B-Side Music Presents - T&A: Cover Edition

For this installment of T&A we'll take a look at two landmark covers: The Muppets' cover of "Once in a Lifetime" by the Talking Heads and Mindy Smith's cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene"

First, the Triumph: Mindy Smith - "Jolene"
From an album of Dolly Parton covers comes a dusty, blistering, sagebrush anthem that contains everything a great country song should: a cheatin' man, a Dobro, simple lyrics, and a strong and steely voice that is both fragile and fierce. There are all kinds of sonic layers here that add complexity and interest to a song that could have easily become dispensable. Smith's instrumentation and phrasing make this one of the great covers.

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Now the Atrocity: Kermit the Frog - "Once in a Lifetime"
I consider my taste in music to be pretty eclectic. I have at times even been told that I like music that is unlistenable or even weird. But even the hippest of hipsters will have a hard time justifying this one. David Byrne is already pretty weird but add the "Muppet Factor" and the bizzare-ometer rockets off the charts. I love this song. I love the Muppets. But not together. I don't want peanut butter on my pizza and I don't want the Muppets singing my favorite hits from days gone by. It's just wrong.

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