Three Rules For Successful Cover Songs: #1 Make It Different

8 June, 2010

I wrote last week about how hard it is to pull off really good cover songs but that if you followed a few simple guidelines you should be alright. Those guidelines were: make the song different, make the song your own, shed a new light on the subject.

Imagine how hard it would be then, to pull off a full length EP of cover songs where each one meets these three criteria. Well that is exactly what Peter Gabriel did. Last February Gabriel released Scratch My Back, his 8th studio album, the first one in as many years, composed of 12 covers, including songs by David Bowie, Paul Simon, Arcade Fire, Regina Spektor and Radiohead. This just makes sense to me, since I have always like Peter Gabriel's voice and almost never liked his songs. (in this regards he is the opposite of Leonard Cohen who writes the best songs but should never be allowed to perform them himself).

The title, Scratch My Back, which is the first condition of the reciprocal idiom, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, seems to be making a clear statement on the nature of covers and the ownership of songs. The idea behind the album was that each of the would-be covered artists could freely cover one of his songs if he could do the same. This is one of the newest concepts to hit indie/rock coverdom since The Flaming Lips decided to record and release Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (more on that soon).

Each track on Scratch My Back follows the first rule of successful cover songs: Make the song different. I'll only site one track as example, since it is the one i was least likely to approve of: The Book of Love by the Magnetic Fields. A long time fan of any and all things related to singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt (The 6ths, The Hyacinths, The Future Bible Heroes, etc), I was skeptical at first. Merritt's version has a single voice singing along to a well reverberated ukelele perfect for capturing the humor of the lyrics. Gabriel sings his version of Book Of Love over a small chamber orchestra. The first two lines of the song are hesitant, almost reluctant as if not sure he wants to sing, but then he jumps an octave, floating over the strings, weather-worn but determined. Rather than humorous Gabriel's version centers on the pathos always present in Merritt's lyrics but obscured by his almost deadpan delivery.

Part of the difference wrought on these songs by Gabriel and arranger John Metcalfe comes ironically from the unity all the songs have. Driving by strings, simple synth pads and powerful arranging, you would never guess these weren't all written by the same person for this album specifically. Give them a listen, all it will take is one of these covers to make it through to you and you will want to buy the whole album.