Classics Reimagined: 5 Song Covers That Are Completely Different Than The Original
The best song covers are the ones that can take a song that already exists and turn it into something entirely new. Whether they bend the genre, change the mood, or add different sounds, the songs below are very different takes on iconic and classic songs.
The Sunday's cover of the Rolling Stones White Horses song keeps the calming and rural spirit of the original, yet it has a completely different sound. With a lighter and softer touch, the Sundays add very much of their own style to the world renowned song. The reimagined version of the song moves out of its original country style and takes on the classic essence of a 90’s shoegaze song.
The Ravonette’s version of I wanna be adored, originally by The Stone Roses, is a more modern take on the 1989 song. It has a much more darkwave vibe that evidently uses different sound technology than the original. However, both versions were quite experimental for their time. The original version of the song can be considered early shoegaze, while the raveonettes version was made well into the development of the genre. It’s quite interesting to see how shoegaze music could develop in all those years through the two different versions.
Though both the Massive Attack and William DeVaughn version of Be Thankful For What You’ve Got are within the same funky genre, there is a distinct difference between the two songs. Massive Attack's version of the song has more of a Trip Hop twist and uses an organ-sounding piano.
Type O Negative’s take on Seal and Crofts Summer Breeze, a song that has been covered by many, is definitely the most different to the original. Listening to the original, it’s hard to imagine a heavy metal version of the song, but when you listen to Type O Negative’s version it all makes sense. The acoustic guitar and light piano get replaced with a simple electric guitar riff. The vocals sung in a higher note become the deep and mysterious voice of Peter Steele. The reimagining of the song is an interesting listen.
The R&B/Soul song La-La Means I Love You by The Delfonics is a classic love song. Nothing adds a very modern, dreampop twist to the song that could not be more different than the original. The Delfonics version is warm and sweet, while Nothing’s take on the song is cold and slow. In Nothing’s version, the lyrics are much more masked with vocal effects and are overtaken by the music, whereas the original focuses on the intentionality of the lyrics. The twist that the shoegaze band added to this classic song is genius.
