SUPERIOR COVER VERSIONS

Recent media reports that Linda Ronstadt is privately battling Parkinson’s Disease has been a genuine cause of concern for her many fans around the globe. The extent of the disease has rendered Ronstadt unable to sing, thus the music world will never hear her superb voice again.

Ronstadt is best known as an “interpreter” of other people’s songs, and some say that she is the best in the business at this craft. Roy Orbison had a smash hit with his self-penned “Blue Bayou” in 1963, however Rondstadt’s 1977 cover version may be the apex of her 40 plus year singing career. “Hurt So Bad”, “It’s So Easy”, “When Will I Be Loved”; these songs are key components of her body of work however we often overlook that each song was a hit in its previous life.

Rarely is a cover version of a song “better” than the original version. Let’s outline a selection of Superior Cover Versions:

“Without You” – Harry Nilsson heard the 1970 original by Beatles protégés Badfinger at a party, and made a mental note that this album track held all of the ingredients of a hit song. Nilsson hit the top of the charts in 1972 with his memorable re-work, and it is his version which still gets regular airplay to this day.

“Jealous Guy” – rarely can anybody “out-Lennon” John Lennon, however Roxy Music’s 1981 cover version surpassed the 1971 album cut from “Imagine”. Notwithstanding the “tribute” aspect of the release of Roxy Music’s version in the wake of Lennon’s assassination, Bryan Ferry’s vocal sensitivities and seminal whistling outro make this song very special.

“With A Little Help From My Friends” – Lennon and McCartney knocked out a catchy little ditty for Ringo Starr’s vocal debut on 1967’s “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, however Joe Cocker chose the following year to transform the song into an unforgettable psychedelic soul anthem. It’s also impossible to acknowledge that each version is one and the same song.

“All Along The Watchtower” – plenty of artists have covered Bob Dylan, ranging from The Byrds’ “Mr Tambourine Man” to Olivia Newton John’s “If Not For You”. Jimi Hendrix waited 6 months to re-work Dylan’s 1968 release of “Watchtower”, and in doing so he invented psychedelic rock.

The sure fire method of releasing a hit song is to release a cover version of a popular song. The real art is “outdoing” the original version of the song…