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There is no worse feeling than when you tell someone about a cover your favorite artist did, and they immediately dismiss it because “nothing is better than the original”. On top of that, this new cover isn’t available on streaming. Spotify, please do better.
So what exactly could cause a cover to be better than the original? In a video by Polyphonic, they explain different aspects that play into creating a good cover. Polyphonic utilizes Jimi Hendrix’s cover of "All Along the Watchtower", originally sung by Bob Dylan, to highlight personality and musical arrangement. Within the opening lines, there in tension created by Dylan; Hendrix captures his understanding of the song by creating tension in his musical arrangement and putting his own narrative into the song. Covering a song entails that you intend to make it into your own, if you wanted to listen to the same rendition of a song you would’ve just listened to the original. Hendrix puts his own personal spin on the song, adding direction and a new character--his signature electric guitar--in order to both strengthen the lyrics and turn it into his own piece. What makes covers so great, yet sometimes so controversial, is that they are meant to be musically distinct. Not only do most covers sound different, but they elevate the songs through their ability to change the social and historical context tied with the original.
In the case of older songs, the artist creating the cover has had a significant amount of time to understand the music and any underlying meaning behind it. This gives them an overall advantage in creating music that is more likely to resonate with the listener. For example, Jeff Buckley's rendition of "Hallelujah" is significantly more emotional and creates a more religious experience than the original by Leonard Cohen did. However, this doesn’t mean that more recent covers don’t fit the standard of older ones. I have found that some of the newer covers have become some of my favorites. The Wallows cover of "No One Noticed" by The Marias being one of them. The overall vibe of the original was sad and almost nostalgic, the music itself being much softer. However, the lyrics to the song seemed much angrier and more intense, which is the exact way The Wallows took it in their cover. I think it is easy to dismiss the lyrics of the song if you are just simply listening for the vibe, but it's the songs that connect that two that I find move me the most. There is nothing more disappointing than listening to a song that feels really happy, but if you take a closer look at the lyrics is actually really sad. One instance of this is "Do I Wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys; in my opinion, Alex Turner is a lyrical genius, especially in that song. However, I never paid close attention to them until Hozier covered the song. In his cover, it is like you can feel him yearning for someone, which encapsulates the lyrics perfectly. In some instances, I even find myself unaware a song was a cover. When I first heard “Moon River” I thought the song was by Frank Ocean; upon hearing Audrey Hepburn’s original version, I was slightly disappointed. Frank’s adaptation of the song takes you on a journey that most artists fail to do.
We are so quick to defend the original version of a song, however don’t consider how covers completely reimagine the music, often times for the better. If people were more willing to recognize how covers create a new perspective, maybe there would be less controversy and more appreciation for them.
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