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Yousra and Leslie are back with a very interesting episode highlighting the most successful and sometime obscure cover songs of all time. Comment below with your favorite cover song of all time.
#Music #CoverSong #GreatestOfAllTime
See more at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Yousra and Leslie are back with a very interesting episode highlighting the most successful and sometime obscure cover songs of all time. Comment below with your favorite cover song of all time.
#Music #CoverSong #GreatestOfAllTime
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hi everybody, welcome to another episode of Rap Rock and All That Jazz.
00:13My name is Yusra, and who are you?
00:15Guess what, I'm Leslie Wilson.
00:17We work together, don't we, Yusra?
00:18Yeah, we do.
00:19Just around the corner.
00:20Yeah, I sit just by the window.
00:23Is it anything to do with the fact that I went away on holiday and you're trying to
00:26get one of me?
00:27Yeah.
00:28It's been a while.
00:29You've been gone for what, two weeks, three weeks?
00:31Just over two weeks, Yusra.
00:32Welcome back.
00:33Time flies when you're having fun, don't they say that?
00:35Yeah, it did not fly for me.
00:37Welcome back.
00:38But honestly, it's great to be back and it's great to be here on the show.
00:41Awesome.
00:42You guys, we've got a lot of interesting stuff to talk about, don't we, Yusra?
00:46Yes, today's episode is about cover songs that are better than the originals.
00:51Yeah.
00:52So, you're going to ask me what's a cover song?
00:57Well, maybe tell me what you think is the most covered song in the world.
01:03That's an easy one.
01:05It's a song by Leonard Cohen called Hallelujah.
01:09It's been covered by innumerable artists.
01:12It's a very poignant song.
01:14It's a song that touches your senses in so many ways.
01:17It's got very strong biblical references, but it's nothing to do with the religion.
01:22It's sung with like a hymn, like a hymn would be sung with soaring notes.
01:27And Cohen did a brilliant job.
01:29Apparently, he wrote 80 drafts for this song before he got the exact version.
01:34He kept ripping off the sheets of the score.
01:37He couldn't find the real right note that he wanted to sing it because he's a deep baritone.
01:42Yeah, I mean, he's an excellent poet, but an OK singer.
01:46Because let me tell you who is a better singer than him, Jeff Buckley.
01:50But I will jump in to correct you.
01:53Actually, the most covered song, surprisingly, is not Hallelujah.
01:57It is Yesterday by The Beatles.
01:59It's been covered more than 2,200 times.
02:02Are you serious?
02:03By like hundreds of people.
02:052,200 people.
02:06You mean, has it been re-recorded?
02:08Yes, we're talking like artists, not people who are like on YouTube or something.
02:12Does that include auditions, shows?
02:15No, just musicians.
02:17Elvis covered it.
02:19So many people have covered Yesterday.
02:21And they've literally just made a movie about it called Yesterday.
02:25So that is actually one of the most covered songs.
02:28I stand corrected, guys.
02:29So I learned something today about Yesterday.
02:32Yeah, it's a great song, isn't it?
02:34I mean, The Beatles have to be one of my all-time favorite bands.
02:37And Paul McCartney wrote this song.
02:40Oh, I didn't know that.
02:41And it's a beautiful, beautiful song.
02:43I mean, lyrically beautiful, romantic.
02:45It's got everything in it, like, you know?
02:47Yeah, I mean, other artists who covered this song were Joan Baez, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, En Vogue,
02:54and even Boyz II Men.
02:56And everyone just kind of put their own spin on the song.
02:59And one of the most famous people who covered the song is Daffy Duck from Disney.
03:03You know the duck?
03:04Really?
03:05Wow.
03:06So yeah, that's a really, that's an interesting fun fact for you.
03:09Nice bit of trivia there, Yusra.
03:11Thank you for that.
03:12You're welcome.
03:13I did my research today.
03:14Yes, so back to Hallelujah.
03:18So, Jeff Buckley really, like, he owns the song now, I think.
03:23He, I feel like, has taken it away from Leonard Cohen, sort of,
03:26because he does it in such a beautiful way.
03:28Yeah.
03:29And you know what really popularized the song?
03:31The first way that I discovered the song was from this TV show called The O.C.
03:35Yeah.
03:36I don't know if you know The O.C.
03:37Yeah, I know The O.C., that's right.
03:39It was back in 2000 and, so I was like 14.
03:462004.
03:47Yeah.
03:48It was when he kind of brought that song out and then it's like, it's amazing.
03:53What do you think?
03:54You've heard both.
03:55Yeah, I've heard Jeff Buckley and I've even listened to his son, Tim Buckley, as well.
04:00He didn't do a version of that song.
04:02But yeah, I like, but having said that, you know, I mean,
04:06you mentioned ownership of the song.
04:08I agree with, I know where you're coming from.
04:10Yeah.
04:11It's a question of taste.
04:12You know, I mean, you definitely identify yourself more with the Jeff Buckley version.
04:17Yes.
04:18I'll still go with the Leonard Cohen version because he's lyrically a genius.
04:23I mean, the lyrics and the way he talks through his songs.
04:26Yeah.
04:27He's amazing.
04:28And I was fortunate to see him live.
04:29Oh, you did.
04:30At the O2 once and he's mesmerizing.
04:32He's pretty old, but he's, you know, he's.
04:35Old but mesmerizing.
04:37And he's from your part of the world.
04:38You saw Canada.
04:39He's from Canada.
04:40He's Canadian.
04:41Yeah.
04:42Just to clarify, I'm originally Egyptian, but I grew up in Canada.
04:45And.
04:46But do you walk like an Egyptian?
04:47No.
04:48No.
04:49OK.
04:50That's all right.
04:51That's another song, isn't it?
04:53Has anyone covered that song?
04:55I actually, believe it or not, haven't even heard that song ever.
04:59So.
05:00Walk like an Egyptian?
05:01Seriously.
05:02Yeah.
05:03My dad.
05:04The Bangles, right?
05:05My dad tried to sing it to me once and I didn't know what I was like.
05:06Yeah.
05:07My dad called the Bangles.
05:08It's pretty cheesy.
05:09Like, you know.
05:10Yeah.
05:11Though that's Indian kind of.
05:12Walk like an Egyptian.
05:13Yeah.
05:14OK.
05:15Back to the cover songs.
05:16After all the research I did, most of the lists have said that the top most, the best
05:25cover song of all time is Hurt, Johnny Cash.
05:28Yes.
05:29So he took that song from Nine Inch Nails, which is a rock band.
05:33Yeah.
05:34Do you know anything?
05:36Yeah, I know Nine Inch.
05:37OK.
05:38So they actually wrote the song Hurt, but everyone universally agrees that Johnny Cash
05:44basically took that song because I think their song is a more heavy and rocky.
05:50So Johnny Cash is essentially a country singer.
05:54Yeah.
05:55Yeah.
05:56And it's an acoustic version.
05:57And when you hear that song.
05:58So I've heard it like three or four times before we came here to record this episode.
06:02And it's such a sad song.
06:05Yeah.
06:06Yeah.
06:07And he sounds really old.
06:08And like you can hear, like, like time has like worn him out.
06:13He's got he's got a gravelly voice.
06:15Yeah.
06:16I mean, he's he's a member of what they call the iconic country singers.
06:20You know that.
06:21And he was in a band called the Highwaymen.
06:23It's some of the greatest country singers of all time, including Kris Kristofferson.
06:27And, you know, so I know where you're coming from.
06:30It's a fabulous song.
06:32It's got just one name to it.
06:34Yeah.
06:35And that tells a story, doesn't it?
06:36Yeah.
06:37The lyrics are great.
06:38Like he I feel like took that song and really made it his own.
06:41And he's more known for it than Nine Inch Nails.
06:43That's right.
06:44Yeah.
06:45Guys, get get down to your iPods and try and listen to that song.
06:48If Yusra says it's good, it has to be good.
06:51I don't think people have iPods anymore.
06:54I do.
06:55OK, I do.
06:56I love that.
06:57What about?
06:58Just Spotify or Apple Music.
06:59Yeah.
07:00Yeah.
07:01But then again, you know, I'm from a different world.
07:03So I don't mean to always make you feel old.
07:06But yeah, iPods, iPods are OK.
07:11OK, let's move on quick before we get into an argument.
07:14Oh, another surprise song that you may not have known was a cover song is Respect by Aretha Franklin.
07:22Yes, I know about that.
07:23So, you know, I always I always told was a song.
07:26But then again, yeah, we know it.
07:28It was originally done by Otis Redding.
07:30Yes.
07:31And just two years later, like she didn't even wait a long time.
07:34Two years later, she recorded that song and gave it like that personality.
07:39And she added the line R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
07:42Find out what it means to me, because that wasn't there in the original song.
07:45And I think that kind of made it such an anthem for women at that period.
07:49It was like, what, 1968?
07:50Yeah.
07:51Yeah.
07:52And it's still very relevant.
07:53I mean, it's an awesome song.
07:54Yeah.
07:55And Otis Redding is a great singer himself.
07:57He wrote an iconic song, which was in Respect.
08:00It was called Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.
08:02OK.
08:03That's his trademark song.
08:04All right.
08:05You mentioned Otis Redding.
08:06And most people will tell you Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.
08:08But having said that, Respect is such a fantastic song.
08:11Yeah.
08:12And I agree with you.
08:13It's a lovely peon for women.
08:14It's a it's a it's a cry out for, you know, recognition, for equality.
08:18Yeah.
08:19And for respect.
08:20And she got two Grammys from it.
08:21That's right.
08:22Really, really.
08:23Very well deserved Grammys at all.
08:25Yeah.
08:26Another really great one.
08:27I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston.
08:29Yes.
08:30Did not belong to Whitney Houston.
08:31No.
08:32You know, it was Dolly Parton.
08:33Yes, that's right.
08:34How unexpected.
08:35She's a country singer.
08:36I would have not thought that a song that was so soulful and like, you know.
08:41Yeah.
08:42Whitney Houston-ish.
08:43Yeah.
08:44Was Dolly Parton's before it was Whitney Houston.
08:46Yeah.
08:47I think I think you've got to be really brave to to take somebody else's song, cover it,
08:52try and make it your own, try and make it better.
08:54I mean, it's a huge challenge.
08:57I mean, you could you could get it all wrong.
08:59You could go awfully wrong.
09:00Yeah.
09:01So I think I'm very intrigued about cover songs.
09:03Why would somebody want to cover somebody else's song?
09:06You know what?
09:07Because songs are made to be remade.
09:09Yeah.
09:10Right.
09:11To some extent, of course.
09:12Yeah.
09:13Yeah.
09:14Yeah.
09:15I mean, originals are always great or else we'd probably just never have any diversity.
09:19But like I think if these songs weren't remade, would you have really like ever properly appreciated
09:26that?
09:27Yeah.
09:28I think it's good when it's remade.
09:29It moves on from one generation to the other.
09:31Yes.
09:32So you get like El Divo, you know, the recent bands doing older songs.
09:36Yeah.
09:37It revives them.
09:38It introduces them to the younger people.
09:40So it's a great thing.
09:41There's nothing wrong with cover songs.
09:42It's great.
09:43I'm very like I use the word intrigued whenever I hear of a cover song.
09:46I want to see.
09:47Come on.
09:48Let's see what these guys are going to do with this song.
09:50And I feel like great platforms for cover songs is television and movies.
09:55Because this this song, I Will Always Love You, was originally recorded for the Bodyguard
10:00and it ended up being the like numb like the what was it?
10:06It was like it stayed in the Billboard Hot Country songs.
10:10No, sorry.
10:11It was the best selling single by a woman in music history.
10:16Yeah.
10:17History.
10:18And it was like a black woman as well, which was like amazing and a little bit, you know,
10:22pioneering for the time.
10:24So the film really was the reason that the song gained so much popularity.
10:29And the Bodyguard soundtrack also made history.
10:31It's one of the best selling soundtracks in history.
10:34Yeah.
10:35We should do an episode on soundtrack.
10:37That's something to look forward to.
10:38Yes, of course.
10:39Yeah.
10:40Let's keep watching our show.
10:41And we've got a lot of ideas coming out.
10:43Yeah.
10:44Always with the promotion.
10:47What do you think?
10:48What do you have as a cover song that you can suggest?
10:51OK, I've got a few notes.
10:53I'm going to cheat a bit, you know, because I've been on holiday.
10:55I've been using my fingers.
10:57So I've come back.
10:58Yeah.
10:59My perhaps my favorite cover song of all time would be a song called What a Wonderful World
11:05by Louis Armstrong.
11:08I know, but it's been covered by so many people.
11:11It's been in commercials.
11:13It's in movie soundtracks.
11:14Yeah, it's it's an iconic song.
11:16It's an epic song.
11:17It's a song that makes your hair stand up sometimes.
11:20You know, it's a lovely song.
11:22I wish I could sing a few lines, but I'm I'm scared you guys will run away.
11:26So let's let's leave it to the professionals to give us notes on that.
11:30Yeah.
11:31And I you know, there's a there's a singer called Eva Cassidy who died very young,
11:35but she's got an angelic voice.
11:37And her version of this was pretty good.
11:40But perhaps the best version ever cover version of What a Wonderful World came from
11:46a Hawaiian singer called Israel.
11:48I'm not going to attempt even attempt to pronounce his second name.
11:52He's sort of an overweight man with a ponytail.
11:55That's right.
11:56Yeah.
11:57Speaking of him, he also did one of the best covers of all time of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
12:01He's actually fused both these songs.
12:03You know, that's lovely, Yusra.
12:05So we're on the same page.
12:06Yeah, that's such a lovely song, guys.
12:08Yeah.
12:09Google it or, you know, YouTube it.
12:11You'll know him when you see him.
12:13He's obese.
12:14He was married to a princess because his voice was a gift from God.
12:17Yes.
12:18With just a ukulele.
12:19Yeah.
12:20No instruments, no mixing, no special effects.
12:22He sang this song.
12:23And there's a version available on YouTube.
12:25Yeah.
12:26Where you can watch it at his funeral.
12:28The whole of Hawaii virtually come out.
12:31And he's on boats.
12:33They take his body and ashes and throw them in the water.
12:36And the music is playing.
12:37Yeah.
12:38What a wonderful world in Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
12:40Over the Rainbow.
12:41Wow.
12:42I think I've heard that a million times.
12:43Yeah.
12:44It's such a lovely song.
12:45Yeah.
12:46His was, I think, the most famous version.
12:47That's right.
12:48Yeah.
12:49Of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
12:50What about, have you ever heard the Ryan Adams version of Wonderwall?
12:57Yes, I have.
12:58Isn't it hauntingly beautiful?
13:00It's a fantastic song.
13:02I mean, the Oasis brothers, Liam and Neil, did a great job with it.
13:08So it's a lovely album that they produce.
13:11And I think that's the song that identifies Oasis.
13:15And I like Ryan Adams' version, really.
13:17And initially, when I didn't know, I thought it's Bryan Adams for some strange reason.
13:22And then I realized there's another guy called Ryan Adams.
13:24Ryan, yeah.
13:25Who sounds a bit like Bryan Adams as well.
13:27Yeah.
13:28But it's a lovely version.
13:29It's so good.
13:30It's so good, really.
13:31Like, even Noel himself was like, give him this song.
13:35Gobsmacked, yeah.
13:36It's his song.
13:37Yeah.
13:38And if you hear it, just like, I was listening to all of these songs before I came in.
13:43And it is an amazing song.
13:45I think it was my favorite from all of the covers that I heard.
13:49So that one was like a massive, so the Oasis one was a massive hit in the 90s.
13:53And he kind of brought it back.
13:55And they played it again on the OC, which at the time of like 2001 to 2005 was the most
14:02popular show then.
14:03And all the tweens listened to it.
14:05And it like, really, it's true what you said.
14:07Like, they bring a song back and it goes into a different generation.
14:11So I was like a teenager when I heard this again.
14:13And I loved it.
14:14So good.
14:15OK.
14:16I'm going to share with you probably one of, I mean, this is amazing.
14:20Knocking on heaven's door.
14:22A song written by Bob Dylan, a folk song.
14:25Yeah.
14:26Guns and Roses took it up and turned it into, you know, it's absolutely amazing.
14:31I mean, when you hear them live on stage, I mean, you know this song.
14:35Yes, I know this song.
14:36Yes, of course.
14:37I think everybody out there knows this song.
14:39Yes.
14:40I believe I covered it as well at some point in my life.
14:43Yeah.
14:44Yeah.
14:45It's a lovely song.
14:46Yeah.
14:47Knocking on heaven's door.
14:48OK.
14:49Taking us back to more of like a dance-y song.
14:52Do you know Walk This Way by Run-D.M.C.?
14:55Yes, of course.
14:56So it's originally Aerosmith.
14:57Yes, that's right.
14:58So I heard both versions.
14:59Yeah.
15:00It's so much cooler with Run-D.M.C.
15:02And it made him popular.
15:05Like, it kind of gave him a comeback.
15:07Yeah, yeah.
15:08Steven Tyler.
15:09Because it's got a more like hip-hop vibe to it.
15:12Yeah.
15:13And they rap instead of sing.
15:14Yeah.
15:15But they kept him as the chorus because his voice can reach like a really high like screen.
15:20That's right, yeah.
15:21So that was a really good one.
15:22That's a lovely song.
15:23That's a real fun song.
15:24And it was like this really nice collaboration of like rap and rock together.
15:27Yeah.
15:28Yeah.
15:29Lovely.
15:30I loved it.
15:31The name of our podcast.
15:32Walk This Way.
15:33Yeah.
15:34This Way.
15:35Yeah.
15:36Cool.
15:37So good.
15:38It's a great song, yeah.
15:39And so what brought it back to me on my radar was Sex and the City, the film.
15:40Yes.
15:41In the first film, they were trying on outfits from the 80s.
15:44Yeah.
15:45And they put on songs.
15:46And this was like the song that came out.
15:47And I was like, oh, I know this one.
15:48That's a great choice for Sex and the City.
15:50Yeah.
15:51Yeah.
15:52So like, again, movies, TV shows, they kind of bring older songs back into your life again,
15:57which is really awesome.
15:58So that was a really good one.
16:00Yeah.
16:01Nice collaboration.
16:02What about Sweet Dreams?
16:03Have you heard that by Eurythmics?
16:04Are made of this.
16:05Sweet dreams are made of this.
16:06Yeah.
16:07Yeah.
16:08There's a cover by Marilyn Manson.
16:09Marilyn Manson.
16:10Yeah.
16:11So that's the one you hear.
16:12That's demonic.
16:13Yeah.
16:14That's the one I think you hear the most.
16:15Yeah.
16:16Like I hear it at almost every club that I go to these days because it's like a song
16:19that really gets the people going.
16:20It's a great song.
16:21It's a lovely song.
16:22Yeah.
16:23It gets the people going.
16:24Going.
16:25Yeah.
16:26OK.
16:27Really, really interesting cover.
16:28One that you may not have heard of is a cover of Michael Jackson's Dirty Diana.
16:34And it's done by The Weeknd.
16:36And I love it.
16:37As you know, like I think I talk about him every episode.
16:38Yeah.
16:39I know you're a big The Weeknd fan.
16:40I'm a huge The Weeknd fan.
16:41That's because she loves her weekends.
16:42So don't blame her for that, guys.
16:43Oh, my God.
16:46Basically, I believe, yes, there is a version of a Michael Jackson song that is better than
16:51the original.
16:52And it's the way The Weeknd sings Dirty Diana.
16:56His voice and like the it's a quieter background music.
17:00And it's such such such a good, such a good cover.
17:03That's a brief cover.
17:04I'm going to I must confess, I haven't heard it, but I'll send it to you because I think
17:08you'll be very impressed.
17:09Yeah.
17:10I think he's a big Michael Jackson fan himself, much like Bruno Mars is and they got that
17:19pitch, the right pitch, but still to take an iconic song like Dirty Diana and try to
17:25claim it, get on it, you know, is pretty, pretty cool, I think.
17:29Yeah.
17:30It's really good.
17:31Do you have one more that you want to tell me?
17:33Yeah.
17:34There's a lovely song called The Power of Love by another Canadian, Celine Dion, the
17:39French Canadian, The Power of Love, which actually was recorded by Jennifer Rush.
17:44OK.
17:45And it's powerful.
17:46You know, I mean, like the song says, The Power of Love.
17:49It's such a powerful song.
17:50And I think Celine really took it.
17:54She's like, she really took it.
17:55And she's another performer I was fortunate to see in the old school theater in the mid
18:0090s.
18:01And I saw I'm not really a big pop fan.
18:05I'm more into folk and rock.
18:06But Celine Dion, I mean, you don't get these chances very often.
18:10That's true.
18:11And I was I paid 50 quid to go and see that concert.
18:14And it was worth every single cent.
18:16She's an amazing performer.
18:18And The Power of Love is, it's a searing song, it soars and soars and soars, you know, actually
18:23goes into the heavens like that song.
18:25I think I would love, love, love to see Celine Dion live.
18:29Like I grew up listening to her because my mom was a really big fan.
18:33That's how I actually I learned to sing is because I would sing Celine Dion songs.
18:37And oh, yeah, that's so I think after that, that's what concerts do.
18:42When you go there, you see a performer, you become a fan and immediately you listen to
18:47her music more than you normally would.
18:50And there's a song of hers called, I mean, it's deviating a bit, guys, but I Drove All
18:54Night.
18:55Oh, I love that song, which she opens most of her concerts.
18:57It's such a good song.
18:58I think it's charismatic.
18:59Oh, my gosh, it's lovely.
19:01So good.
19:03OK, so just to finish the episode, I wanted to tell you what my favorite cover songs are
19:12and you can tell me what your favorites are.
19:14All right.
19:15Yes, sir.
19:16OK, so one of my favorite ones is, OK, so do you know that song, Somebody's Watching
19:21Me by Rockwell?
19:22Yes.
19:23Out in the 80s.
19:24Yes.
19:25There is this woman called Anna Warrenker.
19:27Yeah.
19:28OK, yeah.
19:29And she does it and it's just a very slowed down, very quiet version of the song.
19:34And it sounds so scary when you listen to it.
19:37And I love it.
19:38And I heard it on a TV show.
19:39OK.
19:40The Carrie Diaries.
19:41So back when I was watching more TV.
19:43And The Sound of Silence by Disturbed.
19:45Yes.
19:46So Simon and Garfunkel did it.
19:48Yeah.
19:49But I think Disturbed took it to a whole new level.
19:51I don't know if you've.
19:52No, I haven't heard that version.
19:53OK.
19:54I'm very excited to send it to you.
19:55OK, that's another one that I'm going to go back and listen to right now.
19:56And Enjoy the Silence, originally by Depeche Mode.
20:00Yeah.
20:01And this this punk rock band called Anne Berlin did a cover of it.
20:06And I heard it at the Vampire Diaries TV show.
20:10And that is those are my three favorite cover songs that I thought were just like unbelievable
20:15and much better than the original.
20:17That's a nice choice.
20:18Very eclectic.
20:20Very nice choice.
20:22What are yours?
20:23Oh, my gosh.
20:24We've already talked about the songs that I like.
20:25I would.
20:26But I would say, like, perhaps What a Wonderful World would be, not just because, not just
20:32because I'm an old fuddy duddy, but I like the way that song has been treated by so many
20:36people like Eva Cassidy and Katie Melua, another Canadian singer, a great singer, Patti Smith
20:44and Murray.
20:45You know, I mean, so many different performers have done it.
20:48But yeah, three quick songs that that I like, cover songs, What a Wonderful World, Knocking
20:54on Heaven's Door, and I would say Sweet Dreams.
20:56Oh, OK.
20:57The Marilyn Manson version.
20:58Nice selection.
20:59Yeah.
21:00Great.
21:01Thank you, Leslie.
21:03What a fun episode.
21:04I think I really missed a lot of a lot of all this when I was back in Bangalore.
21:09I'm not going to go away for long holidays to do the show, guys, and keep watching.
21:14And we'd love to hear from you.
21:16I mean, yeah, you can break bats or bouquets, throw them at us.
21:21And if you've got any ideas, please, please let us know what you'd like to do.
21:24Yeah, you can tweet us at Gulf News.
21:26And that's it for today.
21:27See you next time.
21:28See you soon, guys.
21:29Bye.