opposite sex cover songs
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- epigraph
how do you feel about it when a song by a song originally by a man is covered by a woman ( or vice versa) and some words are no longer appropriate.
Would you rather change them a la The Animals cover of House of the Rising Sun?
Or keep them the same like The White Stripes cover of Jolene?
- ukit0
I don 't know either of the songs you mentioned, but I think they should stick with the original lyrics.
- dusty_shackle0
I have no opinion either way. Really depends on the artist and the song.
- MrOneHundred0
As long as it’s done well, it doesn’t matter. I think, if you can’t match or better the original, then don’t bother.
- Llyod0
hedge wrote Like a Virgin
- shut updusty_shackle
- and you lip synched it for your school talent showLlyod
- and then you videotaped it and masturbated to the video. the vicious cycle is complete!dusty_shackle
- then you offered to suck my cock but I turned you down.Llyod
- cuz you really wanted to suck my cock while hedge videotaped it.dusty_shackle
- Jaline0
Let's take some examples:
1. "Cobrastyle" by Robyn, originally by Teddybears ft. Mad Cobra
2. "Straight Outta Compton" by Nina Gordon, originally by N.W.A.
3. "There She Goes" by Sixpence None The Richer, originally by The La's.
4. "Toxic" by Mark Ronson and tons of other people, originally by Britney SpearsAll are great in their own right.
It's definitely strange when a vocalist sings something that is meant for the other sex. Sixpence None the Richer addressed this before and (this probably has something to do with them being a Christian band) mentioned that they don't want the song to become sexy just because a female is singing about a female. They just wanted to keep the original lyrics intact.
I think Robyn changed the "Cobrastyle" lyrics to say "girl" instead of "man", which seemed to work.
As dusty mentioned above, it depends on the artist and song.
- I think girls can get away with it easier thoughepigraph
- Of course they can. That has something to do with gender and sexuality, in my opinion.Jaline
- And society's views of these issues.Jaline
- Men can get away with it too if the song is ambiguous about who it's about, or if they change the "he" to "she" (or whatever).Jaline
- I just looked up that Nina Gordon cover and nearly fell outa my chair. That is frickin priceless! =)epigraph
- have you heard the version where they take out every word that isn't a curse?epigraph
- nope. The curse words make it one of the best covers ever :)Jaline
- epigraph0
I'm thinking about doin a song at an open mic I go to, and it says "please don't take my man" ,which would take some real word-wrangling to change genders. I dunno maybe "please don't take Diane" hehe
I'm wonderin what would go over better in general.
- Keep it like the original. The Sisters of Mercy used to do Jolene, to great ironic effect.MrOneHundred
- dusty_shackle0
i think u should sing please dont take my nads
- I laughed in spite of myself...=)epigraph
- = )dusty_shackle
- key0
The House of the Rising Sun is of unknown authorship I believe, the link to a woman singing it is Woodie Guthrie saying that he first "took it down" from a woman in Kentucky. It was on NPR a while ago.
- doesnotexist0
depends, usually a chick though can pull it off if the original was a dude. we were thinking of having a girl cover our version of "I Don't Live Today" (orig. by Hendrix).
- kodap0
Too Drunk to Fuck (Dead Kennedys) by Nouvelle Vague
- jaylarson0
a song is bigger than the artist.
- JackRyan0
This song is almost pop perfection, Travis does a bang up job of it.
- ismith0
Yngwie covered ABBA's 'Gimme Gimme Gimme'. He replaced 'a man' with 'your love'. I'm not gonna lie, I like both versions. Those ABBA singers were hot in the music video...