Cover songs. Is there a band on the planet that doesn’t do cover songs? It can’t be many. But for this piece, I am not talking about covers tossed into a band’s live set. I am talking about cover songs that the band has recorded and released; but there is no shortage of those either. So, the next criterion is that the covering band also managed to make the song somewhat their own. And it can’t be some song no one has ever heard of anyway. It has to be a song that everyone knew, a somewhat iconic song. And it has to be really good. I won’t quite take that final step and say that the cover has to be better than the original, but a couple of the ones below just might be. They are in no special order whatsoever.

1. “I Fought the Law” by The Clash. “I left my baby and it feels so bad / Guess my race is run/ She’s the best girl that I ever had/ I fought the law and the law won.” Is that not a great lyric? It was written by Sonny Curtis as a member of Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets, and it was released in 1960 on the first record they made after Holly’s death. It was a hit for The Bobby Fuller Four in 1966. This is where I heard the song. I still have a 45 rpm single of it that my older cousin gave me a few years after it came out. I loved it as a kid, and had no idea they didn’t write it. Then the U.S. release of the debut record by The Clash came out. Wow. I think it’s a great cover. Joe Strummer’s snarling vocals are perfect for it.

2. “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock n Roll)” by Lucinda Williams. Please don’t misunderstand this choice. Let me make unequivocally clear that I love this song in its original form from AC/DC’s 1976 “High Voltage” record. I just happen to think that Lucinda Williams’ version of the song is very unique and spectacularly her own. It comes from her 2008 record called “Little Honey.” Her grizzled voice fits it very well.

3. “Ring of Fire” by Social Distortion. Everybody knows that Johnny Cash is great and that this is a great song. But I don’t really love listening to his music very often. Social Distortion on the other hand is one of my favorite bands of all-time. I think their version is equal parts their own and still a tribute to the great Johnny Cash himself. Mike Ness (Social Distortion guitar and vocals) did a solo record called “Under the Influences” with a bunch of covers that go back to his roots, so I know he has deep respect for those that paved the way before him. Interestingly, that record also includes a cover of “I Fought the Law.” Anyway, I dig this Johnny Cash cover, and my wife adores it, so you know I had to put it on my list. Social Distortion’s version was released in 1990.

4. “Boys of Summer” by The Ataris. This may be the only song I have ever even listened to by The Ataris. I’ll get to why I love it in a minute, but let’s recognize its originators. The song was done by Eagles vocalist and drummer Don Henley on a solo album from 1984. Henley wrote the lyrics, but the music came from none other than Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers). It was a huge hit and it is a great song. The Ataris covered it for their “So Long, Astoria” record in 2003. They gave it a harder edge, played it faster, but kept it close enough to the original to still be great. The singular change they made that sold me was to modernize one lyric. They changed “deadhead sticker on a Cadillac” to “Black Flag sticker on a Cadillac.” I love that.

**THE GRASS ROOTS LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH**

5. “Live for Today” by The Lords of the New Church. This song was a hit by The Grass Roots in 1967. I would encourage you to go listen to that version, and then immediately after, listen to the Lords’ version. It’s actually pretty neat to hear the soft guitar intro replaced by The Lords with a synthesizer at the beginning. The differences grow from there. The most striking thing to me though is how much I love the way Stiv Bators sings the song. Damn he was a cool vocalist and I’m so sad that he’s gone. The Lords’ version is a single from their second record called “Is Nothing Sacred.” The Lords produced their first two records by themselves, with the exception of this song, which was produced by Todd Rundgren. Actually, you can kind of tell it’s a bit different from the rest of the record.

6. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by DEVO. I first heard, and saw, DEVO in 1978 on an episode of Saturday Night Live. They came out in their yellow radiation suits (so much cooler than the stupid red flower pot hats). I was blown away. For a minute it seemed more like a comedic skit than the evening’s musical guest. This cover is super original and catchy and I love it. Sure, the Rolling Stones are amazing and their original is much better, but DEVO were musical geniuses of a different type. That 1978 performance was mind bending and stunned a lot of people. DEVO were way ahead of their time.

7. “You Really Got Me” by Van Halen. Here’s another one where you certainly can’t say the cover is better than the original. It’s the Kinks for Chrissakes. But here’s the thing for me, that first Van Halen album was fantastic. The record opens with that ominous chorus of car horns that is the intro to “Runnin’ with the Devil.” Then you get Eddie’s famous guitar blast in “Eruption.” And then, without any pause or silence whatsoever between the two songs, those killer opening chords of “You Really Got Me” kick in. It’s pure rock n roll heaven. It gives me a chill up the spine even now. Leaving no space between tracks two and three was pure brilliance on someone’s part. Van Halen stays true to the original in large part, but they still made it their own.

8. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Guns N Roses. All-time great American songwriter Bob Dylan wrote this song for the movie “Billy the Kid” in 1973. Guns N Roses released it on the “Days of Thunder” movie soundtrack in 1990 before it was also included on 1991’s “Use Your Illusion II.” The 1991 version is slightly different. I prefer the soundtrack version, which I purchased as a 12-inch single and that is where I heard it first. The bottom line with this one is that it’s just such a great song to begin with that it would be hard to mess it up too much. The GNR version rocks, but still has an emotional feel to it. I think they nailed it.

9. “Good Guys” by Minor Threat. The second I put the words “cover song” and the band Minor Threat in the same sentence, most hardcore punk fans are going to think I’m about to mention the song “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” But nope, the best cover song recorded by Minor Threat is far and away “Good Guys.” The song was written by Eric Cobb and originally released by The Standells in 1966. It’s full title is “Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White.” It has been covered probably as much as any song ever, especially live. I know that I personally love the versions recorded by The Nomads and The Outlets as well. The Outlets version is particularly great. Go find that one on their “Outlets Rock 1980” record. As for Minor Threat, this might be my favorite Minor Threat song. It is a total departure from their normal practice of playing everything as fast as they possibly can. It’s super catchy, because it’s a great song to begin with. Check this one out. It was on the B-side of their “Salad Days” single from 2003.

10. “Time Has Come Today” by the Ramones. The Ramones did all kinds of cover songs to be sure, but this one is my favorite. It appeared on their 1983 album called “Subterranean Jungle.” I thought of that record as being a slight departure from your standard Ramones record, but I liked it quite a bit. This cover is one of my favorite tracks on “Subterranean Jungle.” The song is originally from 1967. It was written and released by The Chambers Brothers. I’ve heard other somewhat punk covers of the song (Joan Jett, Die Hunns) that are good, but they are not as good as the Ramones version. There is a somewhat amusing video for this song you can find on YouTube.

I had a lot of fun writing this piece. In doing bits of research, I learned some things and really entertained myself! There’s a million to choose from, but again, I was trying to choose the ones that aren’t too obscure. I was looking for songs where most people have heard of both the original artist and the band doing their cover. In other words, great songs being covered and being made great again. I hope you enjoyed it.

JCE, or John to his friends, was born in 1963 in the Nation’s Capital. He grew up in the VA suburbs of D.C. His earliest musical memories are tied to a transistor radio with a single earphone that he carried everywhere listening to AM radio. At this point he still listens to a steady diet of punk, power pop, metal (Faster Pussycat=Yes, Megadeath=No), alt country and anything that has plenty of good guitar and drums. Oh, and he has an ever-growing collection of about 150 vintage skateboards.

Blog