5 Cover Songs Way Better Than The Original.
Writing music is hard. Sometimes, you’ve a great melody, but you can’t quite sing it. Sometimes, a heavenly voice, but no gift for lyrics. It is no surprise then, occasionally an amazing talent writes a song and it takes another artist covering it to really make it shine. Here, in my opinion, are the times when a talented musician has taken something so close to perfect, and crafted it into a true masterpiece.
1. Technohead — I Wanna Be A Hippy (Covered by the Smurfs)
An amazing 90s Happy Hardcore anthem about drug use and dance induced euphoria elevated to the status of masterpiece by the tiny blue genius’s The Smurfs, from their seminal album ‘Smurfs Go Pop’. Changing the lyrical content from being about drugs to being about responsible dog ownership made this already amazing rave anthem accessible to everyone, not just crazed gurning Illegal meetup attending burnouts. A 7/10 90s dance classic elevated to an astounding 11/10.
2. Shaggy — Mr. Boombastic (Covered by the Smurfs)
Shaggy is the most recognisable dancehall hero in modern history. His songs ooze sexuality, catchy hooks, and memorable themes and lyrics. However, a song where a man boasts about his sexual prowess can prove a formidable and hard to understand concept to those in the world who lack ‘game’ or are sexually inexperienced.
That being the case, this amazing reimagining where the Smurf in question merely talks about how nice he is, how unique he is, and how strongly he can deter the evil wizard Gargamel from harassing Smurftown, can be understood and enjoyed by all.
3. Rednex — Cotton Eyed Joe (Covered by the Smurfs)
‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ is an amazing feat of musical alchemy, mixing the two seemingly unmergeable styles of 90s Hard Dance and traditional redneck folk music into one of the most striking and memorable songs of the last 30 years. The subject matter, however, is gargled and unclear. The real sound of a violin (artfully replaced by a very low rez synth in the superior Smurfs version) is grating and intrusive. the lyrics, in it’s original form, meander and are too reliant on interpretative questioning and vague hyperbole, whereas the improved cover version displays clearer themes, a stronger narrative, and drops the reliance on real instruments for the more futuristic sound of harsh, unedited MIDI instruments.
4. The Dead Kennedys — Nazi Punks, Fuck Off (Covered by Napalm Death)
The Dead Kennedys are one of the most seminal Hardcore bands to ever exist. They took a groundwork laid by Iggy, The New York Dolls, and other such visionaries, and boiled it down into a few minutes of pure rage and idealistic anger. The title alone tells you everything you need to know about their feelings towards racists, and the song delivers a hard gut punch of resistance to hatred. Napalm Death, took an already classic anthem of anti hate, cranked up the distortion and the speed, and did their hardcore Punk forefathers proud.
5. Bjork — It’s Oh So Quiet (Covered by the Smurfs)
Bjork is one of the most unique and interesting voices in modern music. Mysterious, talented, and with an inherent ability to meld notes and melodies in a way that is almost unthinkable to most other modern composers. Her body of work is almost unmatched in terms of volume and quality. But, there was something missing. Her breakout hit, (It’s Oh So Quiet) was a Broadway musical inspired orchestrated piece of uber-interesting pop music that was in equal parts endearing, tantalising and mesmerising. But there was one fatal flaw. IT WAS NOT ABOUT A VERY LOUD SMURF.
So, there it is. the definitive list of the best covers ever recorded. You can’t think of any better, because there are none. My only hope is that the now long retired Smurfs return soon, to give the musical landscape the much needed injection of fun.
