Vie’s Verses – Five Cover Songs That Bands Have Made Their Own
Sometimes when a band releases a cover song, fans scratch their heads and say “what were they thinking?” Sometimes fans think to themselves, “Hey, that wasn’t so bad. That’s a pretty cool cover.” And then there are times when a band covers a song so well that no other version is remembered. In some instances, fans don’t even realize that it is a cover song. Here are five such songs that bands have made their own, by recording a version so memorable, it destroys the original.
Faster Pussycat – You’re So Vain
Originally recorded by Lite FM radio darling Carly Simon, Faster Pussycat’s version of “You’re So Vain” is one of the best cover songs ever recorded by any band anywhere. Their dedication to the song and the transformation from sappy, easy rock, to sleazy hair metal, was brilliant. Converting this song into a metal mainstay had to be a painstaking chore, but Faster Pussycat did it with conviction. Anytime that I hear the original version, I immediately think of the (far superior) Faster Pussycat version and have to crank it on my I-Pod. Taime Down’s vocals are exceptional on this recording, and the power that the band put into their version is superb. Faster Pussycat made “You’re So Vain” a fun song. And while the theme of the song is still the same, there is something about the Faster Pussycat version that makes it too enjoyable to be considered a “sad” song. Whenever I think of great cover songs, this is the first one that comes to mind.
Van Halen – Ice Cream Man
Take one old blues tune, add one screaming Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, and a lot of David Lee Roth scat-doo-bop-wop, and you have the musical recipe for a delicious cover song. Originally recorded by John Brim in 1953, this blues classic became a fan favorite and a staple of the Van Halen catalog. If you’ve ever heard the original version of this song, then you know how Van Halen drastically changed it. They took a slow picked, harmonica blues song, and turned it into a powerful riff driven, screaming rock song. Prior to Van Halen’s version, a lesser known cover by Tom Waits had been recorded. However, it was Van Halen’s version of this song that brought it the fame. Most fans didn’t even realize it was a cover song, mistaking it to be a VH original. And while the original is decent and maintains the same semblance of the modern version, it is the Van Halen style that put their stamp on this song and made it their own. Van Halen would go on to record many more cover tunes over the years, but none were as fantastic as “Ice Cream Man.”
Charm City Devils – Man of Constant Sorrow
New to this list is the recently released “Man Of Constant Sorrow” by Charm City Devils. For reasons that are similar to Van Halen’s recording of “Ice Cream Man,” Charm City Devils took an old folk song (well over 100 years old) and put their own smoking riffs to it, resulting in a hard rock beauty that is quickly climbing the charts. While Charm City Devils is currently known for their party anthem “Let’s Rock And Roll,” that could quickly change as “Man Of Constant Sorrow” could become their signature song. They’ve already killed any other cover versions that exist (and there are plenty) with their hard rocking version, so it’s safe to say that it’s only a matter of time before people (and fans) forget that this is not a Charm City Devils original.
Tesla – Little Suzi
For years, I never knew that this was a cover song. It wasn’t until I saw Tesla in concert with Rob Rockitt that he filled me in to the fact that “Little Suzi” was not a Tesla original. Originally recorded by PhD as “Little Suzi’s On The Up,” Tesla took an electronic keyboard, almost unlistenable song and made it a modern day rocker. If you’ve never heard the original version and want to see the stark contrast between Tesla’s version and the original recording by PhD, look it up online. It is amazing to see how drastically this song was changed. Tesla took a garbage song (PhD’s version is terrible) and recorded one of their greatest songs ever. Tesla may be forever known as the band that recorded “Love Song,” but their transformation of “Little Suzi” is truly one of the defining moments of their career.
Guns N Roses – Knocking On Heaven’s Door
Whenever I hear Guns N Roses version of “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” I always forget that this was originally done by Bob Dylan. While Dylan did a great, haunting original, Guns N Roses took this song and truly made it their own. What Guns added to this song was the missing element of power. When Axl leads the crescendo into a scream toward the end of the song (Knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door….yeah!), I get chills. Although released on Use Your Illusion II, Guns had been covering this song since their early days on the strip. The years of live play, gave the band time to hone their signature sound on “Knocking On Heaven’s Door.” A finer version of this song is not known to me, and that includes the original.
I’m sure that there are many other cover songs that could have made this list, so don’t be surprised to see a couple of sequels to this post in the future. What cover songs can you think of that a band has made their own? Drop a line in the comments section and share your opinion.
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Hard Rock Hideout 
I’ve always loved Metallica’s Whiskey In The Jar.
Let’s not forget Aerosmith’s version of Train Kept A Rollin’, a classic version of what was an already classic tune. Then there’s Judas Priest’s cover of Green Manalishi With The Two Pronged Crown, originally by Fleetwood Mac… awesome cover! I think the Scorps’ version of The Who’s Can’t Explain is pretty cool, as well as their live cover of Kansas’s Dust In The Wind. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band did a great, and even better (imo), cover of Blinded by the Light, originally written by Bruce Springsteen, Another great cover is Seal’s version of Steve Miller’s Fly Like An Eagle. Creed’s cover of The Doors’ Riders on The Storm totally kicks ass. And of course, off the same album, is Stone Temple Pilot’s acoustic cover of Led Zep’s Dancin’ Days, very cool version (imo). Didn’t know about Tesla’s cover of Little Suzi, but it’s good to know now. Will keep that in mind though. Also there’s Shinedown’s cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Simple Man… great, great version of that song. That tune and their original material sold me on that band. Love Shinedown!!
Covers I don’t particularly care for are Sheryl Crow’s version of G&R’s Sweet Child of Mine, which imo is just a very weak, weak version of a great song. There’s also Alanis Morrisette’s version of Seal’s Crazy, which I don’t particularly care for. I can understand the intention of doing an original cover of a great song, but she kills it for me. And don’t get me wrong, I like Sheryl’s and Alanis’s music, but their covers don’t do it for me. Her voice does not fit Crazy. To coin a phrase, to me, it’s like Lucille Ball singing Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York. What a disturbing thought. But it does beg the question what were they thinking?
Interesting that there’s no mention of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘All Along The Watchtower here…and Tom is right…GNR’s version of ‘Knockin’ is not only terrible, it’s probably one of the worst songs Guns ever recorded; I’ll take Heaven’s version ANY day…other worthy mentions: Iron Maiden ‘I’ve Got The Fire,’ Metallica ‘Am I Evil, Judas Priest ‘Diamonds And Rust’ (live version from Unleashed In The East) and Van Halen ‘You Really Got Me’ – and how about some of the WORST? Sorry, Maximus, but Crue’s version of ‘Smokin’…’ is putrid, but then again so is Priest’s version of Johnny B. Goode (talk about an instance of ‘what were they thinking’) – and if I really want to throw up, I’ll just dig up a copy of Metallica’s inhumane destruction of ‘Turn The Page’ – a totally worthless re-make.
Sorry to disappoint you, but “Man of Constant Sorrow” is an absolute abomination. Also, I would put “You’re No Good” by VH over Ice Cream Man by a long shot.
My choices are a little more obvious, but the songs below to me are all as good, if not better than the originals IMHO.
Aerosmith – Come Together and Big Ten inch
Great White – Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Krokus – Stayed Awake All Night, and Ballroom Blitz
Motley Crue – Smokin’ in the Boys Room & Teaser
Quiet Riot – Cum On Feel The Noize
Shy – Its Only Rock ‘N’ Roll
Nice list. There is certainly something special about a band making a cover song that works. I agree that Faster Pussycat’s “You’re So Vain” is awesome. Alone, it made the purchase of Rubaiyat worth it.
Ryo, this is, of course, a completely subjective topic. I personally find G&R’s version of Knockin’ on heaven’s Door completely overblown and obnoxious. That stupid “hii hii hee yii yii yiiyeah” that Axl sings in the choruses is really annoying. give me Dylan’s understated version any day.
I’ve always liked Faith No More’s version of War Pigs. They did a fantastic job on that cover.