Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Times by Ray Padgett was released in October 2017. It is a compilation written out of love for music and the story behind the songs. Did you know Elvis wasn’t the first to sing Hound Dog? Or that someone released a cover of Gin and Juice?
Synopsis from Goodreads
A great cover only makes a song stronger. Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” The Beatles rocking out with “Twist and Shout.” Aretha Franklin demanding “Respect.” Without covers, the world would have lost many unforgettable performances. This is the first book to explore the most iconic covers ever, from Elvis’s “Hound Dog” and the Rolling Stones’ “Not Fade Away” to Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused,” the Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River,” and Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Written by the founder of the website covermesongs.com, each of the 20 chapters investigates the origins of a classic cover—and uses it as a framework to tell the larger story of how cover songs have evolved over the decades. Cover Me is packed with insight, photography, and music history.
Positives
- A quick and easy read.
- Under 300 pages.
- Well-told histories, along with photos.
Negatives
- Some songs have too much information, while others barely have any.
My Opinions
I picked Cover Me up on a whim to fulfill an online order and get free shipping. Don’t look at me like that; we’ve all done it—bought something we maybe didn’t want just to save a few dollars. The difference is that I was curious about this book because it discusses two things I enjoy- music and history. And I am so happy that I did buy it.
Ray Padgett is the founder of the blog Cover Me Songs. The blog started in 2007 as a way for Padgett to discuss his love, music, and especially the cover song. In Cover Me, he discusses 18 different cover songs that have impacted music. A chapter is dedicated to Weird Al and his Polka medleys, as they are cover songs but in a different way.
You can tell that Padgett is a lover of music and the history that surrounds the songs. In the chapter where Hound Dog is discussed, the story is told in the context of society at the time. The most significant topic discussed is the racial divide in music in the first half of the 20th century.
Each chapter discusses a song, the original artist, and the artist who covered the song. Some of the covers readers may know, like Respect by Aretha Franklin and All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix. At the same time, other covers may not be widely known, like Gin and Juice by The Gourds or Satisfaction by Devo (both of which I highly recommend).
Who should read Cover Me? Everyone, but especially people who enjoy a variety of music and learning some history along the way.
Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.
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