The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video was first presented to Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf in 1984. Since then the award has gone to videos of varying quality; from Paula Abdul dancing with an animated cat to last year's winner, Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. Other notable recipients include Michael and Janet Jackson's Scream, Korn's Freak On A Leash, the David Fincher directed video for Love Is Strong by The Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash's take on Nine Inch Nails (see my post on cover songs.) This year's nominated music videos range from the surreal (Memory Tapes) to the silly (Weird Al) to the surprising (Radiohead.) Watch each vid below and judge for yourself who should take home the golden gramophone.
Yes I Know
Memory Tapes
Directed by Eric Epstein
All Is Not Lost
OK Go
Directed by Itamar Kubovy, Trish Sie & Damian Kulash Jr.
I was inspired to write this post after sitting through one song on the new reality competition show Cover Me Canada. Skillfully utilizing an instrument is truthfully a talent, but If we're being honest American Idol and similar programs are simply glorified karaoke.
I'm not saying cover songs can't be musical marvels in their own right. Yet I don't think you'll hear many awe inspiring parallel performances from someone who stood in line for five days in an attempt to impress Steven Tyler.
In some cases covers can eclipse the original version, as Jimi Hendrix's take on Bob Dylan's All Along The Watchtower did. Hendrix, who closes out this post with a different cover, interpreted Dylan's song to such amazing effect that it reached the Top 10 in 1968 and ranked at #48 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, making it perhaps the most successful replicated rendition.
Here are fifteen of my favourite cover songs, which you probably will never hear celebrity judges critique different versions of; well maybe Lovesong or Use Somebody.
As a side note, I really wanted to start this post with Alkaline Trio's cover of The Muppets' Movin' Right Along as Henson's puppets are currently relevant once more with the new movie and all. Sadly the YouTube video of this fuzzy, feel good song was recently removed.
