Best Cover Song
Musicians have been covering other artists’ songs since, well, songs existed. Standards, spirituals, and folk songs were all meant to be interpreted, while the early history of rock and blues saw song swapping with abandon. And sometimes, when another artist takes on an established song, something magical happens – the new version ends up being far greater than the original could have ever hoped to be. With that in mind, the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to discuss: What is the Best Cover Song of all time? Up for debate: “Respect” by Aretha Franklin,“I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany, “Killing Me Softly” by Fugees, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera/Mya/Pink/Lil Kim, “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion, “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner, “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix, “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, and more.
Host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Andrea Guerrero, Derek Mekita, and Jonny Minogue cover familiar ground, debating the best pop, rock, and r'n'b songs that were originally recorded by other artists.
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Match-Up 1: “Respect” by Aretha Franklin vs. “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany
Match-Up 2: “Killing Me Softly” by Fugees vs. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
Match-Up 3: “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell vs. “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
Match-Up 4: “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera/Mya/Pink/Lil Kim vs. “Hazy Shade of Winter” by The Bangles
Match-Up 5: “Valerie” by Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse vs. “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion
Match-Up 6: “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner vs. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross
Match-Up 7: “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix vs. “I’m Every Woman” by Whitney Houston
Match-Up 8: “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston vs. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Kim Wilde
Want to compare the Sweet 16 with the original versions of each song — as well as a bunch of other great cover songs and their inspirations? We made a playlist for you:
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EPISODE CREDITS
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Andrea Guerrero, Derek Mekita, Jonny Minogue
Producer: Mike Rapin
Editor: Jeffery Perry
