Under The Covers 5-26-24

 Under The Covers 5-26-24

Week 6

A weekly look into the world of cover songs. 

While doing this blog I’ve been trying to keep things topical and this week I had everything nice and lined up but then Apple dropped the Top 10 of their 100 Greatest Albums of All Time. One of the main reasons I started this is to reignite my passion for music, but sometimes that passion can manifest negatively. I understand list like these are opinions and are created to get people talking. While greatest of lists often throw in a few curveballs, the top of these lists usually stay the same. This was not the case for Apple. 

10. Lemonade - Beyoncé

9. Nevermind - Nirvana

8. Back To Black - Amy Winehouse 

7. Good kid, m.A.A.D. City - Kendrick Lamar 

6. Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder

5. Blonde - Frank Ocean

4. Purple Rain - Prince 

3. Abbey Road - The Beatles

2. Thriller - Michael Jackson 

1. The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill

 It’s a good/great album with much cultural impact and I agree with putting this album in the top 10 it’s just not #1. 

The Original 

There are a ton of positives about this record breaking solo album, Coming off the success of her former band The Fugees, which disbanded a couple years after their record reached number 1 on Billboard charts, Ms. Hill debuted her solo album “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill”. This album also reached the top of the charts and earned her 10 Grammy nominations and 5 wins including Best R&B Album, Best R&B Female Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Album Of The Year, and Best New Artist, becoming the first female to win 5 Grammys in one night. The lead single from “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, Doo Wop (That Thing), was the first song by a female rapper to reach #1 on the Hot 100 and is Lauryn Hill’s biggest hit. 

The Cover 

For an interesting cover we go halfway around the world to the country of Australia. Ziggy Ramo is an emerging hip hop singer and activist that uses storytelling and songwriting to tackle social issues like racism, gender, and violence. Appearing on an Australian youth radio station, Triple J, during a segment called “Like a Version” where artist play one original song and one cover song, he performs his own version of Doo Wop (That Thing) with altered lyrics and featuring popular Australian singer Christine Anu. 

https://youtu.be/yCobqT8Zk5M?si=AetBOZD6sEeNA1Ug 

It never gets old 😜 

https://youtu.be/HerC4MwG0B0?si=xSdEcXnQI7wsVMI2

And now for a bonus cover with altered lyrics off an album I personally believe is a bit better than “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill” 

https://youtu.be/oKOtzIo-uYw?si=b6Tigf5WvKbaAQbp

Under The Covers 5-19-2024

 Under The Covers 5-19-2024

A weekly look into the world of cover songs. 

Week 5

Tragedy seems to go hand in hand with music. Over the last 30 years we have lost many many young artists to substance abuse, mental illness, and depression. Notable names like Kurt Cobain, Dolores O’Riordan, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Scott Weiland, and Whitney Houston were just a few artist and band members that I connected with over the years that died young. This problem though has been around long before I was born with singers such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Elvis among dozens and more likely hundreds more. 

The Original

Premiering this weekend is a biopic, “Back To Black”, about the life and untimely death of the budding star, Amy Winehouse. Hailing from London and releasing her first album “Frank” to critical success, Amy introduced many new people to jazz and soul music with her unique sound and vocals. But it was her 2nd Album “Back To Black” that made her an international superstar, selling over 16 million copies and earning her 5 Grammys including Best New Artist beating out fellow newcomer Taylor Swift. It’s from this album we get “Love Is A Losing Game”. 

The Cover 

Even though the song was favorited and covered by both George Michael and Prince, instead we look toward another Best New Artist Grammy winner. 7 years after Amy won Best New Artist was another London born singer/songwriter and one of my wife’s current favorites, Sam Smith. Coming from the re-release of Sam’s debut album “In The Lonely Hour” is this beautiful cover. Sam does on this song what very few have done and that’s match Amy’s vocal talent, even with a different smoother vocal sound. Here is Sam Smith’s cover of  “Love Is A Losing Game”. 

https://youtu.be/4lhevfnU3fA?si=2X0UTh5PXeYtyCHG

Who says in order to be rick rolled it has to be “Never Gonna Give You Up”? 

https://youtu.be/HZYiPpIsL_c?si=6UQreoL9Var_X5M0

Here is a bonus song of Amy Winehouse covering the Sam Cooke classic “Cupid” 

https://youtu.be/Hk3cNMIRGbQ?si=uQTzMMVueqU7YOz7

Under The Covers 5-12-24

 Under The Covers  5-12-24

A weekly look into the world of cover songs. 

Week 4 

Happy Mother’s Day! This week was Mother’s Day weekend and I don’t really have a strong connection with Mother’s Day to music. Growing up my mother and I never really saw eye to eye with music. I can’t really recall a single song that we both loved. While she was listening to some country and adult contemporary, I was listening to mostly rock, grunge, and alternative all through high school. So for this week I have to look elsewhere for inspiration. 

The Original 

A concept album is defined as an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose collectively rather than individually. Which basically means the album tells a story through the single songs. One of the best known and greatest concept albums of all time is Pink Floyd’s 1979 double album “The Wall”. Within the story of “The Wall” there is a song called “Mother” that tells about the main protagonist’s (Pink) overprotective mother, who we all can relate to at least a little bit. 

The Cover 

Finding a good cover version of this song was difficult to find, but it comes from one of my all time favorite bands, Pearl Jam. Coming from the Seattle grunge scene in the early 90’s and hitting the ground running with their multi platinum debut album “10”. Pearl Jam is still going strong today recently releasing their 12th studio album “Dark Matter” last month. Back in 2011 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Pearl Jam performed “Mother” to close out “Pink Floyd Week”. Here is that cover. 

https://youtu.be/zGJGpXRh1r8?si=FreEexYAgrn67UyU

Don’t worry my mother didn’t get my humor either 😜. 

https://youtu.be/kAh1jH5F_i4?si=J4YscHVW571rqWts

And now here is a Public Service Announcement from Mr T himself 

https://youtu.be/RO6JiFztJdg?si=wO_6tpF3NxLlS791

Under The Covers 5-5-2024

 Under The Covers 5-5-2024 

A weekly look into the world of cover songs. 

Week 3 

A meme can be defined as an image, video, text that is humorous in nature that is copied and spread across the internet. I love memes, I could lose a whole day just scrolling through and spreading a large mass of memes. This week we take a listen and look at one of the best and longest lasting memes out there “It’s gonna be me (May). The mishearing of a lyric or phrase is called a mondegreen. A word coined back in 1954 by writer Sylvia Wright, when recalling a poem her mom would recite to her as a child, when she misheard “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen”. 

The Original 

Emerging onto the music scene in the late 90’s and helping to usher a boom period for boy bands was *NSYNC. Coming off their 3rd studio album No Strings Attached(2000) is “It’s Gonna Be Me”. “It’s  Gonna Be Me” was released maybe ironically on May 16, 2000 and hitting #1 on Billboards Hot 100. 

The Cover

For the cover version we to toward an elephant with very low self-esteem. Well, the voice of the elephant Meena from the animated film franchise SING. Tori Kelly got her start as a teenager making videos on YouTube before competing on the 9th season of American Idol. In between releasing 5 Studio albums and winning 2 Grammys and multiple other awards, she made some YouTube covers including this one during quarantine for COVID. Here is Tori Kelly’s cover of “It’s Gonna Be Me”. 

https://youtu.be/Ol1oS9suISo?si=NM88_EEnNrPBat0f

😃 I bet you’re wondering if this is gonna be a thing 😜 

The real cover https://youtu.be/nXWYdrn8KE8?si=D_pmFoh4pH7HJJKI

Now the last couple blogs I have showcased original songs but that isn’t the case this week. I also enjoy a good parody and for this song, as a parent, I couldn’t pass it up. 

https://youtu.be/TV5HY8pLZ34?si=e8OmmKhrp1tnHPOz

See you next week and May the 4th be with you! 

https://youtu.be/pPV9NNvtL20?si=LHMX-QkQEDaiPr_E