Eighties Cover Songs, Songs Beginning with W
Thanks to Warren Bakay for suggesting this page to me, I hadn't even
realized until he mentioned it, the music industry is dredging up big
hits from the last decade due to a not-so-surprising lack of imagination by
the current stars. This should of course come to no suprise to
most people, some big hits of the eighties were covers
as well ("Mickey", "Der Kommisar", "You Keep Me Hanging On" (which was remade into a
hit four times so far)). So far though, most covers have been pretty
hideous. We only list songs that are originally from the eighties and are now being made
into covers. We also only list a band if they're already well known
or the group is making a lot of radio play with the remake.
Oh and to clear up a misconception a few people out there seem to be having
about this page (and sending me very nasty letters). I have no problem with
artists who do a cover of a song in concert, or because they are just
starting out and don't have enough original material of their own for a full
set of songs. As a matter of fact, cover bands can be great fun to
go and see. All groups in modern history start out this way, I own a lot of
The Beatles albums and they were the original cover group. A lot of
early rock songs were covers of old R&B tunes. It's a fact of life.
This page currently edited by: . Past editor: Junior
Cover songs beginning with: [
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misc]
, Originally by
Bob Marley, Remade by
Annie Lennox
Absolutely mesmerizing... easily better than the original, but I'm not a Marley fan.
, Originally by
Teddy Pendergrass, Remade by
Ja Rule
Awesome, ranks up there with Nas doing "Everybody wants to rule the world"
, Originally by
The Bangles, Remade by
Linea77
A great metal cover
, Originally by
The Bangles, Remade by
Nobodys
it rocks...punk covering 80's songs...best of both worlds...
, Originally by
The Bangles, Remade by
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
Awesome song. I have to say I was a guy growing up into the 80's so I wasn't too into the Bangles, but I love the remake of this song. It's funny, energetic, and even though it's a cover, original. Me First and The Gimme Gimmes cover almost any 80's song you can think of and some even older. From Jenny (867-5309) to Jeremiah was a Bullfrog they do em all. And they're all great.
, Originally by
Dionne Warwick, Remade by
The Stranglers
Terrific cover of the classic Bacharach & David love song. The Stranglers speed it up like many punk bands do with covers, but after the first verse there follows long keyboard then a guitar solos. Reminisant to the Doors' Riders On the Storm.
, Originally by
Depeche Mode, Remade by
Finger Eleven
Alot Heavier and faster than the original
, Originally by
Theme From The Snowman, Remade by
Nightwish
RRREEEEAAALLLLYYYYYYY great song!!!!!
, Originally by
Katrina & The Waves, Remade by
Aly & AJ
Not much different, but much cheesier than the original.
, Originally by
Katrina And The Waves, Remade by
Five Iron Frenzy
It's a pretty good cover.
, Originally by
Katrina And The Waves, Remade by
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
Another great cover by MFATGG. You have to check them out they're awesome. If you're a fan of 80's music, or even a hardcore punk fan they're a must to listen to.
, Originally by
Missing Persons, Remade by
Hagfish
featured on Before You We're Punk: A Punk Rock Tribute to 80's New Wave
, Originally by
Katrina and the Waves, Remade by
Pinhead Circus
Off their "Fall in Love All Over Again" album. thiers some wierd issues with the timing some parts are slowed down then sped up it's a wierd effect and it doesn't really work.
, Originally by
The Police, Remade by
The Darkest Of The Hillside Thickets
An interesting, if not necesarily great cover. Faster, and a touch more up-beat.
, Originally by
Bon Jovi, Remade by
The Slackers
A completely different song. It's nuts! They've turned it into a Gangja-infused reggae tune. Definitely worth a listen.
, Originally by
Bon Jovi, Remade by
Tantric
I saw them live and they ended with this song (before the encore). I thought the guitarist wouldn't be able to hang, but he did and it rocked. Guess they were giving tribute to their 80's influnce.
, Originally by
Bon Jovi, Remade by
Montgomery Gentry
YUCK!!! Isn't bad enough that those little so called "country cuties" have to try to cross over into the pop genre. Now these guys have to cover a hella good 80s song!!! What is wrong with these people!!!! Tell them to get their own material!!!!!
, Originally by
The Normal, Remade by
Chicks On Speed
Also covered by Grace Jones, this one's fairly recent. Having a semi-hit with their disco song "Glamour Girl", this is a fair cover.
, Originally by
Joy Division, Remade by
Miranda's Girlfriends
Insanely heavy pounding techno sound. A totally amazingly good cover.
, Originally by
Pixies, Remade by
Superdrag
I guess they were covering the album version of it, not the UK Surf version. Its alright. Found on the 'Where Is My Mind?' tribute album.
, Originally by
Michael Jackson, Remade by
Shakaya
It's actually pretty good. Although, it is ironic that it took a song written by someone else to make this rather crappy band sound good.
, Originally by
Starship, Remade by
Frenzal Rhomb
I believe that Frenzal cover this song extremely well and this is one of my favourite punk covers Frenzal give this song all the whiney starship vocals and therefore make this song briilant, although i do like the starship original frenzal perform it a lot better!
, Originally by
Starship, Remade by
Frenzal Rhomb
Interesting take on this crappy song.
, Originally by
Billy Joel, Remade by
Techmo Super Bowl
a great song the way it was truly destined to be played
, Originally by
Queen, Remade by
Flanic(unsigned)
This was covered by Flanic it is mostly a rap he raps with a british accent most of the time it sounds good he even did his own backing vocals and filmed his own video
, Originally by
Queen, Remade by
Warrant
This was from the original movie soundtrack, that featured Cuba Gooding Jr. It was a boxing movie. Warrant did an excellent job on their redention of a Queen classic. More of a harder rock version, blazing guitar solo at the ending, yet still maintained the classic essence of the original. This version of the song later made to Warrant's Best OF...disc in 1996/1997.
, Originally by
Queen, Remade by
Five
cheap...
, Originally by
Twisted Sister, Remade by
Donots
Cool cover version by the German Punk Band "The Donots". They played it as the last encore at every concert, and now it's available on the 7 track special EP "Donots go Metal" (a live and a studio version).
, Originally by
Twisted Sister, Remade by
Joan Jett
Not bad, sounds a little like Bif Naked's version but i guess Joan needs the money.
, Originally by
Bad Religion, Remade by
Sublime
From their 40 oz. To Freedom, Sublime makes a totally different sounding, but great cover.
, Originally by
The Carpenters, Remade by
The Juliana Theory
Well-played.
, Originally by
Metallica, Remade by
Apocalyptica
4 Cellos rocking out on Metallica shows you how melodic Metallica Really is.
, Originally by
Irene Cara, Remade by
Navy Blue
The soundtrack to the 1983 movie "Flashdance" had a cover done 20 years later, by Navy Blue. The only thing they really changed was the beat.. it sounds much better, much edgier with a high-energy eurodance beat.
, Originally by
Louis Armstrong, Remade by
Miss World
Didn't like the Miss World version, especially after the bomb sound effect turned it into a political statement.
, Originally by
Toronto, Remade by
Heart
The Canadian Band Toronto originally sang it in 1982 before Heart recorded it for their 1985 self-titled album. Ironically it was dropped from their album "Get it on Credit". It's now a bonus track on the CD.
, Originally by
Moving Pictures, Remade by
Elton John
I Just have a question, does anybody now if Elton John ever covered the above song please let me know as I have a bet with my husband over it.
, Originally by
Moving Pictures, Remade by
Shannon Noll
Pretty Good
, Originally by Smiths, Remade by Mr. T Experience
, Originally by
The Smiths, Remade by
Bobby Bare Jr.
it's a good cover. bobby bare jr.'s version is simialr to the original. they are a pretty good band based out of nashville.
, Originally by
Sublime, Remade by
311
This cover is excellent, because it's 311 as you've never heard 'em before - acapella.
, Originally by
The Romantics, Remade by
Lillix
They couldnt sing if their lives depended on it. The original blows it away!!!! Nice try girls.
, Originally by
The Romantics, Remade by
Suicide Machines
Better than average, not straying to far from the original while managing to be more entertaining. The sing-along, mosh-able style is great. "What I Like About You" would've been a lot better if it was played this way in the first place.
, Originally by
Marvin Gaye, Remade by
Bono and Chris Martin
Amazing!! This song really takes you to another place.
, Originally by
Marvin Gaye, Remade by
Various Artists
It is a really good song!!!! Perfect ramake even better than the original because there were so many people in volved!!
, Originally by
Tina Turner, Remade by
Warren G
Identical almost,and pretty boring.
, Originally by
Elvis Costello , Remade by
A Perfect Circle
On new album full of covers
, Originally by
Marvin Gaye, Remade by
A Perfect Circle
Its a very good, darker version of the original... in fact, all of eMotive is good.
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Ani Difranco
Very nice version of this song, stripped down with Ani's raw vocals.
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Ani DiFranco
excellent!
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Ginuwine
it is ok but no one can do it better than prince
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
the Flying Pickets
a completly accoustic version of this song by the Flying Pickets, absolutly fantastic and way better than any other version I've heard (except maybe the barenaked ladies)
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Ginuwine
I'm sorry but this cover is about as genuine as a faux pearl necklace. Throughout the whole song it sounds as if someone is burping. It would also help if Ginuwine could dance half as well as Prince can. It should be on the PU label. It stinks! :p
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Yo La Tengo
They're masters of the cover version now, and this is a fantastic take of a great song.
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Guy Sebastian
Awesome cover of this song!...personally i think he edges out Prince by that little bit...Brilliant!
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Patti Smith
Sung with an emotion only Patti could offer, with a taste of her punk roots in the overall feel of the song.
, Originally by
White Lion, Remade by
Seventh Day Slumber
nice cover, they are a Christian rock band......great original, good cover
, Originally by
Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson, Remade by
Pappa Bear
yuck!
, Originally by
Keith Whitley, Remade by
Ronan Keating and Alison Krauss
Never heard the original by Keith Whitley but I've heard Alison's version, and Ronan's because it was in Notting Hill. Alison has a nice voice, but I prefer Ronan's version.
, Originally by
Price for Cyndi Lauper, Remade by
Crooked Fingers
Great cover from Crooked Fingers formerly Archers of Loaf. go to a show, and check it out live. The more whiskey consumed on stage, the better likelyhood that you will witness this amazing cover!
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Mitch Ryder
One of the best covers ever. Mitch Ryder was being produced by John Mellencamp on this album entitled, "Never Kick a Sleeping Dog".
, Originally by
Prince, Remade by
Cyndi Lauper
The original was okay, but I surprisingly liked Cyndi's version way better, one of her best songs (it should have gotten more airplay)
, Originally by
Leadbelly, Remade by
Nirvana
Who knows on what Kurt was on when He heard this song and told to Himself "This gonna be an AWESOME song to cover!!!!" But It did!!!! A genius still a genius...
, Originally by
The Pixies, Remade by
Placebo
the original was better..but it's good.
, Originally by
Pixies, Remade by
Nada Surf
The original was pretty relaxed, and a fantastic song. This is an even more relaxed song, and it manages to not botch it - just put a different spin on it. Of course, the original is one of the best songs ever. Found on the 'Where Is My Mind?' tribute album.
, Originally by
Pixies, Remade by
Toadies
A live version of the song. Guy doesn't really know all the lyrics, but its not bad.
, Originally by
Pixies, Remade by
Ghoti Hook
A really sped-up version of the song. Its not bad.
, Originally by
The Pixies, Remade by
James Blunt
Live cover, great job, sounds awesome!
, Originally by
Pixies, Remade by
Placebo
I was at the gig where they played this to an audience for a first time. I can't explain how electric it was. The version on they have put on disc is live but was done for a British radio station and you honeslty wouldn't know it was live. Molko has to reach for the higher notes but then that was the case with the original. I bet this version brings the Pixies and whole new generation of black nailpolish wearing fans.
, Originally by
George Harrison, Remade by
Spineshank
This song is AWESOME perhaps one of the greatest cover songs to ever be produced, so good it made it onto spineshanks debut album Strictly Diesel
, Originally by
George Harrison, Remade by
The Jeff Healy Band
beautiful cover
, Originally by
Devo, Remade by
Los Prisioneros
If you are into spanish rock check these guys out. They did an awesome job changing the song from English to Spanish :) it rocks!
, Originally by
Devo, Remade by
Moby
They say this is the Death Metal version.
, Originally by
Metallica, Remade by
Destruction
When Metallica's Whiplash was a breathtaking song, Destruction's cover is total madness and distortion, but meaning good!. Awesome.
, Originally by
Icicle Works, Remade by
Acumen Nation
Incredible! Unfortuantely, they were sued and the 'Newer Wave' covers compilation it was on was recalled; but definitely worth getting your hands on. Their "Lawsuits are Fun" remix 1.2 on the Unkind single just doesn't cut it...
, Originally by
Grandmaster Flash 1983, Remade by
Duran Duran (1995)
One of the greatest songs ever made - Covered by oneof the greatest 80's bands of all time (Duran Duran)! What more can ya' ask for?
, Originally by
The Clash, Remade by
311
Very good, similar to original
, Originally by
The Clash, Remade by
Dropkick Murphys
It was on The Singles Collection Vol. 1. Pretty fuckin' nice.
, Originally by
The Clash, Remade by
Angelic Upstarts
damn good band covering a damn good song!
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Deathstars
more akin to the original in vocal styling than the murderdolls version, very nice synth with gothic vocals
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Devlin
I listened to only 30 seconds of this song on Amazon.co.uk and this one wasn't very good. The vocals were not awful, but it didn't match up to Billy's version.
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Murderdolls
I always loved this by Billy Idol, and this metal version REALLY ROCKS!
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Murderdolls
i think this version is really good as it brings a new light to rock
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Doro
Doro's version is harder,she really makes you forget Billy Idol's version was even made.
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Devlin
By-the-numbers cover by Goth Metal band, Devlin. Female vox. Not too bad, but doesn't hold a candle to Doro's version :)
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Sentenced
I think the best Idol's cover ever made is this one.
, Originally by
Billy Idol, Remade by
Murderdolls
This is a nice hard metal cover
, Originally by
Chris Isaac, Remade by
HIM
As good as the original, not a fake really, u have to listen this very good remake.
, Originally by
Chris Isaac, Remade by
Him (his Infernal Majesty)
awesome cover!! if anyone likes the original, they would definitely like this one. awesome song done by an awesome band.
, Originally by
Duran Duran, Remade by
Atrocity
A metal-style version of this 80s classic (still one of my favourites from that aera) by the German metal band "Atrocity" with some rather hard guitar riffs. From their album "Werk 80", which contains a whole bunch of great metal versions of popular 80s songs.
, Originally by
Duran Duran, Remade by
Mnemic
Vocals are a bit harsh but a nice melody.
, Originally by
Duran Duran, Remade by
Phixx
Sounds exactly the same, on first hearing but is more rocky, the guitar sound drones the vocals at times.
, Originally by
Duran Duran, Remade by
Mnemic
Industrial version of an 80's classic, with speeding drums and a much more evocative voice than LeBon's. Absolutely amazing. Available on "The Audio Injected Soul" album, released late 2004
, Originally by
Duran Duran, Remade by
Deathline International
An industrial cover of one of Duran Duran's angstier songs ... seems natural to me. I'm surprised there aren't more industrial covers of Wild Boys, but the cover is considered a fan favorite by Deathline International listeners. Overall, the cover is amazingly true to the original.
, Originally by
The Rolling Stones, Remade by
The Sundays and Bush
I love the version The Sundays did. Wasnt too thrilled with the version Bush had.
, Originally by
The Rolling Stones, Remade by
Mazzy Star
Great song, Mazzy Star added her usual beauty to this song great cover!
, Originally by
Kool Mo Dee, Remade by
Will Smith & Sisqo with Kool Mo Dee
I prefer the newer version by far, but then again, I almost always like the cover versions of songs better!
, Originally by
The Rolling Stones, Remade by
The Sundays
Exquisite cover!
, Originally by
Bette Midler, Remade by
Sonata Arctica
Not a bad interpretation by this metal band.
, Originally by
Jimi Hendrix, Remade by
John Mayer
very nice
, Originally by
Neil Young, Remade by
The Pixies
the pixies have done other covers and they're all great. but i just love this version...it's even better than the original. ANY pixies song is a good song anyway!
, Originally by
Nine Inch Nails, Remade by
Linkin Park
Trent Reznor does it a lot better but I was a little impressed how Linkin Park played.
, Originally by Fleetwood Mac, Remade by Babes In Toyland
, Originally by
U2, Remade by
LCM
Awesome tranz version of the song with whitney houston samples.
, Originally by
Barbra Streisand , Remade by
Rebekah Ryan
Not that great, the original was much better
, Originally by
Barbra Streisand , Remade by
The Bluetones
Indie cover of the Barbra Streisand number 1!
, Originally by
Tom Petty, Remade by
Edgewater
Faster than the orginal and more modern with the guitars, thus changing the feel, but still captured the essence of the original. Can be found on their 2nd album "Lifter".
, Originally by
Eric Clapton, Remade by
Westlife
I thought that westlife did an amzing version of the song. The vocals really stand out
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Gun
very good cover, they turned this electro-pop-dance song into a rocking song with a wild guitar solo.
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Melanie Mel B/Scary Spice Brown
Just wanna point out that the "Spice Girls" never did a cover of this song - only Scary Spice, Melanie B, during her short-lived solo career. Song wasnt that bad. Video creeped me out though...
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Gun
Rock version of it,not good at all.
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Korn
It's a damn good song
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Gun
Never heard of the original but waaay better than the Spice Girls
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Gun
EXCELENT! Is a great cover with a style Hard Rock insupperable
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
KoRn
It's not bad but someone should have told Jonathan Davis that dancable pop songs don't make very good rock songs.
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Korn
Amazing! A real change in pace for korn, and a major improvement on the origional
, Originally by
Cameo, Remade by
Gun
I heard the original and i HATED it!! This verision is better than both Cameo and KoRn's versions. THIS SONG IS TRUE HARDCORE!!
, Originally by
Missing Persons, Remade by
Halomaker
Halomaker really mixed the song around. It's an industrial mix but it will blow you away. It takes a couple listens to get used to it but it's well worth it.
, Originally by
Loverboy, Remade by
Mr. Bungle
Amazing cover. Like a funny joke, and at the same time, you find yourself really rockin to a lame song done amazingly accurately and amazingly well. Its as though you can see Mr. Bungle's overwhelming skill show through the cheesy song.
, Originally by
New Order, Remade by
Vitamin DDT
Pulsing techno beat. Very well done. I heard it in a club a few weeks ago.
, Originally by
Depeche Mode, Remade by
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica makes excelents covers
, Originally by
Depeche Mode, Remade by
The Cure
A big cure fan...no doubt, but I felt they could've done a little better choice of song off of the Depeche Mode tribute disc.
, Originally by
Depeche Mode, Remade by
The Cure
I actually think this is a perfect cover for the Cure. It was really, really well done and held enough Depeche and Curesque qualities to make the song really enjoyable. You can't really go wrong, though with so close a genre covering one another...
, Originally by
Nik Kershaw, Remade by
Soulwax
It is a great cover, I would say.
, Originally by
Nik Kershaw, Remade by
Danny Hutton Hitters
From the "Pretty in Pink" soundtrack. Not great.
, Originally by
The Police, Remade by
Underoath
by far the best cover song to date...Underoath really shows their talent in this song with singing and adding in the screaming
, Originally by
The Police, Remade by
Tori Amos
Loved it. She has a unique way of interpreting any song
, Originally by
Kate Bush, Remade by
Angra
There are 2 versions of this cover:the cover... and the "speed" cover. The former sounds best to me. Amazing to know that these high pitches are sung by a man. Great fun to listen to.
, Originally by
Kate Bush, Remade by
China Drum
Brilliantly turning the kate bush classic into a rock club dance anthem, for the rock lovers this is better than the original
, Originally by
Kate Bush, Remade by
White Flag
The male lead of White Flag didn't even bother to change the lyrics. Thus singing from the female perspective (Cathy).
, Originally by
Kate Bush , Remade by
Pat Benetar
i didnt think it would sound right--but Pat kicks some major ass
Cover songs beginning with: [
Index] [
A] [
B] [
C] [
D] [
E] [
F] [
G] [
H] [
I] [
J] [
K] [
L] [
M] [
N] [
O] [
P] [
Q] [
R] [
S] [
T] [
U] [
V] [
W] [
X] [
Y] [
Z] [
misc]
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