3 Timeless Cross-Genre Rock Covers

What happens when you put a timeless hip-hop track in the hands of an indie rock group? Or a pop song from the British Invasion in the hands of a soul singer? What happens when an early blues classic gets revamped by a grunge group? Well, that’s what we’ve set out to explore below.

Hearing a great cover song is one of the most fun aspects of being a music fan. Taking in a track that was done one way originally that is now flipped on its head—the reinvention of a masterpiece—is impossible to deny and yet the musical magic trick happens more often than we think. Here, we’d like to highlight three examples of this sonic phenomenon. These are three timeless cross-genre covers.

[RELATED: For Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Music is a Time Machine]

“Waterfalls” by TLC; Covered by Death Cab for Cutie

Released on TLC’s beloved 1994 LP CrazySexyCool, this hip-hop track was taken in a new direction by the Seattle-born indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie. While the original features singing from TLC, the melodic aspect of the track is expanded by Death Cab lead singer Ben Gibbard. And while the band did not take on the rap in their cover version, their rendition of the song is delightful and unexpected—two qualities that always make for great art.

“In The Pines” by Lead Belly; Covered by Nirvana

Nirvana covered this dark blues song that dates back to the late 1800s for their infamous 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. And even though they renamed the song “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” the power of the track remains the same. The recording by the Seattle grunge group climaxes, incredibly, in a pause, where lead singer Kurt Cobain takes a deep breath—a sigh—and concludes the song with his electrified, gravelly voice. The song was originally made famous by the blues artist Lead Belly, a personal favorite of Cobain’s.

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles; Covered by Al Green

This song is incredible for several reasons. But first and foremost for the opening few seconds when soul singer Al Green, hyped up by what he’s about to perform, gets told to “shut up” by his bandmate. It’s one of those moments that only can be captured in a recording studio when the tapes are rolling. It’s just great the moment was kept in the recording. The song at hand was first cut by the Beatles in 1963 and covered by Green in 1969.

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