"Crimson and Clover" was released by Tommy James and the Shondells in 68. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts covered it in 82. Unlike Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now", "Crimson and Clover" is more dated, both musically and vocally, than its 80's cover. The album version of the original, which is the cut I posted, gets really psychedelic at about the halfway point. But that's not a bad thing here. This is one of the definitive late 60's psychedelic pop songs. Through songs such as this, I can experience the late 60's musically -- safely -- without ever having had to actually live through them.
Although punky, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' cover is basically a classic rock song. It's harder than the original, but it's also less noisy. You can hear a lot of instruments in the original; the cover is almost all guitar. The cover is also sexy -- and that's not an adjective that I throw around to describe songs (or anything for that matter) -- from the very first words from Joan Jett's lips. Although not as sexual as Joan Jett's "Do You Wanna Touch Me", it is sexier. Although the lyrics are the same, when I hear the original "Crimson and Clover", it sounds to me as if Tommy James is singing about doing drugs. When I listen to the cover, it sounds as if Joan Jett is singing about doing something a lot more fun.
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"I Think We're Alone Now" was released by Tommy James and the Shondells in 67. Exactly two decades later, Tiffany covered it. "I Think We're Alone Now" is a song about youth, sung by youth -- Tommy James and Tiffany were 19 and 15, respectively. Tiffany's version feels even more youthful, but also more immature. The original ages better and better evokes, in its quiet moments, the feeling between two young lovers that there is no one else in the world. Congratulations world, you win this one.
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"I Got You Babe" was released by Sonny & Cher in 65. Exactly two decades later, it was covered by UB40 featuring (I refuse to write "feat.") Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. While Cher's never been my cup of tea, and Sonny was a better mayor and representative than a singer, Sonny and Cher work as a duo better than Ali Campbell (then-lead singer of UB40) and Chrissie Hynde. Yet the cover sounds better, and it's my favorite UB40 song. But not because of UB40. Because of Chrissie Hynde. Her singular voice is perfect for this song, foreshadowing the Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You" nine years later. I don't know whether I would prefer the original or the cover if the latter had just been a regular reggae pop song by UB40 without Chrissie. Thankfully I'll never have to know.
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"A Hazy Shade of Winter" was released by Simon & Garfunkel in 66. The Bangles covered the song -- as "Hazy Shade of Winter" (because articles are so old-fashioned) -- for the soundtrack to 87's Less Than Zero (based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis). Simon & Garfunkel is one of my favorite late 60's musical groups, and The Bangles is one of my favorite late 80's bands. However, neither version is one of my favorites from either band, although the cover does fit the film. The only memorable part of either version is the first 30 seconds of the Bangles' cover, which evokes the titular season. If only that season wasn't so short-lived.
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Our first showdown between an 80's original and a post-80's cover comes at the suggestion one of our readers: 85's "Take on Me" by A-Ha vs. the late 90's version by ska punk band Reel Big Fish (God, how 90's I feel writing "ska"). A courageous suggestion by a courageous reader, because "Take on Me" is one of the most quintessential 80's songs, unfortunately remembered more for its video than for its audio. Don't get me wrong, the music video is one of the greatest videos of the 80's -- one of the greatest videos of all time (which is basically the same thing as saying one of the greatest videos of the 80's) -- but the video, as least to some extent, depends on the song; the song stands on its own. As good as the video is, when I hear the song on the radio, I don't even see the video.
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"Get It On" was released by glam rock band T. Rex in 71. In 85, it was covered -- as "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" -- by supergroup Power Station (Robert Palmer + two members of Duran Duran), which released only one album in the 80's. 80's covers of 60's and 70's songs are sometimes slower. Sometimes they're faster. Sometimes they're softer. And sometimes, yes, they're even harder. "Get It On" is one of the hardest 80's covers of a pre-80's song, and was one of the hardest 80's pop songs overall before the mid-80's gave way to the late 80's. Although "Get It On" is definitely an 80's song, really the only truly dated part of the song is its opening, and that's only in comparison to the rest of the song. "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" truly lives up to its title. For a second-generation classic rock song in the midst of the 80's, this is one of your best bets.
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"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones was released in 65. In 77, Devo did a cover. Although their cover is not from the 80's, it is late-70's new wave, without which we wouldn't have the 80's as we know it. I'll just come right out with it: I prefer Devo's cover. I like the original, it's a classic, there would be no Devo cover without it, and I don't prefer Devo's version by a wide margin, but I do prefer the cover. I don't feel sacrilegious to write these words, because I don't view the Rolling Stones -- or any band (even an 80's band) -- as a God. No band's songs are untouchable, above being covered. It's ok if you genuinely prefer the original. I'm sure the vast majority of you do. But you don't have to. Even if you prefer the original -- even if you genuinely dislike Devo's cover -- Devo deserves, at the very least, kudos for having the courage to cover this song (and only twelve years later), and for making it their own.
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