Successfully covering a song is not a simple task. It is easy to re-record a song and have it sound exactly the same, but that defeats the whole purpose of a e""make. The beauty of a remake comes when a band brings the song to another level, introduces it to a new audience or generation and most importantly, fools people into thinking the remake is the original.
Possibly the best remake ever recorded is Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's ""All Along the Watchtower."" While Dylan's original version is amazing in its own right, Hendrix was able to take ""Watchtower"" to the next level. Since Hendrix was a musical genius, he made the song a classic and practically claimed it as his own. He used experimental guitarwork, which was never experienced before by the listeners or achieved by previous guitarists. He paired it with his amazing voice and created a completely new song. When people think of this song, they think of it primarily as a Hendrix song, proving how he mastered the idea of a remake.
One of the most notable remakes was Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's ""I Will Always Love You."" Clearly, Houston not only gained popularity from her astonishing vocal performance, but the song quickly became her song and Parton's version was lost in the background. Houston's version became the classic instead of Parton's original.
Tupac Shakur remixed Bruce Hornsby and the Range's ""The Way It Is"" and turned it into ""Changes."" Tupac applied the same social message of civil rights while using the chorus and melody of the original, but he adds his own verses. ""The Way It Is"" was a popular song, but it was effectively revamped and achieved success when introduced to a new audience.
Johnny Cash's remake of Nine Inch Nails' ""Hurt"" also proves to be incredible. Cash was able to give this song an emotional tie to his life, especially through the music video. The song seems uncharacteristic of his prior bluegrass/folk work, but he honed the song as his own and made ""Hurt"" extremely popular among many different generations. The touching video paired with the song is reminiscent of his life and legacy.
Although some covers succeed, many exist that fail to recreate a song successfully. Sheryl Crow covered Guns 'N' Roses' ""Sweet Child O' Mine,"" which turned out to be extremely dull and lacked creativity. No comparison can be drawn between Axl Rose's powerful vocals and Crow's monotonous, almost whiny voice. Sure, Rose's voice is deemed as screechy and whiny, but his is uncommon and artistic. Additionally, Slash's guitar made the song what it was, and Crow's version did a disservice to the original song by failing to match the intensity. She downplayed the entire song and proved ""Sweet Child"" will forever belong to Guns 'N Roses.
Worse yet is Britney Spear's cover of Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' ""I Love Rock 'N' Roll."" Spears is the antithesis of rock, which makes it easy for people to poke fun of her and the fact she is ""singing"" the song. She could have at least added a new element. Spears is good at recreating herself, yet she doesn't have the musical creativity to craft a remake. And since when does she love rock 'n' roll? Strange, very strange indeed.
The Dixie Chicks' cover of Fleetwood Mac's ""Landslide"" and Counting Crows' remake of ""Big Yellow Taxi"" both received too much attention and merit when they failed to recreate the song and bring it to a new audience. The Dixie Chicks and Counting Crows offered nothing new, creative or innovative to the songs; they sound exactly the same as the original and incorporate the same elements. Additionally, Stevie Nicks' voice is far more powerful and surpasses the vocals of Natalie Maines. In a similar vein, Joni Mitchell is remembered for her flawless vocal structure, which no present singer could even fathom to reproduce. The only positive aspect of remaking ""Big Yellow Taxi"" is the fact that the message allows a new generation to embrace what Mitchell proclaimed in 1970.
These remakes are plain bad because these bands didn't add anything to the song. They took the lofty task of covering extremely popular tracks, but failed to match the talent of the original artist. Successfully remaking a song is tough, especially if the original was popular at the time of its release. While it may appear to be simple for bands to cover a song, it is an even greater challenge for the remake to become an original.
Beth's column runs each Wednesday. Reach her at eawick@wisc.edu.
