Skip to main content

12 covers of Beatles songs

"12 by..." aims to summarize an artist's career in 12 songs. This one features artists covering ...

If there's any doubt about how influential The Beatles are in pop music, one only needs to look at the long and ever-growing list of covers that have been done of their songs. Like the young painter who recreates a masterpiece or a budding film director who breaks down their favorite movie shot-by-shot, musicians can't resist trying to recreate on the sublime compositions of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. 

What's amazing is that The Beatles inspired cover versions not only by those artists that came after, but by their contemporaries and predecessors as well. The best cover versions are the ones that the artists make their own, the ones that sound like they were written for or by that artist. So, behold, the 12 best covers of Beatles songs! 

1. Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete - "I'm A Loser" (from Live At El Matador, 1966) 
Two dominant forces of '60s pop culture - The Beatles and Charles Schulz's Peanuts - combine in this track. Guaraldi is the jazz pianist responsible for the unforgettable music in the Peanuts animated specials, and along with guitarist Sete, he makes Lennon's Beatles For Sale into a bossa nova composition wholly his own. 

2. Joe Cocker - "With a Little Help From My Friends" (found on With a Little Help From My Friends, 1969) 
The once and future Wonder Years theme does something few other Beatles covers have done, namely become the definitive version of the song. 

3. Chubby Checker - "Back In The USSR" (single, 1969) 
The Twist maestro does a punchy, energetic version of The White Album standout that'll lead you straight to the dancefloor. 

4. Marvin Gaye - "Yesterday" (from That's the Way Love Is, 1970) 

Imagine Yesterday as a Motown ballad and that's exactly what you get here. Marvin's amazing vocal, ranging from clear and pure to ragged and tortured, belongs in a guarded vault somewhere.

5. Elton John - "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" (from single, 1974; reissued on CD version of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy) 
John Lennon played back-up, and Elton still managed to make this his own, incorporating a reggae feel. The trippy slow-moving vibe of the original is replaced with clarity and pep, and a modified melody on the bridge. 

6. Earth, Wind & Fire - "Got To Get You Into My Life" (from The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol.1, 1978) 
A rare case where the cover is more recognizable than the original; I'm guessing there are many many people who don't even identify this as a Beatles song. However, the Beatles version is not as far off from this horn-happy remake as you might think. The only bad thing you could say about this song is that it appeared in the stinkbomb flim Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

7. Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Dear Prudence" (found on Hyaena, 1984) 
Siouxsie put her spacey/dreamy mark on John Lennon's pretty plea and made a hit out of it. My favorite part is the echoing background vocals that follow the title phrase. 

8. P.M. Dawn - "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" (from The Bliss Album...?, 1993) 
Bringing The Beatles into the hip-hop nation subtly, with just a little bit of scratching. Wisely, the Corday brothers kept the focus on the melody, and even prettied it up with their harmonies. 

9. Willie Nelson - "One After 909" (from Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles, 1995) 
One of the earliest Lennon/McCartney compositions suits Willie perfectly, falling squarely into that "it could have been one of his songs" category. The arrangement is wisely sparse, with a little bit of guitar, piano and percussion, matching the simplicity of the lyric. 

10. Phil Keaggy & PFR - "We Can Work It Out" (from Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles, 1995) 
This Christian rock outfit takes on one of my favorite Beatles songs, and expands the intro into an appealing classical guitar/string quartet showcase before exploding into the familiar. The chorus becomes Queen-esque, with multiple vocal lines and melodies swirling together. 

11. Art Garfunkel - "I Will" (Live) (found on Across America, 1997) 
Originally done for an album dedicated to his son, Art's version of I Will is a perfect illustration of the often-repeated American Idol credo: "It's all about song-choice." You'd be hard pressed to find a better match for Garfunkel's choirboy voice, and he can even be forgiven for flubbing some of the lyrics in this live version (another Idol mainstay, come to think of it). 

12. Rufus Wainwright - "Across the Universe" (found on I Am Sam - Music From and Inspired By the Motion Picture, 2001) 
Lots of artists put their all into the I Am Sam songs and came up with great versions (Ben Folds, Eddie Vedder, Aimee Mann and Michael Penn, and Paul Westerberg all come to mind), but Rufus wins the gold star. The guitar accompaniment (instead of his usual piano) has the effect of grounding the song, giving it a live feel. It doesn't really matter anyway, since Rufus' distinct vocals are the main draw.

Comments

CTV said…
Excellent call on EW&F, of course.

I'd rather hear Shatner do Lucy In The Sky... than Elton, to be honest. What Capt'n Kirk does with the word "girl" is astounding.

One song which merits inclusion is John Denver's version of Mother's Nature Child. Odd though it might seem, Denver strips the song of McCartney's soppiness and invests into it a lovely folk groove.
4:36 PM
Margaret said…
I really like The Beatles. The song that they bring very interesting, that's what makes them legendary band. Songs from them I like the most is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, I need you, hey, Jude.
8:59 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REO Speedwagon: R.E.O. Speedwagon (1971)

REO Speedwagon got its start in the late 1960s on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. The band grew out of a friendship between a students Neal Doughty (piano/keyboard) and Alan Gratzer (drums). Joining up with a couple of other musicians, they took the name R.E.O. Speedwagon. It wasn't long before they started getting gigs at parties and bars, doing covers of the hits of the day. The band cycled through several players in its first three years, with Gratzer and Doughty as the only constants. One-by-one they added the members that would form the first "official" lineup: singer Terry Luttrell in early 1968, bassist Gregg Philbin later that summer, and guitarist Gary Richrath at the end of 1970. Richrath was a native of Peoria, 90 miles northwest of Champaign, and had essentially stalked the band until they let him join. It was a good move, as he not only an accomplished guitarist, but also a songwriter. With Richrath the band ascended to the n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stuck, or Obsession Cessastion

You may have noticed that things have slowed down around here. I had the summer off from teaching, and I spent it with my 7 month-old son. I gave myself permission to make this blog less of a priority. Well, "less of a priority" is putting it lightly. Initially, I considered an abrupt retirement. But then I reconsidered. Maybe the proximity to Brett Favre is causing this. If you're a long time reader, this is probably not all that surprising to you. Since 2007, it has become an annual ritual for me to soul-search about my waning interest in music. First I blamed an inability to express myself and a lack of quality music . Then in 2008 I cited new technology and the death of the album . Last year I wrote about how my changing life priorities hindered my ability to seek out new music. I've done a lot of thinking about it this summer and in truth I believe this was all just dancing around the issue, a slow realization of something I didn't want to admit to myse...
7 comments
Read more

Rock Bottom: The Beach Boys

The one constant in every established artist's oeuvre is the bad album , the one that's reviled by both fans and critics. Those unlovable albums are the ones this feature, Rock Bottom , is concerned with. Here's how it works: I've consulted three sources, the AllMusic Guide and Rolling Stone (for the critical point-of-view) and Amazon.com (for the fan perspective*). The album with the lowest combined rating from both sources is the one I'll consider the worst. I may not always agree with the choice, and my reviews will reflect that. I'll also offer a considered alternative. Finally, there are some limits. The following types of albums don't count: 1) b-sides or remix compilations, 2) live albums, 3) albums recorded when the band was missing a vital member, and 4) forays into a different genres (i.e. classical). *A note about Amazon.com. I consider this the fan perspective, because most people who choose to review albums on this site are adoring fans of ...
1 comment
Read more