BAD COVER VERSION 015: I’M GONNA TAKE MY PROBLEM TO THE UNITED NATIONS

[defrog]

This week’s cover song is a rockabilly classic and a rock’n’roll standard that’s been covered by everyone from Canadian power trios to Japanese multi-instrumentalists. But only one band has ever really made a hit out of covering it – let’s see how they fare against the original.

THE SONG: “Summertime Blues”

THE ORIGINAL: Eddie Cochran

COMMENTS: Cochran was not only one of rock’s influential pioneers, he also wrote some of the most perfect songs to capture the spirit of teenage life at a time when “teenager” was emerging as an actual demographic category. “Summertime Blues” is teenage America in less than two minutes, and Cochran’s take is short, sweet genius.

THE COVER: The Who

COMMENTS: The Who’s version doesn’t just pay homage to their influences and turn the amps to 11 – it also injects a little more sarcastic anger into the song’s story, which also reflects the angst of the late 60s to some degree. Maybe that’s overintellecualizing, but either way the Who did a great job of taking a song from one era and shaping it for their own.

WINNER: I love both versions, but I have to give this one to The Who. Their version stands by itself, and it’s a top-notch example of how to pwn a song as yr own.

Next week: Vegas crooners vs punk icons!

Too young to vote,

This is dF