Four Cover Versions



Two of my favourite cover versions of 2004: Jimmy Eat World's "Firestarter" (available on iTunes - I guess it's technically a 2001 song since it appeared on the Last Christmas 7", but this seems to be the year of general release), which directed the screw-the-world aggro of the Prodigy's original inward, turning the tune into a hymn of self-loathing, and Beck's lovely mellow take on the Korgis' "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometimes", from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack.

Two of my favourite cover versions of all time: Sonic Youth's version of the Carpenters' "Superstar" and Barry White's version of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are", the former unleashing the menace lurking within a supposed paean, the latter suturing some cojones onto a wretchedly mawkish song.

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