"Fairytale of New York" is, unequivocally, the best Christmas song. Because it's actually a bleak story about the false veneer of holiday spirit as a metaphor for the soul-crushing deceptions of the so-called "American Dream" that leads people to hatred, drug abuse, and worse … and still returns for one more rousing chorus.

In short, it's perfect. So perfect that you may just want to listen to it over and over and over again. Which is why I put together this Spotify playlist consisting of 99 covers of the song, plus the original version by the Pogues with Kirsty MacColl.

And then — just because 100 wasn't round enough for me — I recorded this quick cover of the song myself, using an Irish Gaelic translation by Fred McCluskey and Ger Maher (which cleverly skirts around that bit of ugly language in the third verse, which makes sense in the context of the fictional story but absolutely shatters any Christmas delusions).

Just, um, don't bother looking up Shane MacGowan's recent birthday performance of the song from the Late Late Show, 'cause it's pretty painful to watch, and not just because of him. Oof.

Image by peelandstick/Flickr Read the rest

Hungarian pianist Peter Bence covers popular songs by performers like Sia, Queen (check out his "Don't Stop Me Now"), and The Beatles. His latest cover is "Beat It" by Michael Jackson and it might well be the most chipper version of it I've ever heard. Absolutely delightful!

(The Awesomer) Read the rest

A version of this song that doesn't make me want to burn down my surroundings? Yes please. Read the rest

After all the noise made over Weezer covering Toto's Africa, it was only a matter of time before Joseph Williams and the rest of the lads decided what's good for the goose is good for the gander: at a concert in Vancouver, Canada earlier this week Toto unleashed their cover of Hash Pipe upon an undeserving world. Read the rest

Am digging this Pomplamoose cover of the late-70's hit "Rich Girl." Lead singer Nataly Dawn writes that it's the band's third Hall & Oates cover.

Here are the other two:

You Make My Dreams

Maneater

Previously on BB: Pomplamoose covers other songs Read the rest

Watch Leo Moracchioli and Rob Scallon perform a genre-bending cover of French heavy metal band Gojira's "The Heaviest Matter in the Universe," banjo, straw hats, and all.

(digg) Read the rest

From Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" to Alice Cooper's "School's Out," Weird Al and his band covered a different song for the encore each night for Yankovic's recent "Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour." Now he's put together a video of all of those cover songs, 77 songs for 77 cities. It's nearly half an hour long and there's no footage, just the music, but it's totally worth a look/listen (if for no other reason to appreciate the effort).

00:00 - Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple) 00:35 - Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley) 00:52 - I Saw Her Standing There (The Beatles) 01:24 - Johnny B Goode (Chuck Berry) 01:40 - Do Wah Diddy Diddy (Manfred Mann) 02:00 - Dirty Water (The Standells) 02:13 - Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones) 02:29 - Tutti Frutti (Little Richard) 02:46 - Wipeout – in 4 different keys (The Surfaris) 02:58 - All Day and All of the Night (The Kinks) 03:11 - Should I Stay or Should I Go (The Clash) 03:39 - Blister in the Sun (Violent Femmes) 03:56 - Uncontrollable Urge (Devo) 04:06 - 867-5309 (Jenny) (Tommy Tutone) 04:27 - Psycho Killer (Talking Heads) 04:50 - Hello There (Cheap Trick) 05:10 - Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) 05:34 - (They Long to Be) Close To You (The Carpenters) 05:56 - Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young) 06:14 - Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting (Elton John) 06:45 - Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry) 07:03 - Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd) 07:17 - China Grove (Doobie Brothers) 07:36 - Rebel Yell (Billy Idol) 08:03 - Stuck in the Middle with You (Stealers Wheel) 08:11 - Accordion Boogie (Charles Magnante) 08:25 - Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet) 08:43 - All Star (Smash Mouth) 09:02 - Squeeze Box (The Who) 09:24 - Beat on the Brat (Ramones) 09:38 - Last Train to Clarksville (The Monkees) 10:02 - Beer Barrel Polka (traditional) 10:16 - Breakdown (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) 10:44 - What I Like About You (The Romantics) 11:03 - We’re an American Band (Grand Funk Railroad) 11:23 - Peaches (Presidents of the United States of America) 11:43 - It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It) (The Rolling Stones) 11:58 - Gimme Some Lovin’ (Spencer Davis Group) 12:11 - Glad All Over (Dave Clark Five) 12:26 - Sunshine of Your Love (Cream) 12:47 - Particle Man (They Might Be Giants) 13:00 - Land of 1,000 Dances (Wilson Pickett) 13:18 - Crocodile Rock (Elton John) 13:34 - Viva Las Vegas (Elvis Presley) 13:45 - Fire and Rain (James Taylor) 14:17 - Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon) 14:35 - I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones) 14:52 - It’s the End of the World as We Know It (R.E.M.)