Save Ferris- Come On Eileen

A ska cover of Come On Eileen? I think so! I mean who doesn't love ska especially ska covers?! I absolutely love this hyped up, head banging cover. I think for a week or so this was the only song that I listened to. Listen to it. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy!



Original:
Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
http://youtu.be/rVxcwe7EcaY

Death Cab For Cutie-Earth Angel

This cover has more elements of rock than the original, of course. The background piano and it's compostion is also a nice addition and I would have enjoyed a cover with just the piano and vocals. That said, I did enjoy their take on this classic song. 

Original:

Earth Angel-The Penguins

http://youtu.be/t3ykKpDMsvU

Muse-Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

This is the perfect example of taking an old pop song from the 1960's and converting it into a rock'n'roll masterpiece. This cover screams rock, literally. During the chorus, it is switched up into a mosh pit heaven and everything goes wild. I have to say that I love this cover more than the original. 

 

Original:

Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You- Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

http://youtu.be/NGFToiLtXro

Warpaint-Ashes to Ashes

This lo-fi cover of David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes is addicting. I can not stop listening to it. Warpaint's creativity in taking the song and making it their own is amazing and brings them to another level of musicianship. Way to tack one up for girl bands! Enjoy! 

Original:

Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie

http://youtu.be/j-IkC3isMoc

Sydney Wayser-Wouldn't It Be Nice

Wouldn't It Be Nice is such a light-hearted song that a ukulele cover only makes sense. This is an absolutely cute cover and is ten times better than Zoey Deschanel cover of the same song. I love the round about with the last two lines of the song too. Also, audience participation is always a plus!

Original:

Wouldn't It Be Nice by Sydney Wayser

http://youtu.be/kOElUQjADbo

Nirvana-Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

The closing song to Nirvana's iconic MTV Unplugged session is well-known to any Nirvana fans. Personally, it has become a performance forever immortalized with the tragic death of Kurt Cobain. This song is dark and haunting but the emotion Cobain sang it with makes it even more powerful.



Original:
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? by Leadbelly
http://youtu.be/a6yCEsDsGx4

Natalie Lungley-Video Games

Lana Del Rey has a very unique voice so when people do covers of her songs, the songs seem to lose some of their magic and uniqueness. However, Natalie Lungley does a great job at preserving some of that uniqueness in her cover of Video Games. While some said in the comments of her video that she tried to replicate Lana's voice, I feel that Natalie did the best to her ability to keep that from happening. All in all, it is a very good cover. Enjoy!

 

Original:

Video Games by Lana Del Rey

http://youtu.be/cE6wxDqdOV0

Maria Aragon-Born This Way

This girl is amazing! She has some power to voice especially for being so young. Her faces while singing are awesome as well. She has a natural stage presence. I can't wait to see where her talent takes her. Enjoy!



Original:
Born This Way- by Lady Gaga
http://youtu.be/wV1FrqwZyKw

The Cramps- Heartbreak Hotel

How can you not love a psychobilly cover of Elvis's Heartbreak Hotel?! Well, The Cramps cover is just that. The Cramps take this song and put some life into. No longer is it a slow sad song to hang your head to but instead it's become a song let loose and possibly punch someone in the face. Just kidding! Enjoy!

Original: 

Heartbreak Hotel by The Cramps

http://youtu.be/PotB76gi2_4

Patti Smith-Smells Like Teen Spirit

Here's Patti Smith's country folk version of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. She even adds her own verses which is absolutely amazing. The thing I love about this cover is that it is constantly building up throughout the entire song.  Enjoy!



Original:
Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
http://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg

Patti Smith-Gimme Shelter

Patti Smith's take on other musicians songs and music in general is unique. You either love or hate it and that's perfectly fine by Patti. Enjoy!



Original:
Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones
http://youtu.be/n_a0zOLMAfw

Patti Smith-Everybody Wants to Rule the World

When I posted the Care Bears on Fire cover of this song, I came across Patti Smith's cover. I actually really like her version but decided to hold off on posting her cover because there are other songs of her's I wanted to post as well. First, however, is Patti Smith's version of Everybody Wants to Rule the World that is amazing in it's own right and that I hope everyone loves. But it's Patti Smith so how can you not love her music. Enjoy!



Original:
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears For Fears
http://youtu.be/R-O3kYrDPbI

NWA-Express Yourself

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a cover of Express Yourself by Flearoy.  Now, here's NWA's version. No need to thank me for posting this. Just kidding! Enjoy!



Original:
Express Yourself by Charles Wright
http://youtu.be/JYi8lA9y_BY

Rome-Rehab

This was more of a tribute song than a cover but I really loved it. I remember hearing this version of Rehab a few days after the death of Amy Winehouse and I thought it was really amazing. The lyrics are haunting and heartbreaking. You can really hear the emotion of Rome from the way he sang it. It truly is a touching tribute song to a very talented but troubled artist.




Original:
Rehab by Amy Winehouse
http://youtu.be/KUmZp8pR1uc

Care Bears on Fire- Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Care Bears on Fire's cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World is as pop punk riot grrl you can get. The original is slower, darker, and everything the 80s was about according to musical style. Care Bears on Fire's cover is complete opposite of that. They speed up the tempo and turned their amps all the way up to fit their pop punk sound. It's in your face and you either hate it or love it, there is no in between. I actually really liked this cover when I first heard it and found myself nodding my head to it. They did a really great job with this cover and making it a pop punk song. Enjoy!



Original:
Everybody Wants to Rule the World-Tears for Fears
http://youtu.be/R-O3kYrDPbI

Trampled By Turtles- Rebellion(Lies)

This is pure awesomeness. Trampled By Turtles covers Rebellion(Lies) by Arcade Fire and my ears have never been happier when listening to this cover.

Trampled By Turtles are a indie bluegrass band. Most of their instruments consists of acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo, and the mandolin. For me, this band has all my favorite instruments so it was no surprise that I fell in love with their cover. When I heard this cover, my foot automatically began to tap and I was overcome with the feeling to jump out of my seat and dance. I believe I have to thank the bluegrass style of the cover for that feeling.

Side note: The bearded guy on fiddle is crazy good. However, when ever I see a bearded man playing the fiddle/violin, I fear for the safety of their beard. I feel like their beard is going to get caught in the strings or tangled in the bow which will result in the unfortunate shaving or clipping of their glorious beard.

This cover is truly amazing and it brought me to discover a new band that I would have never known about. Check them out! Enjoy!



Original:
Rebellion(Lies)- Arcade Fire
http://youtu.be/CICIfCbw1nU

Nicki Bluhm and the Gamblers- You're No Good

Nicki Bluhm and the Gamblers' van sessions are the best thing I've seen on YouTube in a very long time. I sat in front of the computer just watching video after video of theirs till I finally decided on their cover of You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt to write about. Let me tell you, it was not an easy choice to pick because all their covers are so good. So don't be surprised to see more of them on the blog.

When touring I can imagine how much time there is to kill. Nicki Bluhm and the Gamblers have found a way to use their time wisely by making cover videos. Their van sessions are amazing and while I don't recommend multitasking while driving, they seem to pull it off.

Nicki Bluhm has an amazing voice which resembles Linda Ronstadt's perfectly and their harmonies are amazing as well. The simplicity of their cover is perfect. In this case, less is definitely more. I hate to admit it but I think I like this version more than the original. I encourage you to check out their other van sessions. I promise you it is worth it. Enjoy!



Original:
You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt
http://youtu.be/i9shvi2T_90

iwantaltitude- Pumped Up Kicks

I love this cover of Pumped Up Kicks and I wish I knew the name of the person covering the song. So for now, I will have to refer to by her YouTube name iwantaltitude. 

First off, I really liked the style and composition of the cover. It had a flamenco kind of feel to it. I don't even know if that's the right word to describe it. During some moments of the song, I swore I was hearing a mandolin. As for her voice, it was amazing. She has a bluesy/jazzy thing going on with her voice and it sounded awesome in this cover. I awesome loved the random "scat" improvisation at the end! Enjoy! 

Original:

Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People

http://youtu.be/kTvyBhbR050

Myles and Kolton- I Won't Give Up

While I was writing about the previous post, I remembered about this other cover of I Won't Give Up that I saw on the Ellen Degeneres Show a few months ago.

These two boys, Myles and Kolton, were featured on the show and got an opportunity to play their song as well. I was blown away at how talented these two are. They have amazing voices that complement each other so well which can also stand on their own. I also loved their composition of the song by adding the ukulele. Their cover is just amazing all-around. Enjoy!




The Ellen Degeneres Show performance
http://youtu.be/XK-XxPfBGgQ

Christina Grimmie- I Won't Give Up

I absolutely love this song and Christina Grimmie does an amazing job with it. Her voice has a great range and she is able to sing the low notes of the song and then hit those high notes in the chorus. As I was looking for a cover song to write about, I came across Christina Grimmie's video. Truthfully, I wasn't really expecting anything to magnificent from this video but I was wrong to think that. Christina Grimmie has an amazing voice and I guess, that tells me that I should not judge a book by its cover. Enjoy!

Original:

I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz

http://youtu.be/ZYqcpTYQ8I4