Following along with my accidental theme of cover songs and Mouseketeers (interview with former MMC alum Tony Lucca coming very very soon), I’ve come to find that Britney Spears’ catalog is quite the popular cover choice.
I will say it loud and proud that I love Marty Casey’s stripped down cover of Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time.” Who is Marty Casey, you say? He’s a tall, handsome, wiry blonde rocker from Chicago whose initial claim to fame happened to be as runner-up on the 2005 reality show Rock Star: INXS. He also happened to be, as far as I’m concerned, the one who should have won. Not winning, however, has allowed him to sing with L.A. Guns, as well as remain with his original band, the Lovehammers, who are totally kick-ass and worth checking out.
I digress.
One of Casey’s performances on Rock Star included his own rendition of Spears’ hit song, which I recently rediscovered and now find myself listening to more than I care to admit. Now, suddenly, every which way I turn, someone’s mentioning a Britney Spears song and it never seems to be performed by the original artist herself. Magnet Magazine threw a mention to The Chapin Sisters’ cover of “Toxic,” which is also quality. This led me further down the rabbit hole where I discovered quite an extensive list of Britney Spears covers, some by pretty well known artists.
This surprises me for two reasons: 1, that so many artists are making the choice to cover a Britney Spears song and 2, that they’re doing it so soon. I suppose it’s kitschy in its own way, and there is definitely a humorous novelty aspect to it, but these more than decent covers only seek to highlight the potential for Britney Spears’ songs and solidify her relevance in the music world. Not entirely sure if that’s a good or a bad thing…
Here’s a little taste of the best I could find:
Marty Casey “Hit Me Baby One More Time“
This one belongs on Britney Spears Storytellers, but with Marty Casey and on VH1’s Unplugged.
Lily Allen “Womanizer”
The training wheels are off. With a similar pop feel as the original, Allen adds a sexy sultriness Spears could never touch.
The Chapin Sisters “Toxic“
Languid and soulful – who knew?
All American Rejects “Womanizer“
The intro is funny, putting this version at the top of the kitsch list, but the Rejects throw in a little of the Turtles, “Happy Together” making this quite the mash up.
Franz Ferdinand “Womanizer”
Clearly the fan favorite of Britney tunes to cover, this version has a little lounge singer, Stray Cats meets Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds vibe to it for me.
Rock is a Verb 