00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we'll be counting down our picks for those instances
00:11where artists tinkered around with the lyrical content of a cover tune.
00:21Number 10, Hound Dog, by Elvis Presley, originally by Big Mama Thornton.
00:30The arrangements present within Elvis Presley's version of Hound Dog are actually indebted
00:38more towards those of the Freddie and the Bellboys cuts from their early 50s lounge days
00:42than of the original by Big Mama Thornton.
00:52It's here where Thornton's sexually suggestive lyrics concerning a male admirer are replaced
00:57with, well, a song that's basically talking about a real dog.
01:02This contextual explanation makes Presley's appearance on The Steve Allen Show, where
01:06he performs Hound Dog alongside a literal Basset Hound, make a bit more sense.
01:11It also makes the iconic Ed Sullivan performances feel all the more electric when viewed in comparison.
01:16Number 9, Mrs. Robinson, by Frank Sinatra, originally by Simon and Garfunkel.
01:31And you'll get yours, Mrs. Robinson, fooling with that young stuff like you do.
01:39Concerns over blasphemy likely influenced the decision to change the word Jesus to Jilly
01:45when it came to Frank Sinatra's cover version of Simon and Garfunkel's classic folk tune,
01:50Mrs. Robinson.
01:51Jilly loves you more than you will know.
01:56Whoa, whoa, whoa.
01:58This wasn't the only change made to this cut from Old Blue Eyes' 1969 LP, My Way, however,
02:06since the chairman of the board also decided to reference a little slice of cinema.
02:12The Graduate was still very much a talking point around the time Sinatra's cover was released,
02:16so Frank decided to add in lyrics that specifically referenced the character portrayed by Anne Bancroft
02:23in the movie.
02:24Does it add anything to the final product, however?
02:26You decide.
02:28Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me.
02:33Aren't you?
02:35Number 8, Jolene, by Beyonce, originally by Dolly Parton.
02:40Jolene, I'm a woman too.
02:42The games you play are nothing new, so you don't want no heat with me, Jolene.
02:48The decision to change the lyrics of a cover song can occasionally have some serious repercussions
02:53when it comes to the message of the original.
02:55This definitely feels valid when it comes to Beyonce's take on Jolene by Dolly Parton.
03:01The protagonist present within this version feels a lot less helpless and distraught over
03:06Jolene's supposed power over her lover.
03:09This is specifically referenced within the lyrics that don't portray Beyonce's narrator as a victim,
03:14but rather one that's going to stand up against Jolene's wiles.
03:18I can easily understand why you're attracted to my man, but you don't want this small, so shoot your chef with someone else.
03:27This is in stark contrast to Parton's original, which laments both the beauty of Jolene,
03:33the seductive strength she possesses, and her narrator's pleas for romantic mercy.
03:39Jolene, please don't take it even though you care.
03:45We're sure that this idea might have seemed like a good one back in 2008,
04:05when both Womanizer by Britney Spears and the All-American Rejects were hot on the charts.
04:10Then again, the latter's exclamation that they're going to do the song better than Spears is almost certainly up for debate.
04:18The All-American Rejects' take on Womanizer is, well, it's unique to be sure.
04:23The backing vocals are fun, the alternative percussion is quirky,
04:26and the band even break into an impromptu round of Happy Together by the Turtles.
04:30The only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together.
04:39They also change some of the lyrics, bringing up prenuptial agreements for some reason
04:44within a cover that is, overall, fairly faithful to the OG.
04:48Yeah, you shouldn't sign a prenup, faking like a good one, but I call him like I see him, I know what you are.
04:56Number 6. These Boots and These Boots Are Made For Walkin' by Megadeth,
05:02originally by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra.
05:13Here's a question.
05:15How long do you think songwriter Lee Hazelwood cashed his royalty checks
05:19from Megadeth's cover of These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
05:21before he noticed these thrash metal titans had played around with his lyrics?
05:25The latter's Dave Mustaine maintained it was close to a decade,
05:29but what is certain is that Hazelwood eventually sued,
05:32petitioning for future editions of Megadeth's 1985 debut album
05:36to omit their tongue-in-cheek cover.
05:38But it's right, it's right when you ain't been right yet.
05:41These boots are made to wonder.
05:43That's just another...
05:44Megadeth eventually did take These Boots off their record,
05:47but not before recording yet another version in 1987 of the same cover,
05:52complete with the same old profane lyrics of their OG.
06:03Number 5. I Fought the Law by Dead Kennedys,
06:08originally by The Crickets.
06:10The fiery political lyricism of the Dead Kennedys,
06:21Jello Biafra, was set on full display
06:24within cover tunes like Viva Las Vegas or I Fought the Law.
06:28The latter was originally composed by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets
06:31and notably covered by the Bobby Fuller Four.
06:34I Fought the Law and the Law One
06:37I Fought the Law and the Law One
06:41Biafra, however, took this chance to change the subject matter
06:45I Fought the Law into a piece that referenced
06:48the murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone
06:50by San Francisco politician Dan White.
06:52The DK version here complains about White's diminished prison sentence
06:56as well as the supposed Twinkie defense utilized by his defense team.
07:00Biafra also defiantly changes each chorus to
07:04I Fought the Law, culminating in a switch to
07:07I Am the Law for the finale.
07:10I Am the Law
07:11I Am the Law
07:15Number 4. Into the Void, Stealth by Soundgarden,
07:21originally by Black Sabbath.
07:23We don't know the precious of
07:26and the sparkle of the water
07:29The sound of Prime-era Soundgarden
07:32was often compared to Black Sabbath
07:34by contemporary critics of their day.
07:36I can let the flame of light burn slow
07:39Everywhere is misery and woe
07:42And this influence was set on clear display here
07:45with their cover of Into the Void.
07:48Chris Cornell completely changes the lyrics here, however,
07:51replacing Ozzy Osbourne's original
07:52with words from a protest speech
07:54delivered by the famed Native American political figure
07:57Chief Seattle.
07:58The end results feel pretty seamless
08:08as Soundgarden keep the musical arrangements
08:11almost completely intact
08:12and aligned with Tony Iommi's original riff fest.
08:15Not too bad for a recording session
08:17that took place around the time of Soundgarden's
08:19landmark Bad Motor Finger LP.
08:21Number 3. My Way by Sid Vicious
08:33Originally by Claude Francois
08:36and popularized by Frank Sinatra.
08:38Casual music fans may not know that My Way was first recorded by French singer
08:51Claude Francois in 1967, but they're almost certainly more familiar with either the Elvis
08:57Presley version or the take popularized by Frank Sinatra.
09:01Punk rock icon Sid Vicious also recorded a version of My Way back in the late 70s, however,
09:13one that was laden with lyrical profanity.
09:16The Sid Sings album was released after Vicious' death in 1979,
09:21which perhaps explains why his My Way briefly did some numbers on the pop charts.
09:26Today, however, Sid Vicious' My Way is seen as something of a coda for the man's life and career.
09:32An example of a troubled life and a career burning out before it can ever really begin.
09:45Number 2. We Didn't Start the Fire by Fall Out Boy
09:49Originally by Billy Joel
09:51Captain Planet, Arab Spring, L.A. riots, Rodney King, deep fakes, earthquakes
09:56Iceland volcano
09:57We'll probably never know whether or not Fall Out Boy's take on Billy Joel's
10:03We Didn't Start the Fire would have worked better if, you know,
10:06the band had actually bothered to place their events in chronological order.
10:10Then again, critics and fans still debate how much validity Joel's original tune has
10:14outside of lazy substitute teacher syllabus planning on a rainy day.
10:18Heck, the piano man himself famously tried to distance himself from We Didn't Start the Fire
10:32as his career progressed. So we don't think that Fall Out Boy's decision to simply rattle off events
10:38from 1989 to 2023 made this song any better after all was said and done.
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11:03Number 1. Respect by Aretha Franklin
11:09Originally by Otis Redding
11:11You know you've won the cover song game
11:20when the originator offers up congratulations and basically admits defeat.
11:25Soul legend Otis Redding effectively did as much on stage at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
11:31referencing how Aretha Franklin's stolen version was something special.
11:36This is our song. It's a song that a girl took away from me. Good friend of mine.
11:44The kicker here isn't only about how Franklin switches up genders, but also how her lyrical
11:50changes reflect fidelity while her lover is away, as opposed to Redding's resignation to
11:56potentially being cuckolded while he's not at home.
11:59Then there's that thunderclap of an R-E-S-B-E-C-T that the Queen of Soul adds to the proceedings,
12:13taking a great song and turning it into a classic.
12:16What are your favorite or most unique cover songs? Let us know in the comments.
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