Toronto Mike

Discovering Cover Songs for the First Time

music

When I was 8 and 9, I just assumed every song I heard on the radio was an original song by the artist.  I didn't know artists could cover songs originally performed by other artists.  So when I heard Tainted Love by Soft Cell, I just assumed that was Soft Cell's song.  It wasn't.

In 1985, I was a big fan of Mötley Crüe's "Smokin' in the Boys Room".  10-year old Mike loved that tune.  Here's the video.

Then, one of those ads for a 70s music compilation album came on TV, and it included "Smokin' in the Boys Room" by Brownsville Station.  Wha-wha-what???

It was the same song, sung by a different band, over a decade earlier.  What was this abomination?

I had discovered the cover song.

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