Thursday, February 24, 2011

Odd Cover Songs We'll Probably Never Get

Back in mid-2002, there was a thread about cover songs over on the Straight Dope Message Board, and I started thinking of things that would be wonderful but that never actually would happen. This was my list:

I'd like to see Nine Inch Nails cover "Horse With No Name" and instantly (with no lyrics changes) make it sound like a song about heroin...

Then I'd like to see Syd Barrett cover any random NIN song and turn "I want to fuck you like an animal" into a whimsical expression of delight. (Hell, I'd like to see Syd Barrett out in public at all...)

I'd like to see Tom Waits cover "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," just because it would be cool.

I'd like to force Billy Bragg to cover "Capitalism" (the Oingo Boingo song), but that would probably take an infantry division.

Britney Spears could do worse than to give an all-Liz Phair concert. Besides "Flower," it would be fun to hear "Fuck and Run" and "Chopsticks"...

How about Elton John doing "Kiss Off?"

U2 could do a killer "Beat On The Brat" if they really wanted to.

And I'd love to see what Yes, circa 1984, would do with "Bitchin' Camaro."

2 comments:

Terry said...

I've always loved the idea of NIN doing a Christmas album. To include "Away in a Manger" which would make it a horror story about a father knowing his baby faces a horrible death and doing nothing to stop it - as you say, without changing a word of the lyrics.

Jonc said...

Actually, U2 did do a version of "Beat on the Brat"...it's on the We're a Happy Family Ramones tribute from 2003. ;)

Personally? I've always wanted the Mighty Mighty Bosstones to do a rockin' ska version of "Here Comes the Rain Again".

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