Top 10 Songs I would Love to Cover. Part 1
You might not have ever heard them. You may be surprised.
I’ve been doing some research for my newest album… dissecting the songs and albums of my favourite bands and artists just to see what it is exactly that I love about them. What I’ve found has been quite a surprise.
Part of this exercise was to find my top ten favourite songs.
Being the song geek I am, I couldn’t come up with just one list, I came up with two ; songs I love and songs I’d love to cover (meaning me recording my version of it). To my surprise the lists were totally different: the songs I absolutely love, aren’t necessarily songs I would cover and, some of the songs I love to sing aren’t particularly my favourite songs. Wha?
Here are my top 5 in no particular order, with links to videos of the original artists.
When Love and Hate Collide: Def Leppard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b-ZIYdab8g
Just the title of this song is evocative. It’s passionate and the melody lines flow beautifully. It’s a challenge to sing, but it’s one of the songs I wish I would have written. Some of the lines are words I wouldn’t write. Or maybe I am just afraid to.
Carpe Diem Baby: Metallica http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d62WAE_BbY
I love, love love the groove of this song. The opening riff- the succinctness of the lyrics. Great lines: Sink teeth, all mine…Strip smile, lose cool…I don’t know…one thing I love about James is the attitude he sings with and then the line And make me miss you…to soften it up melodically as it flows into the chunky chorus intro. I love the blues feel of it too. Unfortunately this isn’t the best live version, but you get the idea. 2011 was actually the first time they performed it live and it was released in the late 90’s.
I’m Jealous: Shania Twain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TtkGovrdZ8
I love the sentiment of this song. I also love the flow and softness of the melody; a stretch vocally at the end. The lyrics are so simple and honest. I know it’s a sin…but I can’t hold it in… I often think some of Shania’s best songs aren’t the singles.
Scream: Avenged Sevenfold http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyPCLAjfgo4
The guitar is sooo cool on this song. I love the melody and how it flows (are we seeing a trend here?) How the dynamics are a little hectic…but the melody line flows over very nice. The drums kill it and with the bass it drives the song forward. The lyrics are intelligent, suggestive and raw…I mean who uses the word clemency in a rock song?
Wanted Dead or Alive: Bon Jovi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRvCvsRp5ho
The blues feel. Love that and the total mood of the song. Flowing melody lines: A loaded six string on my back…a song about life on the road. Very cool. The guitar intro is so perfect for the title and the song, too.
Stay tuned for Part 2…waiting for the Kiss and Heart songs? You might be surprised.
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