e311. From Original to Ovation: Tracing the Threads of Musical Covers

Cover Art featuring various artists who were covered or sang covers

Have you ever done that thing where you hear a song that’s a cover of another song you like, only to find out later that you have it backwards and the song you thought was the cover was the original and vice versa? That was actually one of the first arguments that Mav and his wife Stephanie ever had. This was recently an issue when modern country artist Luke Combs released a cover of Tracy Chapman’s 35 year old, “Fast Car”. When you have a song that covers another song and both are famous, how do you know what the real one is? And does it matter? Do covers elevate or do they steal? Are covers theft or are they homages? What happens when an artist covers themself?

On this episode, Stephanie Siler joins Mav and Wayne to delve into the intricate world of cover songs. Join us as we dissect the emotional, conceptual, and business aspects surrounding the creation and appreciation of cover songs. From Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” to the Struts’ “We Are the Champions”, we discuss the emotional depths, how they pay homage to the original artists, and even challenge genre boundaries. Listen and let us know if you agree in the comments below.

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