Gender-bending Song Covers
April 19, 2010 12:48 PM Subscribe
I need examples of gender-specific songs covered by singers of the opposite gender. For instance, Jack White's cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene".
The lyrics must not be changed. If the original female singer was waxing lyrical about her man, so too must the male cover singer, and vice versa.
When You Were Mine - Ani DiFranco, written by Prince
Wilder Than Her - Dar Williams, written by Fred Eaglesmith
The lyrics must not be changed. If the original female singer was waxing lyrical about her man, so too must the male cover singer, and vice versa.
When You Were Mine - Ani DiFranco, written by Prince
Wilder Than Her - Dar Williams, written by Fred Eaglesmith
Gloria Gaynor/Cake - I Will Survive
posted by vito90 at 12:50 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by vito90 at 12:50 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
Scout Niblett - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Shonen Knife - Goosestep Mama
Elbow - Independent Women
Cinerama - All The Things She Said (the original was sung by a woman to a woman)
posted by mippy at 12:51 PM on April 19, 2010
Shonen Knife - Goosestep Mama
Elbow - Independent Women
Cinerama - All The Things She Said (the original was sung by a woman to a woman)
posted by mippy at 12:51 PM on April 19, 2010
Are you saying that the lyrics can't be changed at all? I know some female singer did a rendition of the Beatles' "I Saw Him Standing There."
posted by Melismata at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Melismata at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010
Lyle Lovett did "Stand By Your Man" on his Lyle Lovett and His Large Band release.
posted by tommasz at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by tommasz at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [3 favorites]
"I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day" as sung by the woman on the Pogues album Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash.
posted by small_ruminant at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by small_ruminant at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010
Siouxsie and the Banshees did "Dear Prudence" by the Beatles.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Tommy James and the Shondells / Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: "Crimson and Clover"
posted by infinitewindow at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by infinitewindow at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
On his first record, Bob Dylan sang House of the Rising Sun in the first person, female: "It's been the ruin of many a poor girl/ And, God, I know, I'm one".
posted by timeistight at 12:53 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by timeistight at 12:53 PM on April 19, 2010
Jeff Buckley's cover of Be My Husband (originally by Nina Simone)
posted by spinto at 12:53 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by spinto at 12:53 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Kelly Hogan's cover of the Magnetic Fields' Papa Was A Rodeo?
Admittedly the original is MUCH more gender-bending than the cover.
posted by bookwo3107 at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
Admittedly the original is MUCH more gender-bending than the cover.
posted by bookwo3107 at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
"You('ve) Really Got A Hold on Me" has done all sorts of gender jumping, starting with Smokey Robison and the Miracles, staying male for The Beatles, switching for The Supremes, back for the Temptations and straddling the line for She & Him. And that's just a sample.
posted by moviehawk at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by moviehawk at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2010
We were just talking about this yesterday! How about Carole King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by Dave Mason (His was a hit in the 70's - beautiful version.)
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2010
Angel from montgomery - sung by John Prine
posted by Pressed Rat at 12:56 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Pressed Rat at 12:56 PM on April 19, 2010
Oh and The Raincoats' version of The Kinks' Lola.
posted by bookwo3107 at 12:56 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by bookwo3107 at 12:56 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Tori Amos did a wicked cover of Eminem's "97 Bonnie & Clyde".
posted by King Bee at 12:57 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by King Bee at 12:57 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Janis covering Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" is kind of a gray area, since the original was "Bobbi McGee," as in a girl's name. But it still sounds exactly the same.
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:57 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:57 PM on April 19, 2010
Mad about the boy has been done by both genders.
House of the Rising Sun is a traditional song meant to be sung by women, about prostitution - but the most famous versions are sung by males, Bob Dylan and the Animals.
posted by Coobeastie at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010
House of the Rising Sun is a traditional song meant to be sung by women, about prostitution - but the most famous versions are sung by males, Bob Dylan and the Animals.
posted by Coobeastie at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010
Tori Amos's album "Strange Little Girls" is comprised of covers of men's songs from a female perspective. I think the creepiest is her version of Eminem's "97 Bonnie & Clyde."
posted by Bella Sebastian at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Bella Sebastian at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
Well, the lyrics were changed, but based on your title and tags, it still might interest you. Rick Astley has covered Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl," as "I Kissed a Boy."
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
patti smith - gloria
bunnygrunt - silly girl
jawbox - cornflake girl
veruca salt - my sharona
bjork/pj harvey - satisfaction
posted by nadawi at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
bunnygrunt - silly girl
jawbox - cornflake girl
veruca salt - my sharona
bjork/pj harvey - satisfaction
posted by nadawi at 12:58 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yo La Tengo's cover of Bob Dylan's "4th Time Around" (the cover's singer is female)
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Calexico's cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman"
Both are on the "I'm Not There" soundtrack, a collection of Dylan covers used in the biopic of the same name. I've only listened to the whole thing a couple of times; there are probably more that fit your criteria on there.
posted by randomname25 at 1:00 PM on April 19, 2010
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Calexico's cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman"
Both are on the "I'm Not There" soundtrack, a collection of Dylan covers used in the biopic of the same name. I've only listened to the whole thing a couple of times; there are probably more that fit your criteria on there.
posted by randomname25 at 1:00 PM on April 19, 2010
The original isn't very gender-specific, but the Flaming Lips did a creepy, languid cover of Kylie Minogue's "Can Get You Out Of My Head" that makes it sound like the thoughts of a stalker.
posted by mkultra at 1:00 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by mkultra at 1:00 PM on April 19, 2010
This maybe half fits: the Beatles' cover of "Boys," originally by the Shirelles. It doesn't technically satisfy your criterion of not changing the lyrics (they changed the first line from "My boy says when I kiss his lips" to "My girl says when I kiss her lips"), but the word "boys" stays the same (i.e. the Beatles didn't change it to "Girls"). Wikipedia talks about this.
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:01 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:01 PM on April 19, 2010
while talking about tori amos - and not from strange little girls.
she covered famous blue raincoat by cohen. she's also covered R.E.M., the cure, nirvana, led zepplin,and jimi hendrix,
posted by nadawi at 1:02 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
she covered famous blue raincoat by cohen. she's also covered R.E.M., the cure, nirvana, led zepplin,and jimi hendrix,
posted by nadawi at 1:02 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Amanda Overmeyer (American Idol, Season 7) sang "You Can't Do That' (by the Beatles) without changing the lyrics ("If I catch you talkin' to that boy again/I’m gonna let you down/And leave you flat").
posted by Lucinda at 1:02 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Lucinda at 1:02 PM on April 19, 2010
This is pretty much The Dan Band's whole shtick, if you also allow adding swearing.
posted by rewil at 1:03 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by rewil at 1:03 PM on April 19, 2010
The Futureheads covered Kate Bush's Hounds of Love.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by burnmp3s at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (actually, she changes some of the lyrics, but not the gender-specific ones)
posted by bokinney at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by bokinney at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2010
"If I Was Your Girlfriend" - originally by Prince, covered by TLC
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2010
I don't think they've officially recorded it, but since Joey Ramone's death, Blondie has covered "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" in concert without changing the lyrics.
posted by Devoidoid at 1:06 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Devoidoid at 1:06 PM on April 19, 2010
(or perhaps that should be called a "gender-straightening" cover!)
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:06 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:06 PM on April 19, 2010
Alison Krauss, covering "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" by Little Milton.
posted by hat at 1:08 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by hat at 1:08 PM on April 19, 2010
Sinead O'Connor singing "I Am Stretched On Your Grave." Interesting for the verse "Thanks be to Jesus, we did what was right/And your maidenhead still is your pillar of light."
posted by cereselle at 1:08 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by cereselle at 1:08 PM on April 19, 2010
You mention the Ani Difranco cover of When You Were Mine, but Cyndi Lauper did it too, and didn't change the gender of the pronouns.
posted by Beardman at 1:08 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Beardman at 1:08 PM on April 19, 2010
Lyle Lovett did "Stand By Your Man" on his Lyle Lovett and His Large Band release.
posted by tommasz
As did Motorhead. Nothing beats hearing Lemmy talk about it being hard to be a woman.
posted by COBRA! at 1:14 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by tommasz
As did Motorhead. Nothing beats hearing Lemmy talk about it being hard to be a woman.
posted by COBRA! at 1:14 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
I also seem to recall Nirvana's cover of Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves" leaving the lyrics intact (which would be characteristic).
Picked up a boy just south of Mobile
Gave him a ride, filled him with a hot meal
I was sixteen, he was twenty-one
Rode with us to Memphis
And papa woulda shot him if he knew what he'd done
I never had schoolin' but he taught me well
With his smooth southern style
Three months later, I'm a gal in trouble
And I haven't seen him for a while
I haven't seen him for a while
posted by Beardman at 1:15 PM on April 19, 2010
Picked up a boy just south of Mobile
Gave him a ride, filled him with a hot meal
I was sixteen, he was twenty-one
Rode with us to Memphis
And papa woulda shot him if he knew what he'd done
I never had schoolin' but he taught me well
With his smooth southern style
Three months later, I'm a gal in trouble
And I haven't seen him for a while
I haven't seen him for a while
posted by Beardman at 1:15 PM on April 19, 2010
OP8's cover of Sand has the male and female parts switched.
posted by zsazsa at 1:23 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by zsazsa at 1:23 PM on April 19, 2010
Sheryl Crow sang Cat Stevens' The First Cut is the Deepest.
posted by milestogo at 1:25 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by milestogo at 1:25 PM on April 19, 2010
Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush
was improved massively by Sunderland melodic-punk combp
China Drum,
being sung five times faster and about eight octaves lower
by a bloke
posted by runincircles at 1:26 PM on April 19, 2010
was improved massively by Sunderland melodic-punk combp
China Drum,
being sung five times faster and about eight octaves lower
by a bloke
posted by runincircles at 1:26 PM on April 19, 2010
Gay male Israeli pop star Ivri Lider covered Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl: http://www.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DskAMmX
posted by mismatched at 1:30 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by mismatched at 1:30 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Come on Eileen covered by Save Ferris.
To a lesser extent, I Will Survive, covered by CAKE.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 1:33 PM on April 19, 2010
To a lesser extent, I Will Survive, covered by CAKE.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 1:33 PM on April 19, 2010
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes also covered "Jolene".
posted by Twicketface at 1:39 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Twicketface at 1:39 PM on April 19, 2010
Submitted too soon - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes also covered "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor.
posted by Twicketface at 1:40 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Twicketface at 1:40 PM on April 19, 2010
The Dixie Chicks have a bunch, though I'm not sure they're all technically covers.
Heartbreak Town
Long Time Gone (Wikipedia)
Top of the World (Wikipedia)
Heartbreak Town is actually pretty subtle, and you'd only really notice it if you paid attention to gender stereotypes. It's about someone packing up their SO and kid and going to Nashville, and the SO is the one carrying the baby, crying, hugging their friends, and kissing their momma.
Patty Griffin wrote Top of the World, but it's definitely also from a man's perspective.
posted by natabat at 1:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Heartbreak Town
Long Time Gone (Wikipedia)
Top of the World (Wikipedia)
Heartbreak Town is actually pretty subtle, and you'd only really notice it if you paid attention to gender stereotypes. It's about someone packing up their SO and kid and going to Nashville, and the SO is the one carrying the baby, crying, hugging their friends, and kissing their momma.
Patty Griffin wrote Top of the World, but it's definitely also from a man's perspective.
posted by natabat at 1:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Amy Winehouse covered "Valerie" originally by The Zutons
posted by FakePalindrome at 1:53 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by FakePalindrome at 1:53 PM on April 19, 2010
An Australian compilation album No Man's Woman did specifically this. You haven't lived 'till you've heard Tex Perkins singing "I Am Woman."
posted by m1ndsurfer at 1:58 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by m1ndsurfer at 1:58 PM on April 19, 2010
Pansy Division and Calvin Johnson's excellent cover of Jackson. It went from being a man and a woman singing, to two men.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:58 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:58 PM on April 19, 2010
Patricia Barber did a great version of "Black Magic Woman" on her first live album Companion.
posted by Joe Schlabotnik at 1:59 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Joe Schlabotnik at 1:59 PM on April 19, 2010
Bree Sharp, "The Boys of Summer" (originally Don Henley)
posted by dlugoczaj at 1:59 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by dlugoczaj at 1:59 PM on April 19, 2010
Jeff Buckley also covered "The Man That Got Away," which was originally sung by Judy Garland.
posted by jroybal at 2:00 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by jroybal at 2:00 PM on April 19, 2010
The Lemonheads' cover of "Different Drum" maintains the line, "It's just that I'm not in the market for a boy who wants to love only me..."
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 2:06 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 2:06 PM on April 19, 2010
As referenced above, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes has covered tons of songs originally sung by women about their heterosexual relationships with men. Among the ones I'd recommend for your purposes, they've covered "My Boyfriend's Back," "Stand by Your Man," "Nobody Does it Better," "Phantom of the Opera," "Goodbye, Earl," and "Save the Best for Last."
posted by decathecting at 2:09 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by decathecting at 2:09 PM on April 19, 2010
I know this isn't helpful, but I'll never forget the moment I first heard Willie Nelson's version of "Someone to Watch Over Me," where the clever lines:
"Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome"
became this hunk of junk:
"Although she may not be the girl some
Guys think of as pretty"
posted by billtron at 2:15 PM on April 19, 2010
"Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome"
became this hunk of junk:
"Although she may not be the girl some
Guys think of as pretty"
posted by billtron at 2:15 PM on April 19, 2010
Too many of these are just songs that were sung by one gender covered by another - there's nothing particularly gender-specific about them (though I'm sure Hounds of Love is about female puberty). I wonder how 'If I was Your Girlfriend' works covered by a woman.
I wouldn;t say the Amy Winehouse cover counts - 'Valerie' is clearly a song to a friend. Same with Boys of Summer - is there anything about that that makes it a particularly male narrative? (I haven't heard it for a few years.) Same with Nothing Compares 2 U (originally a male/female duet) and Come On Eileen.
I wondered about Kirsty MacColl's cover of A New England, but the lyrics are changed slightly to make it work from a female perspective.
posted by mippy at 2:20 PM on April 19, 2010
I wouldn;t say the Amy Winehouse cover counts - 'Valerie' is clearly a song to a friend. Same with Boys of Summer - is there anything about that that makes it a particularly male narrative? (I haven't heard it for a few years.) Same with Nothing Compares 2 U (originally a male/female duet) and Come On Eileen.
I wondered about Kirsty MacColl's cover of A New England, but the lyrics are changed slightly to make it work from a female perspective.
posted by mippy at 2:20 PM on April 19, 2010
I don't think it's a cover, but Rufus Wainwright's "The Art Teacher" ("I was just a girl then/And never have I loved since then/No, never have I turned to any other man...") is sung from the female perspective. And, of course, he covered the entire Judy Garland -- Live at Carnegie Hall concert.
posted by Madamina at 2:37 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Madamina at 2:37 PM on April 19, 2010
Joss Stone covered The White Stripes "Fell in Love with a Girl" but did change the words to "Fell in Love with a Boy."
Best example of what you're actually asking that I can think of is a live version of "Satisfaction" by Bjork and PJ Harvey.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 2:55 PM on April 19, 2010
Best example of what you're actually asking that I can think of is a live version of "Satisfaction" by Bjork and PJ Harvey.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 2:55 PM on April 19, 2010
The Venture Bros version of "Fairytale of New York" hilariously reverses the gender roles. Dr. Girlfriend sings Shane McGowan's part, and The Monarch sings Kirsty McColl's.
Link to direct (and legit/legal) free download of the MP3.
posted by ErikaB at 2:56 PM on April 19, 2010
Link to direct (and legit/legal) free download of the MP3.
posted by ErikaB at 2:56 PM on April 19, 2010
Shawn Colvin sang Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police on her album Cover Girl - she reversed the pronouns.
posted by valeries at 3:17 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by valeries at 3:17 PM on April 19, 2010
I Heard It Through the Grapevine, original sung by Marvin Gaye and covered by all-female The Slits.
posted by Kattullus at 3:20 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 3:20 PM on April 19, 2010
Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" covered by Jonathan Coulton.
Joco says: I remember the first time I heard this song I immediately felt guilty for being a man – it still makes me all sorts of uncomfortable, especially to sing it.
posted by chazlarson at 3:39 PM on April 19, 2010
Joco says: I remember the first time I heard this song I immediately felt guilty for being a man – it still makes me all sorts of uncomfortable, especially to sing it.
posted by chazlarson at 3:39 PM on April 19, 2010
Too many of these are just songs that were sung by one gender covered by another - there's nothing particularly gender-specific about them (though I'm sure Hounds of Love is about female puberty). I wonder how 'If I was Your Girlfriend' works covered by a woman. I wouldn;t say the Amy Winehouse cover counts - 'Valerie' is clearly a song to a friend. ... Same with ... Come On Eileen.
I agree with mippy that many of the suggestions don't seem count -- though the question wasn't that clear about what constitutes "gender-bending." Other songs that don't seem gender-specific or sexual-orientation-specific: "You Really Got a Hold on Me," "I Will Survive."
However, "Come on Eileen" does count -- the song is blatantly sexual toward a woman, originally sung by a man, and with no lyrics changed for the cover sung by a woman.
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:49 PM on April 19, 2010
I agree with mippy that many of the suggestions don't seem count -- though the question wasn't that clear about what constitutes "gender-bending." Other songs that don't seem gender-specific or sexual-orientation-specific: "You Really Got a Hold on Me," "I Will Survive."
However, "Come on Eileen" does count -- the song is blatantly sexual toward a woman, originally sung by a man, and with no lyrics changed for the cover sung by a woman.
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:49 PM on April 19, 2010
And mippy, this is how "If I Was Your Girlfriend" works sung by women.
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:52 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
(And the answer is: uncannily similar to Prince's version except slower.)
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:54 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Jaltcoh at 3:54 PM on April 19, 2010
I don't.think Valerie is about friendship. Am I missing something?
posted by fshgrl at 4:06 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by fshgrl at 4:06 PM on April 19, 2010
Maybe this part of the question is in invisible ink:
"The lyrics must not be changed. If the original female singer was waxing lyrical about her man, so too must the male cover singer, and vice versa."
posted by kirkaracha at 4:21 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
"The lyrics must not be changed. If the original female singer was waxing lyrical about her man, so too must the male cover singer, and vice versa."
posted by kirkaracha at 4:21 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
Grizzly Bear covered He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss) by the Crystals. It's good, if upsetting.
posted by somergames at 4:38 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by somergames at 4:38 PM on April 19, 2010
Jesse Lacey of Brand New covering "Fuck and Run" by Liz Phair. He changes the gender for the third verse, but sings the original "I want a boyfriend" for the first two.
posted by cloudburst at 4:42 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by cloudburst at 4:42 PM on April 19, 2010
Romeo and Juliet, written by/for Dire Straits and performed by Indigo Girls
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 4:45 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 4:45 PM on April 19, 2010
Killdozer's touching cover of Nasty by Janet Jackson
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 4:49 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 4:49 PM on April 19, 2010
There's a live version of "You Shook Me All Night Long" by Cracker with LP (female) singing.
posted by 6550 at 5:10 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by 6550 at 5:10 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
John Barrowman did a duet of I Know Him So Well from the musical Chess, with Danny Boyes without any changes to the lyrics.
posted by lemniskate at 5:10 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by lemniskate at 5:10 PM on April 19, 2010
Tiffany (Darwish) is the singer who did "I Saw Him Standing There."
Although DJ Sammy is male, he does a version of The Boys Of Summer with his then-wife Carisma, aka Loona, singing.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:16 PM on April 19, 2010
Although DJ Sammy is male, he does a version of The Boys Of Summer with his then-wife Carisma, aka Loona, singing.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:16 PM on April 19, 2010
This may not count for your purposes, but Travis covered Katy Perry's "I kissed a girl" from the fictional perspective of a gay man kissing a woman for the first time. (I also have a surprisingly good version of them covering Britney Spears's "Hit Me Baby" but I don't know if there are any explicit gender references in that one.)
Fiona Apple did a chilling and brilliant live cover version of Elvis Costello's "I Want You", which he supposedly said was better than his own. She changes 'he' to 'she' in a couple of cases but leaves in a 'young man' or two.
Joan Baez covered Dire Straits's "Brothers in Arms", which is more about war than love so may not suit.
I have various covers of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls just wanna have fun", including by Wakey!Wakey!, where the genders aren't changed.
Hmm, I have a large collection of cover versions, but it's surprisingly hard to find covers where they don't change the gender references. That's all I can find in my iTunes for now...
posted by badmoonrising at 5:21 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Fiona Apple did a chilling and brilliant live cover version of Elvis Costello's "I Want You", which he supposedly said was better than his own. She changes 'he' to 'she' in a couple of cases but leaves in a 'young man' or two.
Joan Baez covered Dire Straits's "Brothers in Arms", which is more about war than love so may not suit.
I have various covers of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls just wanna have fun", including by Wakey!Wakey!, where the genders aren't changed.
Hmm, I have a large collection of cover versions, but it's surprisingly hard to find covers where they don't change the gender references. That's all I can find in my iTunes for now...
posted by badmoonrising at 5:21 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Pansy Division covered Liz Phair's "Flower." (Song is DEFINITELY NSFW!)
posted by SisterHavana at 6:19 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by SisterHavana at 6:19 PM on April 19, 2010
Paul Kelly & the Messengers - "Everything's Turning to White" (the same story dramatized in the movie Jindabyne)
Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey is peering over my shoulder, and contributes "Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — 'Crimson and Clover'!"
Tegan and Sara also covered "When U Were Mine".
posted by Lexica at 6:27 PM on April 19, 2010
Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey is peering over my shoulder, and contributes "Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — 'Crimson and Clover'!"
Tegan and Sara also covered "When U Were Mine".
posted by Lexica at 6:27 PM on April 19, 2010
Katy Perry covered MGMT's Electric Feel without changing the words. Usually I'm sort of meh on her in general but I like her loungy version.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 6:30 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Thin Lizzy at 6:30 PM on April 19, 2010
Most of the Time - Ani DiFranco, written by Bob Dylan
posted by holloway at 6:44 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by holloway at 6:44 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Jonathan Coulton did an amazing cover of Alanis he Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know.
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:59 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:59 PM on April 19, 2010
(Ack, my cut and paste screwed up, scratch the "Alanis he" part obviously)
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:59 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:59 PM on April 19, 2010
Melissa Etheridge covering Rod Stewart's "Maggie May"
posted by spinturtle at 7:15 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by spinturtle at 7:15 PM on April 19, 2010
Forever the Sickest Kids covered Taylor Swift's "Love Story".
posted by hotdiggitydog at 7:18 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by hotdiggitydog at 7:18 PM on April 19, 2010
Pretty obscure, I admit, but there is a version of the Nick Cave song Where the wild roses grow (or Wild rose or something like that), a duet, where the female part is sung by another male band member. I'm pretty sure it's on the B Sides and Rarities collection. The female part is definitely meant to be sung by a woman (and was most popularly sung by Kylie Minogue).
There is also a song by Paul Kelly called Everything's turning to white which is quite specifically sung from a woman's point of view. There is a live recording of it I've heard where he introduces the song with "I have to change sex for this one". I'm not sure if this counts, however, as I imagine he wrote it to sing himself.
posted by damonism at 8:01 PM on April 19, 2010
There is also a song by Paul Kelly called Everything's turning to white which is quite specifically sung from a woman's point of view. There is a live recording of it I've heard where he introduces the song with "I have to change sex for this one". I'm not sure if this counts, however, as I imagine he wrote it to sing himself.
posted by damonism at 8:01 PM on April 19, 2010
damonism: Pretty obscure, I admit, but there is a version of the Nick Cave song Where the wild roses grow (or Wild rose or something like that), a duet, where the female part is sung by another male band member.
That would be Blixa Bargeld (also of Einsturzende Neubaten) performing Where the Wild Roses Grow with Nick Cave (Blixa Bargeld has quit The Bad Seeds, and I don't know who performs the song with Nick Cave now, or even if he still performs it).
posted by Kattullus at 8:34 PM on April 19, 2010
That would be Blixa Bargeld (also of Einsturzende Neubaten) performing Where the Wild Roses Grow with Nick Cave (Blixa Bargeld has quit The Bad Seeds, and I don't know who performs the song with Nick Cave now, or even if he still performs it).
posted by Kattullus at 8:34 PM on April 19, 2010
Here's another version of Where the Wild Roses Grow performed by Nick Cave and Blixa Bargeld which I like even better than the one I linked to previously.
posted by Kattullus at 8:41 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Kattullus at 8:41 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Whatever You Like" originally by TI, covered by Anya Marina.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:48 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:48 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
Pretty sure the Mamas and the Papas cover of 'I Call Your Name' has Mama Cass singing "I'm not that kind of man." Which I suppose was true, come to think of it.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:48 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:48 PM on April 19, 2010
Only gender-bending because of the title, but I've always loved Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls' singing Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits' Romeo And Juliet. Oh, and once in the song she says "I used to have a scene with him."
posted by IAmBroom at 8:57 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by IAmBroom at 8:57 PM on April 19, 2010
Two covers by the Lemonheads leap instantly to mind: (Linda Ronstadt and) The Stone Poneys' 'Different Drum' and Whitney Houston's 'How Will I Know,' and Evan Dando didn't change the lyrics.
posted by Mael Oui at 9:09 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Mael Oui at 9:09 PM on April 19, 2010
Ooh, Evan Dando also did a cover of "Frank Mills" from Hair, which is very gender specific.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:10 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:10 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Pronoiac at 9:23 PM on April 19, 2010
Kate Nash does a cover of the Black Kid's song "I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you".
A bit weird because the original's sung by a guy, but from a girl's POV. The lyrics are: "You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl." So, very gender-bendy.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 9:26 PM on April 19, 2010
A bit weird because the original's sung by a guy, but from a girl's POV. The lyrics are: "You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl." So, very gender-bendy.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 9:26 PM on April 19, 2010
Dink's song was covered by Dylan.
posted by primer_dimer at 1:50 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by primer_dimer at 1:50 AM on April 20, 2010
The Slits' "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," where the switch sans lyrics adjustment makes it delightfully queer/girl-bond themed.
posted by ifjuly at 8:40 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 8:40 AM on April 20, 2010
Oh, and Nico covered The Doors' "The End," but the gender swap doesn't really affect the song or add a twist.
posted by ifjuly at 10:29 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 10:29 AM on April 20, 2010
Oh, I keep thinking of more. Frente's "Bizarre Love Triangle."
posted by ifjuly at 10:29 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 10:29 AM on April 20, 2010
Blondie's "Hangin' on the Telephone." (They also covered Randy and the Rainbows' "Denise" but changed it to "Dennis" so that one doesn't count.)
posted by ifjuly at 10:30 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 10:30 AM on April 20, 2010
Scout Niblett's also covered The Cars' "Just What I Needed," girly-directed lines ("it's not the ribbons in your hair") and all.
posted by ifjuly at 10:33 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 10:33 AM on April 20, 2010
Speaking of "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" Tori Amos covered "Real Men" by Joe Jackson, which is about masculinity and takes a pretty different turn when she sings it (my memory of that album is the whole thing's like that though, right?).
posted by ifjuly at 10:37 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 10:37 AM on April 20, 2010
And Thalia Zedek covered Bob Dylan's "You're a Big Girl Now" which takes on a totally awesome dimension for the change.
posted by ifjuly at 10:38 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 10:38 AM on April 20, 2010
Maxwell covered Kate Bush's "This woman's work"
Korean band Winterplay covered Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"
posted by needled at 3:37 PM on April 20, 2010
Korean band Winterplay covered Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"
posted by needled at 3:37 PM on April 20, 2010
Tricky's "Black Steel" has Martina Topley-Bird singing. The song is (lyrically) a cover of the Public Enemy song "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos".
posted by urban greeting at 6:50 PM on April 20, 2010
posted by urban greeting at 6:50 PM on April 20, 2010
"So Happy I Could Die" by Lady GaGa, if that's what you're looking for.
posted by antgly at 11:53 AM on June 16, 2010
posted by antgly at 11:53 AM on June 16, 2010
"Kissing is a Crime" Sara Carter sings from a boy's p.o.v. (with the Carter Family) lyrics are here.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:29 AM on June 25, 2010
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:29 AM on June 25, 2010
Richard Shindell's version of "The Ballad of Mary Magdalene."
posted by tzikeh at 4:09 PM on July 3, 2010
posted by tzikeh at 4:09 PM on July 3, 2010
I'm astounded at how many people have completely misunderstood the question. The song must be *gender-specific*. Eesh.
posted by tzikeh at 4:16 PM on July 3, 2010
posted by tzikeh at 4:16 PM on July 3, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by small_ruminant at 12:50 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]