You Are In Charge Of A Hot Happening Young MTV-Ready Band. What Indie/Post-Punk/Etc Obscurity Do You Have Them Cover That Will Hit The Charts In A Heartbeat!

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Siouxsie covered it already (but that was 17 years ago). "The Passenger" is just a hit lying in wait, though.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 5 April 2004 17:12 (twenty years ago) link

Seriously, it does seem a little strange to me. I mean you've got this alternate universe of great pop songs that hardly anyone has heard and nobody takes advantage? Is it just that dylan/beatles/auteur/singersongwriter thing? People used to make hit records out of anything once upon a time. folk songs, broadway tunes, movie music, etc. Why don't Wilco cover "I Will Dare" and get that big hit that they've never had? Seems silly to me. a good song is a good song.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 5 April 2004 17:15 (twenty years ago) link

and it isn't even the auteur thing when people pay the matrix a million bucks to write a song. all they have to do is give westerburg beer money.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 5 April 2004 17:17 (twenty years ago) link

"Makes No Sense at All"-Husker Du
"Dark on You Now"-The Peanut Butter Conspiracy

BTW, is Beck's cover of the Korgis' "Everbody's Got to Learn Sometime" becoming a hit?

BTW #2, the Delta 5 song was covered a few years ago by Le Shok (not that they were in a position to have a hit or even that their version could've been a hit!).

― Tim Ellison, Monday, 5 April 2004 17:19 (twenty years ago) link

I've never heard of "Le Shok" but that is one hell of an awful name.

all they have to do is give westerburg beer money.

Ha! This reminds me of how that shitty band The Offspring threw a tossed-off cover of the Didjits "Killboy Powerhead" on that big record they had. It wasn't a single or anything, but the album sold enough that I think Rick Didjit was able to buy a house!

― Broheems (diamond), Monday, 5 April 2004 17:27 (twenty years ago) link

I wonder what the Vaselines did with their Nirvana money.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 5 April 2004 17:55 (twenty years ago) link

Some ponce with cover "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and make it sound like John Mayer.

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Monday, 5 April 2004 17:59 (twenty years ago) link

"under the milky way" could be recorded in the studio tonight by any number of nu pop punk bands and on the billboard hot 100 in the morning.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Monday, 5 April 2004 18:03 (twenty years ago) link

Human Hands, "She Eats Bugs"--it's waiting to happen

― bedbug, Monday, 5 April 2004 18:06 (twenty years ago) link

I bet a bad pop punk band could do well ($$$$) butchering that Flaming Lips song about TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGERINES.

Remember "Boys of Summer"?

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Monday, 5 April 2004 18:09 (twenty years ago) link

Slack Motherfucker

― earlnash, Monday, 5 April 2004 18:10 (twenty years ago) link

>People used to make hit records out of anything once upon a time.

Case in point: a Mel Tormé b-side from 1964 is re-recorded by Siouxsie and Budgie, and becomes one of the most memorable hit singles of the early '80s. (The Creatures, Right Now.)

― Palomino (Palomino), Monday, 5 April 2004 18:39 (twenty years ago) link

"Slow Dog" by Belly. Such a perfect pop rock ditty.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Monday, 5 April 2004 18:47 (twenty years ago) link

Nick Carter - 'Unsolved Child Murder/Light Aircraft On Fire' (double A-side)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:09 (twenty years ago) link

Girls Aloud - 'Me & You vs. The World'. I'm trying to imagine a parallel universe where this might happen. I doubt there is one.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:10 (twenty years ago) link

The Vines should cover "Eighties" by Killing Joke, then the circle of irony will be complete!

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:14 (twenty years ago) link

Wait until you hear Ashanti's version of "Hot On The Heels Of Love".

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:15 (twenty years ago) link

I would like to see a Franz Ferdinand medely of "Navvy"/"In The Navy".

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:27 (twenty years ago) link

and it isn't even the auteur thing when people pay the matrix a million bucks to write a song. all they have to do is give westerburg beer money.

that's funny, because I've heard it from a fairly (I think) reliable source that Westerberg actually does hack songwriting under another name, keeping his real name out of any credits/publishing info....the person said he's written songs for "famous" AAA radio format bands before....stricly for the easy $$

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:33 (twenty years ago) link

Sum 41 - "Do the Standing Still" (by the Table)

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:41 (twenty years ago) link

Dolly Mixture, "Everything and More"
Tall Dwarfs, "Nothing's Going to Happen"
Velocity Girl, "Forgotten Favorite"

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:45 (twenty years ago) link

oh i totally believe the westerberg thing. and why not? that's a cool way to make money. kinda like script doctoring a la tarantino and carrie fisher.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 5 April 2004 20:02 (twenty years ago) link

yeah...i'm from mpls and the guy I heard it from is tight w/westerberg from way back in ye olden tymes of mpls punk so I tend to believe him...I just wish I could find out what songs he's done..

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 5 April 2004 20:33 (twenty years ago) link

Pink - "Oh Bondage Up Yours!"

― Sym (shmuel), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:05 (twenty years ago) link

That one's inspired.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:06 (twenty years ago) link

William Hung-"Sex Bomb"

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:29 (twenty years ago) link

McFly- "Hitchin' A Ride"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:13 (twenty years ago) link

I have always thought that someone (St Etienne? The Foxgloves?) should do a luscious synth pop version of the Go Betweens' 'Batchelor Kisses' in the style of the PSB's 'Love Comes Quickly'.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:19 (twenty years ago) link

The correct answer is to have some whiny nu-emo pansies cover A Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)".

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:25 (twenty years ago) link

colin i love you

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:26 (twenty years ago) link

have my babies

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:26 (twenty years ago) link

jagged edge - "peaches" (stranglers)

― mullygrubber (gaz), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:27 (twenty years ago) link

haha i swear to god earlier i was going to say; r. kelly - "golden brown"

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:28 (twenty years ago) link

an r'n'b/hiphop covers album like the phil collins one for the stranglers is u&k

― mullygrubber (gaz), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:29 (twenty years ago) link

wait, where's my dream covers thread...

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:32 (twenty years ago) link

The correct answer is to have some whiny nu-emo pansies cover A Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)".

Nick, meet Bowling for Soup. Bowling for Soup, this is Nick.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:33 (twenty years ago) link

get a grip on yourself - lil kim

― mullygrubber (gaz), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:34 (twenty years ago) link

Lush got it right when they covered "Outdoor Miner". I'd turn it full-ish circle and have my nu-punk MTVers cover "Hypocrite" by Miki and co and turn it into a monster hit-type thing.

― darren (darren), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:34 (twenty years ago) link

Dammit! Allmusic lets me down once again!

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:35 (twenty years ago) link

Oooh, Lush.

Sophie Ellis Bextor- Ladykillers.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:37 (twenty years ago) link

Although I assume that Bowling For Soup did the stereotypical Wacky Punk Cover, whereas I was thinking of a less ironic take on it by someone like Brand New.

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:38 (twenty years ago) link

For wacky punks, Bowling for Soup do whine a lot. They're like the "best" of both worlds.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:40 (twenty years ago) link

Also: I believe the time is ripe for someone to get a shitstorm of pseudo-controversy (read: free publicity) for covering The Cure's "Killing An Arab".

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:40 (twenty years ago) link

i stand by every choice made here (by me):

DREAM COVERS!!

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:41 (twenty years ago) link

I got a geezer-core album in the mail and the only song worth a damn on it is one where they take another of the dudes songs and put a Cure song behind it. I want to say that his name is Just Jack but i think that's from Will & Grace.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:44 (twenty years ago) link

Before they got signed to Jive, Bowling For Soup soup used to do "I Wanna Be Sedated" to close all their local shows, changing the lyrics to "I Wanna Be Naked."

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:46 (twenty years ago) link

Haven't seen it posted yet, but have your psuedo-wet indie band cover Berlin's The Metro. The limited vocal leap would be perfect (kitsch enough) for that first "Oh, this is so retro, it's new" single.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:47 (twenty years ago) link

I think the only thing that could actually save Pink now is a cover of "Respectable".

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:48 (twenty years ago) link

a lot of bands are crazy not to go the cover route. nobody would have ever heard an Orgy song if they hadn't covered Blue Monday. That's how Marilyn Manson got famous too. When I saw The Faint the only time people went nuts and danced around like crazy was when they played Enola Gay.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:51 (twenty years ago) link

"Killing An Arab" failed to gain the controversy it might have expected on account of how

a) Cure fans can't be expected to read the big words in Camus

b) Music journalists can't be expected to realise Robert Smith has skimmed a book

c) "Carry On Goths" was filmed in 1995 starring Nick Owen.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:52 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 53 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Ooh, that would be good.

x-post

― Leon Bluth (Ex Leon), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:20 (nineteen years ago) link

I still can't figure out when Gwen Stefani hasn't covered "Walking in L.A."

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:20 (nineteen years ago) link

Why, rather.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:20 (nineteen years ago) link

you were right the first time Ott

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:21 (nineteen years ago) link

Kites Are Fun!

― Maria D. (Maria D.), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:45 (nineteen years ago) link

There's a great, broken, Motels song called "Counting" that I'd love to hear someone revamp.

― Lyra Jane (Lyra Jane), Friday, 25 March 2005 16:01 (nineteen years ago) link

Touché.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 March 2005 16:10 (nineteen years ago) link

* Mandy Moore, The Raincoats' "No One's Little Girl."
* Any almost-played-out mall-punk band, TVPs' "Part Time Punks."
* Fiona Apple, Throwing Muses' "Hate My Way."

― mike a, Friday, 25 March 2005 18:08 (nineteen years ago) link

Now that's genius.

― What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Friday, 25 March 2005 19:02 (nineteen years ago) link

"No One's Little Girl" is ripe for a smooth R&B retranslation - I can fully get on board with that.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 March 2005 19:23 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh. My. God. I was just about to say Fountains Of Wayne "Calling All Girls" but someone beat me to it, last year. It really is kind of obvious, and I have no idea what's stopping them.

― dlp9001, Friday, 25 March 2005 20:59 (nineteen years ago) link

Must say that "Hounds of Love" wouldn't be my first choice.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 25 March 2005 21:23 (nineteen years ago) link

Imogene Heap - "The Tide is High"

― jdw (jdw), Friday, 25 March 2005 21:37 (nineteen years ago) link

seven years pass...

Rihanna - Love's Secret Domain

― Mule, Friday, 11 May 2012 21:01 (eleven years ago) link

"Spazz" by the Elastik Band

― Poliopolice, Friday, 11 May 2012 21:04 (eleven years ago) link

sick thread

― billstevejim, Friday, 11 May 2012 21:46 (eleven years ago) link

I've never seen this thread before. Some wicked suggestions.

― Moka, Friday, 11 May 2012 21:53 (eleven years ago) link

M83 - "Driver's Seat"

― Vini Reilly Invasion (Elvis Telecom), Saturday, 12 May 2012 00:39 (eleven years ago) link

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