Musical Palate Cleanser – Best Cover Version

So, I planned on having this ready for Father’s day, but life intervened as it often does. My plan was to draw the illusion of fathers and sons being like “covers” of an already produced work. Different, but hopefully better. I’ve provided a link to a “fictionalized” version of my Dad here https://tackytoo.com/daddy/.

This story begins with my son, a proud UGA grad, heading north to trade the privet hedge for the Ivy League, the Red and Black for the Crimson and Black. On our first visit to his new school, he proceeded to gift me with the latest iPod preloaded with 8, 16? gigs of music. The music was a complete buffet of genres. I saw some old favorites of mine, and a lot of his.

At this point, let me say that if music had not advanced beyond Southern Rock, I probably would have been comfortable. I do appreciate “pickers” in all styles, but the whole hip hop, gangsta rap, etc. did nothing for me. Having four hundred watts of thump, thump, thump roll up next to me at a red light did not engender me to the style positively. At least, not until I listened to my first pick for best cover, Tupac’s “I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto” which covered Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It is.” It tore my heart out.

Will God’s creations still be separated in the afterlife? Powerful stuff.

My second surprise from the iPod and my second pick, was Johnny Cash doing “Hurt,” a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song of the same name. I’ve always been a fan of Johnny Cash, but this went somewhere else.

It still gives me chills. Johnny was at death’s door while recording his American anthology. His producer literally propped him up to the mic to get the “last squeeze of the lemon.” The four albums of mostly covers were done prior to his death. Two more were released posthumously. “Hurt” is on American IV.

While you rummage through your memories for your favorite cover, I’ll slip into the way back machine and promote CCR’s “Suzy Q”. It was my lullaby for a period of time. Ironically, CCR’s most commercially successful song was “Proud Mary” as covered by Tina Turner and others.

I feel we should discount the entire British Invasion, Led Zeppelin in particular for covering Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and others without attribution. After all, they were just bringing American music back to America. Discounting my “old man” contention that nothing much worth covering has been written since the 90’s, what song stands out as the most successful cover to you?