Royals Style Punk - Puddles Pity Party

Royals Style Punk - Puddles Pity Party 
3:06

single, 2020

Written by Lorde and Joel Little, 2013

It's Cover Time! 

Backed by a fairly basic rock band, Puddles tears through "Royals" in what is very much not a punk style (except maybe the exuberant drums), but certainly as an uptempo bar rocker. Puddles' mellifluous, operatic voice is of course one of the most expressive instruments in music today, but here he rushes, and doesn't give himself a chance to really belt.  He also has released versions of this song straight, and in a reggae version, but this one scratches an itch I have for faster songs, and it's a testament to how brilliant the original is that all his versions work.

Lola - The Raincoats

Lola - The Raincoats

4:04

The Raincoats, 1979

Written by Ray Davies, 1970

It's Cover Time! 

This is a faithful, yet ragged and off-kilter take with quiet, reedy vocals that packs a lot of charm.  The Raincoats bring their fierce folk-punk sensibility to the song, with female harmonies, offbeat drumming fills, and lyrics that become gender-flipped twice over by virtue of being sung by a woman.  The result is a familiar song that suddenly feels stranger, funnier, and a touch more subversive.

You Shook Me All Night Long - Big & Rich

You Shook Me All Night Long - Big & Rich

2:43

Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace, 2007

Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Brian Johnson, 1980

It's Cover Time! 

A fully countrified cover by one of my absolute favorite guilty pleasure songs.  Almost all AC/DC songs are deliberately juvenile, winking, and over the top; here, the duo's twangy double vocals and a rollicking barroom piano give the tale of an epic one-night stand yet another layer of cornpone goofiness.  Somehow, it works; the only way to ruin the song would be by taking it seriously.

Hey Ya - Obadiah Parker

Hey Ya - Obadiah Parker

4:58

The Tip Jar Volume One, 2008

Written by André Benjamin, 2003

It's Cover Time! 

Normally, I'm not a great fan of white artists doing acoustic covers of rap; it's either a bit too much like whitewashing — Pat Boone cleaning up Little Richard's wild genius for bigoted suburbanites — or too winking and ironic: "Look how transgressive I am!  I'm a rich white person singing urban lingo!"  But Parker seems to mean every syllable of this Outkast classic.  He doesn't slow it down as a joke; he's reflecting the broken heart at the core of the song.  His impassioned vocals pull the song's buried sadness into the open, revealing the fragile emotion that was always there beneath the celebratory performance.

Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Nina Simone

Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Nina Simone

2:02

High Priestess Of Soul, 1967

Written by Chuck Berry

It's Cover Time! 

The Berry classic is turned inside-out on this endearing, catchy, jazzy version, with the big band having fun behind Simone's perky delivery.  There are even campy string flourishes after the chorus, evocative of the transition sound from the old "Batman" TV show from the 1960s.  If you're too ingrained in either the rock or jazz traditions, you might find Simone's cover a turn off, but if you're open to the blending and bending of genres, it's a blast.

Take On Me - The DeLorean Sisters

Take On Me - The DeLorean Sisters

3:29
The DeLorean Sisters, 2015

Written by Pål Waaktaar, Magne Furuholmen, and Morten Harket, 1984

It's Cover Time! 

I've heard many covers of this song and enjoyed them all, but this one stands out a bit.  It's a bluegrass take on (heh) the tune, with a stately pace and beautiful, overlapping female harmonies.  The vintage-folk style, the gentle interplay of banjo and guitar, the yodeling, drawn-out vocal lines — all bring the song into focus, and help the listener feel the real emotion behind the well-known words.

Big River - The Old 97's

Big River - The Old 97's

2:55
One More Ride: Old 97's Perform The Songs Of Johnny Cash, 2022

Written by Johnny Cash, 1958

It's Cover Time! 

Probably no one could hope to match the bass-baritone of Cash, an instrument that could be suave, commanding, earnest, and even humble.  But the 97's do a terrific job with this homage, playing to their own strengths.  Rhett Miller reins in his typically yelping vocal and brings forth a full-throated rockin' scream, and the band delivers a fuller sound, a driving backbeat, a modern rock guitar line, instilling in the song a propulsive power that grabs the listener.

Kids In America - Billie Joe Armstrong

Kids In America - Billie Joe Armstrong

3:08

No Fun Mondays, 2020 

Written by Marty Wilde and Ricky Wilde, 1981

It's Cover Time! 

I have gone my whole life largely unaware of the Wilde version of this song, so I don't know how reductive it is of hers, or the Muffs' punk version.  It's a great pop punk track taken on its own, with teen angst lyrics and sing-along choruses.  Of course, Armstrong has one of the greatest voices in rock.  In its historical context, Armstrong released this and many other covers to entertain his fans during COVID, which is yet another example of how endearingly generous and thoughtful he is as an artist.

Here She Comes - Ho-Hum

Here She Comes - Ho-Hum

3:12

Local, 1996

Written by Rod Bryan, Lenny Bryan, Kevin Kerby, and Dave Hoffpauir

Ho-Hum is a well-regarded band from Arkansas.  The vocalist's smooth delivery evokes Adam Duritz, over a confident burst of 1990s alt-rock, which in the final third ratchets up to near Pearl Jam levels of impassioned belting.  The song discusses a girl who has the power to make you love or be broken.  "What are you gonna do when she takes that love away from you?"  The narrator finds himself bewildered, lost.  "She could be in a trap somewhere and left for dead / You'd die looking for her yourself."

Hi Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker

Hi Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker

2:48
single, 1964

Written by Tommy Tucker

Despite decades of listening to Dylan's "I Shall be Free No. 10" and its lines "I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on / Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun / I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist / And my wig-hat was falling in my face," I had no idea until recently that they were cribbed from this song's "Put on your high-heel sneakers, baby / Wear your wig-hat on your head." Dylan also took inspiration from this song for his "shadow boxing" verse on the same song. Tucker sings here, "Put on your red dress, baby / Lord, we′re goin' out tonight / And bring along some boxin' gloves / In case some fool might wanna fight," apparently referring to his early years as amateur prize fighter. This song also inspired Sugar Pie DeSanto's "Slip-In Mules."  In an unrelated note, Tucker's birth name was Robert Higginbotham, which I think he should have stuck with.