ckd: So, how much do I like cover versions?

01:12 - So, how much do I like cover versions?

If you ask me to play each of the following songs, how many different artists (including the original artist) will I have available in iTunes? (Not including parodies, but including instrumental-only versions.)

Poll #1479153 How many different artists?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

All Along The Watchtower

View Answers
Mean: 5.50 Median: 6.5 Std. Dev 2.22

1
0 (0.0%)
2
1 (16.7%)
3
1 (16.7%)
4
0 (0.0%)
5
0 (0.0%)
6
1 (16.7%)
7
2 (33.3%)
8
1 (16.7%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Don't Fear The Reaper

View Answers
Mean: 3.17 Median: 3.5 Std. Dev 1.34

1
1 (16.7%)
2
1 (16.7%)
3
1 (16.7%)
4
2 (33.3%)
5
1 (16.7%)
6
0 (0.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Ever Fallen In Love

View Answers
Mean: 2.50 Median: 2.5 Std. Dev 0.50

1
0 (0.0%)
2
2 (50.0%)
3
2 (50.0%)
4
0 (0.0%)
5
0 (0.0%)
6
0 (0.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Hallelujah

View Answers
Mean: 6.33 Median: 6.5 Std. Dev 2.49

1
0 (0.0%)
2
0 (0.0%)
3
1 (16.7%)
4
1 (16.7%)
5
1 (16.7%)
6
0 (0.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
2 (33.3%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
1 (16.7%)

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

View Answers
Mean: 3.25 Median: 3 Std. Dev 1.92

1
1 (25.0%)
2
1 (25.0%)
3
0 (0.0%)
4
1 (25.0%)
5
0 (0.0%)
6
1 (25.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Smells Like Teen Spirit

View Answers
Mean: 3.50 Median: 3 Std. Dev 1.80

1
0 (0.0%)
2
3 (50.0%)
3
0 (0.0%)
4
2 (33.3%)
5
0 (0.0%)
6
0 (0.0%)
7
1 (16.7%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Spirit In The Sky

View Answers
Mean: 3.80 Median: 4 Std. Dev 0.75

1
0 (0.0%)
2
0 (0.0%)
3
2 (40.0%)
4
2 (40.0%)
5
1 (20.0%)
6
0 (0.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Tainted Love

View Answers
Mean: 5.33 Median: 5 Std. Dev 2.69

1
0 (0.0%)
2
1 (16.7%)
3
1 (16.7%)
4
1 (16.7%)
5
0 (0.0%)
6
1 (16.7%)
7
1 (16.7%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
1 (16.7%)

Total Eclipse of the Heart

View Answers
Mean: 3.80 Median: 4 Std. Dev 0.75

1
0 (0.0%)
2
0 (0.0%)
3
2 (40.0%)
4
2 (40.0%)
5
1 (20.0%)
6
0 (0.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Video Killed The Radio Star

View Answers
Mean: 2.80 Median: 2 Std. Dev 0.98

1
0 (0.0%)
2
3 (60.0%)
3
0 (0.0%)
4
2 (40.0%)
5
0 (0.0%)
6
0 (0.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Wuthering Heights

View Answers
Mean: 3.60 Median: 4 Std. Dev 1.50

1
0 (0.0%)
2
2 (40.0%)
3
0 (0.0%)
4
2 (40.0%)
5
0 (0.0%)
6
1 (20.0%)
7
0 (0.0%)
8
0 (0.0%)
9
0 (0.0%)
10
0 (0.0%)

Stairway to Heaven (bonus question)

View Answers

Which of these songs do I not have the original version of?

View Answers

All Along The Watchtower
0 (0.0%)
Don't Fear The Reaper
0 (0.0%)
Ever Fallen In Love
1 (16.7%)
Hallelujah
0 (0.0%)
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
0 (0.0%)
Smells Like Teen Spirit
0 (0.0%)
Spirit In The Sky
0 (0.0%)
Tainted Love
0 (0.0%)
Total Eclipse of the Heart
1 (16.7%)
Video Killed The Radio Star
1 (16.7%)
Wuthering Heights
0 (0.0%)
Stairway to Heaven
1 (16.7%)

Tags: music

Music: "Stairway To Heaven", Pat Boone (yes, really)

(19 comments | Leave a comment | Link)

cdk 2009-11-01 06:04 (UTC) [T+00:52:08]
	(Link)

Wow, I think I have at least one version of every song listed except Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want. I only have original versions of Stairway to Heaven, Wuthering Heights, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Spirit in the Sky, Smells Like Teen Spirit, and Ever Fallen In Love (assuming this is the Buzzcocks song).

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ckd 2009-11-01 16:47 (UTC) [T+11:35:02] 12:47 (ckd's time)
	(Link)

assuming this is the Buzzcocks song

That is correct.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tober 2009-11-01 07:03 (UTC) [T+01:51:12] 03:03 (tober's time)
	(Link)

Huh. This list includes three songs I wasn't even familiar with ("Ever Fallen In Love", "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want", and "Wuthering Heights") and for most of the rest I am not familiar with any covers - the one major exception being "Hallelujah", which is one of my favorite songs and for which I am aware of a lot of covers... and a fair number of (sad) people who believe the original artist is Rufus Wainwright (I like his cover, but...)

Somebody needs to compile a comprehensive list of songs where the best-known version is a cover. Maybe somebody has already but my google-fu seems to be weak tonight. For example, the most popular version of "Blinded By The Light" is by Manfred Mann's Earth Band but the original artist is Bruce Springsteen.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

timprov 2009-11-01 07:09 (UTC) [T+01:57:43]
	(Link)

This works startlingly well as a list of songs which I am boggled that anyone likes. I'm not sure if that's a sign that I should not be making effort in this area, or a sign that I really should.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ckd 2009-11-01 16:48 (UTC) [T+11:36:00] 12:48 (ckd's time)
	(Link)

That anyone likes in the original version, or in any version? Some of the covers are very different....

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

timprov 2009-11-01 21:22 (UTC) [T+16:10:12]
	(Link)

Being the age I am, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the member of the list I've heard covered most. Some of them are dada and self-aware enough to amuse me occasionally - TMBG's, for instance.

Mostly, though, covering a dumb song does not make it any less dumb.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

calimac 2009-11-01 10:19 (UTC) [T+05:07:38] 03:19 (calimac's time)
	(Link)

I actually have heard and can identify, and even moderately liked, a full five songs on this list, which considering my detachment from pop music is mind-bogglingly high for me. (One of those five, however, I only know because Weird Al did a good parody of it, and for that, one is a low number for me.)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

barondave 2009-11-01 11:51 (UTC) [T+06:39:35] 06:51 (barondave's time)
	(Link)

For a long time, there was a range of songs that I had at least two different parodies of and not the original. In some cases, I have filled in. Still, every now and then, I'll be listening to the radio and a familiar tune will come on but I'll say to myself, "those aren't the lyrics. These are boring."

None of those you listed, however.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ckd 2009-11-01 16:50 (UTC) [T+11:38:21] 12:50 (ckd's time)
	(Link)

Don MacLean's kids played "Weird Al" Yankovic's "The Saga Begins" so often that he reportedly has to be careful not to sing the wrong set of lyrics to "American Pie" now.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

irilyth 2009-11-01 12:24 (UTC) [T+07:11:48] 08:24 (irilyth's time)
	(Link)

How many of them are a capella?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ckd 2009-11-01 16:52 (UTC) [T+11:39:50] 12:52 (ckd's time)
	(Link)

Good question. I don't have very much a capella in general; I think the answer is "none of them for the listed songs".

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

dd_b 2009-11-01 16:27 (UTC) [T+11:14:47] 11:27 (dd_b's time)
	(Link)

Wow, there are three songs there I actually know, and I think a fourth that I've heard OF.

For which reason I will not be attempting to answer the actual question you ask.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

aedifica 2009-11-03 02:05 (UTC) [T+1d20:52:51] 2009-11-02 22:05 (aedifica's time)
	(Link)

I don't know for the quiz, but I hope you have Michael Hedges' version of "All Along the Watchtower"--it's a good one. (Instrumental.)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ckd 2009-11-03 06:28 (UTC) [T+2d01:16:27] 02:28 (ckd's time)
	(Link)

I don't; I'll have to check it out.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aedifica 2010-07-12 00:32 (UTC) [T+36w0d19:19:49] 2010-07-11 20:32 (aedifica's time)
	(Link)

Apparently I commented without voting! I still don't know, but now I've voted (for the fun of it).

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

xthread 2009-11-03 10:24 (UTC) [T+2d05:12:35] 03:24 (xthread's time)
	(Link)

Right. Don't forget that the performances that we are most familiar with of Where Did Our Love Go and Ball of Confusion are not by their original artists.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

curiousangel 2009-11-04 19:40 (UTC) [T+3d14:28:01]
	(Link)

I do hope you've got Dolly Parton's cover of "Stairway to Heaven". :)

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ckd 2009-11-04 21:19 (UTC) [T+3d16:07:06] 17:19 (ckd's time)
	(Link)

Yup. I'll post the answers soon.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

the_xtina 2009-11-06 21:18 (UTC) [T+5d16:05:57] 14:18 (the_xtina's time)
	(Link)

I want like a list of the songs you have for some of these. (All Along, Don't Fear, Stairway.)

In return:

http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/2006/05/hallelujah.html
http://plasticshards.com/blog/archives/tag/nescover

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ckd: So, how much do I like cover versions?

2009-11-01

01:12 - So, how much do I like cover versions?

Comments: