Pop killed Rawk.

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I am listening to Britney Spears cover of Satisfaction and i like it better then the original. The same goes for Madonnas American Pie.
Any Comments

― anthony, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Don McLean = not Rawk!

Re "Satisfaction" - Otis Redding killed Jagger's already, way before Britney. So, is Stax 'pop' or 'rawk'? That's the question!

― tarden, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I reiterate - Don MacLean = not rock. Madonna's version of that song is actually closer to "rock" than the orig. But still NOT VERY GOOD. Rock isn't "dead" , that doesn't even mean anything.

― duane, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Much as I like Brit and M, neither version is as good as the original. Although Brit's performance of Satisfaction at the music awards with the stripping is more tremendous than anything the stones could ever have done, in a sense. (The sense being that Mick was never a nubile teenage girl). American Pie, also, if you saw the video, really ended up being about Madonna's breasts. Odd that.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Use other spellings, please: In the interests of equality, when using the term 'rawk', please spell pop 'pawp'.

― Momus, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

'Pop' covers of rock songs = sometimes good, sometimes not. (Favorite - Pulp's "Whiskey in the Jar") 'Rock' covers of 'pop' songs - nearly always terrible (Punk bands doing 'funny' covers, Snuff's "Wuthering Heights" the most sick-making example).

Incidentally, does anyone remember Will to Power's "Freebird/Baby I Love Your Way" medley? I know the originals weren't even that good, but Jesus...

― tarden, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

My nomination for the best Rock cover by a Pop act would be Five’s version of ‘We Will Rock You’. It not only ROCKS, it also POPS – no small achievement.

Best Rock cover by an Easy Listening act? How about Mike Flowers’ Pops’ inspired destruction of the atrocious ‘Wonderwall’. Now THAT’S a cover version.

I preferred Madonna’s ‘American Pie’ to the original, but mainly for Rupert Everett’s backing vocals…

― Andrew Tapscott, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

M's "AP" is better than the original as I said at the time because "AP" was a crap song with an OK hook that desperately needed an editor. Madge came along and edited - much better. Nobody cares about the symbolism, least of all Don McLean these days.

― Tom, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Isnt rock pop? Isnt taht like saying Sports kille d golf?

― Mike Hanle y, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

You mean it didn't kill golf already? ;-)

Pop feeds off everything and uses what it wants for its own devices. So does rock, of course. The former is not seen as being as true or respectful as the latter, and from there the history of music criticism and Freaky Trigger's contrarian reason for being. Yay!

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I think Rawk actually killed itself, immediately after selling the rights to use Led Zeppelin and Police samples to P. Diddy.

― Adam Bruneau, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

haven't heard brits satisfaction, but it is one of the few prime era rollingstones songs i don't like. i like her 'and the beat goes on' though. american pie is dud whoever covers it. i thought the mikeflowers wonderwall was a reasonably good idea (a little 'chris evans' though), but the song ended up not being much better than the turgid original

― gareth, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

The Police are not rawk. Golf is not a sport.

― Kris, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

My point exactly

― Mike Hanle y, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Thank you, Kris. (Would you people STOP mentioning the Police, for the love of Andy Summers?)

Personally, Britney's version of "Satisfaction" couldn't be improved if she were involved in some sort of mega-orgy with horses, multitudes of Marilyn Monroe clones, and that orgasm enhancement cream. Is sheer torture (and I don't mean "sheer", as in pantyhose/bodysuits). Spelling pedants, please speak up if I'm dropping the ball here.

And rock will never die, as long as Radiohead's around! Up, up, and away! (Any topic of discussion seriously involving the death of "rock" = SO, SO DUD!!!)

― David Raposa, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

There's a view that some (not all) people seem to hold which is: 'rock' is serious and portentous and pretentious - and when 'pop' people come along and cover 'rock' songs it's better, cos it's fun and happy and poppy.

I don't think I buy it.

I'll leave aside the limiting, unhelpful definitions of 'rock' and 'pop'. Like another contributor, I don't like 'Satisfaction' much. But the Stones' version still beats Spears'. Spears' version is, I guess, kind of like her other stuff, but even worse. Madonna's a tougher case. Ewing has a point about editing. But I don't think I am convinced that her version sounds better than MacLean's.

In general the pop-beats-rock line is a kind of freakytrigger cliché. Possibly such clichés, if associated with FT (like I've just done) diminish the real thoughtfulness and verve of the people who write, or have written, for Freaky Trigger. But insofar as the cliché holds up (ie: insofar as this line is representative of an 'FT Line'), I don't go along with the FT Line, which is (or would be) limiting and doctrinaire.

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

There will always be rock but there will always be GOlf too

― Mike Hanle y, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Pop and rock are made differently but I don't listen to them any differently anymore (I certainly used to). Therefore I killed rock.

― Kris, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

devo's cover of 'satisfaction' killed rock. actually i think the original is really good. have heard bjork + pj harvey doing a live cover that was grea as well. does satisfaction have the greatest lyrics ever or what? why aren't there rock songs with lyrics like that anymore? the rolling stones were cool as fuck.

― ethan, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I thought there were too many songs with lyrics like that. You know, like there are ones with too many notes.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

that's two smartass responses to me over two threads in about two minutes, ned. track three on SAWII isn't that good, is it?

― ethan, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Of course the original of "Satisfaction" is good. It's just it's a "hacked-to-death classic"(TM). I've not heard Britney's version but you know who else does a great one ('part from Devo's - which is choice - yr saying so too, right Ethan?) - Blue Cheer. It's WILD. (That's not a very Freaky Trigger thing either, is it? "WILD". But I'm saying it as a BIG UP obviously)

― duane, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

i love devo so so so much. i have heard blue cheer are a shit hendrix ripoff band - this is untrue?

― ethan, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Rawk covers bad - noowave covers ACE! The aforementioned "Satisfaction"(also "Working in a Coal Mine", "Are You Experienced"), Talking Heads' "Take Me to the River", Slits' "Heard it Through The Grapevine" - even Depeche Mode's "Route 66"! (Hold on, Depeche Mode are 'rawk'...er...)

― tarden, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Cat Power "Satisfaction" = ace.

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Cat Power 'Satisfaction': not ace.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

We seem to have exhausted the possibilities then, pinefox. Good work.

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Cat Power "Satisfaction" = removal of hook and chorus, thus focusing on lyrics, transforming song about rocks-off RELEASE into one about gender and SUPPRESSION. Thus, no longer aggression but introversion.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I agree - that's a fair analysis. But I don't find their version fun. Actually, I don't find the Stones' version very fun, either. We should talk about some better Stones songs, if we're gonna talk about Stones songs.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Bette Midler's 'Beast of Burden'?

― tarden, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

blue cheer are a shit hendrix ripoff band/
well it's sorta TRUE but i think they're really great. they're just a bunch of fuckin noise! at least, on the 1st 2 albums -"Vincebus Eruptum" & "OutsideInside" (that's the one w/ that Stones cover) - after that, personnel turnover & onset of hippy mellowness = can't recommend. Though the 3rd album is pretty psychedelic & quite good.

― duane, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Sandie Shaw did a OK version of "Satisfaction" too - but much better, on the same album (don't remember the name...on the cover she's a washed-up mermaid in a fish net) is "Route 66" which I guess is a Stones cover too in this arrangement.
Stones songs sung by gurls rule..."Play w/ Fire" by Dead Moon, "Some Things Just Stick in yr Mind" by Vashti, umm, can't think of any others. Not that Bette Midler one tho, jeez . Oh OK it's OK i guess but, uh. not what I meant. I mean pretty Stones songs, sung prettily.

― duane, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Has anyone covered 'Factory Girl'?

― the pinefox, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Allot fo people cover light my fire

― Mike Hanle y, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

How come nobody's mentioned the Residents' version of "Satisfaction"? The best version of it ever.

― Croooooow, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I find the Residents rather unlistenable

― Mike Hanle y, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

What about Laibach's acid house influenced version of Sympathy for the Devil with the speeded up girly voice. Bet that would go a down a storm mixed in a UK Garage set.

― phil, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Bette Midler's 'Beast of Burden' = not good. I don't care for her slowed-down, "reinterpretations" of songs that don't need reinterpreting. Mick Jagger did a fine job on Beast of Burden the first time; thanks for coming out, Bette.

― Catty, Monday, 23 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

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