They say you can't judge a book by its cover, well, here's a fun book with nothing but covers—musical covers, that is—and the stories behind them. It's "Cover Me" by Ray Padgett.
I enjoyed reading about the big hit records that were actually follow-up, "cover" versions of songs previously recorded by others. How did Mick Jagger respond to DEVO's cover of "satisfaction?" Talking Heads' "Take Me To the River" was not the first version of that song—whose was it? Whitney Houston's huge hit '" I Will Always Love You" was actually written as good-bye to a country-and-western singing partner.
The creators range from Snoop Dog to Weird Al and the songs range from the 50's to the 2000's. The book sent me off down a fun rabbit hole of comparing both versions of the songs.
