Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 10/21/04 Section: Fun House

Media Credit: Eric Rautmann

Driving in my car a week ago, I found myself singing along to a tune from a compact disc that I had recently purchased from Sam Goody. This was the first time I had heard this song, yet I somehow knew the words. The CD was Skye Sweetnam, and her only hit on the radio, "Tangled Up in Me," was three tracks before this one.

Once had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind

As I sang, it hit me like a ninja star; this was a remake from the artist Blondie. I was so amused that I rocked out to it four more times. By the time I got back to college, I decided to check out the other two CDs that I had purchased for "cover" songs.

For you people who aren't familiar with the term "cover song," it just means that an artist or band decided to remake a song done by a previous artist or band. The artist or band "covering" the song will put their own spin on it by making it sound different than the original, but you will obviously recognize the song and either cheer or groan, depending on your opinion of the original song.

Anyways, I checked my other two CDs and found that the band Frickin' A does a cover of "Jessie's Girl" and the girl powered band, Play, covers two songs: "It's a Hard Knock Life" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." It seems as if you can't put out a CD nowadays unless you put one cover song on it.

Covering of songs has been a practice for as long as I can remember, which is about six years ago. That was the time that I really got into music and started purchasing music CDs. My first compact disc was 14:59 by Sugar Ray and even that CD had a remake: "Abracadabra."

When bands and artists do cover songs, it always brings a warm smile to my face. I enjoy hearing the remade songs because it makes me think of the original songs. Even the music mix that the Mirror plays during our everlasting production nights contain rock remakes of "I Want it That Way," "Everywhere," and "You Give Love a Bad Name" (original artists Backstreet Boys, Michelle Branch, and Bon Jovi respectively).

I started singing along with one of these timeless classics ("I Want it That Way"), but soon stopped because half of the Mirror staff became unconscious and needed a defibrillator due to my hoarse vocal chords. Actually, that didn't happen, but they were all looking at me with a stare that could pack me in a suitcase and send me to Abu Dhabi.

But the best thing about cover songs is that you don't have to learn new words to another song. You know what I am talking about; when you hear a new song, it takes you at least 10 to 15 times of hearing the song to get down the lyrics. That is not the case with cover songs because you have already spent the grueling time learning the lyrics. Now you can just sing your happy heart away the first time the new song hits your ears.

Cover songs seem to be rising in popularity as evidenced by big name bands covering songs, such as the Goo Goo Dolls covering "Give a Little Bit" originally by Supertramp. Mandy Moore even has a CD called Coverage and has 12 cover songs ranging from Cat Stevens to Elton John classics.

If this trend continues, we will indefinitely hear songs 20 years from now covering the "classic" hits from this era. All you have to do is listen to the new hit station and you will find them. Unless you are listening to the "oldies 90s and 00s" station.

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