Music Banter - View Single Post - I'm Here Today, Expect It To Stay On

Key · 10-08-2013, 07:56 PM

Something I can't stand is why people should be allowed to cover songs and do a terrible job at them. There are a lot out there that really just make me want to rip my ears off, and I figured this would be a great place to discuss it. Unfortunately, I also hear them everyday at work (retail radio is exhausting after a while), so I have no problem remembering the ones I wish to discuss, and more will come i'm sure.

Anyway, let's start with this one...

American Pie
Original: Don McLean
Cover: Madonna

This is one of those examples of songs that I have to listen to everyday because it plays everyday at work. American Pie is a classic, and was released on the American Pie album in 1971. For some ungodly reason, there was a cover released of the same song by Madonna. Now...don't get so antsy, I don't have anything against Madonna, nor do I think she has a terrible voice, but...why in gods name did she think it was of acceptable behavior to cover an already perfectly performed song? She has her own music career, so she should just stick to what she already knows. I don't care if the reasoning had anything to do with "wanting to bring back a classic", because this isn't one of those instances where it's acceptable, at least in my unchanging opinion. Don McLean released it and that's the way it should have stayed. I see no reason for an already perfect song to be released by anybody else.

Madonna is a big name, I get that, and people wouldn't think twice if they heard her cover because not a lot of people born in the last 20 years recognize Don McLean nor would they be able to get an image in their head of what he looks like. In my opinion, and not only with this song, their should be a disclaimer before a cover is played either on the radio or whatever, someone should start by saying "this song is a cover of [song name] by [artist]", that way there is still some connection with the original artist, instead of people just hearing the cover and thinking it's the original. Will that ever happen? Probably not. Will terrible covers seize to exist? Hell no. But that's just how the world works. Stay tuned for more.

10-08-2013, 07:56 PM	#77 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	Something I can't stand is why people should be allowed to cover songs and do a terrible job at them. There are a lot out there that really just make me want to rip my ears off, and I figured this would be a great place to discuss it. Unfortunately, I also hear them everyday at work (retail radio is exhausting after a while), so I have no problem remembering the ones I wish to discuss, and more will come i'm sure. Anyway, let's start with this one... American Pie Original: Don McLean Cover: Madonna This is one of those examples of songs that I have to listen to everyday because it plays everyday at work. American Pie is a classic, and was released on the American Pie album in 1971. For some ungodly reason, there was a cover released of the same song by Madonna. Now...don't get so antsy, I don't have anything against Madonna, nor do I think she has a terrible voice, but...why in gods name did she think it was of acceptable behavior to cover an already perfectly performed song? She has her own music career, so she should just stick to what she already knows. I don't care if the reasoning had anything to do with "wanting to bring back a classic", because this isn't one of those instances where it's acceptable, at least in my unchanging opinion. Don McLean released it and that's the way it should have stayed. I see no reason for an already perfect song to be released by anybody else. Madonna is a big name, I get that, and people wouldn't think twice if they heard her cover because not a lot of people born in the last 20 years recognize Don McLean nor would they be able to get an image in their head of what he looks like. In my opinion, and not only with this song, their should be a disclaimer before a cover is played either on the radio or whatever, someone should start by saying "this song is a cover of [song name] by [artist]", that way there is still some connection with the original artist, instead of people just hearing the cover and thinking it's the original. Will that ever happen? Probably not. Will terrible covers seize to exist? Hell no. But that's just how the world works. Stay tuned for more.