Hello World

Nope, we’re not done with Michael Jackson quite yet. I’ve long argued that “Beat It” was the best song of the 80s (not to mention the best video), and I like to think that, as far as I can tell, that’s why nobody has managed to make a decent cover version. However, there are people out there who argue that “Beat It” isn’t even Michael Jackson’s best song of the 80s. Okay, most people argue that. And the song that is usually put forth as superior is “Billie Jean”. I’ll be the first to admit it, “Billie Jean” is a pretty excellent song (and has an excellent video of its own). It’s catchy and fun, but very dark (primary takeaway message: look out for creepy stalkers who will claim that you impregnated them!). And, unlike “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” actually has been covered well. Now I have to admit something I’m not proud of: I first heard about this cover by watching an American Idol contestant rip it off pay homage to it:

I think I enjoyed it as much as Randy did! Anyway, David Cook did acknowledge that the performance was really Chris Cornell’s version of the song, so I tracked down Cornell’s cover and discovered that a) David Cook hadn’t actually done much of anything to distinguish his performance from Cornell’s; and b) Cornell’s performance was really good. Yesterday’s cover of “I Want You Back” deconstructed the original and put it back together with detachment, irony, and perhaps humor. Cornell’s rendition of “Billie Jean”, however, really strips away all but the raw, emotional essence of the original–there’s nothing glamorous, distant, or ironic about this–it’s just an acoustic guitar and a voice. So let’s just listen to it: Billie Jean (Chris Cornell).

Okay, now we’ve had a mashup and a remix. It’s time to explore the magical world of the cover song. Now, there are two ways to completely screw up a cover–one way is to do a version that sounds almost identical to the original (Exhibit A is, let’s just say, not dissimilar to the original); the other way is to do a version that sounds completely, unredeemably awful (Exhibit B makes the overplayed original sound like an absolute work of art; Exhibit C takes one of the greatest songs in the history of rock & roll and makes it awful). But if you take some aspect(s) of the original and integrate them with what makes your music worthwhile, this can work well. The cover song is analogous to the sonnet: it is the inherent restraints of the form that makes the artist’s work creative and interesting.

Even if it weren’t a logical paradox, I wouldn’t wish that every song were a cover. But the form has its place, and it’s not at all unusual for a cover to improve upon its source material or amplify something that had been a mere undercurrent in the original. Either way, I like it.

So let’s discuss today’s selection. Continue reading »