Matt invented an interesting concept: Indestructibles. These are those songs you enjoy no matter who’s performing them. (Or in concrete terms, songs you have more than three different versions of in your iTunes library.) I posted a couple over at his site but I keep finding more:
- “One” – U2, U2 + REM, and Johnny Cash
- “Throw Your Arms Around Me” – Hunters and Collectors, Eddie Vedder, Crowded House, the Doug Anthony Allstars
- “Take On Me” – A-Ha, Reel Big Fish, MxPx
- “Fell in Love with a Girl” – White Stripes, Richard Cheese, Joss Stone (though she changes it to “Boy”)
- “Fly Me to the Moon” – Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Julie London
- “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor, Cake, and Jim Carrey (doing Andy Kauffman doing Tony Clifton)
- “Back Home Again in Indiana” – Bobby Darin, Bobby Hackett and Jack Teagarden, Milt Hinton
- “Hotel California” – Eagles, Reel Big Fish, Don Henley (on his own doing a weird reggae version)
- “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” – REM, Great Big Sea, Vic Chestnutt (from a very weird out-of-print REM tribute CD I have called “Surprise Your Pig”)
- “Just Like Heaven” – The Cure, Goldfinger, Richard Cheese
- “Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac, Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos
- “Leaving on a Jet Plane” – John Denver, Chantal Kreviazuk, Me First & the Gimme-Gimmes
- “Losing My Religion” – REM, Tori Amos, Tesco Vee’s Hate Police (again from “Surprise Your Pig”), Sydney (techno dance version)
- “Mrs. Robinson” – Simon and Garfunkel, the Lemonheads, REM (an extremely drunken live version with Robyn Hitchcock)
- “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” – the Beatles, Save Ferris, Enoch Light Orchestra (from a mix CD from Matt, actually!)
- “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” – Charlie Daniels Band, Primus, Lynn Anderson, Alvin & the Chipmunks (no, really), and several other versions where the Devil goes elsewhere
- “Radio Free Europe” – REM, Just Say No (from “Surprise Your Pig”), and The Replacements (an EXTREMELY drunken live version)
- “California Sun” – the Rivieras, Annette Funicello, the Ramones
- “Shiny Happy People” – REM, Mitch Easter, and REM + the Muppets (which is actually “Shiny Happy Monsters”
I’d find more but the Snook’s yelling at me to go to the store…
amy
July 17, 2005 — 9:16 pm
oh dude, you need to go play at The Covers Project:
http://www.coversproject.com/
Max
July 17, 2005 — 10:53 pm
Oh Lord–the very first thing that came to mind was “If You Leave Me Now,” which I inexplicably adore (maybe it’s the “ooh-ooh-OOH” parts). I’ve got the Chicago original, a samba version by Iva Mendes, and two dance remakes (one by Systematix, the other by River Series).
Kris
July 17, 2005 — 11:27 pm
I was actually struggling to remember that song at first, Max, until I re-read your rendition of the “ooh-ooh-OOH” part and suddenly I had Peter Cetera in my head. I love that one too!
patrick
July 18, 2005 — 5:32 am
Is the “One” you mentioned the Three Dog Night song? If so, I haven’t heard any of those versions (but I’m looking them up as I type). I have the original and a creepy slow version by Filter that was on the X-Files movie soundtrack.
I can think of lots of songs that I have two versions of, but the only one that comes to mind with three is “All Along the Watchtower”. It’s a tough game.
patrick
July 18, 2005 — 7:58 am
Re: “One”. Nevermind– Harry Nilsson did the original. I’ve heard the Three Dog Night version so much (and it went to #1 in ’69), I just assumed one of them wrote it.
Kris
July 18, 2005 — 8:39 am
That’s not my “One.” Mine is the one written by U2 in the 90’s. Starts with “Is it getting better? Or do you feel the same? Will it make it easier on you now you have someone to blame?” I’m sure you’ve heard it.
Matt
July 18, 2005 — 9:30 am
Nice, Kris! I’ve never heard of that Indiana song — does it remind you of home?
Kris
July 18, 2005 — 12:30 pm
It’s funny; I didn’t even realize we had that song and I don’t know whether it was the Snook or I that procured it (any of the versions). But when I listened to it last night, it really did make me a little homesick!