Can I dance to it?
August 27, 2013 8:01 PM Subscribe
What cover songs or remixes add a dance beat or strong rhythm to the original?
Examples I can think of include the remix of Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation" and Smash Mouth's cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer."
Then there's Marilyn Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," which adds a strong, slower driving beat. I'm looking for that kind of thing too.
Bonus points for remixes or covers of R&B songs and/or songs from the 1960s or earlier that fit this description.
Examples I can think of include the remix of Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation" and Smash Mouth's cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer."
Then there's Marilyn Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," which adds a strong, slower driving beat. I'm looking for that kind of thing too.
Bonus points for remixes or covers of R&B songs and/or songs from the 1960s or earlier that fit this description.
Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (original by Neil Young)
posted by matildaben at 8:10 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by matildaben at 8:10 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
Mark Ronson/Robbie Williams, The Only One I Know (original by the Charlatans, which is admittedly pretty dancey to begin with)
posted by scody at 8:12 PM on August 27, 2013
posted by scody at 8:12 PM on August 27, 2013
FAROFF - Get Back (originally by the Beatles and arguably already danceable)
posted by fuse theorem at 8:18 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by fuse theorem at 8:18 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan - Silence
There are a lot of remixes but the Airscape Remix is my favorite.
posted by cali59 at 8:29 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
There are a lot of remixes but the Airscape Remix is my favorite.
posted by cali59 at 8:29 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: There's also this remix of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner."
posted by southern_sky at 8:32 PM on August 27, 2013
posted by southern_sky at 8:32 PM on August 27, 2013
I imagine the Verve Remixed compilation series would be right up your alley, and in a related vein Madlib's Shades of Blue (although the latter is closer to straight Jazz rather than old pop standards).
posted by carsonb at 8:37 PM on August 27, 2013
posted by carsonb at 8:37 PM on August 27, 2013
I think Stevie Wonder's version of We Can Work It Out is better than the original. One of the best covers in the history of music.
posted by gnutron at 8:38 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by gnutron at 8:38 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
A couple of older songs given a dance beat: Badmarsh & Shri's remix (cover?) of the Dave Pike Set's Mathar, and Basshunter's version of Jingle Bells.
For newer songs (mostly 80s), you may be interested in the world of cardio remixes at 145-170bpm.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 8:45 PM on August 27, 2013
For newer songs (mostly 80s), you may be interested in the world of cardio remixes at 145-170bpm.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 8:45 PM on August 27, 2013
Bonus points for remixes or covers of R&B songs and/or songs from the 1960s or earlier that fit this description.
Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" remixed
posted by John Cohen at 8:48 PM on August 27, 2013
Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" remixed
posted by John Cohen at 8:48 PM on August 27, 2013
This dance remix of Édith Piaf's "La Foule" (1957).
posted by datarose at 8:51 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by datarose at 8:51 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
Sleeper's version of Atomic (from the Trainspotting soundrack) has a bit of a harder, electronic beat.
The Fugees' version of Killing Me Softly adds a hip-hop beat, as does Lauryn Hill's Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You.
Actually, hip hop does this so much. Often it's simply sampling an older song, but then you have songs like Changes that are more like covers - but a lot of stuff from the 60s (especially Motown) to be found there.
posted by lunasol at 9:32 PM on August 27, 2013
The Fugees' version of Killing Me Softly adds a hip-hop beat, as does Lauryn Hill's Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You.
Actually, hip hop does this so much. Often it's simply sampling an older song, but then you have songs like Changes that are more like covers - but a lot of stuff from the 60s (especially Motown) to be found there.
posted by lunasol at 9:32 PM on August 27, 2013
The Pet Shop Boys' cover of Elvis's You Are Always on My Mind has a high-NRG, super-gay beat.
posted by tonylord at 10:28 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by tonylord at 10:28 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
Bonus points for remixes or covers of R&B songs and/or songs from the 1960s or earlier that fit this description.
I'd like to point you to who sampled where you can find where a beat came from, or pick an older song you like and find others that sampled/remixed it.
posted by clearly at 3:09 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'd like to point you to who sampled where you can find where a beat came from, or pick an older song you like and find others that sampled/remixed it.
posted by clearly at 3:09 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
Slightly different but how about this remix of the ABC (Australia) news theme?
posted by trialex at 3:35 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by trialex at 3:35 AM on August 28, 2013
The sweet dreams remix of pink's "get the party started"
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 3:35 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 3:35 AM on August 28, 2013
Nicki French's version of Total Eclipse of the Heart.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:04 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:04 AM on August 28, 2013
There seem to be a lot of remixes of Sway -- I can't find the one I know from ten or so years ago, so there's a link to a random one.
And original songs including heavy sampling are admittedly not what you're asking for, but maybe you'd like this, because the sample is a Herbie Hancock track from 1964.
And this is even less what you're asking for, but along the lines of lunasol's comment upthread: mashups? You can sure as shit dance to Girl Talk and quite a lot of his samples come from Motown or similar -- see mashup breakdown.
posted by clavicle at 5:35 AM on August 28, 2013
And original songs including heavy sampling are admittedly not what you're asking for, but maybe you'd like this, because the sample is a Herbie Hancock track from 1964.
And this is even less what you're asking for, but along the lines of lunasol's comment upthread: mashups? You can sure as shit dance to Girl Talk and quite a lot of his samples come from Motown or similar -- see mashup breakdown.
posted by clavicle at 5:35 AM on August 28, 2013
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha. Original version versus Norman Cook remix.
posted by therubettes at 6:38 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by therubettes at 6:38 AM on August 28, 2013
Sinead O'Connor - I Am Stretched On Your Grave (album version). It's an old Irish poem, put to music in 1979, presumably without a dance beat. Here she does it without the beat.
posted by snarfois at 7:45 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by snarfois at 7:45 AM on August 28, 2013
Not sure how danceable, but Color In Your Cheeks (Iowa City Trance Mix) vs the Mountain Goats original.
posted by snarfois at 8:07 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by snarfois at 8:07 AM on August 28, 2013
I can't link to it right now, but there's a dance mix of Roxette's Fading Like a Flower that's really great.
I'm also ashamed to know that there's a mix of Bryan Adams' Heaven.
posted by altopower at 8:07 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm also ashamed to know that there's a mix of Bryan Adams' Heaven.
posted by altopower at 8:07 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
Someone mentioned I heard it through the grapevine - the slits cover is very danceable.
posted by pmcp at 8:44 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by pmcp at 8:44 AM on August 28, 2013
Cheap Trick's cover of Don't Be Cruel (originally by Elvis Presley)
posted by 1367 at 9:26 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by 1367 at 9:26 AM on August 28, 2013
Bing Ji Ling – You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC cover) is super dance-funky.
Found via the recent Five Good Covers post.
posted by rocket88 at 10:00 AM on August 28, 2013
Found via the recent Five Good Covers post.
posted by rocket88 at 10:00 AM on August 28, 2013
RAC Remix of Lana Del Rey's "Blue Jeans." FWIW, I find the original pretty dreadful and am not a fan but man, I cannot stop listening to this remix.
Thorzdad, I'm having junior high flashbacks, dancing around to the Beatles' Stars on 45 remix in my neighbour's living room.
posted by futureisunwritten at 11:14 AM on August 28, 2013
Thorzdad, I'm having junior high flashbacks, dancing around to the Beatles' Stars on 45 remix in my neighbour's living room.
posted by futureisunwritten at 11:14 AM on August 28, 2013
I'm still not sure if it's an abomination or a work of genius but there's the Scissor Sisters version of Comfortably Numb
posted by TwoWordReview at 12:06 PM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by TwoWordReview at 12:06 PM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Armand Van Helden's remix of Tori Amos' Professional Widow.
posted by hellojed at 1:45 PM on August 28, 2013
posted by hellojed at 1:45 PM on August 28, 2013
The album Remixed & Reimagined Nina Simone is pretty good I especially like Nina Simone My Man's Gone Now
posted by ljesse at 6:48 PM on August 28, 2013
posted by ljesse at 6:48 PM on August 28, 2013
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posted by hydrophonic at 8:08 PM on August 27, 2013