80's covers

Cover songs frustrate me. Most times when a band re-records another's song it is a mistake. Sometimes the selection is iconic and difficult to improve upon (like the 10,000 Maniacs - More Than This) or the remake can be so similar in style of the original that it is rendered pointless (My Chemical Romance – Under Pressure). More often, the band’s lack of talent makes it a complete disaster (T.A.T.U. – How Soon is Now or anything from William Hung).

However, occasionally covers can delight me. Sometimes bands will make the song their own like Love and Rocket’s Ball of Confusion or the English Beat’s Tears of a Clown. None of the tracks below are quite that good, but like Iron & Wine’s Love Vigilantes they offer interesting interpretations on music I heard quite often in the 80’s. In most cases I really liked the original and in all cases I enjoy the cover.

Nada Surf – If You Leave (buy from iTunes)
OMD – If You Leave (buy from iTunes)

Makena – Only You (buy from iTunes)
Yaz - Only You (buy from iTunes)

Flunk – Blue Monday (buy from iTunes)
New Order – Blue Monday (buy from iTunes)

Mixologia – Oh L’Amour (Broken Corazon Remix) (buy from iTunes)
Erasure – Oh L’Amour (buy from iTunes)

Veruca Salt – Somebody (buy from iTunes)
Depeche Mode – Somebody (buy from iTunes)

Susanna Hoffs – We Close Our Eyes (buy from iTunes)
Oingo Boingo – We Close Our Eyes (buy from iTunes)

The Get Up Kids – Close to Me (buy from iTunes)
The Cure – Close to Me (buy from iTunes)

Bowling for Soup – I Ran (buy from iTunes)
Flock of Seagulls – I Ran (buy from iTunes)

The Ataris – The Boys of Summer (buy from iTunes)
Don Henley – The Boys of Summer (buy from iTunes)

David Wilcox – Missing You (buy from iTunes)
John Waite – Missing You (buy from iTunes)

A note for my young readers: the original recording is listed second.