Cover Versions, Quiet Reinventions & Songs That Refuse To Die
Thanks to everyone who’s been sending in ideas for future themes. One reader told us they use this list to refresh their personal playlist each week — which is exactly the kind of quiet cultural cross‑pollination we love. Keep the suggestions coming; the comments section is always open.
Regulars will know that we’ve been marking the 100th anniversary of the UK General Strike by spotlighting worker‑related songs. This week, we continue that thread by looking at cover versions of tracks we’ve previously featured — songs that have travelled across decades, genres, and political moments, gathering new meanings along the way.
We begin move through synth‑pop, glam rock, reggae, soul, and punk‑inflected mischief, and end with a handful of modern reinterpretations that show how a good melody never really dies — it just finds new hands to carry it.
David Bowie – “The Jean Genie”
Bowie’s swaggering, blues‑soaked stomp still sounds like it’s been dragged through the backstreets of a city that never quite sleeps. The riff is dirty, the harmonica is feral, and Bowie delivers the vocal like a man who knows exactly how much trouble he’s inviting. A reminder of how effortlessly he could fuse glam, R&B, and street theatre into something unmistakably his.
Judge Dread – “Skinhead”
A slice of bawdy, tongue‑in‑cheek reggae from the endlessly controversial Judge Dread. His humour was broad, his delivery deadpan, and his affection for ska and reggae absolutely genuine. “Skinhead” captures that early‑70s moment when British subcultures were colliding, borrowing, and reinventing themselves — sometimes chaotically, sometimes joyfully.
Earth, Wind & Fire – “After the Love Has Gone”
A masterclass in smooth melancholy. Earth, Wind & Fire take heartbreak and polish it until it gleams. The harmonies are impossibly lush, the arrangement immaculate, and the vocal lines glide with a kind of resigned grace. It’s the sound of a relationship ending with dignity rather than drama — which is its own kind of ache.
Fiction Factory – “Feels Like Heaven”
One of the great one‑hit wonders of the 80s. Fiction Factory captured something delicate and yearning here — a synth‑pop shimmer that feels both hopeful and haunted. The chorus still lands with the same bittersweet lift it had in 1984, like a memory you can’t quite place but don’t want to lose.
Arlo Guthrie – “Union Maid”
Woody Guthrie wrote it; Arlo carries it forward with warmth, humour, and a storyteller’s ease. His version feels like a conversation around a campfire — part history lesson, part rallying cry. He adds context, lineage, and a reminder that songs like this weren’t written for nostalgia but for organising. A union song that still knows how to work.
Marilyn Manson – “In The Air Tonight”
A surprisingly restrained take on the Phil Collins classic. Manson leans into atmosphere rather than shock, letting the tension simmer rather than explode. The result is darker, slower, and more cinematic — like the original filtered through a late‑night neon haze. It’s a reminder that reinterpretation doesn’t always mean escalation.
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes – “I Will Survive”
The punk‑cover supergroup do what they do best: take a disco anthem and fire it through a confetti cannon of speed, humour, and pure joy. Gloria Gaynor’s defiant resilience becomes something rowdier but no less triumphant. It’s impossible not to grin.
Leo Moracchioli – “Zombie”
Moracchioli has built a career turning pop songs into metal bangers, but his take on The Cranberries’ “Zombie” stands out. He keeps the emotional weight of Dolores O’Riordan’s original while adding muscular guitars and a sense of controlled fury. It’s heavy, yes, but never disrespectful — a tribute that understands the song’s political heart.
Tommy Roe – “Dizzy”
A bubblegum pop classic that spins with the same giddy charm it had in 1969. The strings whirl, the melody bounces, and Roe delivers it all with a grin you can practically hear. Sometimes joy doesn’t need to be complicated.
Jack Savoretti – “Do It For Love”
Savoretti brings his trademark gravel‑and‑velvet voice to a track that feels both intimate and widescreen. There’s a cinematic sweep to the arrangement, but the emotional core is simple: love as an act of will, not just feeling. A modern troubadour doing what he does best.
Isabel Van Gelder – “Die For You”
A rising voice delivering a moody, atmospheric cover with a contemporary edge. Van Gelder leans into the song’s emotional intensity, giving it a sense of vulnerability wrapped in electronic shimmer. It’s the kind of track that suggests bigger things ahead.
And finally…
And a question to close:
If a‑Ha are one of the most underrated bands of their era — and we’d argue they are — who else belongs on that list? And why were they overlooked?
Stephen Cameron said
Love Jean Genie from David Live album. I’d say The Monochrome Set were much underrated. Saw them a few weeks back in Glasgow and still great.