Beech Tree News Network

The television show Glee has made its money off of remaking classics.  The only thing frustrating about that is that there is a whole generation that may grow up thinking “Don’t Stop Believin’ is “that song from Glee”.  No kids, that’s the 1981 classic from Journey.  This is not going to be a column ripping Glee.  Rather, it’s a column about remakes in general.

Many artists cover songs in their concerts, from Carrie Underwood doing Guns ‘N Roses’ 1988 “Paradise City” to Jason Mraz putting his spin on Stevie Wonder’s 1970 hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”.  Maroon 5 has a cover of Al Green’s 1972 hit “Let’s Stay Together” and Prince’s 1986 song “Kiss” on the deluxe version of their new album Overexposed.  Their cover of “Let’s Stay Together” is more of an acoustic take (something I might try in the future), while their version of “Kiss” is more of a bluesy version. 

Another artist who has made quite a bit of money off of remaking classics is ‘80’s rocker Billy Idol.  His biggest hit, “Mony, Mony” is actually a remake of the 1968 song by Tommy James and the Shondells.  His cover of the Doors 1971 classic “L.A. Woman” is another example.  Yet another remake(and this one may surprise) is “Don’t You Forget About Me”, a remake of the 1985 hit by the pop group Simple Minds(whose version appeared in the movie The Breakfast Club)   All these appear on his Greatest Hits album released in 2001. 

You could take the stance that remakes are done because the newer artist lacks originality.  However, I prefer to say they are paying homage to their favorites, those who inspired them to become artists.  I’m always excited when I hear one of my favorites break into a classic in their concerts.  When Jason covered the Stevie Wonder song in his Nashville show I attended a few months ago, I thought that was awesome because Jason and Stevie are two of my favorites.  I was equally surprised when I saw Carrie Underwood in Nashville years ago and she broke into “Paradise City”.  I was singing along to both songs.  Good thing nobody can hear fans sing at concerts.

Hello, my name is Andy Sullivan. I received my bachelor’s degree in business from Mid-Continent University in May 2009. I began writing for Beech Tree News in July 2009.  I enjoy playing guitar, the occasional Wii game, writing, and listening to music. I write a sports blog that can be found at http://www.tumblr.com/blog/sports-news-and-views.  If you have a comment, feel free to leave it in the space below.