Songs, Covering Your Own; An Even More Powerful Version

So is it even a cover version when an artist ‘cover’ their own song? What is the reason they have to go back and revisit a previous work? Could it be a desire to re-record it in a different style? Maybe it’s a subtle difference or potentially it’s a very far-off new style. Sometimes it took collaboration to bring about change sometimes it was just time or technical advances. Here is a handful of a few that stand the test of time. Songs, Covering Your Own; An Even More Powerful Version

Suzanne Vega Tom’s diner 1987. Originally featured on her second studio album, Solitude Standing, it was released as a single in Europe only in 1987 following the success of her single “Luka”

The remake 1990. It was later used as the basis for a remix by the British group DNA in 1990, which reached No. 1 in Austria, Germany, Greece and Switzerland. The song is also known for its use in testing various digital compression schemes during the development of the MP3, earning Vega the title of “Mother of the MP3”

Aerosmith Walk This Way 1975/76

American rock band Aerosmith released Walk This Way in 1975. Written by band members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album Toys in the Attic. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit singles for the band in the 1970s.

In 1986, the hip hop group Run-DMC covered “Walk This Way”, collaborating with Aerosmith. While working on their Raising Hell album,  Def Jam producer Rick Rubin pulled out Toys in the Attic. At shows, Run-DMC had freestyled over the first few seconds of the song on a loop, not knowing what the full song sounded like, or even hearing the lyrics. While Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels had no idea who Aerosmith was, Rubin suggested remaking the song. Neither Simmons nor McDaniels liked the idea, and considered the lyrics “hillbilly gibberish”, but the band’s DJ  Jam Master Jay was open to it.

Layla, Eric Clapton 1970 with Derek and the Dominos. Written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Its contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon.

Remake 1992. Clapton reworked his Derek and the Dominos classic for his massively popular 1992 ‘Unplugged’ album, reimagining the epic rocker as a slow, bluesy acoustic number. It became a hit in its own right and earned the Best Rock Song Grammy.

Foo Fighters, ‘Times Like These’ 2003. It is the fourth track from their fourth album One by One, and was released as its second single in 2003.

2004. Dave Grohl’s acoustic version of the Foo Fighters’ song quickly became almost as familiar as the original single version. When President Bush’s reelection campaign used the new recording without asking, Grohl went out and stumped for Bush’s opponent, John Kerry. A music video was produced for the acoustic version. It consists solely of clips of Grohl recording the song’s vocal, guitar, and piano tracks in the studio.

‘John, I’m Only Dancing,’ David Bowie 1972. Originally released as a non-album single on 1 September 1972. Similar to David Bowie’s other compositions of the time, “John, I’m Only Dancing” is a glam rock song performed in an R&B style.

Bowie’s remake of this song just two years later contrasted sharply with the glam-rock original

In 1974 this version was recorded mostly during David’s performance at the Michigan Palace, Detroit on 20th October, 1974, with the encores taken from the Municipal Auditorium, Nashville on 30th November 1974. Renamed ‘John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)’ and was unreleased until 1979, this version was made in a funky disco style.

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