Covers - Make Me a Star!

I love a good cover song. We all do! People can become famous posting a well-sung cover on youtube. Why is the cover so great? I mean, it's just a new performance or recording of a song that has already hit the airwaves under someone else's name. The work has already been done! In my opinion, covers come in two kinds:

1. Straight up copy - No part of this is your creation; you didn't add to it, you didn't take away. You just sing it in your own voice. But just the fact that it's your voice, adds something never heard before...rendering it as "new."
2. Re-interpretation - a personal and creative explanation of the meaning of another's artistic or creative work. You've changed up the arrangement, but you haven't created anything new, per se, but it feels new and different (though substantially still the same).

There are ridiculously awesome covers of both types. Below is my quick-and-dirty list of my top 5 covers of all time. Please feel free to let me know of your favorite covers, because I want to hear them. Maybe you'll knock one of these out:


July Flame's All-Time Favorite Covers

1. "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton, as sung by Whitney Houston
2. "Unchained Melody" by Alex North and Hy Zaret, as sung by The Righteous Brothers (I now desperately want to watch GHOST)
3. "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush, as sung by Maxwell (sidenote: who is like the most beautiful man in the world...but in this video he looks a little busted. Just sayin')
4. "Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun" by Robert Hazard/Cyndi Lauper, as sung by Greg Laswell (he also does a beautiful "This Woman's Work")
5. "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan, as sung by Adele

I want to give an honorable mention to my girl Ingrid Michaelson (I can never leave her out) for "Can't Help Falling in Love" by the late great Elvis Presley. It's very pretty, but not in the top 5.

ANYWAY, I was thinking of covers, and had this crazy thought...I am a cover song. Or at least, I should be a cover song. Or kind of like a cover song in that I have to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 28:19 for our command). And I have to live my life like He did (click here for what the entails). So my life is like a "new performance" of a life and a message that has been already hit the airwaves. That perfect life has already been lived and that perfect message has already been given. But it's my job to do it all over again. To keep it fresh and alive and heard. I had NO idea that Bob Dylan sang the original "Make You Feel My Love" but Adele brought me to him. Likewise, there are people who have no idea about Jesus Christ, but we...we help bring them to Him. Through our lives, through our love, through our continuance of His message.

Sometimes, it's required that we give the gospel via a straight-up copy, but your voice and your life experience lend something to it that is 100% unique. Sometimes, we get creative...like this blog. It's a personal/creative retelling of a biblical truth through the lens of "cover songs." But it's still the same. What kind of cover are you? Are you even singing the song? I just pray that I always be found singing, and always giving the credit where it's due: to the original author - Jesus Christ.

Sidenote: The body of Christ is like one big tribute band. Is that not the coolest thought ever? We are rock stars!