• From: Crystal Lake, Il.
  • Registered: 2006-04-22
  • Posts: 5,120

Topic: Songs that should never be covered?

I happened to catch a portion of Larry King's interview with Eric Clapton last night. A good portion dealt with the tragic loss of Eric's 4 year old son and how (no surprise) it sticks with him to this day. Most people know that his song Tears in Heaven was spawned from that awful experience.
I was thinking, as beautiful as that song is, it is so intensely personal that I cannot imagine someone doing it as a cover. Am I wrong? Are there other songs out there that  artists might shy away from covering for similar reasons?

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  • jim m
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  • From: Okie City, OK
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Re: Songs that should never be covered?

Bill,
I saw Jeff Berlin cover this as an instrumental last February touring with BX3. It is also on one of his albums. I checked all music guide and found that Tears in Heaven has been covered numerous times. Not as many times as McCartney's Yesterday but by similar artists. Paul Anka being one.

It is one of those songs that lyricly hits home to many people. Not just fans of Clapton. Will Jennings cowrote the song with Eric. It was inspired by his pesonal loss but to say that others shouldn't cover the song is arguable.

A good song is a good song. Heart would of never been able to cover or would they cover Landslide but the Dixie Chicks got away with it. You just never know. There is a song that I would have to say should never be covered. Freebird. For the simple reason of my god haven't we heard it enough.

I think I'll move this to other topics. Hope you don't mind Bill.

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  • From: Crystal Lake, Il.
  • Registered: 2006-04-22
  • Posts: 5,120

Re: Songs that should never be covered?

Jim,
I originally posted this after hearing Clapton talking about the loss of his son. In that context it just struck me as a song that carried so much personal grief that I was really thinking that artists might shy away from covering it. It is without a doubt a wonderful song that is made that much more moving by the circumstances under which it was written. I had no idea that it had already been covered.
Also, thanks for moving this to the appropriate place. When I wrote this, there was a Joe tie-in in my head. Like many of my favorite songs, I always wonder what they'd sound like if Joe covered them.

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  • jim m
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Re: Songs that should never be covered?

No problem Bill. I was going to work Joe into it in my reply but didn't so decided to move it.

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  • Becky
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  • From: Wisconsin
  • Registered: 2006-05-22
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Re: Songs that should never be covered?

This topic caught my eye, cause I thought about it when I recently heard two classic bluesrock songs covered by country artists, and it was just so "wrong" to me.  One of them is an old favorite, Into the Mystic by Van Morrison, and I can't think of the other one right now.  Some songs are just too cool the way they are, or carry memories of the past and it just doesn't seem right to change them.  Just my opinion.

An arguable topic indeed, and everyone probably has some favorite songs that they don't want to hear re-done.  Then there are some I always thought were original, many Zeppelin songs for example, and then discovered they were covers of old blues songs.

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  • From: Wheeling, IL
  • Registered: 2006-12-07
  • Posts: 618

Re: Songs that should never be covered?

William Shatner doing "I Want to Sex You Up". My hubbie plays it when he wants to torture me. ROFL

I'm just saying.

7 Reply by Bill S (edited by Bill S 2007-10-22 12:55:33)

  • From: Crystal Lake, Il.
  • Registered: 2006-04-22
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Re: Songs that should never be covered?

Nancy in Chicago wrote:

William Shatner doing "I Want to Sex You Up". My hubbie plays it when he wants to torture me. ROFL

That should be under the topic "People who should never cover ANY song".
P.S. You're husband seems really nice in person. I would have never guessed that he had a sadistic streak in him!

"Rock ON & Keep the Faith"
  • From: Southern New Jersey, USA
  • Registered: 2006-04-23
  • Posts: 2,966

Re: Songs that should never be covered?

This is too bizarre that I just came across this thread and had this conversation last night with my girlfriend Tina at Joe's concert!!!  She's a big Clapton fan and missed Larry King so I was filling her in a little bit, but purposely did not bring up how much Conor was discussed.  She brought up the song and how it ended up having so much meaning to her.  It was very helpful when grieving for her daughter...Conor's death was on the news at the hospital, her daughter died the next morning.  We were trying to figure how much time passed between Conor's death and when the song hit...

Bill-my husband just plays guitar for fun and even turning the page past Tears is hard in itself...he never plays the song.  I have to agree with your feelings...I think it would be especially hard for anyone that has children to cover that song, it just touches a nerve...  Clapton wrote it and played it until it reached its therapetutic value for him.

OK, enough sad stuff.  I think Nancy needs to come back in and take this in another direction.  lol Yeah, just kidding!! 

Bill S wrote:

I happened to catch a portion of Larry King's interview with Eric Clapton last night. A good portion dealt with the tragic loss of Eric's 4 year old son and how (no surprise) it sticks with him to this day. Most people know that his song Tears in Heaven was spawned from that awful experience.
I was thinking, as beautiful as that song is, it is so intensely personal that I cannot imagine someone doing it as a cover. Am I wrong? Are there other songs out there that  artists might shy away from covering for similar reasons?

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9 Reply by dragster (edited by dragster 2007-10-23 04:55:43)

  • Registered: 2007-10-19
  • Posts: 299

Re: Songs that should never be covered?

Bill S wrote:

I happened to catch a portion of Larry King's interview with Eric Clapton last night. A good portion dealt with the tragic loss of Eric's 4 year old son and how (no surprise) it sticks with him to this day. Most people know that his song Tears in Heaven was spawned from that awful experience.
I was thinking, as beautiful as that song is, it is so intensely personal that I cannot imagine someone doing it as a cover. Am I wrong? Are there other songs out there that  artists might shy away from covering for similar reasons?

I agree. That paricular song by Eric is TOO personal for anyone to cover it. One song that comes to my mind is Cher's "If I could turn back time" allegedly dedicated to Sonny Bono. Such a beautiful song, but so personal.
(PS - Getting back to Eric's ordeal, I once met Lory del Santo (in Italy), the mother of the little baby, and she gave me the impression of not being so upset about the loss of their child, but that's me).

I don't know why I did the things I did
I don't know why I said the things I said
Pride's like a knife, it can cut deep inside
Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes
I didn't really mean to hurt you
I didn't wanna see you go
I know I made you cry
But baby

CHORUS
If I could turn back time
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that have hurt you
And you'd stay
If I could reach the stars
I'd give them all to you
Then you'd love me, love me
Like you used to do
If I could turn back

My world was shattered, I was torn apart
Like somebody took a knife
And drove it deep in my heart
When you walked out that door
I swore that I didn't care
But I lost every thing darling then and there
Too strong to tell you I was sorry
Too proud to tell you I was wrong
I know that I was blind, and darling

CHORUS