100 Songs that don't get covered enough

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Whatever happened the era of "standards"? Used to be that classic songs would get multiple interpretations. I really can't think of many songs that were written in the last 25 years or so that have become hits by several bands (although "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac/Smashing Pumpkins/Dixie Chicks does come to mind). What songs -- standards to my mind -- deserve to get covered frequently?:

100. "Losing My Religion" - REM
99. "Creep" - TLC
...

― PB, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:44 (twenty years ago)

Losing My Religion has been covered twice at least this decade.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:46 (twenty years ago)

Whatever happened the era of "standards"?

ONE WORD: RECORDS

― Half Moon Empty Sports Bag (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:46 (twenty years ago)

The Whigs did a mean "Creep".

98. Monica - "Angel of Mine"
97. Madonna - "Live to Tell"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

96 'beta band rap'

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:48 (twenty years ago)

95. vox pop - "just like your mom"

― dan (dan), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

94. Trio - "Da Da Da, I Don't Love You, You Don't Love Me, Aha Aha Aha"
93. Duran Duran - "Save a Prayer"
92. Cracker - "Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:51 (twenty years ago)

Whatever happened the era of "standards"?

ONE WORD: RECORDS

Explain.

― PB, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

91. 'my name is prince'

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

90. Pixies - The Happening

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:56 (twenty years ago)

("Wonderwall" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are both on the way to becoming 'standards', i think. RECORDS or no RECORDS.)

(those aren't my nominations for the Top 100 by the way. 89 is still next)

― zebedee (zebedee), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

but do you think all these songs listed above should be considered standards?

― PB, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

89. All My Little Words--Magnetic Fields

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:02 (twenty years ago)

Whatever happened the era of "standards"?
ONE WORD: RECORDS

Explain.

The need for standards has been diminished, as has live music, due to the magic of *electrical recording*. Popular song can now be enjoyed via transmission to loudspeakers carefully placed around the world in bars, cafes and nightclubs... even in your own home.

― Half Moon Empty Sports Bag (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

88. Boyz II Men, "Water Runs Dry"

87. Expose, "I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)" (was this itself a cover?)

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

86. Toni Braxton - "You Mean the World to Me"
85. Gin Blossoms - "Hey Jealousy"
84. Janet Jackson - "Again"
83. New Order - "Thieves Like Us" (though "Temptation" is def. getting there)

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:15 (twenty years ago)

82. g.g. allin - "i kill everything i fuck"

― you will be shot (you will be shot), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

The reason is not electronic recording. Many songs were covered hundreds or even thousands of times long after the invention of the lp. No, the real reason is the cult of the songwriter, basically in the wake of Bob Dylan and the Beatles. Somehow people got the idea that it's realer and truer and all that shit if you sing something you yourself wrote. Ridiculous, of course.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

not really. It is realer if the person who wrote it sings it. One person can't be everywhere, but thanks to the miracle of modern sound reproduction, we can come close. (Old habits die hard.)

― Half Moon Empty Sports Bag (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

People write in character all the time.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

81. "Jump Into the Fire" by Harry Nillsson

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:47 (twenty years ago)

80. "Black to Comm" by the MC5

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

79. Sneaker Pimps - "6 Underground"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)

Can't Get You Out Of My Head is unquestionably the standard of the decade.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

By that I mean it does still happen.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:55 (twenty years ago)

who's covered that besides the Lips?

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

but I Only Have Eyes For You

― Half Moon Empty Sports Bag (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

who's covered that besides the Lips?

Kid 606 (kinda)
Printed Circuit
Les Battersby Cuban Orchestra
Basement Jaxx (live)
Coldplay (live)
27 crappy student indie bands

Hey they're ALL big in England (ahem)

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

Tori Amos did it live recently too.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 16:35 (twenty years ago)

Whatever happened the era of "standards"?

Rampant rockism; witness:

It is realer if the person who wrote it sings it.

― j.lu (j.lu), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 18:42 (twenty years ago)

78. Fleetwood Mac "Stand Back"

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 18:44 (twenty years ago)

Funny thing is, the *electrical recording* is where rockism and popism meet. Hearing "Like a Rolling Stone" come on a jukebox is far superior to hearing it performed by somebody else live in the flesh. Sometimes a song gets nailed on a recording and there's no use in imitating it any further.

― Outsider Enter Port City (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

Ultimately, my conception of cover versions is neither rockist nor poppist but jazzist. I don't think there can be a definitive version of a standard tune. How many people have nailed recordings of "Body and Soul" "Lonely Woman" or "Lover Man" or what have you? And yet, there's still room for more.

Of course, part of HMESB's rockism is the emphasis on lyrics. If you emphasize music over words, the formula changes drastically.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 19:05 (twenty years ago)

The original question was WHY standards have lessened in popularity, so my answers are based on "objective" readings of mass trends, not morality nor aesthetics, and certainly not on easily misunderstood and generally false popular meme dichotomies.

― Outsider Enter Port City (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 19:11 (twenty years ago)

neither rockist nor poppist but jazzist

Somebody fetch me a pillow, I'm feeling faint.

― Rob Uptight. (Rob Uptight.), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 21:38 (twenty years ago)

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