Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

He really is that stupid.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

No one could have predicted…

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Reluctantly the panic begins to catch

Reluctantly the panic begins to catch

by | 232 Comments

This post is in: ,

I’m pretty scared about coronavirus. I’m 50 and have chronic asthma. And I’ve got a young kid and a wife to take care of. I don’t think I want to talk about much about the epidemic here.

So I’m going to try to do fun topic posts and raise money for Democrats in the Senate. This shitshow in our government right now and its capacity to kill millions of people…well, you know we’ve got to double down on changing the guard as much as we can this fall.

Here’s one that came to me yesterday when I heard a crappy cover of a Beatles song: what examples can you think of songs where there are not one not two but three different good versions of it? Only one I can think of “Heard It Through the Grapevine” with Marvin, Gladys and CCR. Any others? And obviously standards don’t count — there’s probably 30 great versions of My Funny Valentine.

Give here to the Balloon Juice Senate fund which is split between the eventual Democratic nominees in Maine, Iowa, NC, Arizona, Georgia, and Colorado. Raised the goal to 30K 50K.

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Reader Interactions

232Comments

  1. 1.

    Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)

    Happy Xmas (War Is Over) both the original and The Alarm cover.

  5. 5.

    DougJ

    There’s one other I forgot “Do Right Woman” — Aretha, Gram Parsons, Delaney & Bonnie.

  7. 7.

    Anotherlurker

    Bruce Springsteen wrote and performed “Atlantic City”. The Band’s version of the song is wonderful!   Also, check out Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” with the Band’s version. ELO’s cover of “Roll Over Beethoven” is a fitting tribute to Chuck Berry’s  original masterpiece.

  8. 8.

    WaterGirl

    Doug, I already my post scheduled when you posted this.  I doubt that either one will be competition for the other, so I think we’re good to leave both of them up.

  9. 9.

    Jerzy Russian

    @DougJ:   I have this vague memory of hearing Elvis sing Proud Mary on one of the internet oldies stations.  I don’t listen to “live” radio much any more these days, but the Ike and Tina version was the most commonly heard version.

  12. 12.

    joel hanes

    songs where there are not one not two but three different good versions of it?

    Little Wing

    Hendrix, Derek and the Dominoes, Stevie Ray Vaughn

  13. 13.

    DougJ

    @WaterGirl:

     

    Fine by me.  I honestly don’t care about that kind of thing.  I like posts to appear suddenly and unpredictably.  It’s all in the game IMHO

  19. 19.

    Amir Khalid

    Off-topic, because why not? Manchester United have won their Premier League derby against City 2-0  after two bad mistakes by City’s Brazil goalkeeper Ederson gifted them both goals, the latter with seconds left in injury time. The result leaves Liverpool just two wins away from the league title. YNWA!

  20. 20.

    The Dangerman

    This is a repeat thought from a couple weeks ago thread on music; I’m blown away by Disturbed’s version of Sound of Silence. Actually, since I’m into repeating thoughts here, I’ll toss out Natalie Maines’ version of a Pink Floyd classic. What’s kinda cool is both those are pretty far outside the typical for those artists…

    …and, to toss out something new, a shout out to Nanci Griffith for her classic disc of nothing but covers.

  21. 21.

    Mowgli

    Cohen’s Hallelujah has many, many fine covers, including the one used in the first Shrek movie.

  22. 22.

    Amir Khalid

    Should standards be included? There are going to be many outstanding versions of standards.

  23. 23.

    PsiFighter37

    Where’s the link where I can donate to defunct presidential campaigns? If I want to vote for one, surely I can throw away my hard-earned money as well.

  24. 24.

    joel hanes

    Other jazz standards credibly covered by pretty much everyone:

    Misty

    Stella By Starlight

  25. 25.

    trollhattan

    There are myriad covers of “River” and I’m very enthusiastic about those by Madeleine Peyroux and Holly Cole, which enhance the song in unique ways. God help me, there’s a version listed from Robert Downey Jr. Not volunteering to listen.

  27. 27.

    joel hanes

    @PsiFighter37:

    Decent candidates often take the unused campaign funds and give them to another candidate who needs them.

    And now you’ve annoyed me enough.  Pied.

  28. 28.

    sgrAstar

    I love this. The magnificent Gimme Shelter: Rolling Stones (many versions, including Merry Clayton and Lady Gaga) Sisters of Mercy, Playing for Change.

     

    ?

  29. 29.

    piratedan

    Two entries… the promised land by Chuck  Berry and Dave Edmunds… Wild Horses by The Stones and The Sundays..

  32. 32.

    The Dangerman

    @trollhattan:

    God help me, there’s a version listed from Robert Downey Jr. Not volunteering to listen.

    He covered it on Ally McBeal when he was on. It’s actually pretty good as I recall … I’d confirm but it’s time for breakfast finally (time changes mess me up).

  34. 34.

    James E Powell

    @Mowgli:

    Just too slow for you, Mowgli. That was the first song that came to mind.

    The second was Chimes of Freedom. The third was Gloria.

  36. 36.

    eemom

    Two songs I never knew WERE covers: Thorogood’s One Bourbon One Scotch and the Stones’ It’s All Over Now. Recently heard John Lee Hooker’s version of the former, which is also a cover, and the original of the latter by the Valentinos.

    XM/Sirius does have some cool shit.

  37. 37.

    trollhattan

    @piratedan:

    Speaking of the criminally underappreciated Dave Edmunds, his “Queen of Hearts” is the definitive one.

    Seeing him with Rockpile in a little club remains a musical highlight.

  38. 38.

    Haydnseek

    Here’s my all-time favorite.  All Along The Watchtower by Hendrix and Dylan of course, but the XTC version is incredible.  Can’t link, but YouTube is your pal.

  44. 44.

    trollhattan

    @eemom:

    IIRC the Womacks wrote “It’s All Over Now.” My favorite non-traditional version is Ry Cooder’s from “Paradise and Lunch.”

  47. 47.

    Haydnseek

    @Amir Khalid:Tottenham supporter here.  I can’t wait for the 2nd leg of their Champions League match against Leipzig.  It ain’t easy being for Spurs.  Always good enough to get your hopes up, but never quite good enough to bring home the hardware.  Ah well, that’s what makes it fun.

  50. 50.

    eemom

    @trollhattan:

    Yeah. The DJ said Bobby Womack was pissed at first when the Stones’ version became a huge hit, but he got over it when the royalty check came.

  51. 51.

    pamelabrown53

    “Me and Bobby McGee” by Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller and the inimitable Janis Joplin. Heard others sing it too.

  57. 57.

    Haydnseek

    @eemom: Try Talking Heads version of Take Me To The River.  Somehow a bunch of NYC white hipsters record a version that’s not just quirky but soulful.

  59. 59.

    currants

    @sgrAstar: Oh I LOVE the Playing for Change version.  It’s one of their song-around-the-world pieces (okay, I love most of them).

  62. 62.

    Dulcie

    The Beatles Blackbird. My favorite cover is by Billy Preston, but there are good ones by Dionne Farris, Sarah MacLachlan, Carly Simon, and CSN&Y.

  69. 69.

    NeenerNeener

    @trollhattan: RDJ sang River during an Ally McBeal episode and he’s actually pretty good.

     

    ETA: I see somebody else noted this first.

  70. 70.

    Jazzman

    The Beatles also did a great version of Roll Over Beethoven, and Elvis did a killer (live) version of Promised Land.

    And let’s not forget covers by non-famous bands.  Every bar band in the USA covered In The Midnight Hour.

  71. 71.

    andy

    I’m 58, have asthma and had pneumonia several times, once badly enough to be hospitalized and I’m not worried about myself at all. I work nights and mostly alone and avoid crowds because of social anxiety. I guess I could still get it and die (maybe), but if I go it’ll be with barely a ripple.

    But I hear about how other countries have whole regions under quarantine, with medical establishments treating it as an all hands on deck problem, and I think of the human waste we’ve been blessed with overseeing it here. It would be like Pearl Harbor, Katrina, and 9/11 rolled into one, and the only thing that will save this “administration” is a pandemic firing on all cylinders come election day.

  73. 73.

    Luciamia

    Published in 1938, “I’ll Be Seeing You” would be considered a standard. But Judy Collins ethereal version was the first time I’d heard it.

  74. 74.

    piratedan

    @trollhattan: that for some reason triggered the They Might Be Giants cover of “Instanbul, not Constantinople”, I believe that the original may have been done by The Four Lads…. but ymmv as to whether a novelty song actually fits this category… and speaking to Edmunds, he did an awesome job of mining Berry’s lesser known tunes, Edmunds was a rockabilly aficionado and was willing to cover anything that was cool, so you have a gamut of covers going from Dear Dad from Berry to The Race Is On by George Jones (later covered by the Stray Cats, who Edmunds produced).

    Some songs really are timeless but their interpretation by an artist really can put a stamp on them.

  75. 75.

    Jim Parish

    Does “Summertime” count as a standard? I have four versions, by the Walker Brothers, Ella & Louis, Janis Joplin, and – the best, to my ears – Sam Cooke. All of them are good, in different ways.

    Second the motion on Disturbed’s “Sound of Silence”.

  77. 77.

    Haydnseek

    @Kelly: Gahhh!  You got me!  I should have known that just from owning the LP.  For some reason I thought someone else wrote it.

  78. 78.

    Pittsburgh Mike

    The Beatles did ‘With a little help from my friends” but Joe Cocker’s version is definitely better, as is the Ritchie Havens version.

    “Wrecking Ball” was written by Neil Young, but I like the Emmylou Harris version better.

  83. 83.

    James E Powell

    @Dulcie:

    The Beatles Blackbird. My favorite cover is by Billy Preston, but there are good ones by Dionne Farris, Sarah MacLachlan, Carly Simon, and CSN&Y.

    And bad ones by four out of five guys who pick up an acoustic at Guitar Center.

  85. 85.

    James E Powell

    @Jazzman:

    Every bar band in the USA covered In The Midnight Hour.

    Old one: How many bar bands does it take to do Mustang Sally?

    Apparently all of them.

  88. 88.

    trollhattan

    @eemom:

    Royalty checks soothe a lot of bruised souls. :-)

    IIUC Janis made peace with Big Mama over “Ball and Chain” by taking her on tour with Big Brother as opening. Apparently they developed a good deal of affection for one another.

  93. 93.

    Haydnseek

    @JanieM: Wow!  We Five really takes me back.  In the 80’s I was hired to work for a nutritional supplements company, and was hired and trained by Jerry Burgan.  He and his wife were in We Five, and they had some great stories.  They lived not far from me, so I used to visit them now and then.  They had a great home studio in a separate building in their backyard where their son’s band practiced.  Wonderful people.

  97. 97.

    trollhattan

    @A Ghost To Most:

    “Blue Bayou” I’ll have to vote a draw, but generally hell yeah. And her gender-flipping version of “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” might be the most fun example.

  101. 101.

    Zinsky

    “The First Cut is the Deepest”

    Originally written by Cat Stevens, Rod Stewart did a very respectable version of it and then Sheryl Crow re-worked and added a killer guitar solo.  All three versions are awesome in their own way, in my opinion.

  102. 102.

    Yutsano

    Also: can we put Steve Bullock on the list as well? Montana is a rather inexpensive market and some scratch would go a long way there.

  104. 104.

    Htownrobin

    Like A Rolling Stone: Hendrix, Mick Ronson (w/ David Bowie on vocals), and the version by the Stones on ‘Stripped’ isn’t bad.

  108. 108.

    wizend_guy

    Feels Like Rain: John Hiatt, Aaron Neville, Buddy Guy/Bonnie Raitt.

    In fact, nearly every John Hiatt song has multiple great covers.

  109. 109.

    8 man shell

    The best thing that could happen to America, and the planet in general, is if the human population was reduced by about 2/3.

    Unfortunately, I don’t think Wuhan/Corona/whatever is up to the task.

    There is some small comfort in knowing that the people most likely to die are the elderly who are more likely to be Trump voters.

  112. 112.

    eemom

    @Zinsky:

    “The First Cut is the Deepest”

    Originally written by Cat Stevens, Rod Stewart did a very respectable version of it

    Ah, that reminds me of Tim Hardin, whose own version of Reason to Believe, which he wrote, is a gazillion times better than Stewart’s. He also wrote and recorded the oft-covered If I Were A Carpenter.

    Yet another brilliant life tragically lost to heroin.

  113. 113.

    8 man shell

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Let me guess, you’re one of these morons who think that there’s absolutely no problem having 9 billion people on this planet.

    Dumbass.

  115. 115.

    zhena gogolia

    Somewhat OT, but I got a rave review on Emma from a friend. It isn’t playing here yet. I hope it’s okay to go at our usual mid-day weekday time when there’s no one in the theater.

  116. 116.

    eemom

    @zhena gogolia:

    Good to see you! I don’t even know who your candidate is/was!

    Thank you! And I love that greeting enough to marry it. ?

    Voted for Warren last Tuesday, which feels like a million years ago.

  119. 119.

    Froley

    “Love Hurts” by Roy Orbison, Emmylou Harris/Gram Parsons and Nazareth.

    For “Heard It Through the Grapevine,” I’d also add The Slits’ cover.

  120. 120.

    A Ghost To Most

    Carlos Santana did an incendiary version of “All Along the Watchtower”.

  123. 123.

    J R in WV

     

    Well, we made our next donation to this cause! Also donating to Jaime Harrison in SC, Mark Kelly in AZ and AMy McGrath in KY directly.

    Today is very spring like here in WV. We have both the back door and the front door propped open for the cross breeze, and from time to time we hear tiny happy frogs out the front door, which opens into the great room / kitchen. We mostly live in the Kitchen, for obvious reasons.

    I have a ham sandwich with swiss and a hot garlic pickle, and for some reason a very affectionate 50 pound puppy won’t leave me alone…

  124. 124.

    J R in WV

    @joel hanes:

    Other jazz standards credibly covered by pretty much everyone:

    Misty

    Stella By Starlight

    Both of those songs are pretty difficult to play on the piano, for me at least. I love them both, my dad was passionate about both of them.

  125. 125.

    James E Powell

    @trollhattan:

    That gives us the three versions needed to qualify: Badfinger, Phil Keaggy, Aimee Mann. I’m sure there are others.

    I was in cover bands and we tried to get this song right, but never did. We nailed “No Matter What” but could not get “Baby Blue” to my satisfaction.

  126. 126.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @trollhattan: Good cover, I was trying to remember how Badfinger got their name, teh Google is here to help.  They were called The Ivies when they were signed by Apple, there was concern about confusion with another band.  The name came from a Lennon song with the working title of “Badfinger Boogie”, whose final title is referenced earlier in this here thread, “With a Little Help from My Friends”.

  127. 127.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    I’ll have to toss in “Summer Breeze”, the Seals and Croft original, the Isley Brothers*, and Type O Negative.

    *I’m not a big fan of their version, but lots of people disagree with me, so.

  129. 129.

    Aleta

    Cassandra Wilson does great covers — of so many songs.  Can’t remember all,but Crazy Love,
    If Loving You Is Wrong,

    Don’t Worry Baby (I think…or not) come to mind.

     

    eta well maybe not D.W.Baby, I don’t see it. But I know Ferron did a great cover.

  130. 130.

    J R in WV

    @Luciamia:

    Judy Collins ethereal version

    All of her work was ethereal, wonderful. We saw her live in a tiny club in NYC the last time wife and I were up there. Expensive cover, had a great dinner, champers, was our last night at the big apple that trip. She had a piano player and her guitar, it was wonderful.

  133. 133.

    J R in WV

    @8 man shell:

    the people most likely to die are the elderly who are more likely to be Trump voters.

    Actually all of our friends who are our age (~70) are big Democratic supporters, so, thanks so much for your hatred, best of luck to you in the plague! Ha —  Never seen this nym before, won’t be reading it ever again!

  134. 134.

    Brachiator

    Leon Russell’s “A Song For You.” Leon. Donny Hathaway, Simply Red and others.  The finest version is by Carmen McRae, on her album, The Great American Songbook.

     

    Also, “If I Were A Carpenter,” Tim Hardin, Robert Plant, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez. And the definitive version by Bobby Darin.

    Bonus Round. “Mack the Knife.” Whole bunch of people, and again, Bobby Darin

  135. 135.

    J R in WV

    @PST:

    what about Summertime Blues? Eddie Cochran and The Who, without a doubt, and maybe Blue Cheer.

    Not going to take time to look it up, but IIRC Canned Heat did Summertime Blues back in the day a long time ago. Underrated blues band …

  138. 138.

    trollhattan

    @Aleta:

    Saw Cassandra Wilson a few years ago and she gave a wonderfully quirky performance, as one might expect. Her band may have been the best part of the show, they were over-the-top good. A great night.

  143. 143.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    Hesitant to do this, since the Disturbed version is so amazing, but Pentatonix also covered “The Sounds of Silence”.

  144. 144.

    piratedan

    Should have remembered Nick Lowe’s What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding also done Elvis Costello and Curtis Stigers

  145. 145.

    Nwerner

    Drift Away – John Henry Kurtz, Dobie Gray, Ike and Tina Turner and maybe even Uncle Kracker.

  147. 147.

    Mai naem mobile

    I think you should put Montana in there. Bullock has a chance especially with stuff going on with Obamacare.  I am guessing it’s a cheap media market because it’s so rural and low population.

    Cover songs don’t know if anybody has mentioned this but Suspicious Minds covers by Fine Young Cannibals and Dwight Yoakam.

  148. 148.

    PsiFighter37

    @JPL: Taking a nap at the moment. We went for a walk today (it’s a gorgeous day in Manhattan – high 50s and sunny), and that has taken us to a 1h15m nap and counting so far. She’s doing great overall though! Thanks for asking :)

  152. 152.

    Barbara

    Ooh Ooh Child –Five Stairsteps and too many covers to count, but the original is still one of my favorite songs of all time.

  155. 155.

    Fair and Balanced Dave

    There have been a lot of good covers of “Born Under a Bad Sign”.  In addition to Albert King (who recorded it twice), there are great versions by Cream, Peter Green and Rory Gallagher.

  156. 156.

    LeftCoastYankee

    A lot of good ones. The “All along the Watchtower” shoutouts made me think of “Voodoo Child”.

    Every time I hear Stevie Ray Vaughn’s version, I’m convinced it’s the best. Then I hear Hendrix’s version again, and am convinced it is the best.

  158. 158.

    smintheus

    There have been a bunch of excellent versions of Shakin’ All Over, especially Johnny Kidd’s original recording, The Guess Who’s version, and Wanda Jackson’s. The live recordings by the Twiliters and The Who are pretty fine too, though not as distinctively original as the first three.

  159. 159.

    Brachiator

    “Try a Little Tenderness” is a song where a later version has overshadowed the original.

    The original was a Depression era tune, recorded in 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra. Bing Crosby later did a version.  The modern version by Otis Redding is definitive, and Three Dog Night. Jay-Z and Kanye West heavily sampled the song in “Otis.”

  160. 160.

    Mel

    @8 man shell: Stop and think for a minute.

    There are also lots of people here who are over 50 or have health conditions who are not Trumpers. Some of us are also, healthy or not, young or old, caring for vulnerable others (parents, grandchildren, children, spouses) as well.

    In the abstract, these people might not mean a thing to you, but every death will bring with it a ripple effect. A smaller population would be very good, yes – but I think that wishing an agonizing death on millions of people, many of them entirely undeserving of it, as a way to achieve it is a step way, way  too far.

    I worry about my brother, a lifelong teacher; my significant other, who has done social justice work most of his adult life and is on immune suppressants; my parent who sacrificed and struggled to support and educate two kids, and is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s; so many people who gave and are still giving so much.

    Personally, I think that they and so many others should not be thought of as fodder for culling.

  164. 164.

    LeftCoastYankee

    This is clearly a “rabbit-hole” thread. So many good songs to go listen to.

  171. 171.

    Wendell Dave

    Got to go with Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel, Booker T & the MGs, and the Lemonheads.

  172. 172.

    Mel

    Susan Tedeschi’s cover of “You Got the Silver” gives me the chills every time. What a voice she has.

  177. 177.

    opiejeanne

    @Brachiator: Try a Little Tenderness.

    The version from Bull Durham makes me laugh.

    Oh she may get wooly, women do get wooly, because of all the stress…

  180. 180.

    J R in WV

    @Mel:

    Susan Tedeschi’s cover of “You Got the Silver” gives me the chills every time. What a voice she has.

    She’s right up there with Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, one of the great female musicians. We’ve seen her and Derek twice in the past few years as they tour a lot. What a great band they have built!

  181. 181.

    joel hanes

    You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me

    Smokey and the Miracles, Laura Nyro, The Beatles, Eddie Money

  182. 182.

    Mel

    Have to toss LP’s cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” into the ring. Fantastic.

     

    Guilty pleasure: Letters to Cleo’s cover of The Cars’  “Dangerous Type”.

  183. 183.

    dnfree

    @Mel: Tedeschi also did an awesome cover of “Don’t Think Twice”. I’m sure someone can come up with more good covers of that.

  184. 184.

    joel hanes

    You Keep Me Hanging On

    Diana Ross and the Supremes, Vanilla Fudge, Phil Collins

    (IMHO, Vanilla Fudge has not aged well)

  185. 185.

    joel hanes

    People Get Ready

    Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, the Reverend Al Green, The Staples, Jeff Beck, The Chambers Brothers, Eva Cassidy, Alicia Keyes, Jennifer Hudson, Aretha Franklin, Blind Boys of Alabama with Susan Tedeschi

  187. 187.

    Mel

    @joel hanes: Kim Wilde did a cover of it  in the 80s, too. Worth a listen if you like the 80s new wave / techno pop sound or if just want to shake your tail feathers to some fun dance music.

  189. 189.

    Maneki Nekko

    I like covers that put an unexpected spin on a familiar song:

    “Louie Louie” by Richard Berry (r&b), the Kingsmen (garage rock), the Sandpipers (easy listening), and Toots & the Maytals (reggae).

    “Sweet Jane” by the Velvet Underground, Mott the Hoople, and Cowboy Junkies.

    “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order, Frente!, and Manitu.

  193. 193.

    Mel

    @J R in WV: Lucky, lucky you!

    I was going to see them at the Kentucky Theater in 2018, but ended up having the delightful experience of jaw surgery instead. Not a favorable trade-off of events, by a long shot!

  194. 194.

    trollhattan

    @Mel:

    Saw them last year and they’re quite impressive, but my seats and the acoustics were NOT conducive to the experience. They need to be seen in a proper theater, not an arena or “civic auditorium” lacking big screens.

  195. 195.

    Mel

    @joel hanes: Dancing only from the neck up and the knees down is quite the challenge. Give them credit for only slipping up with the occasional wrist twist!

  198. 198.

    Sab

    I love the new pie filter. Don’t have to get the nym precisely right with the caps and punctuation. Just have to recognize it.

  199. 199.

    Martin

    On the topic of panic, this is a good writeup that I keep handy.

    We believe the right answer is fear. We won’t get there if terrorism is merely one of many issues people are “concerned” about, along with West Nile Virus and inflation and rap lyrics. Either terrorism is different from most other concerns, or it isn’t. If it is, we need to get used to the idea that people are going to be appropriately frightened, and we need to help them get used to it too.

    Not all fear is functional. Fear that is paralyzing, fear that verges on panic, is obviously not functional. Terror is the goal of terrorism, not the goal of preparedness. But fear is not necessarily terror. This is a conceptual mistake officials routinely make, a mistake they seem terribly attracted to – the embedded, preconscious, erroneous assumption that all fear is one short step removed from panic. Some fear is. Most fear is not.

    When officials express their reluctance about “unduly frightening people,” they are literally right. The key word here is “unduly.” Unduly frightening people is wrong. Duly frightening people is right, and important. The problem is telling the two apart.

    The distinction is partly a matter of degree – “enough” fear versus “excessive” fear. Perhaps in addition there are kinds of fear like the kinds of cholesterol – “good” fear versus “bad” fear. But we suspect the key difference is neither the amount of fear nor the kind of fear, but rather people’s ability to bear the fear. Much is known about how to enhance that ability. Among the things that help:

    • Give people things to do – action binds anxiety.
    • Give people things to decide – decision-making provides more individual control, which makes fear more tolerable.
    • Encourage appropriate anger – the desire to get even often trumps the desire to cower.
    • Encourage love (and camaraderie) – soldiers, for example, fight for their friends and for their country.
    • Provide candid leadership – we get more frightened when our leaders seem to be misleading us.
    • Show your own fear and show you can bear it – apparently fearless leaders are little help to a fearful public.

    Most importantly, treat other people’s fear as legitimate. Fear is likeliest to escalate into terror or panic (or to flip into denial) when it is treated as shameful and wrong. “It’s natural to be afraid, I’m afraid too” is a much more empathic response to public fear than “there’s nothing to be afraid of.” If we want people to bear their fear, we must assure them that their fear is appropriate. Even fear that is statistically inappropriate can and should be legitimized as normal, understandable, and widespread. Leaders who are contemptuous of people’s fear have a much tougher time explaining the reasons why they needn’t be afraid.

    Apathy and complacency are bad. For me, anxiety is normally good – it makes me productive. It helps me keep things in the front of the queue, to work harder to get them addressed, to sweat the details. Unfortunately, too much anxiety becomes paralyzing. The last few years I’ve really struggled with that balance.

    Action binds anxiety is very true for me. But when there are  problems that are beyond my reach, I can’t do that. That’s why individual action matters, even if you don’t see a path to a collective solution. Protesting may not change anything, but it may help you be more functional (so you can change things in other places).

    Look at the things on the list above. Think about what our leaders are doing. Think about what you can do. (If I can frighten some of you into washing your hands more, that’s good for all of us)

  202. 202.

    Sab

    If my sister in Columbus who just went to visit family in an Ohio nursing home I will yell bloody murder. And her overlords might listen.

    I am okay with her jaunting around. Not okay with her disregarding quarantine standards.

  206. 206.

    Steeplejack

    @Sab:

    If my sister in Columbus who just went to visit family in an Ohio nursing home [?] I will yell bloody murder. And her overlords might listen.

    Missing something?

  209. 209.

    terben

    Cannot agree that CCR version of Grapevine ranks with Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight. CCR version seems overwrought and self indulgent when compared to Gaye’s stellar rendition.

  211. 211.

    Kathleen

    @Haydnseek:  I read a book he wrote about his years with We Five called “Wounds To Bind”. He’s a wonderful writer and story teller. I couldn’t put the book down.

  213. 213.

    Kathleen

    @Brachiator: I’ve got a 45 version of that song. (You old people who should be soon smitten by the plague will remember what a “45” is.)

  215. 215.

    debbie

    @CaseyL:

    No one beats Cohen’s emotional rendition. You don’t have to sing pretty to be a good singer.

     

    ETA: The lyrics were so personal to him that over the years he kept changing them to better describe what he was feeling.

    No one feels that song like Leonard Cohen.

  217. 217.

    debbie

    Just thought of Primus’s version of We’re Only Making Plans for Nigel, which I liked much better than the original by XTC.

  221. 221.

    teacherryan

    My favorite cover of “Heard it thru the Grapevine” is by the Slits.  Also, I’d argue that the Geezers version of “Folsom Prison Blues” is superior to the Johnny Cash version.

  222. 222.

    gogiggs

    Someone beat me to Sweet Jane, but I’ll add that there is a good cover by Blue Aeroplanes and I’m very partial to the live version on Rock n Roll Animal with the extended guitar into.

    Also: Elvis Costello’s Girls Talk is done decently by Linda Ronstadt and definitively by Dave Edmunds (who is getting a lot of love in this thread, I notice).

  223. 223.

    RSA

    Dead thread, I know, but I’ll offer Because the Night:

    Bruce Springsteen
    Patti Smith
    10,000 Maniacs
    Garbage and Screaming Females

    All have their strengths.

  224. 224.

    MoCA Ace

    Swear to Dog I have listened to Joe Cockers “With A Little Help From My Friends” at least a a few hundred times… and didn’t know until three years ago that it was a Beetles Cover.  And I have heard the Beetles original hundreds of times!  Both excellent (Joe’s is better) but the difference between the two is incredible.

  225. 225.

    Jazzman

    Nice to see all the love for We Five in this thread.  Worth mentioning that their version of You Were On My Mind was itself a cover–originally written by Ian Tyson and recorded by Ian and Sylvia.  WF really had gorgeous vocal harmony.

  226. 226.

    Jazzman

    @Kathleen: “Got my 45 on so I can rock on”…thankfully, Sheryl Crow wasn’t singing about a handgun.

    (Yeah, I’m an oldie but goody myself.)

  229. 229.

    Jay Noble

    “I Only Want To Be With You” Dusty Springfield, Bay City Rollers, The Tourists (Pre Eurythmics Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart), Samantha Fox.

    “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” Shirelles/Carole King, BeeGees, Bryan Ferry, Amy Winehouse and so on.

    “The Locomotion” Little Eva, Grand Funk Railroad, Kylie Minogue

    “I Think We’re Alone Now” Tommy James & The Shondells, Tiffany

    “Mony, Mony” Tommy James & The Shondells, Billy Idol

    “Crimson and Clover” Tommy James & The Shondells, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

    Tommy James had those 3 on the charts by other artists over 15 years after Tommy James & The Shondells had them as hits

  231. 231.

    JML

    Driver 8 – REM (original) and Hootie & the Blowfish

    Little Wing – Jimi, Stevie Ray, Derek & the Dominos, and Sting

  232. 232.

    toine

    late to the party….

    The Man Who Sold the World original by Bowie, great versions by Simple Minds and, of course, Nirvana

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