Cover songs you never thought you'd hear

September 28, 2007 6:26 PM

When Pigs Fly: Jackie Chan and Ani DiFranco? The Fixx covering Nancy Sinatra? Devo sings "Ohio"? You won't believe your ears. The "back" button is directly below the album cover.
posted by St Urbain's Horseman (26 comments total)

Don Ho's version of Shock the Monkey is awesome. I had actually forgotten that it was a cover.
posted by Kattullus at 6:47 PM on September 28, 2007

Never in my 45 years did I ever think I'd find myself uttering these words, but, shit, man, Lesley Gore rawks! What a splendidly bizarre project; how did they ever get the artists to cooperate?
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:55 PM on September 28, 2007

To hear Don Ho's full version of Shock the Monkey you can watch this home made animated video. The animation isn't very funny (unless any and all allusions to David Hasselhoff have you rolling on the floor) but the sound quality is pretty good.
posted by Kattullus at 6:57 PM on September 28, 2007

Nothing happens when I press "Play Clip"....?!
posted by Oriole Adams at 7:15 PM on September 28, 2007

The Billy Preston reinvention of "Girls on Film" alone makes this worthwhile.
posted by escabeche at 7:16 PM on September 28, 2007

how did they ever get the artists to cooperate?

Because every bio ends with, "...but subsequent albums failed to capture mainstream success."
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 7:24 PM on September 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

Where's "Black Hole Sun" by Steve and Eydie?
posted by wfc123 at 7:36 PM on September 28, 2007 [2 favorites]

Sweet, I used the new amazon mp3 store to buy the whole thing for $7.99.
posted by mathowie at 7:44 PM on September 28, 2007

I'll take Billy Preston's version any day.
posted by wsg at 8:01 PM on September 28, 2007

And this poses the far more interesting question: who would win in a fight between Jackie Chan and Ani DiFranco?
posted by flarbuse at 8:05 PM on September 28, 2007

Nothing happens when I press "Play Clip"....?!

It open in a new window Oriole, do you have popup blocker enabled?
posted by quin at 8:46 PM on September 28, 2007

Yes, I do, Quin. Thanks for the help!
posted by Oriole Adams at 8:58 PM on September 28, 2007

The Lesley Gore 'Dirty Deeds' is way better than the original.
posted by pracowity at 9:46 PM on September 28, 2007

I'll amiably dispute that pracowity. I liked the original better, but I will happily acknowledge that the cover was really quite good.

And as long as we are talking about the best, never-should-have-existed kinds of covers, I would be remiss if I didn't link to the ultimate flying-pigs-type cover. Nina Gordon's Straight Outta Compton.
posted by quin at 10:12 PM on September 28, 2007

Any day now.... I shall be released.
posted by St Urbain's Horseman at 11:16 PM on September 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

quin, I see your Nina Gordon meets N.W.A. and raise you Ben Folds' cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit"

(Sorry, there's no official video for it.)
posted by omarr at 11:27 PM on September 28, 2007

I Raise you Ben's amateur side-stage Lollapalooza days and toss Robert Plant into the pot..

Double the bet....

I bet Ben will fold...
posted by St Urbain's Horseman at 11:34 PM on September 28, 2007

He's a generous hack.
posted by St Urbain's Horseman at 11:35 PM on September 28, 2007

Devo, Herman's Hermits, and, of course, Lesley Gore all do a great job. Gore especially.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 1:01 AM on September 29, 2007

Where's "Black Hole Sun" by Steve and Eydie? I absolutely adore this. You can get it here.
posted by tellurian at 1:11 AM on September 29, 2007

heh! "49 years ago in Las Vegas, Steve asked me to marry him. I said, “Can I get back to you”? I did, and I said “Yes, Yes, Yes”! He sent a car for me but fortunately I got out of the way Just in time.”
posted by tellurian at 1:30 AM on September 29, 2007

I love The Connells (they're actually a great college rock/power pop band), but their song is a weird combination of obscure artist covering obscure song.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:25 AM on September 29, 2007

Man, the one I wanted to work the most was the worst: Boxtops doing Call Me.

Agreed with above: Lesley Gore singing Dirty Deeds was great. Everything else, eh, meh. Bit of a bummer because I really tend toward the cheese.
posted by billder at 8:55 AM on September 29, 2007

"Sweet Mother, I've just got to have this!"
posted by doctorschlock at 10:05 AM on September 29, 2007

DEVO covering "Ohio" is actually quite apt. Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale were Kent State students at the time of the shootings. Jerry, in fact, knew Alison Krause, and saw her get shot. The massacre was one of the pivotal moments in the formation of the Devolution idea that is the basis of DEVO's music.

Later still, Neil Young would become one of DEVO's endorsers. The title of Young's album "Rust Never Sleeps" was supposedly inspired by a t-shirt worn by Mark Mothersbaugh, and DEVO appeared in Young's film "Human Highway".
posted by SansPoint at 12:46 PM on September 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Where's "Black Hole Sun" by Steve and Eydie?

Why, that's over here.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 3:31 PM on September 29, 2007