Give Me a Cover To Keep Me Warm

There are a handful of imperatives when it comes to cover songs. First, you must have a great original. A solid foundation is the only thing that leaves the possibility for a quality cover. Secondly, the covering artist should at least match the original, if not improve upon it. This comes down to a matter of subjectivity, but some are simply irrefutable, such as the famous “All Along the Watchtower” – even Bob Dylan resigned to the “fact.” Lastly, it cannot be a carbon copy of the original – it must have the covering artist’s stamp on it. It’s difficult to change a song and make it your own, while keeping the heart and attempting to improve the face, but it’s a crucial element when covering a song.

In the late ‘50s, early ‘60s record companies hired multiple artists to cover songs they thought could sell in various markets. The Beatles and Rolling Stones did covers in the teething years of their careers, while bands like The Byrds made their careers off of doing it. The Animals are often thrown into the same category of The Byrds, but The Animals improved upon so many of the songs they covered that, along with Jimi Hendrix and Joe Cocker, they stand as one of the few artists that truly made a song theirs when they covered it.

The most recent example of a band that fits in the same box as The Animals, Hendrix, and Cocker is The White Stripes. They are not known for it, but they have a number of stunning covers scattered amongst their records and b-sides. The White Stripes not only show their admiration for the artists and songs they cover, but they also reveal some of their deepest influences – the vocal inflection of Blind Willie McTell, pop goodness of Brendan Benson, lyrical stylings of Bob Dylan, experimental tendencies of Captain Beefheart, country heart of Loretta Lynn, blues soul of Robert Johnson, and rock and roll rebellion of MC5. A cover song is one of the kindest and honest signs of admiration from artist to artist – egos are suppressed, and suddenly, the music becomes the most important thing – and in that shared spirit, the Stripes seem to use it as an opportunity to promote other artists they feel people should know about. It’s like hand-picking an opening band – to use your clout to tout another artist.

Going along with that spirit, I decided to post some lesser-known covers/originals along with a handful from The White Stripes. I had to limit how many White Stripes tracks I posted because, well, I don’t want to get sued, but there are some amazing versions out there of the Stripes doing the likes of “Death Letter” (Son House), “Lovesick” (Bob Dylan), “For the Love of Ivy” (Gun Club), “Lord Send Me an Angel” (Blind Willie McTell), “Baby Blue” (Gene Vincent), “Jack the Ripper” (Screaming Lord Sutch / Peter Gunn), “Looking at You” (MC5), “Goin’ Back to Memphis” (Henry and June), “Ashtray Heart” (Captain Beefheart), and of course “Jolene” (Dolly Parton), among others.

Key: song title, original artist, covering artist(s)

Stop Breaking Down – Robert Johnson, The White Stripes
Party of Special Things To Do – Captain Beefheart, The White Stripes
Good To Me – Brendan Benson, The White Stripes
Who’s To Say? – Blanche, The White Stripes

Killing Floor – Howlin’ Wolf, Jimi Hendrix
Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers, Soledad Brothers
Jenny, Jenny – Little Richard, The Sonics
Underdog – Sly & The Family Stone, The Dirtbombs
You Got Me Hummin’ – Sam & Dave, The Reigning Sound
Girl Named Sandoz – The Animals, The Smashing Pumpkins
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? – Leadbelly, Nirvana
Preaching Blues – Robert Johnson, Gun Club
Who Do You Love – Bo Diddley, George Thorogood
Bonus: Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Nancy Sinatra, The Raconteurs


*note: Jack White's t-shirt says Blind Willie McTell.