"Piece of My Heart" by Melissa Etheridge

If you listen carefully at the 3:40 mark, you can hear the sound of Melissa Etheridge's vocal cords snapping like the overtaxed serpentine belt on a yard tractor as she belts out this song made famous by Janis Joplin.
 

"Soak Up The Sun" by Judah & The Lion

 

What in the "Rainbow Connection" is this?

I don't know what I was expecting from Nashville rock band Judah & The Lion, but a banjo intensive remodel of Sheryl Crow's song of happiness through hardship wasn't it.  

It's good, though!  Just... surprising for a band that draws comparisons to Jimmy Eat World and Twenty One Pilots. 

I didn't look up the lyrics, but the second half of the chorus sounds like they're crooning "Every time I fellate my lucky dog."

Which makes me look at Sheryl in a whole new and entirely disturbing light.  

And you KNOW that those are the words I'm singing every time I hear this.  Maybe you will, too!  Maybe something's wrong with you, to sing this song the way I do!

"Break My Stride" by Jessica Mauboy

 

Australian actress Jessica Mauboy lent her vocals to this remake of Matthew Wilder's 1983 New Wave motivational speech for her television series "The Secret Daughter."  I've never seen the show, but it got great reviews, and the first season is on Amazon Prime, so... (shrugs).

The lyrics "Ain't nothin' gonna to break my stride/Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no/I got to keep on moving" show that neither Jessica nor Matthew Wilder (who looks eerily similar to Stanley Tucci after dropping the mop top and villain from Miami Vice 'stache) have ever witnessed Lawrence Taylor play football.

"Beggin" by Måneskin

 

Måneskin were the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in late January, and opened their two song set with this remake of the timeless Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons tune.

I didn't see the second song that they performed, because I fell asleep, because I'm hella lame.

If they just repeated this song to close out their SNL appearance, I don't think that anyone in the audience would have complained.

"Cherub Rock" by Fruit Bats

 

When it comes to the leadoff position, "Cherub Rock" is like Jimmy Rollins.  Powerful, and setting the tone for the rest of the songs to come on The Smashing Pumpkins' sophomore effort "Siamese Dream."

With the possible exception of "People of the Sun" by Rage Against The Machine (depending on mood, of course...), it's the best opening track I've come across.  The pounding beat and swirling guitars are flawless, and extend a hard to resist invitation to check out the rest of the melodic post-grunge that Billy Corgan and crew churned out in their Lollapalooza headlining days.

The Fruit Bats' dream-folk cover lacks the power hitting of the original, but, as a leadoff to their Siamese Dream tribute album, was exceptionally good.  Maybe comparable to Ichiro Suzuki.  

The vocals on this one, though?  I have a suspicion that Billy Corgan wore a hairpiece and gave himself the pseudonym Eric Johnson, kind of like CEOs do on the show "Undercover Boss."  That singer HAS to be Billy Corgan, right?

To support my theory, when's the last time that you were at a party, and both Billy Corgan and "Eric Johnson" were present?

I rest my case.

"Dilemma" by Sigma

 

Leeds drum and bass duo Sigma (with the help of Kate Stewart) take Nelly's hit club track and, somehow, make it sound like a commercial for Tahitian Treat soda.

The twosome were fortunate that Sigma was the Greek letter that they chose for their band moniker.  If they had called themselves "Omicron," somebody would have burned down their house by now.

"Milkshake" by Buddy

 

Here, if Kelis has a milkshake, and Buddy has a milkshake, and Daniel Plainview has a straw. There it is, it's a straw, you see? Watch it. Now Daniel Plainview's straw reaches across the room and starts to drink Buddy's milkshake. He ... drinks... their... milkshake. He drinks it up!

When Los Angeles quintet Buddy aren't busy covering Kelis songs, they can be found passing through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops, and then walking through the Lincoln Tunnel.

"Somebody's Watching Me" by Madelyn Darling

 

If Rockwell's dance hall tune showcasing his paranoid suspicions of perpetual surveillance were featured in a Hollywood movie, Madelyn Darling's cover would be used in the Tim Burton reboot.

All elements of lighthearted fun from the original were replaced by dark and sinister synth-wave sounds that will have you glancing over your shoulder, making sure that you can account for what's casting every shadow around you.

Who's watching?

"Numb" by The Veer Union

 

I received a Twitter notification yesterday that I was being followed by The Veer Union.

The Veer Union are an alternative hard rock band hailing from Vancouver, Canada.  

So, I'm immediately jealous.  They have a hockey team with a decent chance of making a playoff run.  They have ENTIRE LOCAL RESTAURANTS devoted to poutine.  They have universal health care coverage.

And, they must have the greatest Social Media manager in the universe.  They found me, despite Count Rugen from "The Princess Bride" being able to count all of my followers on one hand.

They previously released a great rendition of Faith No More's "Epic," but, sorry, guys.  Already posted a cover of that one.

Here's their acoustic rendering of Linkin Park's "Numb."

It's great, but I do have one criticism.

Crispin Earl has two other guys in the band, and neither one bothered to pick up the backing vocals for the "caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow" part.  

How will people know that you're caught in the undertow unless you explicitly say so?

Unrelated, but their album designer is pretty badass, too.  Check out the artwork on this one.  With Terminator Medusa.  It's awesome.

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Petra Haden

 

I love everything about Petra Haden's cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."

The greatest use of autotuned vocals.  Ever.

The injection of humor that runs from cutely charming to over-the-top ridiculous.

The use of a cheesy drum machine.

The subtle nod to Wilson Phillips.

And, most impressive.... that's not a guitar.

"Into the Unknown" by Panic! At The Disco

 

I was surprised to find out that Panic! At The Disco released their version of "Into the Unknown" from the Disney film "Frozen 2" a full two weeks before Idina Menzel dropped hers.

Then, I learned about pre-release covers.

Turns out, the music industry uses this practice as a take on "Just the Tip."  A cover artist will release their version before a much hyped original song is about to be made public, as a way to keep a fanbase quivering in anticipation.

"Heaven is a Place on Earth" by Elvenking

 

Back in 1987, it was always a treat to flip on VH1 and watch the video for "Heaven is a Place on Earth."  You know, Belinda Carlisle in all of her insane hotness dancing around those creepy kids who wore Zorro masks and held light up globes while riding a Gravitron and shit?

And, you'd be totally into the vibe of the music, but would wonder how much it could be improved if an Italian hair metal band would rock it out on an electric violin.

But then, you'd get all disappointed, because a violin playing Italian hair metal band would never, not in a million years, cover it.

Then you'd watch "Full House."

And then, two decades later, Elvenking would say (more than likely in Italian), "Never in a million years, eh?  Hold our tankards of ale, wenches!"

"Hey There Delilah" by Calibre Resua

 

Lombard, Illinois band Plain White T's sleeper hit about cross country pining over an unobtainable lady person gets an electro-pop makeover from Calibre Resua... who is likely from the Easton, Pennsylvania area.  

There's a fair deal of irony in Resua singing "Hey there, Delilah/I know times are gettin' hard/But just believe me, girl Someday/I'll pay the bills with this guitar" when stringed instruments play such a bit role in her synth-heavy version.

I'm not sold on the end of the song, with the slowed down track and quavering vocals.

Otherwise, I can get behind this one.

"Blue" by Jake Webber

 

As previously mentioned, our youngest daughter enjoys listening to utter garbage.

Her newest musical obsession is Tik Tok and Instagram star Jake Webber.

She played his new single for me, not realizing that it was a cover song.

You know what?  I don't hate it.  It's surprisingly well done.

That said, I'm a little surprised that it exists.

It's tough to imagine a twenty something kid from Kansas hearing Eiffel 65's nonsense from 1998 and thinking to himself, "This slaps!  I need to remake this!"

It's also weird that a YouTube channel for Vortexx Alexx thinks that anyone wants to hear this remake on an hour long loop.

But, here we are.

"Go Your Own Way" by The Cranberries

 

Top of the morning to you!

The St. Patrick's Day cover comes from The Cranberries, a band so Irish that they included strips of Corned Beef jerky with copies of their album "No Need to Argue."

In all seriousness, the late Dolores O'Riordan displays the voice of a Siren (or in Gaelic mythology, a mermaid, I guess) on this reworking of Fleetwood Mac.

Sláinte!

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Ferah Vargas

 

Despite missing half of a rhythm section, Ferah Vargas delivers on this remake of the 1993 Lenny Kravitz classic.

If she decides to remake a video, though, Cindy Blackman Santana should be invited to play the drums.  For old times' sake.

"Pump Up The Jam" by Death In Rome

 

I recently discovered the German Electro-folk group Death In Rome, and figured that they'd be a perfect choice to play on the Ides of March.

Here's their version of Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam," which I assume is a staple at raves thrown in Transylvanian warehouses.

"Cherry Pie" by Sponge

 

Good Morning, and Happy Pi Day!

To help you celebrate, here's a post-grunge cover of AquaNet chic band Warrant's hit "Cherry 3.141592653589" by Detroit rockers Sponge.

"Like a Prayer" by Pomplamoose

 

Since a less than successful tour in 2014, I'm sure things have picked up for San Francisco based husband and wife duo Pomplamoose, judging by their millions of YouTube subscribers and video views in the low to mid gadzillions.

Here, they pay homage to Madonna on... I don't know. A glockenspiel, I think.  

"Let's Hear It For The Boy" by The Stunners

 

Greetings from lovely-ish Virginia Beach!

We're here for a cheerleading competition, and one of the very few cheerleading songs that I know of is this riveting  Deniece Williams rah-rah tune about Kevin Bacon that was found on the "Footloose" soundtrack, long before it was discovered that the Hollywood universe is only six steps away from Bacon at any given time.  

This cover version by tween girl pop stars The Stunners was, apparently, featured on the Nickelodeon family comedy iCarly.  

Miranda Cosgrove of iCarly fame starred in "School of Rock" with Jack Black.

Jack Black was in "Shallow Hal" with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow was in "Se7en" with Morgan Freeman.

Morgan Freeman was in "Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves" with Kevin Costner.

Kevin Costner starred in "JFK" with Kevin Bacon.

"Self Esteem" by 311

 

It's March 11th!  And, because it's 3/11, it's the perfect day for a 311 cover.

I'm clever like that.

In 2018, they added their distinctive reggae rock stylings to The Offspring's "Self Esteem." 

"Moves Like Jagger" by Bananarama

 

Considering how much I loathe.... like, with every fiber of my being.... anything Maroon 5 have ever vomited onto the music scene, I'm surprised that this Bananarama offering isn't entirely unpleasant.

Then again, you can only pour so much perfume onto a dog turd.

I think it's great considering the source material.  They did what they could, you know?

"Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by Sawyer Brown

 

When I was younger, I had a Georgia Satellites Greatest Hits album.

It was kind of a rip off, because it only had one song on it.  On hindsight, a Cassingle would have made much more fiscal sense.

It was a great hit, though.... their greatest.... and it got the smothered, covered, and chunked treatment by Apopka, Florida country band Sawyer Brown.

"We're the Same" by Winterpills

 

Like savvy crack cocaine dealers, record companies in the '90s would distribute sampler CDs of artists on their label, hoping to get some college kids hooked on the sweet, sweet addictive music.

BMG released a limited pressing of a promotional CD entitled "Take A Lick," and their representatives were liberally handing out discs to passersby on Temple's campus in the Spring of '95.

I would listen to that compilation over.... and over.... and over again.  There were some fantastic songs on there.

They all paled in comparison to Track #8 -- "We're the Same" by Matthew Sweet.

Musically, lyrically, vocally.... it's a near perfect rock song.

I wouldn't say that Winterpills improved the original.  It is, after all, hard to top a near perfect rock song.

But, I love the minimalist keyboard melody, the harmonies on the chorus, the... is that a THEREMIN?!?!?  Please tell me that that's a theremin....

Such a fantastic cover of such a fantastic song.

"Jump Around" by Vanilla Ice

 

On his 2008 album "Hey, Guys!  I'm Still Relevant!  Wait Up, Guys!  Please, Wait Up!", Robert Van Winkle lays down an aggressive guitar-heavy version of House of Pain's hip hop classic "Jump Around."

It's not awful... it's not.

But, the relentless bassline and repeating squeal of a tenor sax found in the original were gone... and, because they were the backbone of the song, and what undoubtedly made it ridiculously infectious, efforts to spice this remake up with rock rap unions fell almost as flat as a Dr. Pepper left uncapped in the sun for too long.

I respect the hustle of MC Vanilla, though, and his clawing himself out of total obscurity.  Otherwise, we'd have no "Vanilla Ice Goes Amish."

"Son of a Preacher Man" by Hanne Boel

 

Once you work your way around the bizarre intro that sounds like the end of George Michael's "Father Figure" played on sitar, this is a passable, if not really decent, cover of Dusty Springfield by Danish songstress and music professor Hanne Boel.

I can think of no better cover song to listen to while wearing a bathrobe and snorting coke off of a vanity mirror while spying on Vincent Vega through your mansion's internal security cameras.

"You Keep Me Hanging On" by Vanilla Fudge

 

Two lava lamps are perched on the shelf of a Spencer's Gifts store in Rapid City, South Dakota when Vanilla Fudge's cover of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On" starts playing over the intercom system.

The first lamp says "Say, Brotha'.... This song is the most '70s thing that I've ever heard."

The second lamp says "Far out, man.... a talking lava lamp!  That's freaky deaky."

"Crystalised" by KRAFT

 

KRAFT is a Brazilian music prodigy who has spent most of his young life creating beats or infusing them into existing rockers.

Here, he adds a dance element to "Crystalised" by The xx.

In his spare time (which is pretty sparse, considering he released six albums worth of club remixes since 2020, beginning with "Quarantine Dreams"), he likes to mass produce individually wrapped cheese slices.

"Sledgehammer" by Lowland Hum

 

Imagine that Peter, Paul, and Mary are time travelling musicians who land in the year 1846.  While following the Oregon Trail from a gig in Independence, Missouri to one in Bear Valley, California, the trio become trapped in an early snowfall near the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  Paul contracts dysentery, and the other two music makers must resort to cannibalism to survive the harsh winter.

I believe that encapsulates the sound that Lowland Hum were gunning for.

Here, they lend their vocal harmonies to Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer."

"I Think I Love You" by Less Than Jake

 

Gainesville, Florida ska-punkers Less Than Jake sound just like The Partridge Family would have if, early in their career, they had traded lots of paisley and two gingers for a trombone and a sixth round draft choice.

"Vasoline" by The Groove Machine

 

Between their 13 monthly Spotify listeners and 17 views of this video on Youtube, I have no idea how I happened across The Groove Machine.  My best guess is that they're a Swedish or Norwegian  band, judging from how often they play Stockholm, and the number of people named Skjalg who comment on their videos on social media.

I love their cover of Stone Temple Pilots' 1994 offering "Vasoline," and I hope to do my part to raise their viewership into at least the mid 20s.