NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS WEBSITE
Cover Me Impressed
With a focus on the 60's-90's music scene, CMI is a Paradiso for Lovers Cover Songs! Each post focuses on a particular song and provides its original and most popular recordings as well as covers versions. Patrons of CMI vote on the most deserving cover version, which will then live to compete again, battling other cover songs in a future post.
Bands, musicians, troubadours, and their ilk, submit your cover songs for future CMI competitions.
CMI welcomes the opportunity to introduce new artists.
Contact RDubbs at covermeimpressed@yahoo.com
Music Genres?
We've Got 'em Covered ...
Rock / Alt-Rock / Rock 'n Roll / Rockabilly / Indie Pop / New Wave / Old Wave / Surf / Reggae / Ska / Punk Rock / Psychobilly / Cowpunk / Alt-Country / Bluegrass / Folk / Croon-Tunes / A Cappella / Motown / Gospel / Blues / Rhythm & Blues / Jazz / Big Band / Lounge / Classical / Celtic / Bossa Nova / Worldbeat / Show Tunes / Cartoons / Bizarro / Musical Calamities
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man, and the carrot for a guitar he used …
“I don’t tweet for a very simple reason, which is that I drink.”
Lorne Michaels
spacespace
The Original
One of my favorite Dylan songs. And these three covers represent themselves well.
Bob Dylan:
Copyrights preclude Dylan’s original version from appearing.
Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (aka “Bobfest”):
Okay this is just plain ridiculous. Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton and George Harrison on stage at the same time! I mean c’mon. I don’t know, can anyone name another show that featured as many music icons on stage at the same time?
The Most Popular
The Byrds:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Marshal Crenshaw vs. Magokorro Brothers vs. Estaban Paez
Marshal Crenshaw:
Magokorro Brothers:
Estaban Paez:
space
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Grateful Dead vs. Robyn Hitchcock vs. Lee Ranaldo
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man, and the carrot for a guitar he used …
“You can tell the size of a man by the size of the thing that makes him mad.”
Adlai Stevenson
Yeah I know this post requires a substantial investment of time. Blame it on Pete …
The Original
Bob Dylan:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Grateful Dead vs. Robyn Hitchcock vs. Lee Ranaldo
Grateful Dead:
Robyn Hitchcock:
Lee Ranaldo:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man, and the carrot for a guitar he used …
Old Greek Proverb:
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
spacespace
The Original
One of my favorite Dylan songs. And I’m particularly proud of all three selected covers.
Bob Dylan:
Copyrights preclude Dylan’s original version from appearing.
Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (aka “Bobfest”):
Okay this is just plain ridiculous. Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton and George Harrison on stage at the same time! I mean c’mon. I don’t know, can anyone name another show that featured as many music icons on stage at the same time?
The Most Popular
The Byrds:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Brothers and Sisters vs. Sing Sing Sing vs. Wolfgang Niedecken & Anne de Wolff
The Brothers and Sisters:
The Original
SPACE
Sing Sing Sing:
Wolfgang Niedecken & Anne de Wolff:
space
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
“Find what you love and let it kill you.” – Charles Bukowski
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Fredrich Nietzsche
“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” – Hunter S. Thompson
“If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer.” – Confucius
“Virtually every writer I know would rather be a musician.” – Kurt Vonnegut
“When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest.” – Henry David Thoreau
“I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.” – Tom Waits
“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” – Jack Kerouac
“I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy myself, but I didn’t.” – Woody Allen
“Goodbye is too good a word. So I’ll just say fairly well.” – Bob Dylan
George Harrison vs. Jason & The Scorchers vs. Niedecken
George Harrison:
George Harrison, 18 years removed from his last U.S. concert, performs Absolutely Sweet Marie at Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (or as Neil succinctly put it, “Bob-Fest”).
Jason & The Scorchers:
Niedecken:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
Sam Cooke wrote A Change Is Gonna Come in December 1963. Cooke’s previous work had been in gospel music and, later, soulful pop songs that were sentimental and, at times, satirical in nature. A Change Is Gonna Come was markedly different from anything Cooke had ever composed before. The song is defiant in nature, emphatic that a change for long-suffering African Americans “is gonna come”. Cooke wrote A Change Is Gonna Come in response to an ugly incident he endured in October 1963. Cooke and his band were touring the south and had reservations at a Holiday Inn in Shreveport, Louisiana. When they arrived they were told that no rooms were available; it was obvious that the hotel had rooms available but was a whites-only establishment, which was the real reason Cooke’s reservations would not be honored. Cooke was furious and let the manager know it. When Cooke drove off in search of another hotel, a police car followed and arrested him for disturbing the peace. Not surprisingly he was traumatized by the overtly racist treatment. Another inspiration in Cooke writing such a blunt song about racial inequality was his admiration for Bob Dylan’s masterpiece, Blowin’ In The Wind, which was released in August 1963. Cooke was captivated by the song’s frank admonishment of racism and was said to be a bit ashamed that a white man was speaking out for the black community while he had yet to make any statement at all. Indeed, Cooke told his producer, J.W. Alexander, that he hoped A Change Is Gonna Come would make his father proud.
Everybody’s Dressin’ Funny … Cover Me Impressed!
Sam Cooke debuted A Change Is Gonna Come on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson on February 7, 1964. It would be the only time he ever performed the song. The musical accompaniment was complex and its essence foreboding and somewhat frightening. After hearing it on The Tonight Show, Cooke’s friend and protege, Bobby Womack, told him that the song sounded “like death.” Cooke responded, “Man, that’s kind of how it sounds like to me. That’s why I’m never going to play it in public.” Womack clarified his thoughts, that it wasn’t deathly, but rather “spooky,” but Cooke never performed the song again.
A Change Is Gonna Come was released on December 22, 1964. Tragically, under circumstances that to this day are still mysterious, Sam Cooke had been shot and killed on December 11, 1964, at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California. He was but 33 years of age at the time.
Though only a moderate success in terms of sales, A Change Is Gonna Come is widely recognized as Sam Cooke’s seminal work. Not surprisingly the song became a staple for the country’s rising civil rights movement.
The Original
Sam Cooke:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Billy Bragg vs. Mike Farris & Roseland Rhythm Review vs. The Gits
Billy Bragg:
Mike Farris & Roseland Rhythm Review:
The Gits:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man, and the carrot for a guitar he used …
The Original
Bob Dylan:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Bad Religion vs. Robyn Hitchcock vs. Nena
Bad Religion:
Robyn Hitchcock:
Nena:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man, and the carrot for a guitar he used …
One of my favorite Dylan songs. And I’m particularly proud of all three selected covers.
space
space
The Original
Bob Dylan:
Copyrights preclude Dylan’s original version from appearing.
Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (aka “Bobfest”):
Okay this is just plain ridiculous. Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton and George Harrison on stage at the same time! I mean c’mon. I don’t know, can anyone name another show that featured as many music icons on stage at the same time?
The Most Popular
The Byrds:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Angry Salad vs. Wolfgang Niedecken & Anne de Wolff vs. Tamio Okuda & Sincerity Brothers
Angry Salad:
Wolfgang Niedecken & Anne de Wolff:
Tamio Okuda & Sincerity Brothers:
NOTE: To view this video hit play and then click on the YouTube logo on the bottom right-hand side.
space
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man, and the carrot for a guitar he used …
Blowin’ in the Wind was written by Bob Dylan in 1962 and released in 1963 on his album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman, also managed Peter, Paul & Mary. Before The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan had even hit the stores, Grossman brought an acetate to Peter, Paul & Mary who immediately recorded and released their version of the song. Peter, Paul & Mary’s version of Blowin’ in the Wind would ultimately be the most commercially successful version of the song. It sold a phenomenal three hundred thousand copies in the first week of release and reached number two on the Billboard Pop Chart with sales exceeding one million copies.
Lyrically, Blowin’ in the Wind is one of Dylan’s most revered songs. Upon first hearing the song, Mavis Staples described herself as being astonished, wondering how a young white man could write something which captured the frustration and aspirations of black people so powerfully. Sam Cooke was also in awe of the song. He covered Blowin’ in the Wind in live shows and in 1964 wrote A Change Is Gonna Come as his response.
In 1994, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. Okay, enough said …
The Original
Bob Dylan:
The Most Popular
Peter, Paul & Mary:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Abyssinians vs. Nena vs. Neil Young & Crazy Horse
The Abyssinians:
Nena:
Neil Young & Crazy Horse:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)appeared on R.E.M.’s 1987 album Document. It was released as a single in November 1987, reaching No. 69 on the US Billboard Hot 199 and later reaching No. 39 in the UK singles chart on its re-release in December 1991. In an interview with Guitar World magazine published in November 1996, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck agreed that End of the World was in the tradition of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues (a song notable in that RDubbs does not particularly care for it).
The Original
space
R.E.M.:
SPACE
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
SPACE
Discount vs. Pickin’ On Series
SPACE
Discount:
Pickin’ On Series:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
SPACE
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.