Tune du Jour: “Rhinestone Cowboy” – Larry Weiss
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Soul Asylum vs. Radiohead vs. Bruce Springsteen
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog
The Original
Larry Weiss:
Most Popular Cover
Glenn Campbell:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
This is a terrible song, right? At least that’s what I have always thought. So why are great artists covering it? Stripped away of preconception, I have to now acknowledge that lyrically it is pretty damn good and can be made to sound very pleasurable!
Soul Asylum vs. Radiohead vs. Bruce Springsteen
Soul Asylum:
These guys are so cool. In 1997 Grand Forks, North Dakota suffered terrible flooding. Torrential downpours caused the Red River to rise threatening homes and the city. High school kids spent the Spring sandbagging the water banks fighting for their home town’s survival. That year the Prom was the furthest thing from those kids’ minds. Yet, somehow someone got a hold of Soul Asylum and asked them to play at the Prom. At the time Soul Asylum was at the height of their commercial success. But they gladly agreed and heartily prepared, learning a few standard Prom songs for the occasion. There was massive damage to the city. Soul Asylum played the Prom that evening in an unaffected airplane hangar. For at least one night, high school kids clad in formal attire and townsfolk were able to forget their troubles and enjoy an amazing evening of music. As the town spokesman put it, “As Winston Churchill said after World War II, ‘Never Have So Many Done So Much For So Few.’” Who would have guessed that a hard-rockin’ band like Soul Asylum would receive such a well-earned Winstonian complement?
After The Flood: Live From The Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997:
Radiohead:
Bruce Springsteen:
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 
All three contenders deliver a straightforward reading. Close call. I went with Soul Asylum, but could have easily chosen any.
I’m not so sure it’s a terrible song. Maybe the chorus is repeated too many times. How much of our dismissal of the song is based on Glenn Campbell and his image? Or maybe we’ve heard it too many times over the years, and the song is a victim of its own success.
Okay, I officially really like this song.
I love Soul Asylum, I love their cover, and I love the setting in which they performed it. For some reason I went online last week and looked up the cd, which luckily I already own. Man it costs some money to buy it now. I guess it was a limited pressing.
Radiohead’s version is the only song that I ever heard from them that I like.
Springsteen, predictably, knocked out a great cover.
But I have to go with Soul Asylum’s rocking cover.
This was all over the airwaves in all its star-spangled grandiosity when radio ruled the day and you often didn’t get to choose what you heard. But underneath the gloss there is a song. Would the cover artists do it with respect or detached irony? Radiohead- The late night cafe version. Quiet with the rhythm section, wash of keys, love the prickly guitar. This song is too easy for them. They don’t get sucked into a vortex of weirdness. I felt like I was in a small cabaret with 75 people and the modest applause fit right in. Loved it!
Bruce-The swell of the strings let you know he’s going full cheese log here. He ups the ante rather than stripping it down to find the song underneath. At the 1:35 mark or so it sounded like he might segue into Sloop John B. He should have. I going to have to shave a little bit off the statue of Bruce I carved from soap 47 years ago.
Soul Asylum- Unlike Radiohead the rhythm section is strong, the live recording sounds amazingly clear and full. Dave Pirner is impressive as he sings this honey drenched biscuit like her wrote it. The whole band shines and the softness towards the end sticks the landing. Hard to imagine anyone bettering it.
I remember when this song came out. It was huge. I also clearly remember a segment on the Tonight Show where Johnny Carson rode a burro on stage and did a parody of the song. I didn’t really like the song then, and it hasn’t grown on me after listening to all three covers. I am stunned that Radiohead covered it. I think it’s funny that Richie said it’s the only Radiohead song he liked. I’m a big Radiohead fan, but I definitely understand those who don’t get them. Bruce’s version… his voice… it doesn’t really sound like him all that much. I liked Soul Asylum’s version, but I ultimately went for Radiohead’s version.