JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum The uncoverable song challenge poll is done now.

Who's feeling brave?

This poll is a list of songs that various JPF Members felt were "uncoverable"--in other words, the song has a version so ingrained in our minds that most people wouldn't even think about covering it. Well, that's exactly what some of us intend to do. You pick up to three songs you would like to see us try, we'll see which song yields the most votes, and then our fearless members will record and post their own versions by [help me choose a deadline, folks, and I'll fill in this blank]. Everyone is invited to vote for the song, even if you don't intend to record your own version. But you should! In fact, the more the merrier...even if the song looks downright impossible, chances are there is still a way for you to make it your own with a different style or arrangement. Either way, give us a vote.

Once all the versions are posted, we'll have another poll for you to vote for your favorite uncoverable version. The winner will get bragging rights and an IOU from Big Jim Merrilees for a bag of crisps.

Voting will end this Monday, January 12 at 12:01 AM CST.

Let the fun begin!

Pick up to three songs! multiple choice, up to 3 choices
	I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
	Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
	Loch Lommond
	Imagine
	Stairway to Heaven
	Free Bird
	My Generation
	Born to Run
	Nowhere Man
	Satisfaction
	Sunny Afternoon
	Layla
	Free Man in Paris
	Only the Lonely
	Werewolves of London
	Subterranean Homesick Blues
	Temptation
	It Ain't Me, Babe
	Isn't It a Pity?
	You May Be Right (I May Be Crazy)
	For a Friend
	Lawyers, Guns & Money
	For the Turnstiles
	Copperhead Road
	Bohemian Rhapsody
	Like a Virgin
	Wuthering Heights
	He Works Hard for the Money
	You Make Me Feel Like Dancin'
	When You Wish Upon a Star
	My Way
	Polk Salad Annie
	The Night Chicago Died
	Love Shack
	Patience
	Tiny Dancer
	Wild World
	You Were Meant for Me
	Smooth
	Dream a Little Dream of Me
	Relax
	Personal Jesus
	Mama
	I Am Woman
	Great Balls of Fire
	Angie Baby
	Undercover Angel
	Rock and Roll Heaven
	Fame
	Footloose
	Let's Hear it For the Boy
	Almost Paradise
	After All
	Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady
	I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much
	Wide Open Spaces
	Liza With a Z
	Family Tradition
	Dreamlover
	Copacabana
Votes accepted starting: 01/06/09 07:24 PM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

In case of ties, we'll just do a run-off poll.

Good job setting this up Mark. I can't wait to hear different versions of any of these songs.

Just a lot of typing and fear. (Some of those songs scare me...)

this could be interesting, i cant wait to hear some of these...tempted to participate myself.. we'll see...

Do it! It's the act that matters.

A cover song challenge is like a free college course for songwriters. We'll all come up with different end results...but in the process of recording your own personal version, I guarantee you will learn something valuable, and that something will be different for everyone. But it will be a valuable something. I'm just sayin.

Plus, this will be some great entertainment.

I'm sorry to be a wet blanket, but except for "Rock n Roll Heaven",and the Helen Reddy songs I've seen ALL of these songs covered by various local bands in my town.{And for the most part done pretty well!}

Yeah.. there's not too many new songs to wrap around.. I still think doing a hit by another JPF member would be the way to go. Plus it would be fun to get their feedback on the results. Perhaps we could even put the challenge out to the entire newsletter list to give it a try purely as a fun excercise. But I'd be less willing to do that if there was no direct JPF connection.

Brian

Thanks for setting this up Mark

You Have done a good job Mark. I only hope that people actually vote for something worth covering. looking at the results so far I fear some are just having a laugh as they are not the ones having to cover the song. Bohemian, Imagine and My Way have been covered to death already I hope they do not win.

Having that laugh would still be a great learning experience...and maybe even some REAL good laughs.

I do not mind a laugh (check out my version of Furry Animals on the link below) For the point of the exercise I was hoping to do a serious cover of a serious song considered "too good" to cover.

How about a couple of songs from bands that we know, but that were never singles, or never made very popular?

Lynyrd Skynyrd "Was I Right or Wrong?" or maybe "One More Time"

Tom Petty "I'm the Night Watchman"

Eagles "King of Hollywood"

Or, one of my favorites that did enjoy a bit of popularity, but wasn't really so well known overall....

Faster Pussycat "House of Pain"

Whatever you guys decide is great, I just wanted to broaden the scope a bit....

I just want to make a couple of points:

• "Satisfaction" was done very strangely (and effectively) by Devo

• The greatest cover version of all-time was of a song similarly "uncoverable":
"Que Sera, Sera", as done by Sly and The Family Stone.

Good luck with this, Mark!
I'm looking forward to hearing your versions.
(For the record, I voted for "Mr, Kite", "When You Wish Upon A Star", and "Lawyers, Guns & Money".)

Thanks for setting this up, Mark and for having the idea, Jim.

Is actually a tough one - you want to choose a song that people are familiar with but hasn't been covered to death. Those two things tend to work against each other....

Who cares though? This should be great fun!

Scott

Is the song I'LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE the Hank Williams song from 1952, the last song he released before he died or some other song?

Guys! Try and resist discussing the poll songs and what you did and didn't vote for in this thread, otherwise we could end up with a skewed poll which would undermine Mark's hard work.

Hi Todd. Geno Washington did a great version of Que Sera in the sixties we still cover that version.

Nah, my "hard work" was just copying and pasting for about 15 minutes. And whatever we choose, there is no real bonafide system or rules to worry about other than what we say as a group.

The REAL hard work will be covering that nasty devil of a song that's probably going to be picked...

But, as always, anyone can still do any song if they decide they don't want to try the one that wins. Who's to stop 'em? Not me.

I certainly haven't heard everybody whose ever covered a song, but I have never heard anyone ever attempt Only the Lonely, besides myself.

yeah but if they do one that isn't the WINNER do they still get the bag of crisps?

I never said he'd give you one...I said he'd give you an IOU for one...

There is a packet sitting on my local bar counter. The winner can collect it anytime.

Right now a real turkey is sitting in the #1 spot -- please vote!!! Ok, it is not a real turkey, but one that I have no interest in covering -- but I will do it if it is selected.

Kevin

Ray: Yes, "I'll Mever Get Out of This World Alive" was, I understand, Hank Williams' last song. I never heard of anybody covering it, but all things are possible.

Joe

I think the best thing to do would be to take the top 8 and then let folks vote one more time for the actual winner. Give them only 1 vote rather than 3.

That way at least we'll know the song chosen is the folks first choice and not the sum of their 3rd choices.

Brian

Good call Brian.

Okay, but let's MOVE. I can't stand waiting to record. Let's keep this poll up until Friday night. Then I'll put the top 8 in the new poll over the weekend for the final pick. That way we'll still be ready to go come Monday.

It's not so much about which song, after all...it's about DOING it.



I'm going to tell all my OurStage fans...I'm gonna skew the results.

I do not really think any of the front runners are ideal for the purpose of the exercise but will go with the majority.

Hi Mark

I of the mindset that anything CAN be covered well with creative liscense and thinking.... so I voted for ones that I personally would give a go on.

Just thinking Ourstage fans will not know what hit them when they have to listen to and judge all these versions of the same song. LOL

Well, I'm scared if the present poll holds......

But, whatever we do will be interesting............

I know, Steve...I usually record pretty fast...but some songs need a lot more time than others.

Still, I like the idea of a live take with one voice and one guitar.

Oh no, I have a 4 track in my basement so if it goes there...... I'll be trying to do many parts......be afraid......very afraid....

I have a 4-track, too. I just won't be doing the same parts Steve is.

Joe

I'm going to try to do this too, if I can figure out the new software that Mark made me buy. If I get it, I'll throw in a twist too- I'll use at least two of my odd ethnic instruments in my arrangement.

I suppose we still have another week for the top eight/one vote finals to sway the winning song decision.

You know FAME is being released as a new move this year and is expected to be a blockbuster (it has huge stars in the cast). It might not be a bad time to get a cover version of that song out before the actual song gets back on the charts to be ahead of the interest/demand.

Just a thought.

Brian

I resemble that thought...especially since that's all I can do ! ! I vote for one instrument, one voice...that way it can be done in live situation later

Actually, no--this poll ends tonight, then I'll post a new one just for this weekend with the top eight. By Monday morning, we will have a winner. If there is a tie, I'll just pick the "easier" of the two.

Most of the votes seemed to come in fairly quickly, and the numbers aren't changing much, so I don't think we need a whole other week to do this.

If that's the one, I think I might go for the whole shebang after all...

If it is I would love to hear a bluegrass version and I sense a long day at the office and a lot of MIDI editing.

Actually, I was thinking of a bluegrass version -- dang, you beat me to it!

Kevin

If it is one of the current top two do we have to make the matching video too?

Did Hayseed Dixie cover it? They did other stuff.

OK, a strict bluegrass version might still up for grabs!

Kevin

Don't tell anyone, but I hope to do another cover of the Stones' "The Last Time" as a bluegrass song. I think that would sound cool as hell.

Okay, a few more hours and I'll be tallying and putting up a new poll for the final choices. Get yer votes in!