Happy Music Monday! Today Scott's taking a look at songs that exist in two ways: the first version that some people know, and the second version that other people know. Probably you can come up with a few off the top of your head, all those songs that were transformed completely by the cover. Maybe you didn't even know the cover WAS a cover! Here's our first example now:
Lynn Anderson/Kon Kan - I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Lynn Anderson's country crossover hit was pretty popular with, well, a good chunk of America. Kon Kan's dance remix wasn't anywhere nearly as big. But you can tell by listening to them both that they take two very different paths to the end result. I'll leave it to you which one you like best.
Get the idea? Good! Four more on the way...
Iggy Pop/David Bowie - Tonight
The order on this song is a bit complex. Bowie helped write it with Iggy, then Iggy recorded it first, then Bowie recorded it himself but at that point it really felt like a cover, even though it was his own song! Astute clickers might also notice the Iggy version isn't to the original Lust For Life version. RIP Dave.
Dionne Warwick/Naked Eyes - Always Something There To Remind Me
I had no idea who Burt Bacharach was when I first heard this Naked Eyes song. It took me years to learn that it was a cover, and even though I love Ms. Warwick's voice, this song still doesn't sound right to me without the synth pop! A perfect example of how a novel cover can change a song for a new generation.
Nine Inch Nails/Johnny Cash - Hurt
It's amazing to think how many people are alive today who will hear the Cash version before the Reznor original. I think every artist who writes a song dreams of having it stolen from them like this, by one of their heroes. This is one of those covers that you just can't go back from.
Betty Hutton/Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet
Did you know this song was a cover? It's possible you didn't! Betty Hutton's original b-side was charming but not so widely known before Bjork stepped in. And let us be honest with ourselves, this really sounds like it was tailor-made for her, doesn't it?
Feel free to throw your own video pairings in the comments if you like. And let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.