Take Ellie Goulding's 2015 single "Love Me Like You Do."
Add a harmonium. And a sitar. And a tabla.
Substitute in vocals that are either comedic genius or are radiating a heightened sense of confidence.
Voila! You have this cover by Sri Lankan YouTube sensation Sandaru Sathsara.
I'm all about this cover, but I'm glad that Goulding's version was used on the "Fifty Shades of Grey" soundtrack, because Sathsara's version is more or less the epitome of a libido destroyer.
I can't tell you too much about Groovy Waters. Their biography isn't available on their YouTube channel. Or Spotify. Or Deezer. Or last.fm. Or Tidal. Or Apple Music. Or Beatport. Or SoundCloud.
They're a duo. I'm sure of that. I think they're from Brazil.
They play mellow, downtempo, lounge infused versions of pop songs, like this 1995 jangle hit from Denton, Texas post-grunge band Deep Blue Something.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina indie group Superchunk cover "Cruel Summer," Bananarama's contribution to the soundtrack of 1984 movie "The Karate Kid."
I can't verify this in any way, but I'm pretty sure Superchunk got their name from the transition of milk into cottage cheese the second that you walk out of the grocery store into the oppressive, oppressive August heat.
It's a cruel. Cruel summer. Leaving me here with a freshly purchased gallon of super chunky milk.
I imagine that the phone conversation between Edmonds, Washington jazz vocalist Andra Day and a Pixar executive went something like this:
Pixar Executive : Andra, you have a lovely voice, and we'd like to hire you to sing a song on the soundtrack of the forthcoming animated film "Cars 3." Are you interested?
Andra Day : Yes!
Pixar Executive : It's a cover of the 1984 Bruce Springsteen single "Glory Days." You've heard that song before, right?
Andra Day : Uhmmmm .... I think so?
Pixar Executive : So, you can cover it? Like, you have a fairly good grasp on the song structure and timing and meter and all of that?
Andra Day : I'm a professional. I think I can figure out the timing and what not.
And.... here's the result!
Here's his version of "Watermelon Sugar," the 2019 Harry Styles hit that is sure to drive all of the ladies at the Renaissance Faire into fits of near climactic euphoria.
Dublin, Ireland natives B*Witched are labeled as a girl group, so they're just like 98 Degrees, with a heaping spoonful of Brogue and estrogen added.
In 2000, they covered Steubenville, Ohio (what a great name for a town!) blue-eyed soul band Wild Cherry's 1976 Funk Rock classic "Play That Funky Music."
They also tossed a nifty little rap breakdown in the middle, to appeal to audiences who have zero musical taste.
CrazySexyCool Atlanta, Georgia Soul/Hip Hop group TLC were covered by one of the driving forces of indie rock -- Bellingham, Washington alternative darlings Death Cab for Cutie.
And, the marriage of Death Cab's distinctive vibe (plus the rugged good looks of front man Ben Gibbard) with the waves of nostalgia brought on by the mid '90s cautionary tale is sure to be a favorite of Jessica Bell, who celebrates her birthday today!
Happy Birthday, my love! Hope this helps make it a bit happier... even with the lyrics about AIDS and gang related shootings and what not.
Brooklyn, New York husband and wife team Luck & Senses combine alluring vocals and an equally tantalizing rhythm section in their version of the 2007 Feist indie pop song "My Moon My Man," that is presumably written about Mac Tonight.
Ontario, Canada quartet and two-time Juno award nominees for Alternative Album of the Year Tokyo Police Club cover Miley Cyrus's seven times platinum RIAA single "Party in the USA."
While Cyrus cuts the party short at 3:28, the band adds a couple of minutes to the track, shouting out names of states and some Canadian territories... because Saskatchewan should definitely be invited to a party in the USA. They could bring the chips and the guaranteed paid maternity leave.
Delaware gets a shout out at 3:49. Thanks, guys!
"Counting Stars" by Grammy nominated Colorado Springs, Colorado alternative pop band OneRepublic became one of the first singles to join the "Billions Club" on Spotify, amassing over 1.6 billion streams to date.
Surrey, United Kingdom singer-songwriter Alice Lamb's version hasn't made this prestigious list yet, but if ten of us can stream this cover repeatedly each day, she should be able to reach that milestone in just shy of 813 years.
So... let's get crackin'!
Look at the talk-box
Mute frustration
At the station
There....rides.....the (Rhinestone) cowboy!
Billstown, Arkansas country music legend Glen Campbell covers Dayton, Ohio cult rock band Guided By Voices on the titular song from their 2000 EP.
Mililani, Hawaii trio Side Salad double down on the island flair of Rupert Holmes's tale of two jaded lovers independently deciding to commit adultery, then rekindling their once steamy romance following the discovery of their shared affinity for alcohol and beach porkin'.
The song was written well before the advent of Tinder, which is good, because a chuckle at O'Malley's bar during a rendezvous between two would-be cheating spouses that "met" through classified ads would have been a simple swipe left followed by the serving of divorce papers in the modern setting.
Los Angeles. The city of brotherly rage.
Summer may be almost over, but the time is still right for fighting in the street, booooooooooy....
Auckland, New Zealand indie multi-instrumentalist Ladyhawke remains relatively faithful to this 1967 Jefferson Airplane acid rock trip through Lewis Carroll's looking glass.
Their official YouTube page indicates that they are from Greece.
Their Facebook page implies that they are from Verona, Italy.
Maybe they're both Greek and Italian.... like Moussaka Parmesan.
They repeatedly sing about a brimful of Asha on the 35, where Wolverhampton indie rock band Cornershop had sung about a brimful of Asha on the 45 in their 1997 single that topped John Peel's Festive 50 Countdown for the year.
Why this discrepancy of 10?
My guess is that it has to do with the band's fear of overdosing.
They're like "No.... no.... that's far too much Asha. Please, reduce the amount of Asha by 22%."
Melbourne, Australia garage rock band Jet had their 2003 international hit (and highest ranking song on the Triple J Hottest 100 for the year) "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" overhauled by Iasi, Romania youngsters The Iron Cross.
Though their YouTube channel was launched in 2021, the band was formed in 2015, when guitarist (and, based on this video, doppelganger of Hurley from "Lost") was 13 years old.
Tulsa, Oklahoma by way of Hays, Kansas alt-metal Christian band Pillar proselytize with their rehashing of Collective Soul's 1993 debut single that has become one of the archetypal '90s rock songs, hailed by Billboard and VH1 as one of the greatest songs of the decade.
Oddly, the iconic "Yeah" that bridges from verses to chorus is so low in the cover version's mix that it's barely perceptible.
Why? Just.... why? That's the best part of the song, Pillar!
German nine-piece ska band Skameleon pull off an impressively cheerful rendition of the 1992 Eurodance single "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap!
The tagline for the Herborn in Hesse Rudies is "SKA makes everything better."
So, don't forget the ska.
I'm sure I've given James Bell some awful birthday presents over the years.
There was one time, though.... in my early teens.... that I know I hit it out of the park.
A late-night infomercial for a six or seven cassette collection of ultra-prolific swamp rockers Creedence Clearwater Revival aired one Sunday morning after the closing credits of Saturday Night Live. I called the order in that night, because "operators were standing by."
For years after I presented him with these tapes, they were the only thing that he listened to.
On long road trips, we'd pop the first installment into the tape deck of his Econoline (at least I think it was an Econoline. It was a van. With a tape deck.) and listen reel to reel before repeating the process with tape two. And three. And four.
I thought it would be fitting to select a CCR song for his birthday. And what better one than "Fortunate Son?" Because, if you don't listen to the lyrics, the title sounds like a guy who had a pretty great Dad. Like me.
I'm pretty sure he'll dislike the Celt-punk execution by Quincy, Massachusetts band Dropkick Murphys. But, eh. Consider it another crappy birthday present.
Happy Birthday, Old Man!
Sometimes, it's hard to stay relevant when you're in a country/gospel band that's been together for nearly four decades.
So, Oak Ridge, Tennessee vocal group The Oak Ridge Boys threw together a cover of the 2003 garage rock anthem (and best song of the decade according to Consequence of Sound) "Seven Nation Army" by critically acclaimed Detroit, Michigan duo The White Stripes.
Totally bizarre, but awesome.
Ambient industrial artists Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails join Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O. for this Led Zeppelin cover used in the opening sequence for 2011 crime mystery "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
Mount Sinai, New York power pop band Patent Pending, veterans of the Vans Warped Tour and Bamboozle Festival, perform an upbeat rendition of the 2003 debut single from Las Vegas, Nevada new wave revival band The Killers.
Speaking of killer, check out that organ hook! Reminds me of The Rentals.
Wall Township, New Jersey indie pop artist JPOLND performs covers of subtly dark pop songs, like this woeful tune of longing and loss from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania post grunge band Fuel.
Nashville, Tennessee acoustic singer/songwriter and full time YouTuber Landon Austin covers the hit single "I Love It" by Swedish electropop duo Icona Pop.
A couple of words are swapped out... like "stuff" in place of the s-word, and "kid" instead of the b-word.
This makes it easier for Landon to get PG-13 gigs at Bat Mitzvahs and Quinceaneras.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Gothic metal outfit Tapping The Vein take on classically trained Newton, North Carolina chamber pop artist Tori Amos's 1994 single "Cornflake Girl."
Cornflakes were a cereal invented by the Kellogg brothers in the late 19th century to provide patients at the Battle Creek, Michigan sanitorium a simple, pure, and unstimulating breakfast of toasted maize.
John Harvey Kellogg, a nutritionist and devout Seventh Day Adventist, was against adding sugar to the recipe, as he intended the bland flavor to be instrumental in suppressing urges among those partaking of the cereal.
In short, cornflakes were brought into being to keep patrons of their health resort from waxing the dolphin.
The more you know....
Forty one years and four days ago, a fledgling cable channel debuted with footage of a rocket launch. As the astronaut exited the craft, he hoisted a flag with the channel's logo, and Warner Cable executive John Lack announced "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll."
The first video aired on MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by British new wave artists The Buggles.
In 1998, Seattle, Washington guitbass and basitar trio The Presidents of the United States of America covered the groundbreaking marriage of modern music and imagery for the soundtrack of "The Wedding Singer."
In early 2000, Killing Heidi, a band fronted by teenaged vocalist Ella Hooper, covered the 1995 Grunge single "Tomorrow" by fellow Aussie high schoolers Silverchair.
Also in Killing Heidi is a musician from Nauru.
Nauru is a country that is roughly one tenth the size of Jonesboro, Arkansas.
It's also a republic that probably ranks near the tippy top in per-capita ARIA award winning bass players.
Fort Worth, Texas singer and winner of the first "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson had a single from her 2005 album "Breakaway" about being broke apart deep inside by some cheating jerkface remade by a Sydney, Australia emo band.
The band's name? Breakaway.
Not sure if there's any correlation between her album title and the band moniker.
In a way, I hope that it was completely unintentional. Because that would be a weird cowinky dink.
Liz Rubino has more degrees than an obtuse angle.
She's earned a Bachelor's Degree in Theater from Youngstown State University. She holds a Masters in Drama Therapy from New York University. She has certification in Voice and Psychology from Ohio State. She's been trained in Royal Shakespearean Theater during a brief stint in San Miniato, Italy.
With the free 4 minutes and 27 seconds that she had between furthering her education and/or teaching at one of two schools in New Haven, Connecticut, she recorded a version of this Eagles song that's a favorite of Somali cab drivers in Los Angeles County.
It's Lughnasadh, one of the eight seasonal turning points celebrated in the Celtic pagan tradition. According to British website "The Goddess and the Green Man," today marks the union of sun and earth, and is a celebration of the abundance of grain gathered during this first harvest.
As it's a pagan holiday, it seems a great time to drop this cover of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pitchfork buzz band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Exeter, California punk folk band Pagan Holiday.
