Cover Song
Freddie Gibbs Covers Gil Scott-Heron’s “Winter in America”: Stream
Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs has released a cover of influential poet Gil Scott-Heron’s 1975 song, “Winter in America”. Check out the song below. Shining a light on American colonialism, the absence of democracy, and racism, “Winter in America” first appeared on Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, and the Midnight Band’s 1975 album, The First Minute of a New Day. In his version, Gibbs pays tribute to Scott-Heron by singing in a spoken-word flow. Unfortunately, the lyrics are just as applicable today as they were 45 years ago. “Just like the cities staggered on the coastline / In a nation that can’t take much more,” he croons. “Like the forest buried underneath the highway / Never had a chance to grow.” “Winter In America” appears on Black History Always – Music For The Movement Vol. 2, t...
Lzzy Hale’s Powerhouse Vocals Highlight Halestorm’s Cover of The Who’s “Long Live Rock”: Stream
Halestorm have covered The Who’s “Long Live Rock” in conjunction with the recently announced documentary of the same name. The rousing rendition is fueled by frontwoman Lzzy Hale’s powerful vocals. The new documentary Long Live Rock … Celebrate the Chaos focuses on the culture surrounding hard rock, with appearances by members of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, Halestorm, and many others. It was filmed at a number of U.S. rock festivals in recent years, and also spotlights fans of the music, as they “commune with their ‘rock families’.” In promotion of the movie, Halestorm have tackled “Long Live Rock”, which was released on The Who’s 1974 rarities collection, Odds & Sods, and also featured during the credits of the legendary UK band’s 1979 documentar...
10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Honors Keith Moon with Rousing Drum Cover of The Who’s “My Generation”: Watch
Having owned 2020 and conquered Dave Grohl in an epic drum battle, 10-year-old Nandi Bushell has now set her sights on the Mount Rushmore of rock drummers. Her latest YouTube video sees her dedicating a drum cover of The Who classic “My Generation” to the late, great Keith Moon. Moon is in the pantheon of drumming gods along with the likes of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and Rush’s Neil Peart, among others, but that didn’t stop young Nandi from tackling the iconic Who song. As she’s shown us in her previous videos, she’s incredibly talented. What’s more, she’s a bundle of energy and joy behind the kit. “My Generation” is a fitting choice for Nandi, as she represents a new generation of young rockers. It was also, in many ways, one of the first punk songs before punk rock was even a thing — w...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Celebrate Valentine’s Day with “Tainted Love”: Watch
With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday, King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox, brought a little romance to their “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series. The pair performed the Soft Cell hit “Tainted Love” from their own bed, with a little sexual innuendo thrown into the visual. By Robert and Toyah standards, the performance itself was a bit tame, compared to their previous editions of “Sunday Lunch”. As Robert played “Tainted Love” on guitar while sitting against the headboard, Toyah popped up from out of the frame with her own guitar at the foot of the bed to begin singing the tune — which was made popular by Soft Cell as a synth-pop hit in 1981 after originally being recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. Fripp’s face was covered in lipstick kisses, and his usual fo...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Salute a Famous Misheard Lyric in Cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”: Watch
It’s Super Bowl Sunday in the United States, but in the UK it’s another super “Sunday Lunch” with Robert Fripp and Toyah. This time around, the King Crimson guitarist and his singer wife have a little fun with the Jimi Hendrix Experience classic “Purple Haze”, incorporating rock’s most famous misheard lyric into their performance. As she did last week for “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, Toyah straps on a guitar for the Hendrix song. While Fripp is considered one of rock’s most innovative guitarists, Toyah is no Jimi Hendrix … or Robert Fripp, for that matter. But this is not an exercise in guitar histrionics, it’s an amusing take on an iconic rock song. Compared to their recent “Sunday Lunch” covers, their take on “Purple Haze” is rather subdued, both in physicality and Toyah’s attire. Where it ge...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Take on “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”: Watch
It wouldn’t be Sunday without another fun take on a rock classic by King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox. This time, the pair cover “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, with Toyah strapping on a guitar to go along with her vocals. Robert and Toyah have become YouTube sensations in recent weeks with their “Sunday Lunch” quarantine performances. They’ve been covering rock classics for a few months now, but they truly went viral earlier this month with a take on Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” — a rendition that saw Toyah riding an exercise bike while wearing a revealing top that garnered thousands of comments filled with euphemisms. They followed with performances of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”, and now they’ve graced us with a cover of...
Shovels & Rope Enlist Sharon Van Etten to Cover The Beach Boys’ “In My Room”: Stream
Shovels & Rope (photo by Todd Cooper) and Sharon Van Etten (photo by Ryan Pfluger) Shovels & Rope have teamed up with Sharon Van Etten for a cover of The Beach Boys’ “In My Room”. The track is part of an upcoming covers collection called Busted Jukebox Volume 3 that’s loosely inspired by the act of parenting. The first two installments of Shovels & Rope’s collaborative series arrived in 2015 and 2017, respectively, and both of those projects were loaded with guests like Brandi Carlile and Shakey Graves. Volume 3 has the cheeky alternative titled Busted Juicebox because all of the guests musicians are parents themselves, and the songs they chose to cover — from lullabies and American songbook standards, to R.E.M. and Janis Joplin cuts — are emotionally relate...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Turn Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” into a Serpentine Workout: Watch
King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah Willcox are back with another Sunday treat — a musical workout routine to the Guns N’ Roses classic “Welcome to the Jungle”. The couple’s last two “Sunday Lunch” quarantine performances — Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” — are closing in on a combined 5 million views. Those clips are as popular for Toyah’s revealing outfits as much as the couple’s quirky takes on the rock classics, and the trend continues for the GN’R cover. Fitness seems to be a central theme to the playful pair’s recent performances. After rocking an exercise bike (“Enter Sandman”) and a cheerleader routine (“Rebel Yell”), Toyah turns the focus on biceps with dumbbell curls, all while paying homage to Axl Rose’s signature snake dance. Fu...
Ghost’s Tobias Forge Covers Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” with the Hellacopters on Swedish TV: Watch
Ghost frontman Tobias Forge joined The Hellacopters for a cover of The Rolling Stones classic “Sympathy for the Devil” Friday evening (January 22nd) on Swedish television. The performance aired as a segment on the På Spåret quiz show on Sweden’s national TV network SVT. Forge, who has taken on a handful of identities as Ghost’s frontman over the years, retired his Cardinal Copia persona during the band’s only show of 2020, a March 3rd gig in Mexico City. That concert ended the tour cycle for their most recent album, Prequelle, and introduced Forge’s new guise, Papa Emeritus IV. Performing as Papa Emeritus IV, Forge was backed by fellow Swedes The Hellacopters for the televised rendition of “Sympathy for the Devil”, a song with a title that fittingly sums up a central theme of Ghost’s ...
Limp Bizkit, Mastodon, 311, Filter, The Used, Veruca Salt Members Cover Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song”: Watch
The Kings of Quarantine — a collective spearheaded by Slaves on Dope members Jason Rockman and Kevin Jardine along with Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher — are back with an all-star cover of the Jane’s Addiction classic “Mountain Song”. This time around, they’re joined by members of Limp Bizkit, 311, Filter, Veruca Salt, The Used, and In Flames. Kelliher and Jardine are joined on guitar by Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland, while vocals are handled by Rockman, Veruca Salt’s Louise Post, Filter’s Richard Patrick, and The Used’s Bert McCracken. The rhythm section is made up of 311’s P-Nut on bass and In Flames’ Tanner Wayne on drums. The singers all do an admirable job on the challenging tune, as “Mountain Song” is one of Perry Farrell’s finest vocal moments in Jane’s Addiction. McCracken’s turn is e...
King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Gift Us with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” on an Exercise Bike: Watch
King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah owned the pandemic in 2020 with a “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series featuring a number of memorable performances. Thankfully, for those of us still wanting eccentric covers of our favorite rock songs, the couple have continued the series into 2021. Their latest effort is a rendition of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” featuring Toyah riding an exercise bike. As Fripp plays the iconic “Enter Sandman” riff on guitar, Toyah rides the bike, writhing around as she sings and acts out the song’s lyrics. This time around, it’s not so much the performance as it is Toyah’s revealing choice of apparel that has garnered the most comments on YouTube. In just one day, the clip has more than a half million views. “Enter Sandman” isn’t Robert and Toyah...
Sky Ferreira Shares Unreleased Cover of David Bowie’s “All The Madmen”: Stream
She still hasn’t offered any updates on her new album, but Sky Ferreira has given us something. On Friday, the 28-year-old pop artist took to Instagram to share a previously unreleased cover of David Bowie‘s “All The Madmen”. As Ferreira indicated in the caption with an all-caps “HBD”, her rendition of the tune from his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World was in honor of Bowie’s 74th birthday. Ferreira also wrote informed fans that the cover is not new. She labeled it a “lost tape recording/demo” version of the song, and included a parenthetical, “(I just found this btw)”, to underscore that it’s a rarity she recently dug out of the archives. Nevertheless, a new song of any kind from Ferreira doesn’t happen often. After breaking out with her 2013 debut Night Time, My Time, we’v...
