Cover Songs

I start to feel old when I hear songs I grew up with in the 80's being played as cover songs by new artists.

Loping Squid recently shared with me this post about Top Ten Cover Songs that Outshine the Original. I started to write this as an individual response to Loping Squid, but then decided to post it here for commentary by a broader audience.

Here are my somewhat random thoughts on the above mentioned Top Ten post...

I don't agree with Gary Jules' rendition of Mad World supposedly being better than Tears for Fears' original. However, I did enjoy the video and the cool moving images the people on the sidewalk made. Definitely watch #9.

Not really related to the Top Ten post itself, but seeing the Pet Shop Boys on the list brought up another teleportation song memory for me. I've been a big fan of the Pet Shop Boys for a LONG time. Whenever I hear songs off their album "Please," my mind is instantly teleported back to 1986 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I bought that album on a cassette tape at the mall there before embarking on a Tiger Cruise with my dad. During the next week at sea, I listened to that tape over and over and over again. A couple of the songs gained such popularity on the radio (e.g. West End Girls, Opportunities) that they don't hold special significance from that trip anymore, but I still associate the lesser-known songs with that Tiger Cruise. End of flashback, resuming original topic.

I never realized They Might Be Giants' "Istanbul" was a cover song!

Is it me, or does it seem really odd for Johnny Cash to be doing a cover of a Trent Reznor song?

Cover songs aren't so bad though. What really drives me nuts is when I get in an elevator and hear a soft flute playing the tune to a favorite song of mine from high school. Then I REALLY feel old.