The new country music stars of the nineties grew up with the pop/rock of the seventies. It’s no wonder that many of them revisited songs from that era.
Some of these covers became big hits, like Billy Dean’s “We Just Disagree” and Brooks & Dunn’s “My Maria.” Various album cuts and tribute projects demonstrated Lorrie Morgan’s fondness for Bonnie Tyler (“It’s a Heartache”), Garth Brooks’ love for Kiss (“Hard Luck Woman”), and more than a dozen artists’ affinity for the Eagles.
It’s just a matter of time before today’s country stars start remaking pop and rock hits from the nineties. Here’s a few that I think would work well:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8kZrJb2LlE
Rascal Flatts, “One More Try”
This Timmy T. hit topped the charts in 1991. It would be a perfect fit for the Flatts boys. They could elevate it into something great.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUiTQvT0W_0
Carrie Underwood, “Nothing Compares 2 U”
You need a powerful set of pipes to pull this one off. Who could do it better than Carrie Underwood? Okay, yes. Wynonna. But among the artists on the radio dial today, no one could tackle this with better results than Underwood.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7gYii2unkg
SHeDaisy, “You’re in Love”
This band could cover just about any Wilson Phillips track, but this one’s dying to be a hit all over again.
What nineties non-country songs do you think today’s country stars should cover?
Im gonna say that The Bady Perry should redo “Kiss Me” from Sispence Non The Richer! That would be great!!!!!!!!
I could see each of those artists performing those songs you mentioned, Kevin.
As for songs I would like to see covered (that were from the 90’s)…
Celine Dion’s “Where Does My Heart Beat Now”
ARTIST: Carrie Underwood
-It’s such a great song (Lyrically), but Dion blows it out of the water, Underwood would probably make a fascinating country version.
TLC’s “Waterfalls”
ARTIST: SHeDAISY
-It’s a song with great meaning in it, and SHeDAISY could make the harmonies slicker than the original.
Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”
ARTIST: Sugarland
-I think Sugarland would make an interesting version of this song, and Jennifer Nettles’ voice could add so much more emotion to the song.
Jennifer Love Hewitt’s “Never A Day Goes By”
ARTIST: Taylor Swift
-Taylor Swift’s voice matches the soft, slow, and gentle melody of this song. And it would fit perfectly alongside her greatest hits of her career if it were successful.
The Backstreet Boys’ “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely”
ARTIST: Trisha Yearwood
-This song is one of my favorites, and it sounds so great and the lyrics are well written. I would like Yearwood to turn this song into a country version, and she would do a great job with the vocals, not too overpowering but just right. Plus, she could easily convey the emotion that drips all over the lyrics…. Then again, Sara Evans could pull this off as well..
Midnight Sons’ “If Only Tears Could Bring You Back”
ARTIST: Reba McEntire
-This song would fit pretty well along McEntire’s classic heartbreakers, and I think she would do a hell of a job with the vocals.
Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”
ARTIST: Wynonna Judd
-I think Wynonna would do an interesting job with this one…..
Great post!! I Never thought about this topic before. On the topic of covering songs, it would be interesting to see a discussion on what *country* songs people would love to see on “Glee.” But I don’t think many people here are fans of “Glee,” unless anyone says otherwise. ;)
I didn’t think it was possible for today’s country stars to record more noxious garbage than they already do. I was wrong – recording these 90s songs would enable today’s stars to achieve new lows
Maybe we’ll all get lucky and none of this will come true
Paul,
I’m impressed that you even know any of those songs.:) I only know one of them, so I can’t be as annoyed by the suggestions as you, apparently, are.
Cher, “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)”
I know that Cher’s 1990 version was already a remake, but I think this song is just begging to be reworked into a country version. Who could pull it off? Anyone with a big voice and lots of attitude.
1. Reba
2. Sugarland
3. Kellie Pickler
Sheryl Crow, “All I Wanna Do”
Or just about any Sheryl Crow song.
Taylor Swift (Her vocal range and voice quality slightly resembles Sheryls. The first time my Dad heard Taylor, he almost mistook her for Sheryl Crow!)
Bonnie Raitt, “Something to Talk About”
1. Kellie Pickler (I want to hear it sung with a Southern drawl)
2. Martina McBride
3. The Band Perry
Seal, “Kiss from a Rose”
Rascal Flatts
I’ll be back if I think of any more!
This is a great posting, but can we get one on covering country songs of the 90’s? I think that’d be equal to this.
I’ll say Hootie and the Blowfish’s ‘Hold My Hand’ remade by Darius Rucker.
Seriously though Alan Jackson on ‘Tears in Heaven’ or Trisha Yearwood on ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’
Paul,
I like all three of these songs for what they are, and I think they’d be a big step up for country radio today. Especially “Nothing Compares 2 U.” That’s a classic by any standard.
Then again, I also like the Eagles, who you routinely describe as trash, so I suspect we have widely different tastes!
That’s the one that I know from your list and I like it a lot too. I really successfully covering it though.
Ha, Highwayman3!
This is a tough one, because country was already sounding like pop in the late 90s to begin with. Gary Allan could take just about any song and make it sound country, so I’d like to hear him take David Gray’s “Babylon” and give it that twist. Or what about Wynonna doing Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason”?
Bonnie Raitt, “Something to Talk About”
1. Kellie Pickler (I want to hear it sung with a Southern drawl)
Ben – I’m sure you know this, but she covered it during her Idol stint as well as on the Idols Live tour back in 06. And I agree, it’s a good fit.
I could probably see Garth Brooks doing Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets Of Philadelphia”, or anything else from the Boss’ catalogue. But I think that would be it in this area for me, as the track record of country artists doing classic rock songs from any era has, in my opinion, been a whole lot less than impressive.
Kevin – I do not describe the Eagles as trash – I usually refer to them as “faux country” or “nihilistic crap”
Did you ever hear the great spoof that the band BIG DADDY of “Nothing Compares 2 U” ? Essentially they performed the song as Little Richard [Penniman] might have performed it. Wop bop a-loo bop a-lop bam boom !!!
With Little Richard, the real thing’s so funny that a parody must be awesome!
Little Richard is out there – I don’t know if I’d describe him as funny, but he was an electrifying performer with few equals maybe Jerry Lee Lewis, Jason D Williams, Louis Jordan). I have an album of gospel music that he recorded and there are few singers who could handle rock & roll and traditional gospel music with as much grace and style. The man really was a terrific vocalist
I think Miranda Lambert doing a cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” would be pretty great.
Here’s a 90’s song that was recently the #1 country song…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q0LE3gtUn8&feature=av2e
Here’s the original version by Sonia Dada…
I didn’t know that “My Maria” and “We Just Disagree” are covers. Haven’t followed pop music much since the Eagles finished their first run. I still haven’t found any country band that I like better than the Eagles – their seventies stuff and “Long Road Out of Eden”.
“Ben – I’m sure you know this, but she covered it during her Idol stint as well as on the Idols Live tour back in 06. And I agree, it’s a good fit.”
@Tara
Actually, I did not know that. I’ve never followed “Idol” very closely, but I enjoyed that video. Thanks for the link! Now I just want to hear it on the radio… with a fiddle and/or pedal steel.
Just remembered another 90’s song that has been recently covered. Dolly Parton covered The Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy” with a gender switch on her “Backwoods Barbie” album.
Knowing full well these suggestions will not be considered “country” in any way, even in remake:
— I can see the Zac Brown Band pulling off Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life.”
— Keith Urban doing “The Way” by Fastball.
— Sugarland doing “If I Had $1000000” since the instrumentation of “Stuck Like Glue” reminds me of that song.
@ Zack:
Re. Sugarland covering “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), they’d be second in line for this. Glen Campbell (yes, THE Glen Campbell) covered that same song, incredibly enough, just two years ago.
I’m not hearing the similarity between “Stuck Like Glue” and “If Had $1,000,000. I’ve always thought that the Bare Naked Lady song had a country flare to it though.