From David Bowie to Nirvana: Five songs that are simply impossible to cover
There are multiple ways to interpret the concept of “unique talent”. If we’re discussing someone like Joni Mitchell, then her legacy mainly speaks for itself. But if, for whatever reason, we’re talking about a band like The Shaggs, then the definition might change a little.
That said, maybe that’s precisely why the concept itself is forever intriguing – with something as subjective as music and music tastes, uniqueness is its own thing depending on the music, genre, and context of the space it exists in. The Shaggs are seen as revolutionary by some, even if they quite literally sound like the musical equivalent of repeatedly banging your head against a wall.
Regardless of why someone might choose to listen to ‘My Pal Foot Foot’ in their free time, the whole debate of originality and authentic talent leads to another intriguing question: the purpose and definition of the cover song. If a piece of music is already a perfect version of itself, what is the point of another artist taking it on if they’re already aware of the delicacy of uniqueness, no matter how subjective?
Although some might argue that that’s exactly what cover songs exist for – to challenge an original notion of uniqueness with something fresher, or that reinterprets a song in a new light – some songs are so perfect as they are that they should never be touched by another living soul. And some, by contrast, are so uniquely terrible that they’re immune to any sort of refinement, their ugliness a true testament to art (or whatever you might call it) made solely to exist exactly as it emerged.
Five songs that are impossible to cover:
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – Queen
For obvious reasons, any attempt at covering Queen’s megahit ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ should be reserved for private karaoke rooms, when lips are loose, and inhibitions are even looser. And maybe even then, people should still do well to take a breather and reassess themselves before taking on the 1975 classic.
To be fair, the intricacy of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ might explain why cover versions are fairly sparse, but those that do exist only prove the point: that no other living soul should ever touch such a legendary composition, no matter how tempting it may be. After all, not even a seasoned vocalist as acrobatic and well-schooled in the art of range as Brendon Urie could even do it justice.
‘Purple Rain’ – Prince
It’s not that ‘Purple Rain’ is impossible to cover, because it isn’t. It’s that it’s nearly impossible to cover well, which no other singer has ever been able to come close to, despite the numerous attempts. Prince himself famously hated covers of his own songs, and, considering the utter uniqueness of his own genius, it’s not hard to see why.
With a song like ‘Purple Rain’, there’s also a hell of a lot more to consider than simply singing it right. There’s the emotional and visceral aspect too, that atmosphere that makes you feel as though you’re suddenly being carried along on a cloud, plus the fact that no one seems to be able to sing it with such a perfect balance between gentle crooning and more cutting bites.
‘The Chain’ – Fleetwood Mac
The ultimate product of different forms of genius coming together to create mind-blowing magic, ‘The Chain’ is the ultimate gateway to the beauty that is Fleetwood Mac, representing each component that made them one of the most interesting rock bands in history. In short, it’s an easy masterpiece, a perfect snapshot of everything that they perfected during their time in the spotlight.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that it’s another gem that evades reinterpretation. People might try – and, to their credit, some of them aren’t half-bad – but ultimately, you can’t outdo the Mac, especially as ‘The Chain’ was a culmination of factors no one will ever replicate. As they said themselves, no matter how much people might try, they’ll “never break the chain”.
‘Life on Mars’ – David Bowie
There are a handful of covers of David Bowie’s timeless classic, ‘Life on Mars’, some of them by our most influential bands and musicians, including the likes of Chris Martin, Lorde, and Barbra Streisand, but no matter how unique or culturally poignant any of those appear, none will ever capture the same sense of otherworldly awe that Bowie managed to channel in his original.
Continuing the earlier point of intrigue established by 1969’s ‘Space Oddity’ and the moon landing, ‘Life on Mars’ was also associated with many of the sensationalist headlines still pervading media headlines, while also playing into an image Bowie had created for himself as the extra-terrestrial mouthpiece for all of Earth’s shortcomings – that, plus many other reasons, is why no one can touch it.
‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ – Nirvana
Like many songs in this list, Nirvana’s rock megahit ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ has its share of cover versions. Miley Cyrus, Take That, and The Muppets have all given it a go, but despite making its way into mainstream pop spaces, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ remains a cult classic reserved for the pros – namely, Nirvana themselves.
There are a few reasons why this song doesn’t work as well when it’s performed by anybody else, but the main one remains clear: that only Kurt Cobain’s pained, gravelly voice can give credence to the spirit of the generation, and all the angst that came with trying to figure yourself out when the world around you made no sense at all.
