Favorite Cover Songs of 2019

In my never ending quest to bring you the best new songs of the past year, I was struck by one thing: there have been a lot of good cover songs lately. Since I'm not inclined to include covers in my list (Mates of State's Second Hand News in 2010 -- before I started posting the list here -- and Dwight Yoakam's Dim Lights, Thick Smoke are, I believe, the only exceptions) and because there are so many good new songs (and artists) this year, I decided to do a separate list for covers as an appetizer for this year's forthcoming favorite songs list.

So what makes for a good cover in my opinion? I'm not sure. I don't want a "remake" but I am admittedly sometimes am offended when a song strays too far from the original as well. I suppose the list itself speaks for what I'm looking for in a good cover -- and it does not necessarily include the requirement that I loved, or even liked, the original.

Two caveats about these songs: (1) one is not a cover but rather an "original"; and (2) I bent my rules a little and there are several that were released in 2017 (but for the most part I didn't hear them until 2019). Enjoy boys and girls!

1.  I'm Goin' Down by Vampire Weekend.

"I pull you close now, baby, but when we kiss, I can feel a doubt

I remember back when we started

My kisses used to turn you inside out

I used to drive you to work in the morning

Friday night I'd drive you all around

You used to love to drive me wild, yeah

But lately girl you get your kicks from just driving me down

Down, down, down."

What do you get when you combine The Boss with one of my favorite indie bands? "That's gold, Jerry. Gold!" Apparently VW has covered this song in one form or another since 2010. But it's the stripped down version recorded for Spotify this year (for you fellow old folks, click words to take you there -- it's a link -- that's why it's orange) that got my attention and propelled it to the top of my covers list for 2019.

2.  Dancing in the Dark by Lucy Dacus.

"Stay on the streets of this town
And they'll be carvin' you up alright
They say you gotta stay hungry
Hey baby, I'm just about starvin' tonight."

Yep, another Springsteen song at the top. Given my admiration for both The Boss and Lucy Dacus, it was inevitable that her cover of Dancing in the Dark would end up near the top of this list. This version is loyal to The Boss's original, but has a little extra something ... maybe it's the drums and the guitar. Or the female voice?

3.  Love Yourself by Dashboard Confessional.

"For all the times that you rain on my parade
And all the clubs you get in using my name
You think you broke my heart, oh girl for goodness sake
You think I'm crying on my own well I ain't
...
My mama don't like you and she likes everyone."

Love Yourself by Dashboard Confessional. That's right, a Justin Beiber cover, you got a problem with that? To be fair, Ed Sheeran got a writing credit on it too. That last quoted line alone is worth the price of admission.

4.  The Twist by Wintersleep.

"Lets pretend I'm attractive and then
You won't mind, you can twist for a while
It's the night, I can be who you like
And I'll quietly leave before it gets light."

The first of several songs on the list from "Tiny Changes" a collection of covers by various artists of Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight. Some of the covers fall a little flat for me, but others are a perfect celebration of Scott Hutchison and his music. This is one of my favorite Frightened Rabbit songs, particularly the above lyrics. Wintersleep turns Scott Hutchison's funny but sad version into an anthem that is every bit the equal of the original.

5.  Manic Monday by Prince.

"Have to catch an early train
Got to be to work by nine.
And if I had an airplane
I still couldn't make it on time."

This is the "original" alluded to in my above - not actually a cover but Prince's version of a long-enjoyed song from the album "Originals." The Bangles, of course, recorded it first.

6.  Whole Wide World by Cage The Elephant.

"When I was a young boy
My mama said to me
'There's only one girl in the world for you
And she probably lives in Tahiti.
I'd go the whole wide world
Go the whole wide world just to find her."

With a nod to Will Farrell in Stranger Than Fiction, this is probably my favorite cover of the Wreckless Eric original.

7.  Old Old Fashioned by Josh Ritter,

"I'll turn off the TV
It's killing us, we never speak.
There's a radio in the corner
It's dying to make a scene."

Another song from the Tiny Changes album, this one re-imagines Frightened Rabbit's waltz across the carpet as a honky tonk stomp.

8.  Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in The Spotlight) by Alt-J.

"When I passed you in the doorway
And you took me with a glance
Should've been on that last bus home
But I asked you for a dance."

I like it when an artist can take a song and turn it into something different entirely (much like Aretha Franklin did to Otis Redding, or, to me anyway, The Band did to Springsteen with its rendition of "Atlantic City"). Here Alt-J turns Thin Lizzy's middling "Dancing in The Moonlight" into a lovely quiet ballad. And "it's alright, alright."

9.  I Melt With You by Surfer Blood.

"I'll stop the world and melt with you
You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time
There's nothing you and I won't do
I'll stop the world and melt with you."

One of my all time favorite early alternative (pop punk?) songs, Surfer Blood's cover is, to me, the right mix of faithfulness to the original and an update 37 (holy mackerel, 37???) years after it was first released.

10.  Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) by Big Head Todd and The Monsters (with John Popper).

"But now you're sad, your mama's mad
And your papa says he knows that I don't have any money
Oh your papa says he knows that I don't have any money
Oh your daddy says he knows that I don't have any money
Well, tell him this is his last chance
To get his daughter in a fine romance
'Cause a record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance."

Along with the Frightened Rabbit theme throughout the list this is the other: The Boss. Big Head Todd and The Monsters' rendition of Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), with some help, from John Popper of Blues Traveler fame, still seems as rebellious and raucous as the original. But while the harmonica is nice, but I still miss Clarence's sax ...

11.  My Backwards Walk by Manchester Orchestra.

"I'm working on my faults and cracks
Filling in the blanks and gaps
And when I write them out they don't make sense
I need you to pencil in the rest."

The final song of the list, and the final one from "Tiny Changes." Manchester Orchestra's version of My Backwards Walk is one of those that strikes the right chord(s) for me between homage and interpretation. Plus you can never grow tired of hearing Hutchison's plaintive line "you're the sh!t and I'm knee deep in it."

Favorite Songs of 2017: Songs 23-33

It's hard to believe that a year ago, as I was composing the first post of my favorite songs of 2016, the Cubs had just won their first pennant in 108 years, the U.S. Men's Soccer team was still a "lock" for the World Cup, and we had a responsible adult in the White House. The dismay that many of us feel is reflected in many of the songs on this year's list. But also hope. And hope is a good thing.

23.  3WW by Alt-J.

"Girls from the pool say 'Hi' (hi)

The road erodes at five feet per year

Along England's east coastline.

Was this your first time?

Love is just a button we pressed

Last night by the campfire."

Difficult the read anything into this song as anything other than about ... intimate relationships. "3WW" stands for Three Worn Words (as the lyrics themselves say) -- the consensus is that they are "I Love You." The official video is here mostly because of the vocals by Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, a band featured on last year's list. But live versions at KEXP and other places are wonderful too.

24.  Gossamer Thin by Connor Oberst.

"Ring 'round his eyes
Tracks down his arm
His fans are confused and his friends are alarmed.
His wife doesn't talk
Hates when he's gone
Counts ever skirt in his new entourage.

And they're all gossamer thin
Left of the dial, Bohemians.
And they dance, tournament style
Twirl 'round the room, curtsy and smile.
And they sit at his feet, sippin' their tea
And swoon with each word he speaks."

A more personal desperation at work here than in many other songs on this year's list.

25.  Cumberland Gap by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

"I ain't cut out for war,
unless I know what I'm fighting for.
And there's nothing here but churches, bars, and grocery stores.
Ain't much money in
The old-time mandolin.
So I cash my check and drink 'til I'm on my ass again."

There is not currently living a better chronicler of life in Appalachia (and that's "App-ah-latch-ah" by the way) than Jason Isbell.

26.  Lay It On Me by Vance Joy.

"Snow comes down everything is new and different.
I found you hidden in plain sight, why'd I take so long?
Write it on a piece of paper, honey
Put it in my coat before I go."

A former denizen of the top spot on my list, Joy's "Lay It On Me" doesn't quite reach those heights. But if you've been following for a while, you know I'm a sucker for choral crescendos.

27.  Modern Act by Cloud Nothings.

"Here we are among the living
See and count your friends
Gathered in a room together
This is how it ends
Can't stand the modern act
Whose war is this, what god is that?
Feels like the tide is only
Starting to come in."

One of many songs on this year's list about despair and hope. Or hope and despair. Your choice.

28.  Anymore by Goldfrapp.

"Your strange music
Like lucid dreams
The power of you
Transforming me."

A song that harkens back to when my children were young and I imposed my musical tastes upon them every chance I got - Goldfrapp's "Number One" was among them.  This is about as close to dance music or synthpop as my tastes allow me to venture. But perhaps that's my problem and not yours.

29.  Dear Life by Beck.

"You drove your Rolls into the swamp
You stole away like a thief, reeling from the sticker shock
Of the price they put upon your soul
You buy it back from the burning ashes of the devil you know."

Really reaching back now with Beck. If anyone can pull off a "sounds like The Beatles" song, Beck has both the chops and the pedigree to do it.

30.  Everything Now by Arcade Fire.

"Every inch of road's got a sign
And every boy uses the same line
I pledge allegiance to everything now
Every song that I've ever heard
Is playing at the same time, it's absurd
And it reminds me, we've got everything now
We turn the speakers up 'til they break
'Cause every time you smile it's a fake."

I'll leave it to you to decide of whom the boys and girls from AF speak when they say that every smile is a fake.

31.  Don't Matter Now by George Ezra.

"Sometimes you need to be alone
(It don't matter now)
Shut the door, unplug the phone
(It don't matter now)
Speak in a language they don't know
(It don't matter now)

Well I don't think about that stuff
No, I don't think about that stuff
It don't matter now."

One of those songs you find yourself singing in the shower or in the car on the way to work.

32.  Wolves and the Water by Edward R.

"Turn back time I don't belong here
But when I turn my head time always changes me.
Take me back to golden horizons
Hell you're gonna find me anyway
Torn between the wolves and the waters
Heaven's gonna find me on the way."

It appears that Mr. R. is sufficiently obscure enough to not have his own Wikipedia page. Seems that he's from Australia, but I can't tell you much more about him than that. I do, however, like this song, particularly the "unplugged" version in this video.

33.  Catch Me If You Can by Walking on Cars.

"I just got my head down
And I'm a little bit scared tonight
I need to run just far enough
So I can smile again, smile again
So i can smile again.

Chosen by my loyal Facebook listeners as their pick for the final spot on this year's list. A little Coldplay, a little The Fray. These guys and gal are from County Kerry, so what's not to like?

Favorite Songs of 2014: Songs 1-10

And now my top 10:

1. Riptide by Vance Joy.

"Lady, running down to the riptide.
Taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you're singing that song, and
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong."

Have to admit that I had second thoughts about "Riptide" being my number 1 after hearing it in the "Top Nine at Nine" on a local Top 40 station a few weeks ago. But, popularity be damned, this is my favorite song of 2014. The Midnight Cowboy reference and the ukulele don't hurt a bit either.

2. Left Hand Free by Alt-J.

"Hey, shady baby, I'm hot,
like the prodigal son.
Pick a petal eenie, meenie, miney, moe ...
And flower, you're the chosen one."

According to the critics, the most un-Alt-J-like song they've ever done, composed in 20 minutes to satisfy their American label for a radio-friendly tune for their new album. Works for me. There are two "official" videos, this is the second and more disturbing one, but seems to be more in keeping with the lyrics.

3. Don't You Look Back by Augustines.

"This kiss ain't got no hope."

The best single line from any song this year. And the only artist to have two songs on this year's list. They appear to have been touring in Europe most of 2014 and there are no new tour dates on their website, but here's to hoping they're coming to a venue near you (and, more importantly to me, near me) in 2015.

4. You Go Down Smooth by Lake Street Dive.

"Would it be true to say that I ordered you?
Or is it you that ordered me?
I could say you are the only one I see,
but I can't stop at two or three."

If we were to fashion an IQ test question from the top 5 of my list and ask: "which song is unlike the others?" You Go Down Smooth would be the correct answer. But Rachel Price's voice can make any list any time as far as I'm concerned. It sounds every bit as good live as it does recorded, as the she proved at Mountain Stage earlier this year and in the video from KEXP above.

5. I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers.

"While my friends were getting high and chasing girls down parkway lines,
I was losing my mind 'cause the love, the love, the love, the love
that I gave ...
Wasted on a nice face.
In a blaze of fear I put a helmet on a helmet,
counting seconds through the night and got carried away.
So now I'm standing on the overpass screaming at the cars:
'Hey!
I wanna get better!'"

Unlike many years, when one or at the most two songs stand out to me as possible number ones on my list, this year there were five, starting with this punk-pop anthem to insanity by Jack Antonoff's (of fun.) side project, Bleachers. Maybe the funniest video of 2014 to boot.

6. A Little Opus by Little Comets.

"You feel the weight of imposition.
Bear heavy on your own decision.
Fate to face they multiply ...
The crush of language,
and the cedent school ties.
The subtle angles of tradition (tradition)."

A song about .. English preparatory schools I guess. And, apparently it was actually released in 2012. But rules were meant to be broken, right?

7. Zigzagging Toward the Light by Conor Oberst.

"Oh how the circumstances change.
I fly by interstate, across a purple mountain range.
I find a place to come undone ...
Zigzagging toward you now, I sing out loud our boundless song."

Former Bright Eyes member Oberst's Upside Down Mountain is one of my favorite albums of the year. According to Wikipedia, his brother is a lawyer. No wonder I like him.

8. Madman by Sean Rowe.

"And the city has a way to make you forget.
About half the stuff you love and things you don't know yet.
About the space that's left when nobody talks.
About the quiet on the path where nobody walks."

Great song, and the best male voice of anyone on this year's list.

9. Can't Be Broken by Twin Forks.

"That's a love that
can't be broken.
That's the sting of a
heart cut open.
That's the thing about
blind devotion.
That's a love that
can't be broken."

Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba's new indie folk/Americana band churns out the same great music as DC, but with more acoustical instruments and less angst. Nothing wrong with that. And one of the bonuses of being seven minutes from Mountain Stage's usual venue? Meeting your favorite artists:

10. Budapest by George Ezra.

"My many artifacts.
The list goes on.
If you just say the words,
I'll up and run.
Oh, to you,
you.
I'd leave it all."

A pleasant little tune from a guy who reminds me of another artist, but I can't quite put my finger on who. And he looks absolutely nothing like I imagined he would from his voice.

So there's this year's list. Go listen to some live music in 2015!