Every once in a while, a cover of a popular song becomes a thing of its own. Some would say they are even better than the original material. However, we’re not saying these five experimental covers of hit songs are absolutely better than the originals. Lots of people would argue the contrary. Rather, these tracks are fascinatingly unique compared to more sterile and safe covers of popular tunes. Let’s dive in!
1. “Fast Car” by Xiu Xiu
“Fast Car” was originally written and recorded by singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman in 1988. It’s a tender and heartwrenching tale of wanting to overcome your circumstances with the one you love. It also saw a resurgence in popularity after Luke Combs performed the song with Chapman at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
It’s a tender song, and Xiu Xiu’s minimalist and experimental version of it is one of the most vulnerable things we’ve ever heard. Jamie Stewart’s bravery in the way he sings gets under your skin.
[See Xiu Xiu Live On Tour]
2. “War Pigs” by Cake
The 1970 track “War Pigs” is one of Black Sabbath’s most recognizable songs. It’s been covered quite a bit through the years, too. It’s not as experimental as other covers on our list, but it’s worth mentioning for how many boxes it checks. It has all the components of a good cover, and it actually sounds like an original Cake song.
3. “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and composer Atticus Ross produced their cover of Edvard Grieg’s famous 1875 composition “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”. The cover became part of the notably good soundtrack for the 2010 film The Social Network. It’s a distorted, electronic masterpiece that captures the dark energy of the original orchestral composition.
4. “Blue Monday” by Health
Health’s rendition of “Blue Monday” was used as part of the soundtrack for the 2017 action thriller Atomic Blonde. The original song was a British rock track by New Order, released in 1983. The cover is an industrial, experimental noise rendition of the original pop-ish rock tune, and Health put it together beautifully. It definitely doesn’t sound like a simple punchy soundtrack song for a film.
5. “L.M.L.Y.P” by Ween
This experimental cover by Ween is technically a cover of two songs by none other than Prince. Those two songs would be “Alphabet St.” and “Shockadelica”. Forewarning: This cover-slash-mashup-slash-original song is extremely explicit. But what else would you expect from an absurd band like Ween?
Photo by Julia Brokaw
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