Tune du Jour: “Indiana Wants Me” – R. Dean Taylor
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Larry Cox vs. Blue Traveler, Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors vs. The Frampton Brothers vs. Martin John Burton
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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One of the great one-hit wonders of the ’70s. Great Song!
The Original
R. Dean Taylor:
I originally had a hard time finding three cover songs that I liked then ended up finding four good ones.
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Larry Cox vs. Blues Traveler/Gin Blossoms/Spin Doctors vs. The Frampton Brothers vs. Martin John Burton
Larry Cox:
Blues Traveler/Gin Blossoms/Spin Doctors:
The Frampton Brothers:
Martin John Burton:
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 
This song. Wow. When I was a kid, me and my friends loved this song. We waited for it to come on the radio like it was a message from another planet, and I played the life out of my little vinyl 45, tucked safely in my singles box. The longing in that letter—how he misses her, their home, their baby, the regret he feels for putting her through all of this—hit hard then, and still does now. And that ending, with the sirens and the cops shouting through the megaphone? Still gives me chills.
Larry Cox nails it: earnest, faithful, and respectful of the drama. The Blues Traveler/Gin Blossoms/Spin Doctors version (what a ’90s fever dream of a lineup) is fun but a little too bombastic with all that harmonica. The Frampton Brothers’ metal spin didn’t work for me, and Martin John Burton’s take felt too much like karaoke with just him on guitar and that heavy backing track. So my vote goes to Larry Cox. The sirens, the police megaphone, the whole vibe—plus, he looks like a guy who’d be running from the law.
Such a great song. Strange that Taylor was not able to produce more gems. Great lyrics but I would have liked to have seen one slight modification.
Instead of:
Red Lights Flashin’ Around Me … Yeah, Love, it Looks Like They Found Me
It would have been so much better if it were:
Red Lights Flashin’ Around Me … GADZOOKS! It Looks Like They Found Me
Anyway, onto the covers:
Big kudos to Larry Cox and Martin John Burton for their phenomenal one-man achievements! They both obviously love the song and it comes shining through in their excellent covers.
I am not a fan of any of Blues Traveler / Gin Blossoms / Spin Doctors but, GADZOOKS, they deliver an excellent and spirited version. But points were deducted for their lame video. The repeated police car clips grew tiresome in a hurry. Would have been much better served just sticking with the concert footage, which was fun when they cut to it.
I heard The Frampton Brothers cut decades ago as it was part of the excellent and extremely fun K-Tel tribute cds. The raw energy of their version is just so powerful. It’s simply an awesome cover and gets my vote going away.
My pimpled teenage ass liked this song bought the 45 and wanted answers. Good thing I gave that up. Songs usually provoke more questions than provide answers. Larry Cox disappointed me. Added nothing new but the strings floating over the top like drones crop dusting powdered sugar threatening to dull any positive contributions. Tuneful but lame as a three legged pig. Gin Doctor Traveller was much better. No strings, live sounding instruments and good vocals. Maybe these bands should have merged long ago. If they weren’t consistently good at least it would remove two mediocre bands from the competition.
Frampton Brothers play it straight but add extra guitar riffage. I thought it got better in the second half. Who doesn’t want dueling guitars over police sirens. Martin John Burton sang and played wrll. You can tell that he does love this song. Why the added strings? I got him the silver and Gin Doctor Traveller for gold.
We had this 45 back in the day.
When a one hit wonder really pulls it off, it leaves one wondering why there’s no follow-up. Taylor wrote or co-wrote many songs that were covered by others, including “Love Child” by Diana Ross & The Supremes.
I often prefer that the cover artist change the song somewhat, add some wrinkle and make it their own. That’s not a rule, however, and today I voted Larry Cox, who offered a straightforward rendition.
I was never into Blues Traveler/Gin Blossoms/Spin Doctors, but was pleasantly surprised by their version. My only clue that those acts were involved was the distinctive harmonica style of the guy from Blues Traveler, although he has a tendency to over-play.
Interesting to note that eight of the ten reviewers who voted before me chose The Frampton Brothers.