Rhianna cannot be the most opposite. While everybody knows Rhianna, Xiu Xiu is an avant-garde group that makes feeling uncomfortable part of the listening experience. Surprisingly, the two still manage to have a very similar feel despite the obvious departure in instruments and vocals. But while the Rhianna version of the song plays in bars and clubs on a nightly basis, the Xiu Xiu version probably plays in those seedy, heroin filled get-togethers. Still, it’s a very fresh take on the song, turning a very danceable song into something creepy and unsettling. And after hearing the “we can make sandwiches” line throughout the song, it’ll definitely make you think of this version the next time you hear it at a club.
2. We Found Love (Rhianna feat. Calvin Harris Cover)
Boyce AvenueBoyce Avenue takes a song that is the epitome of house, and strips it down letting the dreamy vocals of Rhianna shine. Boyce Avenue, well-known for their acoustic covers of famous songs, does it again with their cover of our second Rhianna song on the list. Unlike some of our more recent choices, this cover does very well at keeping the similar upbeat atmosphere. Though, instead of relying on looming club sounds, a piano and percussion make it more akin to the original than anything else. Unlike many other female artists, Rhianna lets her vocals carry the song, which makes this cover spectacular. The song, like Dia Frampton’s cover, doesn’t change the song in any extraordinary way, but the fresh approach in both cases shows the power of a single song.
1. Till the World Ends (Britney Spears Cover)
Finding JupiterFinding Jupiter took one of the biggest pop anthems of the year and threw it all away. The ukelele cover of one of the most frequently played dance songs turns another pop song into a beautiful rendition of a song that had already seemed to go stale. Ignoring the dance beats, Finding Jupiter also makes the ‘ohs’ in the song manage to sound less obnoxious when placed over a ukelele. This cover is sicker than the remix.
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