1. Day 114 – Chris Cornell / Coldplay / Caetano Veloso – Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)

    July 28, 2011 by Farhang

    “Billie Jean” was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the Michael Jackson’s second solo album, Thriller (1982). Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and Jackson had disagreements regarding it. The song is well known for its distinctive bass line and Jackson’s vocal hiccups. The song was mixed 91 times by audio engineer Bruce Swedien before he finalized the song with the second mix.

    There are contradictory claims as to what the song’s lyrics refer. Some believe that they are derived from a real-life experience in which a mentally ill female fan claimed that Jackson had fathered one of her twins. Others, pointing to the fact that Jackson was an avid tennis fan, believed that the song was about tennis great Billie Jean King; however, King’s sexual orientation since 1968 render implausible any contention that the song’s narrator, who claims to have had both a romantic encounter with Jackson and a child resulting from that encounter, was modeled on King. Jackson himself, however, stated several times that “Billie Jean” was based on the groupies he and his brothers encountered while part of The Jackson 5.

    In 2007, Chris Cornell recorded the song for his album Carry On.”

    Coldplay also performed a cover version of the song:

    In 1986, Brazilian composer Caetano Veloso performed the first cover of the song

    On March 25, 1983, Jackson performed “Billie Jean” to critical and popular acclaim. Here is the video of that performance:

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  2. Day 113 – Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Havana Affair (Ramones)

    July 27, 2011 by Farhang

    Havana Affair was originally released by Ramones on April 1976 on their debut Album “Blitzkrieg Bop”. Havana Affair’s concept deals with the comic strip Spy vs. Spy of the Cuban-born illustrator Antonio Prohias.

    RHCP released their cover version of Havana Affair as part of “We’re a Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones” album which is a tribute by various artists to the Ramones.

    and here is the original:

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  3. Day 112 – Amy Winehouse – To Know Him Is To Love Him (The Teddy Bears)

    July 25, 2011 by Farhang

    In memory of a great musical talent, Amy Winehouse.

    “To Know Him Is to Love Him” was written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father’s tombstone. It was first recorded by his first vocal group, the only one of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1958. The Beatles recorded it as “To Know Her Is to Love Her”, although their version wasn’t officially released until their 1994 Live at the BBC compilation album.

    In 2007, Amy Winehouse recorded the song acoustically for a B-side of “You Know I’m No Good”. A version by Winehouse also appeared on the 2007 compilation album, The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O’Leary Show.

    and here is the original:

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  4. Day 111 – Ray LaMontagne – Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)

    July 24, 2011 by Farhang

    “Crazy” is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere. Musically, “Crazy” was inspired by film scores of spaghetti Westerns, in particular by the works of Ennio Morricone, who is best known as the composer of Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, but more specifically the song “Last Man Standing” by Gian Piero Reverberi and Gianfranco Reverberi from the 1968 spaghetti Western Viva!

    Folk singer Ray LaMontagne has done a fantastic cover of this song:

    and here is the original:

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  5. Day 110 – Metallica – Astronomy (Blue Öyster Cult)

    July 23, 2011 by Ehsan

    Astronomy is a 1974 song by Blue Öyster Cult. The song’s lyrics are selected verses of Sandy Pearlman’s poem “The Soft Doctrines of Immaginos”, mainly covering aliens known as Les Invisibles guide an altered human named Imaginos, also called Desdinova, through history, playing key roles that eventually lead to the outbreak of World War I.

    The song was covered by Metallica in their 1998 cover compilation album Garage Inc., and the band twisted the original song’s theme to their own tone and rhythm, while maintaining the essence of the song, making it one of their best cover songs.

    And here’s the original:

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  6. Day 109 – Bruce Springsteen – Jersey Girl (Tom Waits)

    July 22, 2011 by Farhang

    “Jersey Girl” is originally sung by Tom Waits from his 1980 album Heartattack and Vine. Waits wrote the song with his future wife Kathleen Brennan, who had been living in New Jersey. It is one of Waits’ most tender songs, and captures a feeling of romantic longing despite its somewhat gritty details.

    The cover is performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and released as the B-side of his 1984 hit single “Cover Me”.

    and here is the original

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  7. Day 108 – Ane Brun / Guano Apes – Big in Japan (Alphaville)

    July 21, 2011 by Farhang

    “Big in Japan” is the debut single of the band Alphaville. It is from their 1984 album Forever Young. The title comes from a phrase Big in Japan, which was used to describe Western bands who are popular with Japanese audiences while garnering little attention in their home country.

    In 2008, Norwegian singer Ane Brun did her very own version of the song “Big in Japan”. The song was recorded to be part of the soundtrack for the Swedish TV-documentary “Stor i Japan” on TV6.

    In 2000, Guano Apes also covered the song in their second full-length album, Don’t Give Me Names.

    Here is Guano Apes’ cover:

    and the original version:

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  8. Day 107 – Muse – Feeling Good (Cy Grant feat. Bill LeSage)

    July 20, 2011 by Farhang

    Written for the widely forgotten 1965 Broadway musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, “Feeling Good” has been covered by Nina Simone, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, George Michael and countless others. Muse recorded a popular version for their 2001 LP Origin of Symmetry, which has recently gotten a lot of play in America in a commercial for Virgin Airlines.

    and here is the original:

     

     

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  9. Day 106 – Lissie – Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)

    July 18, 2011 by Farhang

    No Comments …

    and here is the original:

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  10. Day 105 – They Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan)

    July 15, 2011 by Farhang

    “Mr. Tambourine Man” has been covered by many artists over the years, including at least 13 versions recorded in 1965 alone. The Byrds released it as their debut single on April 12, 1965. The single, along with the album of the same name, was influential in originating the musical style known as folk rock, with the single becoming the first folk rock smash hit.

    Bob Dylan started writing the song in February 1964 after attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans during a cross-country road trip with several friends, and completed it sometime between mid-March and late April after returning to New York.

    The song has a bright, expansive melody and has become famous in particular for its surrealistic imagery, influenced by artists as diverse as French poet Arthur Rimbaud and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. The lyrics call on the title character to play a song and the narrator will follow. Interpretations of the lyrics have included a paean to drugs such as LSD, a call to the singer’s muse, a reflection of the audience’s demands on the singer, and religious interpretations.

    and here is the original

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  11. Day 104 – Live – I Walk The Line (Johnny Cash)

    July 14, 2011 by Farhang

    “I Walk the Line” was written by Johnny Cash and recorded in 1956. It was performed with the help of Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins, two mechanics that his brother introduced him to following his discharge from the Air Force. The unique chord progression for the song was inspired by an accidental backwards playback of guitar runs on Cash’s tape recorder while he was in the Air Force stationed in Germany.

    The cover was released by Live on November 2004 as part of their Greatest Hits compilation.

    and here’s the original

    P.S. This cover was posted before as a daily pick, we figured it approrpaite to re-post it as part of “Do Judge The Cover” month.

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  12. Day 103 – Sinead O’Connor – Downpressor Man (Peter Tosh)

    July 13, 2011 by Farhang

    “Sinner Man” is an American traditional spiritual song that has been recorded by a number of performers. The song dates to the turn of the 20th century but most modern recorded versions derive from the 1956 recording by Les Baxter, further changes and additions were codified in 1959 by the folk music group the Weavers.

    A different version entitled “Downpressor Man” was recorded by Peter Tosh & The Wailers in 1971 (“downpressor” meaning “oppressor” in Rastafarian vocabulary). The song featured Tosh on lead vocals and Bunny Wailer on background.

    Sinéad O’Connor covered Peter Tosh’s single on her 2005 album Throw Down Your Arms. You judge her cover:

    and here is the original:

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