OT: Tracy Chapman at the Grammy’s

[passedout]

Because they’re lying or are having a senior moment, that song was everywhere in 1988.

Yep, most people used to make fun of it. MTV tried cramming her down everyone's throats back in the day, but I can't think of one conversation in the last 35 years with man or woman that involved, "Hey, whatever happened to Tracy Chapman?... Or "You know what was a Grrrrreat 80s song?... Fast Car by Tracy Chapman" 👎🤣

 

[NCPitt]

Which was absolutely the height of irony.....because what he bragged on himself, revealed one of the most boring and boorish people I have ever come in contact with real or cyber.

No bragging. Just facts. Deal with it.

 

[NCPitt]

Great line, calling him The Closer lol...when he comes in they delete the thread

Ah, another fool enters.

 

[NCPitt]

So you don't talk to yourself?

You've never shown a lie from me. You just get blinded by partisanship.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

Covers I like that I thought improved the orignal version

Whiskey In The Jar - Metallica/Thin Lizzy

Because the Night - 10,000 Maniacs / Smith / Springsteen

NIB - Ozzy w/ Primus - Black Sabbath

Backdoor Man - The Doors / Howling Wolf

Blue on Black - 5 Finger Death Punch / Kenny Wayne Sheppard

Only Fools Rush In - UB40 / Elvis Presley (Sliver Soundtrack was solid)

Midnight Rider - Hank Jr / Allman Bros

Cat Scratch Fever - Pantera / Ted Nugent

Take Me to the River - Talking Heads / Al Green

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Some Cover Songs I like but I don't think they surpass the original are like

Tennessee Whiskey and Hurt - Chris Stapleton's version is like a completely different song. It's great but it's almost like an entirely different song. George Jones is the king of country voices and lyrics imo. Cash's Hurt is really good but so is NIN's. They just give different vibes..

 

[ratking17]

I’m just not the NIN fan that you are. He has a certain place in industrial history for sure, but his version of Hurt kinda borders on whiny. And now, when the world thinks of this song, they think of it as Cash’s.

Yeah....NIN is one of my must follows. Seen them close to 30 times. Outstanding live performances.

 

[ratking17]

Another cover people really like is the pumpkins cover of landslide and while I am huge psychotic fan of corgan, no way is landslide better than the original.

 

[Upg bobcat]

Nobody mentioned William Hung's cover of I Believe I Can Fly?

 

[MorningCoffee13]

I have never understood why people say cash covering hurt is superior to the original...no it is not. Trent wrote such a deep song that lyrically was the opposite of the nihilistic downward spiral album. Cash's cover isn't bad....it's good...but it isn't superior to NIN

I guess when Trent says the song is now Cash’s, I think I will respect the artist thought.

 

[DT_PITT]

Yeah....NIN is one of my must follows. Seen them close to 30 times. Outstanding live performances.

I am the same with R.E.M. who I’ve seen a measly 9 times.

 

[PittPharm2002]

I have to strongly disagree with this one. I think that is a pointless poor cover that’s clearly a money grab. To your list I will add Aretha Franklin covering Otis Redding with Respect, the Talking Heads covering Al Green’s Take Me to the River and Crosby Stills and Nash bettering Joni Mitchell’s Woodstalk.

I think it’s really fun -
Not a great cover - but I like it .
Honestly , on my shuffle I prefer it over the original

 

[PittPharm2002]

I’m just not the NIN fan that you are. He has a certain place in industrial history for sure, but his version of Hurt kinda borders on whiny. And now, when the world thinks of this song, they think of it as Cash’s.

I think hurt is one of the weaker songs on that album along with closer.
March of the pigs, Mr self destruct , reptile are far better songs
Trent is a prince level musical genius in my opinion

 

[DT_PITT]

I think it’s really fun -
Not a great cover - but I like it .
Honestly , on my shuffle I prefer it over the original

You may like it better and that’s personal preference, but no one would ever say Smooth Criminal is now a Alien Any Farm song instead of Micheal Jackson.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Covers I like that I thought improved the orignal version

Whiskey In The Jar - Metallica/Thin Lizzy

Because the Night - 10,000 Maniacs / Smith / Springsteen

NIB - Ozzy w/ Primus - Black Sabbath

Backdoor Man - The Doors / Howling Wolf

Blue on Black - 5 Finger Death Punch / Kenny Wayne Sheppard

Only Fools Rush In - UB40 / Elvis Presley (Sliver Soundtrack was solid)

Midnight Rider - Hank Jr / Allman Bros

Cat Scratch Fever - Pantera / Ted Nugent

Take Me to the River - Talking Heads / Al Green

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some Cover Songs I like but I don't think they surpass the original are like

Tennessee Whiskey and Hurt - Chris Stapleton's version is like a completely different song. It's great but it's almost like an entirely different song. George Jones is the king of country voices and lyrics imo. Cash's Hurt is really good but so is NIN's. They just give different vibes..

Because the night is a terrific version -
Mad I forgot that one !

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

i love how people are upset at someone for not knowing who tracy freaking chapman is. who gives a Sh*t. she had 3 good songs in the late 80s, she's not exactly the king of pop..

Haha. I remember that Give Me One Reason song being played ad nauseum one summer when I was younger. You couldn't get away from it. I hated it at the time, but I like it now. I find that to be the case with a lot of songs, actually.

 

[PittPharm2002]

You may like it better and that’s personal preference, but no one would ever say Smooth Criminal is now an Alien Any Farm song instead of Micheal Jackson.

Of course not - just a cover I like .
Just like nobody thinks under my thumb is a social distortion song .
I like the faster upbeat versions , personally

The ska band Buck -o- nine does a great Misfits cover for “teenagers from mars”

Sublime’s cover of “We’re Only Gonna Die” from bad religion is superb as well

 

[cruzer]

can anyone name 3 songs that tracy chapman sang? I know of 2, fast car and the "give me one reason to stay here, and i'll turn right back around" song. that's it.

WIthout cheating, can anyone name a 3rd?

EDIT: i just cheated, talking about a revolution was a good one. that's 3. she actually re-did "Stand by me" that i liked too.

Sorry

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

In general, I can't stand covers that don't significantly alter the song. I would put this Luke Combs song in that category. It's more karaoke than a cover.

And Whiskey In The Jar is not a Thin Lizzy song, though I think that at least sounds organic. Everything Metallica does is so plasticky.

 

[MorningCoffee13]

Because the night is a terrific version -
Mad I forgot that one !

Because the Night is Patti’s song first because Bruce wrote it for her. So technically he covered her song. 10.000 Maniacs version was done to just capture that esthetic back at that time. Patti’s is still best version.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Because the Night is Patti’s song first because Bruce wrote it for her. So technically he covered her song. 10.000 Maniacs version was done to just capture that esthetic back at that time. Patti’s is still best version.

None of them are drastically different from the others, to me. Different voices and styles, yes. But it's not like, for example, Manfred Mann covering Bruce's Blinded By the Light, where it's actually a new take on the song.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Because the night is a terrific version -
Mad I forgot that one !

It's just a great song all around. But I do like Natalie and Patti Smith's versions more than Bruce.

 

[Gep Dawg]

dude, it was 30 years ago, a song, i mean, it's not that crazy. she was relevant from 1988 to about 1992(ish). most posters werent even born yet when she faded out of the spotlight..

Basically if you knew what Zelda's and its roof were (RIP) than you knew who Tracy Chapman was. But there is a lot of truth to this that so many here werent even born. Someone mentioned Dougie Howser in a work meeting recently and half of the room had no idea what she was talking about. Blew this Gen Xer's mind because both were so ubiquitous when we were kids.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

And Whiskey In The Jar is not a Thin Lizzy song

Don't they trace the roots of that song back something like 500 years?

 

[PittPharm2002]

Don't they trace the roots of that song back something like 500 years?

Yeah
The pogoes and Dublineers. Versions I’m more familiar with

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Don't they trace the roots of that song back something like 500 years?

Yeah.......regardless.....love both the Thin Lizzy and Metallica versions. Another great song that you have to try to **** it up.

 

[mike412]

id' be curious to know how much Royalties or whatever you call it, Tracy has received from Luke's version of Fast car being so popular..

I'd imagine she gets a nice chunk of change since this song is played every 15 minutes on every country radio station for the last year..

Did she write the song? If so, she gets performance rights, which are like royalties, from ASCAP or BMI, whichever performance society she belongs to, for every airplay or live performance he does. If she didn’t write it, she gets nada.

Performance rights income generally is lower that other types of income received by artists who perform songs they have written. But, if a song is a big hit, it’s a nice chunk of change. 50% goes to the writer and 50% goes to the publisher, which is why most songwriters also own their own publishing rights.

Some years ago, Paul McCartney decided to switch a good chunk of his investments from the stock market to buying publishing rights in music. He reasoned that he should invest in an area he knew well. From what I have been told by pretty good sources, he has made a fortune by picking the right catalogs of songs to buy. But, he didn’t buy The Beatles catalog when Apple put it up for sale. Michael Jackson bought it, reportedly for far more than it was worth. Jackson bought it as an ego thing rather than as a good investment. McCartney dropped out of the bidding when he thought it had gone too high.

Later, after Jackson died his estate sold the catalog. I don’t think the sale ever has been made public, but I heard from pretty good sources that McCartney bought it for much less than Jackson had paid years earlier. When you consider how much of that catalog is songs that McCartney wrote or co-wrote with John Lennon, McCartney basically was able to buy it back with some of the money he got when Jackson bought it years earlier.

 

[maxxwell]

Because the Night is Patti’s song first because Bruce wrote it for her. So technically he covered her song. 10.000 Maniacs version was done to just capture that esthetic back at that time. Patti’s is still best version.

Well, maybe not the whole story, as I've read it. Springsteen wrote that song ostensibly for inclusion on Darkness on the Edge of Town, but it ended up getting cut from the album. Springsteen's producer was also working with Patti Smith and asked Springsteen if she could do the song and Springsteen gave her permission. Like Dylan's version of Wagon Wheel, the lyrics may not have been completely finished, or she altered some of the lyrics and recorded it and it became a hit. Springsteen would perform his original version in concerts, maybe even as early as the tour for Darkness, and I believe it's shown up later in some Live albums or retrospectives. Haven't actually kept up with his releases the last 10-15 years.

PS, I just remembered that back in the day I had some old studio bootlegs of Springsteen stuff and there was one when they were working on that song and, Man, it was a rough cut at that time. LOL

 

[Ski11585]

I like John Mellencamp’s Wild Nights more than Van’s. That may just be because I saw it 723 times on MTV though.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Well, maybe not the whole story, as I've read it. Springsteen wrote that song ostensibly for inclusion on Darkness on the Edge of Town, but it ended up getting cut from the album. Springsteen's producer was also working with Patti Smith and asked Springsteen if she could do the song and Springsteen gave her permission. Like Dylan's version of Wagon Wheel, the lyrics may not have been completely finished, or she altered some of the lyrics and recorded it and it became a hit. Springsteen would perform his original version in concerts, maybe even as early as the tour for Darkness, and I believe it's shown up later in some Live albums or retrospectives. Haven't actually kept up with his releases the last 10-15 years.

PS, I just remembered that back in the day I had some old studio bootlegs of Springsteen stuff and there was one when they were working on that song and, Man, it was a rough cut at that time. LOL

I seem to remember him saying at one time that he never thought he could get the lyrics right, and he gave it to her because he just couldn't figure it out. And then she completely redid the lyrics and he loved it.

 

[maxxwell]

I seem to remember him saying at one time that he never thought he could get the lyrics right, and he gave it to her because he just couldn't figure it out. And then she completely redid the lyrics and he loved it.

Wouldn't doubt it. I just went and read the Wikipedia entry and amazingly, my memory was pretty spot on but, ya, he seemed to struggle with the lyrics for a long time and Iovine convinced him to let Patti do it. Wikipedia says he performed it with her, her first time. I'm quite certain I've heard him do it, and Blinded by the Light, too. I think I have about 15 Springsteen shows under my belt.

PS If I'm not mistaken, Fire may have been another from Darkness on the Edge of Town that was not used and given away.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Covers I like that I thought improved the orignal version

Whiskey In The Jar - Metallica/Thin Lizzy

Not sure I'd call Thin Lizzy the original version. The best version is with the Dubliners and Luke Kelly singing.

 

[MorningCoffee13]

Well, maybe not the whole story, as I've read it. Springsteen wrote that song ostensibly for inclusion on Darkness on the Edge of Town, but it ended up getting cut from the album. Springsteen's producer was also working with Patti Smith and asked Springsteen if she could do the song and Springsteen gave her permission. Like Dylan's version of Wagon Wheel, the lyrics may not have been completely finished, or she altered some of the lyrics and recorded it and it became a hit. Springsteen would perform his original version in concerts, maybe even as early as the tour for Darkness, and I believe it's shown up later in some Live albums or retrospectives. Haven't actually kept up with his releases the last 10-15 years.

PS, I just remembered that back in the day I had some old studio bootlegs of Springsteen stuff and there was one when they were working on that song and, Man, it was a rough cut at that time. LOL

I know the story. But Patti added her lyrics to make it what it is. So survey says…Bruce covered himself. Lol

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

you all can and probably should punch me in the face for this ridiculous statement im about to say but i feel like it needs to be said.

UB40's version of Fools Rush In is better than the King's original version. ok, not terrible but here is the real kicker. Yet another version i like even better than both is "Lick the Tins" version. Any 80's movies fans will know this version from the ending of Some Kind of Wonderful..

and i like elvis..

listen before you judge me..

fools rush in some kind of wonderful - Search Videos

www.bing.com

 

[FreeportPanther]

you all can and probably should punch me in the face for this ridiculous statement im about to say but i feel like it needs to be said.

UB40's version of Fools Rush In is better than the King's original version. ok, not terrible but here is the real kicker. Yet another version i like even better than both is "Lick the Tins" version. Any 80's movies fans will know this version from the ending of Some Kind of Wonderful..

and i like elvis..

listen before you judge me..

fools rush in some kind of wonderful - Search Videos

www.bing.com

I just knew you were a closet "Chick Flick" fan!

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I just knew you were a closet "Chick Flick" fan!

whoa whoa whoa. Some Kind of Wonderful is not a chick flick, it's an 80's flick. HUGE difference..

plus, leah thompson was in it, in her prime.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

whoa whoa whoa. Some Kind of Wonderful is not a chick flick, it's an 80's flick. HUGE difference..

plus, leah thompson was in it, in her prime.

Hey, if I was Hardy, I would have dumped her for the Phillips chick too. She was hot.