I’m not ashamed to admit that there a lot of songs that I’ve managed to discover thanks to cover versions. Sure, I like to say that I know all of the original songs before the covers came to prominence, but occasionally, there are plenty of cover songs that help me find some absolute gems.
Back in 2011, 15-year-old Jasmine van den Bogaerde released her first album under the name Birdy. Rising to fame thanks to the Open Mic UK contest in 2008, the musician found chart success with a cover of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love‘, turning her into something of an overnight musical sensation.
I don’t remember how I discovered her ‘Skinny Love’ cover, but it clearly resonated with me, and I went out and bought her debut album not long after. Listening to the record all the way through, I was stunned at how she had managed to transform all of the original songs that featured on the album into something far beyond what their creators intended.
While songs by The National, The xx, The Postal Service, and Phoenix all featured, it was her cover of ‘People Help The People‘ by Cherry Ghost that struck me the most.
With the original version having been released as the band’s second single back in 2007, I had neither heard of the original version, or the band, prior to Birdy’s cover.
What I heard through this cover though, was an amazing song featuring astounding passion from this artist, and a clear understanding of the track’s original meaning, allowing her to take the song and make it her own.
After a while of listening to the cover, I found my way towards the original, and was shocked at how little I liked it, clearly preferring Birdy’s cover to this track, and cementing it in my mind as one of the greatest cover songs I have ever heard.
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