Tune du Jour: “Born to Run” – Bruce Springsteen
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Cowboy Mouth vs. Suzi Quatro
Peruse, Comment and Vote (I Beseech, Implore and Urge Thee, respectively)
CoverMeImpressed.com CoverMeImpressed.com CoverMeImpressed.com
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At Night We Dine At Mansions of Glory Eating Sauteed Broccoli …
Let’s see, what can I say about the song Born to Run? Well, it’s a really good song. And if you have not heard it yet I think it would be worth your time. Oh yeah, and it would take a copious amount of buckets, chock full of moxie, to cover such a national treasure …
The Original
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Bruce Springsteen:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Cowboy Mouth vs. Suzi Quatro
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Cowboy Mouth:
Suzi Quatro:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Also, keep in mind that if you should spontaneously self-actualize while playing a cover then you could – and probably should – nominate it for Top 10 (i.e. “Impeccable”) consideration.
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cover me impressed 
Suzi Quatro violated cover song rule #1 – Don’t make a boring version of a song you have no business covering in the first place. Cowboy Mouth also has no business covering this song. But at least their version isn’t boring. It’s kinda fun to listen to. But In fact, I think this song should be off limits to ant official cover. What’s the point?
Two unfortunate and unremarkable covers of Bruce’s signature song…the both are sung with the feeling of a rather tedious documentary…
This song is just uncoverable. You can’t go head to head in any kind of rockin’ version, like Cowboy Mouth tried to do. You will be humiliated. Suzi Quatro does a serviceable job, but as Doug…um, I mean Cuspid… said, why bother covering it at all? It’s just out of your realm.
Interesting intro by Bruce. References his fondness of Elvis Presley, invokes a declaration to “Let freedom reign” and ends with his encouragement, “Good luck to you, God bless. And keep fighting”. I spent some time researching on-line to see what was going on in Toronto, or anywhere nearby, that would have shed some light on what he was referring to but came up empty. Probably the Canadian citizenry’s decade’s long fight to eliminate affordable universal healthcare in favor of an expensive, inefficient system that covers only certain classes of people.
I can see two scenarios in which a band might endeavor to cover “Born to Run”. The first would be to entirely change the sound and genre from the original and then hope to Ra that it “works”. Or, alternatively, throw down your best Springsteen impression to a live audience. Although Springsteen’s version can never be rivaled, the sheer magnificence of the song can carry a band (and audience) through an entertaining live rendition.
I am not as down on Suzi’s version as others apparently are. Nothing special and probably an ill-conceived idea but the delivery is not terrible. On the other hand I do not care for Cowboy Mouth’s version at all.
By the way, the best cover(s) I’ve ever heard of “Born to Run” were the many live versions I had the privilege of hearing the Z-Cars crank through in the early 80’s.
Neither of ’em are very memorable.
I can see a band covering a song like this as a surprise, as part of the encore perhaps. But to go into the studio to cut it for an album…