let it die
in my copious free time, i’ve started writing abstracts for brijit.com. this way, i get exposed to new things i would like to read anyway, and sometimes, i even get paid for summarizing them.
yesterday, i came upon an article i enjoyed a bit: Let It Die: 23 Songs That Should Never Be Covered Again. and i figured there would be others out there (ATTENTION PHILFREE AS WELL AS MURPHY, IF YOU’RE OUT THERE, THIS MEANS YOU) who would probably have an interesting take on the subject. as i wrote in my incredibly pithy (::insert back pat here::) (::insert sarcasm here::) abstract:
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but does anyone need to hear another American Idol contestant belting out “Respect”? That question, among others, is pondered by the snarky authors, who share 23 abused rock, R&B, and country tracks that should enter retirement, barring seriously novel interpretation. The Smith’s “How Soon Is Now” tops a list of familiars, among them works by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Patsy Cline, and Van Morrison (“Brown-Eyed Girl” is “the only song on this list that’s in President Bush’s iPod”).there are so many songs i cannot stand to hear covered. seldom do you top the original artist (All Along the Watchtower jumps to mind as one of the few covers that betters the original), and usually, you get something that makes you cry out for mercy. i can think of very few beatles or stones covers that are terribly good (though i am a sucker for siouxie and the banshee’s dear prudence, but only because i love that song so much that i’d probably enjoy it if it were sung by paris hilton. plus i love siouxie’s hair.)
so anyone out there have songs to add to the list?