As another International Women’s Day rolls by, it’s time to take a look at female reimaginings of male-written popular music.
The art of the cover version
The cover version is a hotly contested subject in music. The adaptation that beats the original is rare, or at least is the view of your standard music connoisseur. What can a cover version bring to light that the original could not? As you’ll see in the case of the fifteen versions below, these women have reinvented songs across genres by Bob Dylan, Tim Buckley, Leonard Cohen, The Clash, Nick Cave and more.
Nouvelle Vague – Friday Night Saturday Morning
Well acquainted with covers, Nouvelle Vague add a quiet depth to what was originally The Specials’ anthem for the bittersweetness of a big night out.
Fever Ray – Stranger Than Kindness
Better known as vocalist for The Knife, Fever Ray here adapts a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds classic. As well as hearing her imagining of the song, the video is worth viewing also.
Divinyls – I’ll Make You Happy
Chrissy Amphlett (hero to us all) adds an incomparable feistiness to the lighter pop song by The Easybeats from 1996.
Tori Amos – Enjoy the Silence
Try to get past the shaking camera, or bypass watching the footage entirely, to really enjoy Tori Amos’ cover of the 1989 Depeche Mode single.
Antony and the Johnsons – Knocking on Heaven’s Door
If this doesn’t make you feel things, you’re not human. The much-covered Bob Dylan classic from 1973 is rarely revisited by women musicians, and here is uniquely and beautifully-covered by female-identifying Antony Hegarty.
Rebekah del Rio – Llorando (“Crying”)
Similarly, this vehicle for David Lynch’s atmospheric neo-noir Mullholland Drive would almost certainly make you feel things as a living, breathing person. The clip below is lifted straight from the film, the scene dedicated to this chilling cover of Roy Orbison’s 1961 “rock-bolero” Crying, sung a cappella and in Spanish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrC3Bf-CvHU
Santigold – Guns Of Brooklyn
There’s a little lyrical adaptation here, as Santigold here reimagines “Guns of Brixton” by The Clash. While this varies little from the original musically, Santigold’s vocals makes for a fine fit.
This Mortal Coil – Song To The Siren
Covering Tim Buckley’s 1970 original, this is what Elizabeth Fraser nailing it looks like.
Bjork & PJ Harvey – Satisfaction
Normally I can’t stand hearing versions of this track made famous by The Rolling Stones in 1965, because it has to be one of the most covered songs in history. However, hearing Björk and PJ Harvey collaborate here is truly something else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK02kW1mKkk
Patti Smith – (Horses &) Hey Joe
Patti Smith could cover paint dry and it would be a thrill to witness. Here, Smith adapts Wilson Picket’s “Land of 1,000 Dances” and Van Morrison’s “Gloria” while reinventing with ad-libbed lyrics the much-covered “Hey Joe“.
Cat Power – I Found A Reason
Chan Marshall takes an unbeatable song (by the Velvet Underground, 1970) and makes a beautiful rendition. One of her best.
Aretha Franklin – Respect
Killin’ it.
Nina Simone – Suzanne
I don’t know why this isn’t referenced more often as one of history’s greatest covers. Nina Simone is often referenced in “best of” lists for both her original songs and her adaptations, but it seems that the reverence for Leonard Cohen’s 1967 original means this is dropped from critics’ consideration.
Grace Jones – Love Is The Drug
I’ll ‘fess up, I’m a hardcore Roxy Music nerd. Kylie Minogue, back away. But Grace Jones has taken arguably their best-known song from 1975 and made it a whole other experience. The video is also great viewing for fans of Jones’ unrepeatable style.
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Helter Skelter
While covers of The Beatles’ songs tend to vary little from the original and bring little new to the listeners’ experience, Siouxsie & The Banshees arguably conquered in this regard covering a number of their songs. Considered by some to be the genesis of metal, this sounds so naturally like a Banshees song, and their live performance is a knockout.
