Cover Me

Some people say that cover versions are just laziness on the part of bands who can't be bothered to be original and write their own songs, but not everyone agrees with my mother. Pretty much every band ever formed has played cover songs, especially at the start of their careers, and some of them are better than the original versions.

I'm not talking about the legions of metal and punk bands who cover each other's songs (although many of them are well worth checking out). I'm talking about cover versions that you wouldn't expect, played in a different musical style and improving greatly on the original. This is out of respect for those of you who don't especially like the kind of music I bang on about here, but read this because I badger you/offer you money/ tell you I'll stop spying on you while you sleep.
These five covers are, for me, the most outstanding examples I managed to come up with in half an hour this morning:

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes: O Sole Mio
The Gimmes only play covers and all of them are worth checking out, but this is bizarre. It would have been easier to cover it as Elvis' It's Now Or Never, but they showed their versatility by performing this in (dodgy) Italian at a Bar Mitzvah for a live album.

Vandals: Don't Stop Me Now
The original may well be Queen's greatest ever song, but this punked-up version knocks it into a cocked hat. The Vandals have covered plenty of other songs too, but this is certainly the most fun one.

Ignite: Sunday, Bloody Sunday
When I first heard that this version existed, I wasn't impressed. I hate U2. I really hate U2. I hope U2 are murdered in their beds.But it turns out that while I hate U2, some of their songs are actually not bad. The hardcore treatment really suits this song.

Less Than Jake: Diff'rent Strokes theme
Yes, it's a ska-punk version of an old TV theme song. And it's awesome.

New Found Glory: Don't You (Forget About Me)
This classic from the film The Breakfast Club is given the pop punk treatment. It's not a million miles away from the original, but it sounds way better.

Check out these five songs, you won't be disappointed.