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Covers songs recorded by unexpected artists

Cover songs have been a staple of the music industry for its entire existence. If a song is popular enough, you already know a cover will soon be on the way from any and all artists who think they can sell a few copies. With covers as popular as Elvis Presley’s entire library to Led Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused, many of your favorite tunes are in fact covers even if you didn’t realize it! However, on the flip side of that, with so many artists synonymous with a particular sound you’d never expect them to venture out into covering something totally out of their genre wheelhouse. That’s where you’d be wrong. We’ve complied a collection of artists who covered some unexpected songs that may take you by surprise!

Purple Haze- Dion

YouTube: Modpants

Yes that’s right, the American Doo-op singer responsible for such hits as Runaround Sue and The Wanderer ventured into Hendrix! In an odd twist, Dion adopted Purple Haze into his library in 1968, just one year after Hendrix released it! The psychedelic rock anthem was slowed down and turned into more of a balled under Dion but somehow remains to be, if not becomes even more, trippy. Certainly and unexpected track from the heartbroken oldies singer, but not an unwelcome one by any means!

Faith- Limp Bizkit

YouTube: JulianOBlink

Believe it or not there are people who enjoy Limp Bizkit! Alright, jokes aside the controversial rap rock group found their success in the early 2000s with tracks like “Rollin’” and “Break Stuff” and were even used as The Undertaker’s entrance theme during his stint as The American Badass. Unfortunately for us, nobody told front man Fred Durst that rap rock and George Michael don’t mix. For reasons unbeknownced to us Limp Bizkit decided to include Michael’s 1987 Faith on their 1997 album “Three Dollar Bill, Y’all”. The kicker? While bordering on the creepy side, Durst’s opening to the song isn’t the worst thing in the world. Fret not however, just wait for the chorus and sit back as Fred and the boys ruin this classic.

Jolene- The White Stripes

YouTube: The White Stripes

The White Stripes can do no wrong! The iconic 2000s Faux Brother/Sister, Husband/Wife duo left their mark on the music industry with memorable rock tracks such as Fell In Love With A Girl, We’re Going To Be Friends, and Icky Thump. However the song that will ensure The Stripes live on forever has to be Seven Nation Army, a staple of any high-school football game or workout playlist. Always the artist, front man Jack White is no stranger to experimenting with covers, as is the case with The White Stripes rendition of the 1965 #2 hit Love Potion No.9. However it’s their iconic cover of Jolene we’re focusing on for this list. The echoing live guitar and raw emotion in the voice of Jack White coveys the emotion behind the classic Dolly lyrics. The rock rendition may be one of the finest live covers of the era and is definitely deserving of a listen if you have yet to hear it!

Heartbreaker- Nirvana

YouTube: Nirvana

Kurt, Dave, and Krist were certainly no strangers to borrowing from some of their favorite artists. With a library containing the likes of Bowie, The Meat Puppets, Lead Belly, and many others it’s no shock the band fiddled around with other cover ideas. Dating all the way back to 1987, The legendary trio broke into Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker during one of their very first live performances. Unfortunately this rendition never made it to the studio but did become available to the public courtesy of With The Lights Out and Sliver: The Best Of The Box which features early recordings, demos, live tracks and unreleased music! But the best part about this cover, “I don’t know how to play it!”

Smells Like Teen Spirit/ Wonderwall/ Etc.- Paul Anka

YouTube: PaulAnkaTV

Oh yes, that is correct. The mind behind “Puppy Love” and “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” proved he could still hang when he released his album 2005 album “Rock Swings”. The album included lounge and swing covers of the likes of Bon Jovi, Nirvana, Oasis, Survivor, Van Halen, Chris Cornell, and more! Anka undoubtedly knocked it out of the park earning himself a long deserved star on Canada’s Walk of Fame! Having the ability to take Smells Like Teen Spirit and make it easy listening even your Grandparents would call quality music is a true sign of a multitalented artist! Step aside Richard Cheese!

With a vast and ever growing world library of cover songs, these are just a handful of renditions that may have taken you by surprise! Let us know what you think down below and who’s cover caught you off guard! Be sure to check out more music related articles here and keep on rockin’ on!

-Style

February 19, 2021 by Style N Profile Categories: UncategorizedTags: cover, cover music, cover song, cover songs, covers, Dion, famousmusic, Limp Bizkit, music, music blog, music facts, music genres, music history, music review, music video, Nirvana, Paul Anka, underrated music Leave a comment

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so they say. When it comes to music, cover songs can either make or break a band. Often times covers undergo great scrutiny for not sounding like the source, or even sounding too much like the source. The classic saying, “the original was better”, is often the base argument for dismissing these cover songs, and more often than not is the death nail for these iterations of classic songs. However, there have been some absolutely draw dropping or stunning covers of radio classics that still seem largely unknown to the public eye. The following is a collection of unique and underrated cover songs by artists you may expect.

1. Drake Bell

You may be familiar with Drake Bell from the 2000s hit Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh, however did you know Drake doesn’t simply just play a musician for TV. Drake Bell is a phenomenally underrated musician with a total of six studio albums under his belt! Alongside his original singles, bell has also provided some very well done covers to his discography! Possibly the most commonly discussed of all of them is his 2018 release of the Lil Pump track, Gucci Gang. Receiving the most back and forth between those who loved the rendition and those who hated it, Gucci Gang is far from Drake Bell’s first, or even best, cover. Appearing on the 2014 album, “Ready, Steady, Go”, is a fantastic cover of Billy Joel’s “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me”. The track not only serves an amazing recreation of the 1980 smash hit, but also may appear indistinguishable from the original to the casual listener.

2. Ninja Sex Party

Yes, Ninja Sex Party is indeed the legitimate name of this band. Fronted by Danny Sexbang, the act is a two man comedy duo specializing in comedic and novelty music often revolving around mythical or sexual subject matter. That being said, NSP is honestly one of the most talented and creative bands I have had the pleasure to listen to. Managing to be both funny and clever at the same time is one thing but having the musical ability to go from “6969” to a seamless rendition of “Rocket Man” that will make you question who did it better is another. In 2015 NSP decided to change their style for one album by releasing the cheekily named “Under The Covers” which featured all cover songs. The album was such a commercial success and received such great feedback from the fanbase that it spawned two more volumes of “Under The Covers” albums!

3. Postmodern Jukebox

Possibly the most widely known group on this list for their covers, Postmodern Jukebox provide classics with a twist! Featuring 50+ revolving musicians along with multiple extraordinary vocalists, PMJ take some of the most successful, well known, and beloved songs and cover them in the style of swing, jazz, and big band. Not shy of any genre or era, PMJ have covered everything ranging from Radiohead to Macklemore and Britney Spears to Aerosmith. Absolutely everything they have touched turns to transatlantic gold!

4.Cake

Chances are if you grew up in the early 2000s or ever played a Tony Hawk Pro Skater games, you’ve heard Cake. Most famous for their hit singles “The Distance” and “Short Skirt Long Jacket”, Cake seemingly broke out huge and the slowly faded off the radar. While the slow and very verbal style of the band may not be the taste for everyone, Cake has seemingly found the perfect way to use that to their advantage. With covers of such classics as “I Will Survive” and “Paranoid”, Cake has made their stamp on the cover field by incorporating their own original style like no other. Even going into Hank Williams Sir, The tracks may take you by surprise at first or require a minute to adjust to, Cake provides welcome and intriguing versions of classics we know and love.

5. Paul Anka

No need to adjust your screen, you did read that correctly! Paul Anka, known for such classics as “Puppy Love” and “Put Your Head On Y Shoulder” is no stranger to the almighty cover song! Now you may be thinking to yourself, he must’ve covered classics of the time just like Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis did! Well, you would be incorrect! I bet the covers you were thinking of did not involve Nirvana, Oasis, Van Halen or even Soundgarden. That’s right, Paul Anka released his album, Rock Swings, in 2015 featuring swing style renditions of some of the most popular song from the previous two decades.Even if you are not a fan of the swing genre, I encourage you to give it a listen and see for yourself why Paul Anka is one of the absolute geniuses of the art!