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defrogOne of the more interesting phenomenons in modren music is the concept of the signature song – that is, the song that a singer or a band is not only best known for, but also defined by. It’s their song, no one else’s, and it’s the song they almost always close the show with. (Note that this does NOT apply to One Hit Wonders, which is a separate category.) So it’s rare that when you ask the question, “Who is best known for singing <blank>?”, you have more than one possible correct answer. Even rarer when two of the possible answers are Vegas legends, and the third is a punk rock icon.
THE SONG: “My Way”
THE ORIGINAL: Frank Sinatra
COMMENTS: Paul Anka wrote this song specifically for Frank to sing, and it shows in the lyrics. By 1969, Frank was burned out and on the verge of quitting show business altogether, and Anka wrote lyrics that he could imagine Frank saying. The rest is history, and it’s a near perfect fit.
Next week: The Man In Black vs East Coast / West Coast punks!
Regrets? I’ve had a few,
This is dF
THE SONG: “My Way”
THE ORIGINAL: Frank Sinatra
COMMENTS: Paul Anka wrote this song specifically for Frank to sing, and it shows in the lyrics. By 1969, Frank was burned out and on the verge of quitting show business altogether, and Anka wrote lyrics that he could imagine Frank saying. The rest is history, and it’s a near perfect fit.
COVER #1: Elvis Presley
COMMENTS: As mentioned in a previous entry, Elvis relied on other people’s songs for most of his career, and was always on the lookout for good songs he could work into his act. But leave it to Elvis to take Frank Sinatra’s signature song and make it his own signature song. Ironically, of course, the opening lyric was much more poignant for Elvis than for Frank. Now THAT’S pwnage.
COVER #2: Sid Vicious
NSFW ADVISORY: Contains full frontal male nudity at the end, for those of you afeared of seeing penises.
COMMENTS: Recorded for The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle, the Sid Vicious version is a complete piss-take from beginning to end, mocking stodgy Vegas crooners, the generation they pandered to and everything those generations represented, complete with the end bit where he starts firing into the audience. In other words, he invented the “ironic” cover version. And it’s a cracker.
WINNER: Elvis. It says a lot when you can take someone’s signature Vegas tune and make it yor own signature Vegas tune. I admit, I like the Sid Vicious version better than either of them, but in reality Sid's version is more like a parody than a proper cover, and it’s hard to argue that he made it his own song, if for no other reason that he never really wanted it in the first place.
COMMENTS: As mentioned in a previous entry, Elvis relied on other people’s songs for most of his career, and was always on the lookout for good songs he could work into his act. But leave it to Elvis to take Frank Sinatra’s signature song and make it his own signature song. Ironically, of course, the opening lyric was much more poignant for Elvis than for Frank. Now THAT’S pwnage.
COVER #2: Sid Vicious
NSFW ADVISORY: Contains full frontal male nudity at the end, for those of you afeared of seeing penises.
COMMENTS: Recorded for The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle, the Sid Vicious version is a complete piss-take from beginning to end, mocking stodgy Vegas crooners, the generation they pandered to and everything those generations represented, complete with the end bit where he starts firing into the audience. In other words, he invented the “ironic” cover version. And it’s a cracker.
WINNER: Elvis. It says a lot when you can take someone’s signature Vegas tune and make it yor own signature Vegas tune. I admit, I like the Sid Vicious version better than either of them, but in reality Sid's version is more like a parody than a proper cover, and it’s hard to argue that he made it his own song, if for no other reason that he never really wanted it in the first place.
Next week: The Man In Black vs East Coast / West Coast punks!
Regrets? I’ve had a few,
This is dF
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Elvis was always SO unique.
on 2008-06-30 01:48 am (UTC)As a DJ I'm loving this post. It's funny I was thinking the same thing about "Twist and Shout". It was done (I think) originally by the Isleys, but the Beatles version is a little more dance-able. So we played it yesterday at a wedding and thought, "Why don't we play this all the time". Still, there's something that bugs me about another artist stealing the original artist's thunder, but it doesn't bug me enough not to play it!
Re: Elvis was always SO unique.
on 2008-06-30 11:22 am (UTC)I wish I'd thought of this series back when I WAS a DJ. It would have been fun and possibly gotten some on-air arguments going.