Tune du Jour: “Seasons In The Sun” – Terry Jacks
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: The Squirrels vs. Nirvana vs. Too Much Joy
VOTE, COMMENT, then TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE
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The Original
Terry Jacks:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Squirrels vs. Nirvana vs. Too Much Joy
The Squirrels:
Nirvana:
Too Much Joy:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
The Squirrels version is light and playful yet ultimately unmemorable. Although their abrupt transition to The Hustle never fails to illicit a chuckle from me.
Nirvana doing this song is simply surreal.
While Too Much Joy’s rendition is a heart-pumping, adrenaline-rushing roller coaster of pure bliss. It was this version that first made me aware of the power of a well conceived cover song. When I first heard it I was genuinely taken aback. I was simply stunned that a band could take such an awful song and transform it into an awesome celebration of lunacy. It literally ushered me into a cover song obsession. And thousands of cover songs later I am still indebted to Too Much Joy’s reinvention of this criminally pathetic tune.
Need I say where my vote went?
The Squirrels and Nirvana doing this song were doing in an ironic way, a wink to everyone who knows how cringey the song is. Too Much Joy actually saw some potential in this song and really tried to make it into something good. I think they succeeded pretty nicely.
I thought the use of children in the first cover was gimmicky, as was the slide into “The Hustle”. Thus, The Squirrels stand accused of gimmickry.
Nirvana’s version is noteworthy only in that it’s grunge gods performing a legendarily cheesy pop song from the seventies. But I was never into Nirvana or even grunge, so I’m not required to show any reverence whatever.
Too Much Joy really found some relevance, or you might say they created it, thus earning my vote.
In other news, there appears to be multiple reviewers who voted for The Squirrels. Might be time to increase security on this site.
Of all the songs worthy of a good skewering this is high on the list. It puts out enough cheese to make Wisconsin redundant. It was a top 5 hit during my high school years and received endless radio play.
I have a strong memory of being in a car with a girl when this came on the radio and she looked skyward and just absorbed every sad syllable in a blissful coma. I like Too Much Joy. They have done some fun, clever, punchy tunes but play it a little too safe here for me. I never knew Nirvana dabbled with Seasons but it was off the cuff and just for fun. Kurt knew some of the lyrics. I voted Squirrels. I think the kid vocal opening made it more delightfully perverse.
In the final minute when the segue to The Hustle begins there is no shark in sight just more beautiful insanity. We’ve known this cover so long that to this day if any version of The Hustle comes on when Leigh and I are together, one of us will likely say to the other “I pulled a muscle”.