The CoverUp

An early song that could have easily defined a band's career, but instead just gave us a glimpse of what was to come, and a cover by a great band that was out in the wilderness making some bad choices. My Generation, originally by The Who, covered by Iron Maiden.  Outro music is Roll Away The Stone, by Mott The Hoople. 

A song that reestablishes a seasoned and successful artist as a new kind of force, and a cover that embraces musical complexity in a brilliant but subtle way. Heaven Is A Place On Earth, originally by Belinda Carlisle, covered by The Mayries.  Outro music is I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), by Whitney Houston, because this song is inevitable. 

Great lessons to learn from one of the all-time road songs, a cover that understands the assignment more than the song — oh, and Rich flubs his kids' birthdays, but that's OK, because we only recorded this on Father's Day. Life Is A Highway, originally by Tom Cochrane, covered by Rascal Flatts.  Outro music is Another One Rides The Bus by Weird Al Yankovic. 

A classic that somehow remains a secret, and a listener leads us to a great musical discovery. The Ghost In You originally by The Psychedelic Furs, covered by Robyn Hitchcock.  Outro music is Love My Way, also by the Furs. 

A listener prods us to dive into one of the great songs in American music, and in the process we flirt with musical diabetes. Lean On Me, originally by Bill Withers, covered by Club Nouveau.  Outro music is The Candy Man by Sammy Davis Jr. 

An impossibly compelling songs from one of the most important writers and performers in American music, and a great band tries something different. Dancing Barefoot, originally by the Patti Smith Group, covered by U2.  Outro music is Desire, also by U2. 

Absolute pop genius from a song that wasn't supposed to be pop at all, and a cover that's a terrible fit which helps to make it even more awesome. Call Me Maybe, originally by Carly Rae Jepsen, covered by Leo Moraccioli. Outro music is We Are Young, by Fun, just to remind you that the bar was high in 2012.

A brilliant debut single that defied genre, expectation, and the industry it was breaking into, and a cover that takes it a bit literally, but nails it anyway. Sultans of Swing, originally by Dire Straits, covered by Pink Turtle.  Outro music is Brothers in Arms, also by Dire Straits. 

A massively popular yet still underrated song by an incredibly talented yet still underrated artist, and a cover that takes on an impossible task and winds up still on their feet. Wrecking Ball, originally by Miley Cyrus, covered by Abandoning Sunday.  Outro music is Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin. 

The song that brought K-Pop to the rest of the world in spectacular fashion, and a cover that's totally not punk, but really is underneath it all. Gangnam Style, originally by Psy, covered by The Cleverlys.  Outro music is Born To Be Chicken, by Korean bluegrass band Country Gongbang. 

A powerful, insightful, and moving song from someone who, on the surface, is the unlikeliest source, and two covers that drive the point home in an unbelievably compelling way. Only Women Bleed, originally by Ailce Cooper, covered by Etta James, and by Ike Turner featuring Tina Turner.  Outro music is Welcome To My Nightmare, also by Alice Coper. 

It's spring, so we have a song about the impending winter because cover songs don't exist in a conventional timeline. And not just any winter, but one that completely fails to anticipate Olivia Rodrigo. Stick Season, originally by Noah Kahan, covered by Alex Melton.  Outro music is Good 4 U by the aforementioned Olivia Rodrigo, who isn't heard anywhere else in the episode — just to be clear. 

It's an emotional week at CoverUp HQ. We dig into one of the most profound ways a songwriter had ever decided to say goodbye, and a tribute so moving it couldn't have hit harder. Keep Me In Your Heart, originally by Warren Zevon, covered by The Wailin' Jennys.  Outro music is Poor Poor Pitiful Me, also by Warren Zevon. 

The most lean-into-it power ballad you'll ever find that's always working hard at something, and a cool cover about making it work. Keep On Loving You, originally by REO Speedwagon, covered by Cigarettes After Sex.  Outro music is Lorelei, by the Cocteau Twins. 

We always knew music would save the world. This week, we take it a bit more literally as we tackle Golden, originally by Huntrix (yes, we know it's complicated), covered by Our Last Night.  For outro music, we check in with our boy Morten Harket for some vocal range on A-Ha's Take On Me.

A legendary musician opens up in a typical yet profound way, and a cover that revives a whole bunch of special things. Jealous Guy, originally by John Lennon, covered by Men Without Hats.  Outro music is I Love The 80s, also by Men Without Hats, from that same album, On The Moon. 

The defining song for an all-time-great band that defies definition, a cover that reimagines as hard as any cover has, and another that brings its own world to the song. Tom Sawyer, originally by Rush, covered by Emmerson Nogueira, and by The Lost Fingers.  Outro music is Owner of a Lonely Heart, another cover by Emmerson Nogueira. 

A song that crushes it across genres, styles, and settings by an artist who of course can pull of something of this scale. And a cover that gives it the old college try. 9 to 5, originally by Dolly Parton, covered by Home Free.  Outro music is The Job That Ate My Brain, by The Ramones. 

A song-of-the-summer redefines a band through a period of musical maturation, and puts a spotlight on the downfall of MTV. And a cover reveals hidden depths. Still Into You, originally by Paramore, covered by Lewis Capaldi. Outro music is the theme song from Dr. Who, because there's a Capaldi in this episode, and it may be our only chance to pull that tune out. 

A breakthrough mega hit that defied the odds and stood the test of time, and a band that might not have. Or maybe they did. Honestly, it's not obvious. Groove Is In The Heart, originally by Deee-Lite, covered by Blues Traveler.  Outro music is the theme song from Green Acres, sung by Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor. 

An influential band's signature song that found its place for multiple generations, and a cover by an artist who seems to look into our world through her own special lens. Rasputin, originally by Boney M, covered by AURORA.  Outro music is In The Dark Of The Night, which is Rasputin's villain song in Anastasia. Even better, it's sung for the film by Jim Cummings, who is also the voice of Winnie th...

A modern and compelling take on protest songs that doesn't lean on outrage so much as "there but for the grace of God", and a cover by an artist who redefined what this kind of song can do in the world. Beautiful Strangers, originally by Kevin Morby, covered by Mavis Staples.  Outro music is I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore by Woody Guthrie. 

We look at one of the best songs from one of the best debut albums ever, and follow with a pair of covers that teach us a lot about how music works and what it really means in the world. Honestly, we didn't see this one coming. Baby Can I Hold You, originally by Tracy Chapman, covered by Luciano Pavarotti, and by Billy Ocean.  Outro music is The Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner, as performed by the...

A song that defined a band, in spite of their many successful reinventions, and a cover by two unlikely artists — or at least ones we thought were unlikely. Sweet Emotion, originally by Aerosmith, covered by Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon.  Outro music is Jack Fig by Leo Kottke, because you need to hear what he's about. 

Lots of country music is sad stories. This is that, and there's a sad story under it, but it has way more at work than you might think — and it launched one of the most important careers in the history of country music. Delta Dawn, originally by Alex Harvey, covered by Tanya Tucker. Outro music is Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses by Kathy Mattea.