| 1 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[folder:N]] |
| 4 | * "New Religion": Music/JimmyEatWorld's cover transforms the song from a hyperactive rant about information overload into a somber reflection on belief. |
| 5 | * "No Control": The original version by Music/DavidBowie was written for ''Music/{{Outside}}'', a RockOpera about a world where graphically butchering people is an accepted art form, and describes the crushing ennui and spiritual uncertainty felt by the album's protagonist, Nathan Alder. In ''Theatre/TheSpongeBobMusical'', it's instead a song about the people of Bikini Bottom fearing an impending volcanic apocalypse. |
| 6 | * "No Depression": Music/UncleTupelo's cover is about...well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin depression]], whereas the original song was written about the Great Depression. |
| 7 | [[/folder]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | [[folder:O]] |
| 10 | * "Music/OnceInALifetime": The original by Music/TalkingHeads is something of a SanitySlippageSong, with the singer slowly realizing the emptiness of the trappings of middle-class capitalism and having a severe identity crisis as a result; the chorus is panicking and frantic, and phrases like "Water flowing underground" evoke the sensation of drowning, which is amplified by the original music video ending with Music/DavidByrne being swallowed up by the background. Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z84rtbVbIEQ version]], by way of contrast, has a more celebratory, almost [[TheAntiNihilist anti-nihilist]] feeling: the singer's sudden realization is instead joyful, as if she's now free to do whatever she wants. The music video features three drab office workers hearing the song and bursting into a celebratory dance, destroying their workplace and returning to nature; in this case, the water is the sprinkler system, which comes across as a cleansing rain. |
| 11 | * "Once Upon a Dream". The original is a romantic love duet between [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Aurora and Phillip]] about meeting your OneTrueLove. Music/LanaDelRey's cover for ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' gives it a much bleaker, sadder, and wistful tone (it’s implied that this time around, it’s about Maleficent and Stefan’s doomed relationship). It also has a somewhat sinister sound, doubling as a VillainSong for [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Maleficent]]. |
| 12 | * "One" by Three Dog Night: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiKcd7yPLdU original version]] is soulful, regretful, and wishful, with the singer lamenting that his relationship turned south and he lost his love. Filter's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yApB48sGfAo version]], on the other hand, is more of a message of "Screw you for leaving me, you bitch!" |
| 13 | * "One More Colour", Jane Sibbery's 1985 hit, is an upbeat Canadian pop song inspired by a developmentally disabled boy Sibbery once met who found joy in looking at the sky. It has been covered with very different intent by other Canadian musicians. |
| 14 | ** Creator/SarahPolley's version (used in ''Film/TheSweetHereafter'') turns it into a melancholy, almost mournful reflection on the death of innocence. |
| 15 | ** The Rheostatics' version plays it up as a schizophrenic, fast-paced track full of guitar solos and a "party-like" atmosphere. |
| 16 | * "One Way or Another" by Music/{{Blondie|Band}} is about a StalkerWithACrush, however: |
| 17 | ** When it was sung in ''Film/HocusPocusII'', it was used as a spell to enchant some citizens into tracking down the mayor. |
| 18 | ** When it was sung in ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'', it was by a little girl determined to find her doll. |
| 19 | * "Only Girl (In the World)" by Music/{{Rihanna}}: The original comes off as a girl telling her boyfriend that he will spoil her and make her feel special or else there's no more relationship. |
| 20 | ** Music/BoyceAvenue's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cVZuJP6YRU cover]] changes the perspective to a guy singing to a girl about how he chooses to make her feel so special. This changes it from a spoiled woman demanding worship to a man devoting himself to his beloved. In addition, the cover changes the music from a club-type music to a romantic tone. |
| 21 | ** A similar premise was done by Music/OneDirection when they covered the song on ''Series/TheXFactor''. |
| 22 | * Music/BillyJoel's "Only the Good Die Young" is about a young man trying to get with a Catholic girl, telling her not to take her religion too seriously, with lines like "The stained glass curtain you're hiding behind never lets in the sun." Claudette's cover, despite changing the gender of the singer, ''doesn't change a single word''--and in doing so, changes it from being about Catholicism's prohibitions on premarital sex to their dim view on homosexuality. "Come out, Virginia" indeed. |
| 23 | * "Oops I Did It Again" by Music/BritneySpears was originally sung as if she genuinely didn't realize she was leading someone on so much, whereas Richard Thompson's performance was of someone who knew exactly what he was doing. Paul [=McDermott=] performed a curiously threatening [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e7uLil65us version]]. |
| 24 | [[/folder]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[folder:P]] |
| 27 | * "Paint It Black" by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}: |
| 28 | ** The original version sounds moody and vaguely depressing. When heavy-metal band The Black Dahlia Murder plays it, it sounds angry and vaguely homicidal. |
| 29 | ** Gob's cover of it has a relentless, driving feeling of a losing grip on sanity, and somehow also manages to sound almost happy about it. |
| 30 | ** When Music/TheResidents play "Paint it Black", it's a song about complete insanity and hatred for all living things or near-suicidal depression and loss, depending on the performance. |
| 31 | ** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJwSEDE5x2I Tea Party's cover]] is unsurprisingly, dramatically over-the-top and emphasizes the [[AuthorAppeal Middle Eastern elements]] of the song. |
| 32 | ** The covers by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYPWxymohWs Ciara]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PHyceqtIDg Hidden Citizens]] both sound like StartOfDarkness [[VillainSong Villain Songs]]. |
| 33 | ** In Music/{{U2}}'s version, the singer actually sounds like he thinks he can do something about the situation. |
| 34 | * "Parachute" was originally written by Ingrid Michaelson, but written ''for'' Cheryl Cole whose version was released several months before Ingrid's -- which is the cover is a matter of opinion and definition. Cheryl's is far more upbeat (being R&B-Pop) while Ingrid's version is mellow. Cheryl's sounds like either someone falling in love with someone or someone who has recently begun a relationship, while Ingrid's sounds more like someone talking about a long-term relationship. |
| 35 | * "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus is a song about being nervous in Los Angeles and familiar songs brightening your mood. However, in the wake of the 2020 election, Americans took to the streets singing the song to celebrate Joe Biden's victory and more importantly Donald Trump's defeat. |
| 36 | * "Personal Jesus" by Music/DepecheMode: |
| 37 | ** Music/{{Marilyn Manson}}'s version is played as [[ReligionRantSong a straight blast against organized religion]]. |
| 38 | ** Music/JohnnyCash turned it into a spiritual song about the power of Christ. |
| 39 | ** The Blind Boys of Alabama turned it into a straight-up Gospel song. |
| 40 | ** Interestingly, the original version is easily read as treading a middle ground between the two interpretations; the original inspiration is Priscilla Presley's book "[[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis And Me]]", which leads the lead singer to believe that Ms. Prestley, in her mind, made Elvis into the equivalent of her own personal version of Jesus Christ. As soon as that context is explained, the disdain in the original is easily viewed as being towards somebody who puts too much faith in somebody who could very well be the wrong person. |
| 41 | * "Piano Man" by Music/BillyJoel: Ana Belén's cover has little to do with the original's lyrics. The titular piano man is now an old man who can't forget about the woman that refused to stay with him "locked up in a cage", and now only plays sad songs that "taste of honey and defeat". |
| 42 | * "Piece of My Heart" by Erma Franklin is a song of defiance in the face of her unfaithful man. |
| 43 | ** Music/JanisJoplin sang it with a rage not commonly seen in female vocalists. |
| 44 | ** Faith Hill made a flighty, bubble-gummy cover and then later rerecorded a much harder-edged version[[note]](it's on some rare foreign hits collection)[[/note]]. |
| 45 | * ''Pineapple Princess'' went from being sung by a female, ending with "I'll be his pineapple queen" to being sung by a male, ending with "I'll be your pineapple queen". |
| 46 | * "Pirate Jenny" from ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera'': Music/NinaSimone's cover is still essentially about a frustrated hotel maid's revenge fantasies but has racial and political overtones. (The "Black Freighter" serves as a metaphor for a black uprising.) |
| 47 | * "Plastic Love" by Music/MariyaTakeuchi tells the story of embracing a hedonistic lifestyle after being spurned by a past lover. After Caitlin Myers posted [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vunm-W-ovLc an English cover]], Will Stetson [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4pdVgHnew4 sang]] it from a male perspective without changing any of the lyrics. The line "fancy high heels and plenty of dresses, they're my sole companions on this journey" changes context as a result; the woman puts value in the clothes that help her stand out, while the man metaphorically refers to all the ladies he has seduced. In both cases, the singer is chasing a false happiness. |
| 48 | * "Please Don't Leave Me" by Music/{{Pink}} got this during the 2009 Australian Idol season. When contestant Toby chose it for a Pink-themed night, it resulted in some DoubleStandard and UnfortunateImplications (or DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale) due to lyrics such as "I'll cut you into pieces", and "You're my perfect little punching bag". Judge Ian 'Dicko' Dickson lampshaded this by pointing out that sung by a female (and with the somewhat lighthearted, AffectionateParody / BlackComedy-esque portrayal of the subject matter in the music video), Pink sounds much like the badass FemmeFatale, but Toby's version would probably come off with a creepy serial killer/wife basher vibe. |
| 49 | * "Poker Face" by Music/LadyGaga: Chris Daughtry's cover sounds more like a cad's depressing lament than the upbeat ode to promiscuity of the original. |
| 50 | * [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=3COQNuFLe_U "Posmotri v Glaza" ("Look Into My Eyes")]] by Natalya Vetlitskaya is an upbeat-sounding song about a woman moving on from a relationship after (presumably) being cheated on. Lera Bonaker's [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=l_lFoTvs3fA&t cover]] is much more emotional. While Natalya's version sounds as if she's ready to leave the relationship behind, Lera's version sounds much more forlorn and heartbroken, as if she's genuinely grief-stricken about the betrayal. |
| 51 | * "Pumped Up Kicks" by Music/FosterThePeople is a [[LyricalDissonance very upbeat, catchy, yet mellow dance tune]] about a mass shooting. |
| 52 | ** Rapper Yonas took the chorus, added rap verses, and set it to a music video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MthoZXOdz84 of children running around with water pistols]], making it less aggressive and more fun. |
| 53 | ** Industrial metal band 3TEETH's cover removes the disconnect between the lyrics and music and has a music video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYIsZr9L_rM of an unknown man cleaning some guns, juxtaposed with footage of a S.W.A.T. team entering a house]], which makes the song take a more ominous tone than the original. |
| 54 | * "Pure Imagination" from ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' |
| 55 | ** Music/{{Buckethead}}'s cover is much more downbeat than the original. |
| 56 | ** Jazz saxophonist Steve Lehman's version is FAR in the opposite direction. His intention was to give it the same sort of manic, dervish energy that John Coltrane gave to [[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic "My Favorite Things"]]. |
| 57 | ** Music/FionaApple's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BkBGdnUNSk cover]] is very downbeat and haunting, to the point where it was used very appropriately in a Chipotle ad called "Advertising/TheScarecrow". |
| 58 | ** Music/MaroonFive's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWGeCqszY8s version]] of the song makes it sound more like an IntercourseWithYou song. |
| 59 | * Music/{{The Cure|Band}}'s version of "Purple Haze" sounds less like Music/JimiHendrx's exuberant ode to hallucinogens and more as if, like in so many other Cure songs, the singer is descending into another deep funk.[[note]]Which was actually what the song was originally intended as[[/note]] |
| 60 | [[/folder]] |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:R]] |
| 63 | * "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDvX7rM8tro Rap das Armas]]", a Brazilian song (widely known for its use in ''Film/TheEliteSquad'') was originally written by MC Junior and Leonardo as protest on the violence in Rio de Janeiro. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZthNYozVwNM The better-known cover]] by Cidinho and Doca instead tells a story from the point of view of drug dealers about to fight off the police. |
| 64 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'', "Remember Me" went down in history as an upbeat romantic ballad and Ernesto de la Cruz's biggest hit. [[spoiler: It isn't until most of the way through the movie that Miguel (and the audience) learn that his great-great-grandfather ''Héctor'' actually wrote it as a tender lullaby for his daughter, only to have it stolen by Ernesto.]] |
| 65 | * "Respect" by Music/OtisRedding: The original version was about a HenpeckedHusband pleading with his wife for respect and recognition. Music/ArethaFranklin's cover transformed it into a song about a woman telling a lover that she wasn't going to accept his dismissive attitude toward her any longer, thus giving birth to a major theme song for Second Wave Feminism. |
| 66 | * "Richard Cory," the poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, is from the point of view of the people of the town where the title character lives and describes how they envy his wealth and standing, until [[WhamLine the last line]], in which he [[StepfordSmiler commits suicide]]. The Music/SimonAndGarfunkel song is more pointedly sung by an individual person who works in a factory owned by Cory and [[DualMeaningChorus repeats even after reporting the suicide]] that he hates his life and wants to be Richard Cory, making it a commentary on wealth and poverty rather than a warning that money doesn't buy happiness. |
| 67 | * "Ring On Her Finger, Time on Her Hands" by Lee Greenwood: Although the only lyrical change was changing the pronouns to first person, Music/RebaMcEntire's cover, taking on the female perspective, changes the song from a song of regret as told by a now-enlightened-too-late husband (as in Greenwood's version) to a long-neglected housewife who is forgotten about by a frequently absent, cold, emotionally distant and uncaring husband and that even though she knew it was wrong, she justifies her decision to turn to another man to fulfill her sexual needs. Despite changing the hook to "Ring on My Finger, Time on My Hands", the song still kept the original title on the album and single releases, and on its chart entry. |
| 68 | * ''River Road'' originally by Sylvia Tyson is about a woman who still wanted to roam and live freely despite being married, and Crystal Gayle sang it this way - but on her appearance in ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' changed a few verses to make it about a young girl who ran away to find adventure, only to return home once she realizes that the life of a wanderer wasn't all that exciting or romantic. |
| 69 | * Music/JubyPhonic's English [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYlJQ0CNagY cover]] of Music/{{Vocaloid}} song "Romeo and Cinderella" tells a drastically different story from the original song's subject of a teenage girl and her forbidden fling with her boyfriend, instead being about an unhappy HopelessSuitor forced to accept that the male childhood friend she loves is with another girl. [[spoiler:The ending lyrics imply that she [[SpurnedIntoSuicide kills herself]] with poison.]] |
| 70 | * "Runnin' Down a Dream" by Tom Petty has the singer following his muse. Wednesday 13's cover sounds like the "Dream" being run down is a person. The lyrics put the singer in a car don't hurt that image. |
| 71 | * "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush. The original version is quite upbeat and hopeful, while two notable covers turn it the other way. |
| 72 | ** Placebo's version is a depressive (and somewhat NightmareFuel-y) lament. It changes the subject of the song from finding God to a deal with the devil. |
| 73 | ** Music/WithinTemptation's cover sounds like someone who is [[TakeAThirdOption taking a third option]] and riding out to take action - despite the wishes of heaven ''or'' hell! |
| 74 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81FszKwDi7c Lo Spirit's version]] is a scene/rock-song InTheStyleOf Music/MyChemicalRomance, as fans have noticed that [[IdenticalStranger the singer sounds a lot like Gerard Way.]] The cover's frantic pace and the constant vocalizing/screaming sound like the singer is having a FreakOut and rocketing past the DespairEventHorizon. |
| 75 | * "Run to the Hills" by Music/IronMaiden: Sign's cover seems to be sung exclusively from the Indian perspective with a much more somber tone in contrast to the original which was much more aggressive and sung mostly from the white men's point of view (except for the first verse). |
| 76 | [[/folder]] |
| 77 | |
| 78 | [[folder:S]] |
| 79 | * "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" by Music/BlackSabbath: Both versions are basically about feeling betrayed by society. The original is an angry take on this, while The Cardigans' cover is more of a sadly resigned ballad. |
| 80 | * "Säkkijärven Polkka" is a southern Karelian folk song, named after the municipality of Säkkijärvi from which it originates. It used to be an instrumental tune until UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, after which UsefulNotes/{{Finland}} lost a portion of its southeastern lands to the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]], including Säkkijärvi, and the locals were [[YouCantGoHomeAgain forcibly relocated]]. Someone invented lyrics to the song that mourned the exile: |
| 81 | -->The land of Karelia is a beautiful memory\ |
| 82 | but from the heart is sound of music\ |
| 83 | when the musician's fingers let you hear\ |
| 84 | the Säkkijärvi Polka!\ |
| 85 | That polka brings the past to mind\ |
| 86 | and in the chest creates an odd longing\ |
| 87 | Hey musician, let the accordion play\ |
| 88 | the Säkkijärvi Polka! |
| 89 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MejtR81RzCo "Satisfaction"]] by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} is a mid-tempo song about a man's frustration with his sex life. |
| 90 | ** {{Music/Devo}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pMqSyIwmA8 version]] is a fast-paced rant against consumerism. |
| 91 | ** Music/PJHarvey and Music/{{Bjork}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AX2bcWtg1Q&feature=related version]] is what happens right before insanity. |
| 92 | ** Music/TheResidents' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYWebOq1J9I version]] (at the very beginning of the video) is about a guy who is just downright AxCrazy. |
| 93 | ** Music/CatPower's cover drops all the choruses, leaving only the parts of the song that nobody knows. |
| 94 | ** Phyllis Diller's version of the song is a self-deprecating tune about how much it sucks to be Phyllis Diller. |
| 95 | ** The often forgotten and somewhat underrated Music/BritneySpears version references societal pressures on young girls to behave and look a certain way. [[note]]Quite interesting given the evolution of Britney's [[MadonnaWhoreComplex public image]] and the subsequent fallout.[[/note]] |
| 96 | * "Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry has an upbeat melody but sad lyrics, of a relationship's last night together, that the singer knows that the relationship just isn't going to work and while they'll enjoy this night, it'll all be over tomorrow. Zayde Wolf's version drops the verses and slows the chorus down, and adds a much more menacing beat, sounding more like a plea from the singer, knowing that they're going to die by dawn. |
| 97 | * "Season Of The Witch" by Donovan: Vanilla Fudge's cover plays an originally largely tongue-in-cheek tune dead straight in the most horrifying manner possible. |
| 98 | * "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers has a romanticized third-person view on the secret agent in question, portraying his life as one of danger, intrigue and mystery in exotic locations. |
| 99 | ** Music/{{Devo}}'s warped semi-cover of "Secret Agent Man" alters the lyrics and changes to a first-person view, in which the secret agent is portrayed as a PunchClockHero, who sees himself as "safeguarding America's health", from the comfort of his somewhat boring, vaguely defined desk job at the FBI. |
| 100 | ** Laurie Anderson quotes the opening lines of "Secret Agent Man" in the eerie, melancholy title track of her album ''Big Science'', making it seem like it's about alienation in general. |
| 101 | * ''Series/SesameStreet'' theme: ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' once had an episode which guest-starred ''Series/SesameStreet'' characters. It ended with a mournful cover of the ''Sesame Street'' theme which makes it sound like someone trying to forget their troubles, in keeping with the theme of the episode. |
| 102 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9hazmsUxrM "Sexy Bitch"]] by David Guetta: |
| 103 | ** In girl group Girlicious' cover, instead of the male narrator admiring a sexy bitch, the song is turned around so that a female narrator is referring to herself as a sexy bitch. |
| 104 | ** Paloma Faith took the song, which can only be described as the most typical song ever written, and recast it into [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xW3zjLPoAI a ballad of envy tinged with lesbian lust that really has to be heard to believed.]] |
| 105 | * "She Drives Me Crazy" by Music/FineYoungCannibals was covered by Franchise/TheMuppets, who turned it into a duet between Miss Piggy on the verses and Kermit the Frog on the chorus. This division, combined with Kermit's exasperated delivery, makes the title seem less "I'm crazy about her" and more "I'm going crazy because ''[[AbhorrentAdmirer she won't leave me alone]]''". |
| 106 | * "She Moves Through The Fair" is a traditional Irish folk song that had the lover come back as a ghost in the final verse. However, the version that was collected and published in 1909, by Padraic Colum and Herbert Hughes, doesn't make this clear except for one word: "Last night she came to me, my '''dead''' love came in". This is used in Richard Thompson's cover. More commonly today, it goes "Last night she came to me/my own love came in" or the lover merely "came softly in". To modern ears that don't pick up on the subtext, this changes the ending '''completely'''. |
| 107 | * "Shining Light" by Ash: The subject of the original song is a girl. In the covers by Emm Gryner and Annie Lennox, it's God. It does make the line, "a full-on chemical reaction," sacrilegious. |
| 108 | * "Siúil a Rún", an Irish folk song, has many versions which zig-zag with the song's meaning. |
| 109 | ** Solas does a sweet, wistful version. |
| 110 | ** Lorelei's verges on emo. |
| 111 | ** The version done by Rosheen sounds as though the singer is going to pick up her own sword and follow her love into battle. |
| 112 | * "Sixteen Tons" is a ProtestSong about a coal miner who complains about being "owned" by the CompanyTown. The Brazilian version [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Beo_jHowU-I "16 Toneladas"]] is a party song, where "16 tons" is just the nickname of a particularly fun person. |
| 113 | * "Sledgehammer" by Music/PeterGabriel: While the original was full of {{double entendre}}s, Northern Kings' cover expresses a man's loyalty to do anything for his woman. |
| 114 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kud96a_5r3s "Slowly"]] by the Swedish band Gemini: The English version is a ballad in which the lyrics talk about how the love in a relationship is gone and they're about to part ways. |
| 115 | ** The Spanish cover [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1TbOGu8Olg Muriendo Lento]] by the Mexican band Timbiriche retains the same music and guitar riff but changes the lyrics so that the relationship is over, but the couple miss each other and want to be together again. |
| 116 | ** Add [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCUh8xZVGXA the cover of the cover]], by group Moderatto and singer Belinda, which now is a perky pop-rock song, that still has the same guitar riff. |
| 117 | * "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Music/{{Nirvana}}: The original version is a chainsaw of anger hitting an iron spike of angst over something deserved but never received. |
| 118 | ** Music/ToriAmos's cover of the song is a soulful lament for something once possessed but now lost. |
| 119 | ** Music/PansyDivision's cover ("Smells Like Queer Spirit") is about homophobia and gay sex. |
| 120 | * "So Into You" by Atlanta Rhythm Section: Shudder To Think took a southern rock IntercourseWithYou song and somehow simultaneously played the ObsessionSong angle to the hilt ''and'' made it sexier. In particular, Craig Wedren sings the refrain "I am so into you / I can't think of nothing else" as though he means it ''literally''. |
| 121 | * "Someone Like You" by Music/{{Adele}}: The original was about a childhood friend settling down with someone else. Karmin recorded a duet cover that seems to be about the two wishing to get back together, although at least one of them is already married. |
| 122 | * "Son Of A Preacher Man": StraightGay singer and voice actor Creator/CamClarke's cover changes it from a song about a preacher's son sneaking around behind his dad's back to a song about a preacher's son sneaking around behind his dad's back... ''with another boy''. The entire song takes on quite a different and altogether more scandalous feel. It's actually [[{{Flanderization}}a Flanderizing of the most popular version]]: Dusty Springfield was openly bisexual, so you can imagine how "the only boy who could ever reach me" went over when the song was first released. |
| 123 | * Music/SimonAndGarfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" is no stranger to this. |
| 124 | ** The version performed by the Brazilian duo Leandro & Leonardo, "É por você que canto" (I sing for you), turned the original lyrics into a SillyLoveSong. |
| 125 | ** Creator/AnnaKendrick's cover in WesternAnimation/{{Trolls}} has Poppy turns it into a hilarious [[{{Pun}} trolling]] of the cynical Branch. |
| 126 | ** Disturbed's cover turns the original's PoorCommunicationKills into a far darker and epic tragedy. |
| 127 | ** And there is a version popular in Latin-American Catholic areas, where the lyrics are changed to an adaptation of the Lord's Prayer and used in singing masses. |
| 128 | * "SOS" by Music/{{ABBA}} is about former lovers drifting apart. The cover by Music/{{Portishead}}, recorded specially for ''[[Creator/TomHiddleston High-Rise]]'', makes it more about how a rotten society inevitably breaks emotional connections between people. |
| 129 | * "Space Oddity" by ''Creator/DavidBowie'' is a tragic story of an astronaut who ends up stranded in space. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo Chris Hadfield's cover]], aside from being actually filmed in space, removes some of the {{Zeerust}}y elements (i.e. 'take your protein pills' becomes 'lock your soyuz hatch'), and makes the ending a bittersweet one; the astronaut completes his mission, [[ButNowIMustGo but now his time in space is up and he must return to Earth]]. |
| 130 | * "Stand Out" from ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' is briefly sung by Dewey in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. In both cases, the song is about trying to catch the attention of a girl by being as loud and flashy as possible, the only difference is that Dewey is trying to impress [[spoiler:[[WellDoneSonGuy his mother]]]] rather than a crush. |
| 131 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWq7MKYzZNI&feature=related "Star Above My Bed (Call of the Tiger Woman)"]] by Glassjaw was redone by the same band, retitled simply as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1u55wL3s30 "Stars"]]. But it's not so much that they changed its meaning as they spiced it up and altered its lyrics. |
| 132 | * "The Star-Spangled Banner": The initial song was about the bombardment of Fort [=McHenry=] during the War of 1812. Many covers like to make the context more... contemporary, let's say. |
| 133 | ** Music/JimiHendrix famously played a live version that, through his use of noise, feedback, and guitar wizardry, managed to sound like a village getting destroyed in the Vietnam war, complete with explosions, machine-gun fire, screaming, and the sound of bombs falling, all interspersed with the actual anthem. The resulting song was not exactly intended to be patriotic. On ''Series/TheDickCavettShow'' Hendrix said he thought it was beautiful. |
| 134 | ** Music/JoseFeliciano's controversial Latin jazz version was widely interpreted as a subversion and a protest song. Ironically, that one was not intentional. |
| 135 | * "Starstrukk": Original artist 3OH!3 sounded proud of stringing their lovers along, but Music/MarinaAndTheDiamond's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nCRqL5UmN4 version]]" sounds far more regretful about it. |
| 136 | * "Still I'm Sad" by The Yardbirds: The original is a somewhat obscure ambient chanting-type song. Rainbow then took the basic melody, removed all the words, and rerecorded it as a '70s hard-rocker. The live version has the lyrics again but expands the whole thing into 10 minutes of EpicRocking. |
| 137 | * The original version of "Stupid Boy" by Sarah Buxton is a woman chiding a man over being irresponsible in a relationship. The more famous version by Music/KeithUrban is about a man beating himself up over driving his lover away. |
| 138 | * "Such Great Heights" by Music/ThePostalService: Music/IronAndWine changed it from a synthpop acid trip of a love song into something more poignant and sweet. |
| 139 | * "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Crofts: Music/TypeONegative's cover becomes a song about domestic violence. At the very least. Type O Negative's version was disturbing enough that Seals and Crofts wouldn't let them officially release it without re-recording the vocals with the original lyrics in tact - the rejected version leaked online, and a re-release of ''Bloody Kisses'' had the altered lyrics printed in the liner notes even though the recording still had the original Seals and Crofts lyrics. |
| 140 | * "Sunglasses At Night" by Corey Hart is an energetic but mournful tune about a man turning a blind eye to being spooked by his out-of-his-league girlfriend. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jT-Bb-Nkv0&feature=kp In this cover]] by Music/TheMegas, the singer is much more competitive and determined to win her affections and seems self-assured enough to actually wear SunglassesAtNight. |
| 141 | * "Superstar", originated by Delaney & Bonnie and made famous by the Carpenters, is about a groupie who's fooled herself into thinking that the one-night stand she had with a rock star was forgotten by said rock star |
| 142 | ** The ghostly, eerie quality of Sonic Youth's cover makes it sound like it's about a dead lover. That, or a vengeance-obsessed hookup who's stalking an unaware victim. |
| 143 | ** Luther Vandross' version sounds like someone wondering about a long-lost love. |
| 144 | * The 19th century Western folk ballad "Sweet Betsy from Pike" was originally composed as an epic ode to the American pioneers who made the trek to resettle in California in the 1800s. Notably, though, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvRuKHz5Klg Suzy Bogguss version]] is closer to a feminist empowerment anthem, focusing on the title character's courage and tenacity as she braves a series of trials and hardships on the road to California. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xsVWWLHWhc Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling Sting Band's version]] is also more bittersweet and introspective than most, focusing primarily on Betsy's relationship with her lover Ike [[spoiler:before they ultimately divorce shortly after marrying]]. With Sabatella's characteristic melancholy sound, the song comes across more like a reflection on the ups and downs of a romantic relationship: when two people choose to share their lives with each other, they share in ''all'' of life's trials--but even when they've been through hell and back together, [[spoiler:the fire of love can still be snuffed out when you least expect it]]. |
| 145 | * "Sweet Dreams" by Music/{{Eurythmics}} is about finding fulfillment in your own way. |
| 146 | ** Music/MarilynManson's cover makes it about the futility of finding meaning. |
| 147 | ** Music/EmilyBrowning's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxdwEOpGknk cover]] is sung in a slow, emotionless voice that has an effect similar to Manson's version, with the added bonus of sounding defeated and numb to the world that wants to use and abuse. |
| 148 | * "Sweet Music Man" by Music/KennyRogers is about a man who feels conflict over the tumult of the music industry, with stern but loving odes to Music/WaylonJennings in the process. |
| 149 | ** The subsequent covers all by female artists (R&B singer Millie Jackson and country singer Music/RebaMcEntire) change it to a woman showing conflict, yet also moral support, for a man who wants to chase his musical career. (This doesn't qualify as a TheCoverChangesTheGender as, other than removing the intro, their versions don't change any lyrics.) |
| 150 | * The original version of "Sweet Sweet Sweet" by Dreams Come True (the basis of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'''s ending theme) was a romantic love song. The [[https://youtu.be/fZgRlcMBUEM metal cover]] by Kyle Brook done for the ''Sonic'' fan film, ''Sweet Dreams'', reworks the lyrics considerably to make it more about the brotherly bond between Sonic and Tails. |
| 151 | [[/folder]] |
| 152 | |
| 153 | [[folder:T]] |
| 154 | * "Tainted Love" by Gloria Jones is an angry and defiant take on a failing relationship. |
| 155 | ** [[CoveredUp Soft Cell's version]] is a poppy, upbeat take on a failing relationship. |
| 156 | ** Music/MarilynManson's version is an angry, paranoid, descending-into-homicidal-madness [[RuleOfThree take on a failing relationship]]. |
| 157 | ** Coil's take on it is a slow dirge, likely reflecting the last thoughts of a man dying of AIDS. |
| 158 | * "Take Me to the River" by Al Green: Talking Heads took the rather upbeat song and turned it into a funky, eerie narrative, complete with ominous atmospheric keyboards and David Byrne's [[CreepyMonotone menacing, on-the-edge delivery]]. |
| 159 | * "Teenage Dream" by Music/KatyPerry: |
| 160 | ** Music/BoyceAvenue covered it in a more romantic tone, to the point of changing the more IntercourseWithYou lyrics to stuff like "Let's just talk all through the night, there's no need to rush." |
| 161 | ** Creator/DarrenCriss pulled a similar trick with the same song, turning it into a thank-you to those who helped him fulfill his teenage dream (the arrangement was also featured on ''Series/{{Glee}}''). |
| 162 | * "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvQQw9w4YZ8 Tell Me Once Again]]" is a love song. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMeRwIizd84 A Brazilian versionparody]] is not as romantic, as shown by the title "Calúnias (Telma Eu Não Sou Gay)" ("Slander [Telma, [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday I'm not gay]] ]" - pretty [[MistakenForGay self-explanatory]]). |
| 163 | * "This Is Halloween" from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': While the original is talking about a land of wonder - albeit a morbid one - the Music/MarilynManson cover comes across as a truly hellish place where they delight in the torment in store for you. When Manson sings "That's our job but we're not mean," [[NightmareFuel you know]] [[BlatantLies he's lying.]] |
| 164 | * "Music/{{Thriller}}" by Music/MichaelJackson: [[http://soundcloud.com/imogenheap/thriller-live Imogen Heap's cover]] changes it from a slightly creepy but mostly catchy dance number into an eerie, melancholy song that in some ways matches the lyrics much better. |
| 165 | * "Music/TheTimesTheyAreAChangin" by Music/BobDylan: The Bank of Montreal's use of a children's choir singing this song in one of their commercials was not only vaguely weird but also completely subverted the meaning of the song. As comedian [[Series/ThisHourHas22Minutes Rick Mercer]] once put it: "What used to be an anthem against people like the bank is now a jingle ''for'' the bank. If you listen closely you can hear the sound of Woody Guthrie spinning in his grave." |
| 166 | * "Titanium" by Sia: Madilyn Bailey's [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2b0Es-axOnQ cover]] is much more emotional and heartfelt than the original. |
| 167 | * "To Make You Feel My Love" by Music/BobDylan, originally released on ''Music/TimeOutOfMind'', plays almost like a desperate cry for help, asking the woman the song is being sung to not give up on the singer despite the hard times. |
| 168 | ** Music/GarthBrooks's take on the song is confident, rather than desperate, promising the woman that he (the singer) will soothe her hurts and make things all better. |
| 169 | ** Music/{{Adele}}'s cover from the album ''[[Music/{{Nineteen}} 19]]'' is more like an offer being made to a potential love interest that if he chooses her, she would do anything for him. |
| 170 | * "Tonight", originally from Music/IggyPop's ''Music/LustForLife'', is a [[Main/TeenageDeathSongs teenage death song]] about a drug overdose, as the singer assures his dying sweetheart that "everything will be alright". Co-writer/producer/backup singer Music/DavidBowie recorded a cover version as the title track of a 1984 album but dropped the opening section that establishes the girl's dying -- which leaves only a straightforward love song, one he performed as a duet with Tina Turner. |
| 171 | * "Too Drunk to Fuck" by the Music/DeadKennedys. The original is a scathingly satirical portrait of a guy who drank so much beer that he made a complete fool of himself. The Nouvelle Vague version is more like a semi-delirious, sweaty, boozy, exhilarated young woman affirming that she's too drunk to fuck, but that's not going to stop her having a go. Which is arguably more worrying. |
| 172 | * "Torn" by Ednaswap: Natalie Imbruglia's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo cover]] is upbeat and poppy, a 180-degree turn from the ([[CoveredUp considerably lesser-known]]) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1SH1YdITDI original]], which is emotionally raw and more in line with the actual lyrics. |
| 173 | * "Toxic" by Music/BritneySpears: |
| 174 | ** Yael Naim's cover is soft, slow, sensual, and truly gives off the air of an addict. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETh0Kfxk2BY&feature=related Here it is.]] |
| 175 | ** One ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'' [[https://youtu.be/XHLGy4bSVyk performance]] uses the 2WEI cover version, which is already intense and haunting as is and is inserted into the context of a woman who's in love with a deranged psychiatric ward patient. |
| 176 | * Music/MauriceWhite's cover version of ''Tomorrow'' changes a classical J-pop sequence into RAndB; comparison [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3gnVtkg-Xk here.]] |
| 177 | ** The cover version by the Canto-pop singer Hacken Lee, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2wS64xhQi4 Daybreak]]'' downright changes the meaning of the song from star-crossed lovers to a male apologizing for hurting her girl. |
| 178 | * "Traitor" by Music/OliviaRodrigo. Madilyn Bailey's covers change a word on the bridge from "Damn I wish you would thought this through before I went and fell in love with you" to "I wish I would thought this through..." changing from a song about a girl telling off her ex flirting with another girl while they together to a song about someone blaming herself for her ex flirting with another girl while they were together. |
| 179 | * "True Colors," as originally sung by Cyndi Lauper, is a love song encouraging someone to show their true self because that is the person the singer cares for. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ2vBhIJWwE The cover]], with music composed by Richie Kohan and used in the trailers for ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', has a more sinister take, with the listener being tempted to give in to their darkest impulses and embrace their madness. |
| 180 | * "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star": ''VideoGame/DeadSpace''[='=]s [[http://www.deadspacegame.com website]] is home to quite possibly ''the'' [[NightmareFuel creepiest]] [[IronicNurseryTune version]] of the classic nursery rhyme ever recorded. |
| 181 | [[/folder]] |
| 182 | |
| 183 | [[folder:U]] |
| 184 | * "Under My Thumb" by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}: The original version has Mick Jagger being very smug, self-satisfied, and quite pleased with his place in the world. Mike Ness performing it with Music/SocialDistortion, on the other hand, is extremely angry, depressed, and comes off with the air of intending to exact a brutal, hateful vengeance. |
| 185 | * "Under the Bridge" by Music/RedHotChiliPeppers is a serious and introspective song about singer Anthony Kiedis’s experiences of loneliness and depression while addicted to narcotics, living in Los Angeles, and feeling the city was his only real companion. When Music/AllSaints covered it, they stripped out all references to both Los Angeles and drugs, gutting the song's inspiration and message. Kiedis was unimpressed by their version saying "they didn’t know what they were singing about." |
| 186 | * "Unholy" by Music/SamSmith is about a guy who cheats on his wife at the "body shop". The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyiZWdAPNCk Annapantsu and Chloebreez cover of the song]] has both members of the family banging other people behind each other's backs, while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLAWHaiSC3s the Justine M cover]] turns things sapphic and religious. |
| 187 | [[/folder]] |
| 188 | |
| 189 | [[folder:V]] |
| 190 | * "Viva Las Vegas" by Music/ElvisPresley: |
| 191 | ** The Music/DeadKennedys covered it in a very different tone. They only made a few lyrical changes ("Let me roll a 7 with every shot" notably becomes "Got coke up my nose to dry away the snot"), but let the dripping sarcasm in Jello Biafra's voice do the rest. |
| 192 | ** Shawn Colvin's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdszDlp7GE4 cover]] of the song (famously used in the soundtrack of ''Film/TheBigLebowski'') turns an upbeat pop song about the glitz and glamor of 1960s Las Vegas into a melancholy adult alternative song about futilely seeking solace in material pleasures. If the original captured the spirit of a night of partying on the Strip, the cover captures the feeling of waking up the next morning--only to feel just as empty as you did before. As numerous fans and critics have observed, the song is pretty accurate to what modern-day Las Vegas is ''actually'' like for most people who venture there. |
| 193 | * "Viva la Vida" by Music/{{Coldplay}}: Music/JoyElectric changed one important word from the chorus in his cover, from "I know St. Peter won't call my name," to "I know St. Peter ''will'' call my name." |
| 194 | [[/folder]] |
| 195 | |
| 196 | [[folder:W]] |
| 197 | * Edwin Starr's "War" was originally a ProtestSong, but it was used in ''WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged'' for in-universe SoundtrackDissonance when the Nazi's play it as they raze London to the ground. The Major even briefly sings along and manages to completely reverse the meaning of the lyrics due to the simple fact that he's a {{Death Seek|er}}ing BloodKnight who thinks that WarIsGlorious, praising the very things that the song condemns. |
| 198 | * "Waterfalls" by Music/{{TLC}} is an upbeat '90s chillout tune about how DrugsAreBad. Music/BetteMidler's cover is a slow, bittersweet ballad where the lyrics are emphasized a lot more. |
| 199 | * In 1989, Music/BillyJoel released "We Didn't Start The Fire", which referenced a lot of historical people, things and events from the late 1940s to the then-present day. In 2023, Music/FallOutBoy put an unusual spin on this trope by producing what was effectively a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LkVKCWL0U4 sequel]] to Joel's original song that used the original music and chorus but replaced all of the historical references with ones that happened since the original song came out. Joel showed ApprovalOfGod, [[https://www.nme.com/news/music/billy-joel-responds-to-fall-out-boys-updated-cover-of-we-didnt-start-the-fire-3467987 saying that he never planned to update the original song and told Fall Out Boy to "go ahead, great, take it away."]] |
| 200 | * Any use of "We Need a Little Christmas" as an actual Christmas song. In ''Theatre/{{Mame}}'', the point is that it's ''not'' Christmas (although ChristmasCreep means that "one week past Thanksgiving" is a lot more part of the Christmas season now than it was at the time). |
| 201 | * "What A Wonderful World" by Music/LouisArmstrong, a bittersweet observation about the transient beauties in the world: |
| 202 | ** [[Music/TheRamones Joey Ramone's]] [[Music/DontWorryAboutMe cover]] changes the song's tone to someone experiencing dance-inducing synesthesia over how fucking awesome the world is. The fact that Mr. Ramone recorded the album while dying of cancer just seems to add another layer of awesome to it. |
| 203 | ** The cover by Joseph William Morgan featuring Shadow Royale plays the song in a much more somber manner. |
| 204 | * "What Hurts The Most", originally by Mark Wills but CoveredUp by Rascal Flatts: Cascada has a very energetic pop version that downplays the GriefSong undertones. |
| 205 | * "What I Go to School For" by Music/{{Busted}} is about a teenage boy having [[PrecociousCrush a crush]] on his teacher. It was inspired by one of the bandmates - Matt Willis' - actual schoolboy crush on a teacher from his dance school (which was ''not reciprocated ''in real life, she had no clue) but [[StudentTeacherRomance is in the song]]. Music/TheJonasBrothers' cover changes it to a boy having a crush on another girl his school in a year above his. |
| 206 | * "What Is Love?" by Haddaway: Jaymes Young's cover isn't upbeat like the original. It sounds like it's about someone who has had past troubles with love or someone who is in a turbulent relationship. |
| 207 | * "What's the Use of Won'drin" from ''Theatre/{{Carousel}}'': Music/AmandaPalmer's cover is a depiction of domestic violence and misogyny. Even when done straight, ValuesDissonance makes it pretty hard not to see the song any other way. The creepy music box style Amanda does it in makes it even more obvious, though. At some points in the song, a woman can be heard faintly sobbing. |
| 208 | * "What's This?" from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': The original is [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny incredibly excited]] about Christmas, while Music/{{Flyleaf}}'s cover sounds scared of the changes. |
| 209 | * "What's Up" by the 4 Non-Blondes: The [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man]] cover, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR7wOGyAzpw "Fabulous Secret Powers",]] turns it from a morose grunge anthem about trying to get through an empty, directionless life into an inspirational [[ClubKid gay disco number]] about having a good time no matter what your troubles are. It seems to have been inspired by an actual dance mix of the original, though that remix could be considered as just adding a massive dose of LyricalDissonance. |
| 210 | * "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is an upbeat, joyous song about how wonderful it will be when the soldiers come back from war. When Johnny Horton sang it, the tempo was slow and it seemed to take on a melancholy ironic tone like he knew that Johnny may not come back. |
| 211 | * "When the Ship Comes In" by Music/BobDylan is an apocalyptic protest song about all the people who will be up against the wall when the revolution comes. In the hands of The Pogues, however, it sounds like the boat is full of drunken, cheerful pirates. |
| 212 | * Music/{{Prince}}'s "When You Were Mine" was about a guy whose live-in kinda-sorta girlfriend gets involved with another man. Music/CyndiLauper's version is about a woman whose live-in kinda-sorta boyfriend gets involved with... another man. And is a transvestite. |
| 213 | * "Wherever I Go" by Hannah Montana manages to change the meaning of the song over a few different episodes. The original is about Miley letting go of her Hannah persona. However, in the finale, a new version featuring Emily Osment plays and it becomes about Miley and Lilly going their separate ways almost like a breakup even though [[spoiler: Miley changes her mind and chooses to stay]] |
| 214 | * Spineshank's cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Music/TheBeatles is practially a different song altogether from the original. While both lament the divided and commercialized nature of modern society, the narrator of the original version is simply resigned to the situation, while the Spineshank version is filled with anger and frustration. |
| 215 | * "White Rabbit" by Music/JeffersonAirplane: Sanctuary, a HeavyMetal band that would later be known as Music/{{Nevermore}}, turned it from a catchy drug song that referenced ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' to a creepy, ominous crusher about a drug trip that goes wrong with fatal consequences, and replaced Grace Slick's enchanting vocals with Warrel Dane ''screaming his balls off''. |
| 216 | * "Whole Lotta Love" by Music/LedZeppelin from ''Music/LedZeppelinII'' is a full-on piece of masculine cock-rock. The same song played and sung in exactly the same way by the all-female Lez Zeppelin, including such lines as 'Gonna give you every inch of my love' (and they don't change the gender either), adds double handfuls of LesYay and HeadTiltinglyKinky. |
| 217 | * [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} "A Whole New World"]] has had this happen twice. |
| 218 | ** It was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QetNuHb38E&NR=1 covered by Late Night Alumni]]--a female group who didn't even change the word "princess," so now it's a [[HoYay Les Yay]] song. |
| 219 | ** Before that, Ruben Studdard and Chauncey Matthews covered it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx4ipyyhA_U here]]--but [[UnfortunateImplications Ruben's an]] [[HoYay adult and]] [[MayDecemberRomance Chauncey's a kid.]] |
| 220 | * "Why?" made famous by Music/JasonAldean, was covered by Shannon Brown, and an instance where TheCoverChangesTheGender also means TheCoverChangesTheMeaning. The song is about a couple in a vicious cycle during arguments. Aldean's lyrics are in the second person; he is questioning ''himself'' as to why he uses hurtful language and why he'll only apologize when she threatens to leave. He knows he needs to change. Brown's are in the first, and the flip of the question "why do I do that you?" to "why do you do that to ''me''?" has an instantly chilling effect on the tone of the song. Aldean's is a couple who could be salvaged, Brown's is a woman stuck in an emotionally abusive relationship with a man who refuses to let her go. |
| 221 | * "Why Don't You Do Right?" was originally a snappy song about a woman telling her man to go and make her some money. Jessica's cover from ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' is slow and makes the song more seductive. Due to the popularity of the cover, most covers of the song since the film have also been slow. |
| 222 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-bTnez0tqI In the male cover version]], the singer knows the girl he's singing to is a gold digger, but he's OK with that. |
| 223 | * In Music/TheSundays' version of "Wild Horses", the singer sounds serious about wanting to repair the relationship, while that seems to be an empty hope in the original version by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}. |
| 224 | * "Wild Thing" by The Troggs is about loving a HotBlooded woman. |
| 225 | ** Creator/SamKinison's version is an extremely bitter (albeit tongue-in-cheek) song about a woman who broke his heart. |
| 226 | ** Music/SisterCarol sung a reggae version over the credits of ''Film/SomethingWild'' (which uses The Troggs version throughout) to reinterpret the theme for the movie's characters. |
| 227 | ** Series/TheGoodies version is a very tongue-in-cheek song about two {{Wild Child}}ren who end up getting married until the singer realizes he doesn't love her anymore. |
| 228 | * "The Windmills of Your Mind" by Noel Harrison is a slow song about being in a mental rut. The version on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' about doubless the tempo and speeds ip further over the course of the song, making it feel more like it's about a full-on panic attack. |
| 229 | * "Wish You Were Here": Music/PinkFloyd's original version was meant to be introspective (Roger Waters) or an ode to Syd Barrett (David Gilmour). Music/MileyCyrus's cover on the 25 April 2020 episode of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' uses the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to plaintively hope for humanity to be able to get together again. |
| 230 | * "Witchcraft": Stevie Vallance has a cover that changes around the lyrics so it seems to be about an actual witch. |
| 231 | * "Word Up" by Cameo is a flashy dance riff filled with braggadoccio. It's all about the "Look at me, Ladies!" vibe. The version by Country-Soul artist Willis, however, sounds haunting and desperate. |
| 232 | * "Working For The Weekend" by Loverboy is about people working hard during the week while anticipating all the fun they'll have on the weekend. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling turn it into ParanoiaFuel by slowing down the tempo, removing the chorus entirely [[note]] thus taking out the only direct references to working ''or'' weekends[[/note]] and making lyrics like "everyone's watching to see what you will do / everyone's looking at you" sound a lot more ominous - the band's original songs are all about ''[[Series/ThePrisoner1967 The Prisoner]]'', and their version of the song seems to place it in a similar oppressive, {{dystopia}}n setting. |
| 233 | * "The Worrying Kind" by The Ark: The Maia Hirasawa version takes the over-the-top {{Camp}} lyrics of the original and sings them, slowed down, without a hint of irony. The effect is surreal, to say the least. |
| 234 | [[/folder]] |
| 235 | |
| 236 | [[folder:Y]] |
| 237 | * "You Are My Sunshine" is traditionally performed as a peppy yet earnest love song; even the original Jimmie Davis version in 1939 glosses over the surprisingly dark lyrics in the verses. Music/TheCivilWars slow it down, put it in a minor key, and put the darkness front and center. It paints a strikingly bleak portrait of the singer's life, suggesting that the person is the only ray of light in an otherwise pitch-black world; the words "Please don't take my sunshine away" are sung in desperation, and grow manic toward the end, as though the person were a drug the singer couldn't live without. |
| 238 | * "You Can Leave Your Hat On" by Randy Newman: People who've only heard the Music/JoeCocker or Music/TomJones versions know it as an amorous come-on, but the original is a lot more sinister - the narrator is meant to sound seedy and lecherous. |
| 239 | * "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore: The original song was about a woman voicing her contempt towards a possessive lover. Klaus Nomi's cover reinterprets the song as being about a gay man proudly embracing his sexuality and expressing his disdain towards those who won't accept him. |
| 240 | * "You Made Me Love You": The original version, first sung by Al Jolson, is obviously a romantic love song, meant for someone the singer has a real relationship with. Creator/JudyGarland's famous cover version, renamed "Dear [[Creator/ClarkGable Mr. Gable]]," makes it about a CelebCrush. And in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode "Music," Tommy sings a new version, "You Make Me Like You," that's a PlatonicDeclarationOfLove to his little brother Dil. |
| 241 | * Creator/NeilCicierega made a particularly touching [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsoCe7C4Kmk remix]] of "Y.M.C.A" by ''Music/VillagePeople''. It sets the vocals to "Time" from the ''Film/{{Inception}}'' and composed by Music/HansZimmer. The song is transformed into something emotional, poignant. Although known universally as a party track, the lyrics tell of young gay and/or homeless men in the '70s struggling to find a safe space. Without the loud exciting beat, the attention is drawn to the lyric's meanings. |
| 242 | * "You Oughta Know": Music/JonathanCoulton's [[http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2007/04/19/you-oughta-know/ cover]] of Music/AlanisMorissette's original changes the context from a woman scorned to a gay man whose lover ''leaves him'' for a woman. |
| 243 | * "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from the original special is TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the Grinch, however the version from the live-action movie by Jim Carrey is a self-love song sung by the Grinch himself. |
| 244 | [[/folder]] |
| 245 | |
| 246 | [[folder:Z]] |
| 247 | * "Zippe-dee-doo-dah": Music/BillBailey, during his ''Part Troll'' routine, suggests "Zippe-dee-doo-dah" as performed by Music/{{Portishead}} as a new British National Anthem, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfjUburwcnU goes on to play what he thinks that would sound like]]. Unsurprisingly the song loses some of its upbeat tone. |
| 248 | * "Zombie": Music/TheCranberries's original was a ProtestSong against UsefulNotes/TheTroubles in Northern Ireland; Bad Wolves' cover keeps the anti-war tone but changes a few lyrics (notably "with their bombs" becomes "with their ''drones''") to make the focus UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. Dolores O'Riordan [[ApprovalOfGod approved]] of the cover and was even set to do a re-recording with Bad Wolves, but it was [[DiedDuringProduction sadly not meant to be]] (Bad Wolves dedicated the song to her memory). |
| 249 | [[/folder]] |
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