Punk Covers and Why They Rock.

A couple years ago, I started to explore an interesting sub-genre – the punk cover.  The rules of the sub-genre are quite simple – it’s got to be a song, any song, covered by a punk band.  The sub-genre has a massive amount of songs. Some punk artists will do entire albums of nothing but punk covers! While the internet has certainly spread a good amount of light on the sub-genre, this is hardly a new phenomenon. MxPx did an entire “On the Cover” album in the mid 90s. Of course, Dead Kennedys did a couple amazing covers in the 80s – but we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.

Sure, bands of any genre can and will remake a song. I’ve got an entire category of this blog related to covers from severalgenres! Still, there’s something about the often resentful, often anti-authoritarian sound of punk rock. It  lends itself to covers more than most genres. As an academic, I must know why!

Some punk covers give the songs new meaning…

Punk covers often times will rewrite the song from the ground up, and thus give the song a new meaning. Let’s look at Dead Kennedys’ “I fought the Law.”  The original version of “I Fought the Law” tells a tale of someone, who gets fed up with “breaking rocks” and decides to go rob a bunch of people. Of course – the man, aka, the law, takes him down eventually and he loses everything (including his “baby”). If ever there was a song ripe for a punk cover, “I Fought the Law” certainly fits the bill. The Clash knew this, and gave the song a somewhat normal cover.

However – Dead Kennedys went further and made the song about Dan White, who murdered two San Fransisco government officials – and got away with it. Dead Kennedys made the song a protest song for injustice! “I Fought the Law” as done by Dead Kennedys actually gave us a role reversal. The protagonist no longer is someone to admire, but rather someone who we should despise. Meanwhile, the law, or as I put it earlier, “the man” became the victim of this song.

Some punk covers are better than the original…

Until I heard Bowling for Soup’s cover of “…Baby One More Time,” I treated the song like anything else by Britney Spears – boring pop drivel (no offense to Britney Spears). However, removing Spear’s overproduced pop sounds and replacing them with punk guitars – we find the song has depth! The song portrays heart wrenching emotions. This is more than just a teenage break up song – this is about a relationship that the speaker thought would be lifelong.

Likewise – the song “Talk Dirty to Me” by Poison seems like just a song about lust done by a hair rock band. Nothing wrong with that mind you – but Reel Big Fish saw the song could be more than just a role in the hay, and made the song into something really special. Adding female vocals and making the song a duet makes the song about two lovers, so into each other they just can’t keep their hands off each other. Sure, Poison conveys passion in their original version, but Reel Big Fish conveys a sweet love song that you might even play for your grandma! Ok – maybe don’t play the song for your grandma.

Sometimes punk angst and anger just adds something…

Another song Dead Kennedys cover, “Take this Job and Shove it!” really lends itself to the angst in punk music.  The original country version certainly conveys it’s message clearly – and honestly I would have never thought the song needed improvement. However, Jello Biafra saw the opportunity to take an already strong song, and make it stronger. Yelling the lyrics, speeding up the tempo, and replacing country guitars with more electric guitars – the change in genre makes the song sound more relevant to more people. The country version sounds like small town America, whereas the punk version sounds like a big city, urban environment.

Likewise – The Atari’s cover of “Boys of Summer” certainly adds something to the original. Yes, the Don Henley version seeps emotion from each and every note, and makes us all want to cry. Some might say leave the song alone. However, the Atari’s version takes the song’s message and says “this is still happening!” People are growing up, falling out of love, selling out, and loosing their dreams.” The Cadillac seen by the Ataris might have a Black Flag sticker on it instead of a Grateful Dead sticker, but the message remains the same – the driver of both cars changed – and probably not for the better.

Some punk covers are just fun!

Paula Abdul’s “Strait Up” might have been “my jam” when I was in eighth grade, but as an adult, I recognize the song really kind of….well let’s just say I only really like it for the nostalgia value. However, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes version of “Strait Up,” captures the fun I had when the song was new. This isn’t about stripping a song of it’s pop presence and showing depth, like “…Baby One More time.” This is presenting a song in a different genre, despite it’s shortcomings, but still giving us permission to have fun with the song.

MxPx covers the classic Proclaimers song, “(I’m Gonna be) 500 Miles.” Does the cover really add anything to the already fun and amazing original song? Meh. The connection with Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” is interesting – but we can live without it. However, the cover of “(I’m Gonna be 500 Miles) still gives the listener a few minutes of fun. It’s good to be entertained!

Of course there’s the album “Dr. Demento Covered in Punk,” That’s an entire album of covers of or by punk songs just done for the hell of it. We have everything from Fish Heads to National Brotherhood Week. Why? More like, why not? The album is just a metric ton of fun.

Long live the punk rock cover!

Again, punk rock doesn’t hold a monopoly on the cover, but punk rock lends itself to the cover in many ways. We would miss the sub-genre of the punk cover if it disappeared. Thankfully we’ll never have that world. As long as punk exists, there will be punk covers.

One last thing for you purists – maybe some of these bands aren’t “real punk.” Meh – whatever. Punk has room for a blurring of lines as punk is all about breaking of the status quo. I might explore what punk rock “actually means” someday, but for now – I’m just going to say we know it when we hear it. If my shallow definition isn’t good enough for you – I’m actually ok with that.