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THE PORCH — When done right, a cover of a song by a new artist can breathe new life into a piece and make it even better or more memorable than the original.
There are a lot of amazing covers out there. Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You" is so incredible that many people don't know it isn't her song, but Dolly Parton's. Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" by "Nine Inch Nails" is a haunting and beautiful rendition of the song that gives us a whole new perspective on the track. Then there's Jeff Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" that has nearly become the defacto version.
We now have a new candidate for the best cover song of all time.
"Yeah!" by Usher is an incredibly well-known hit. You've heard it a million times and tapped your toe to it more than you'd like to admit. But this band, with its impressive new instrument, just outdid Usher himself.
However popular or iconic Usher's original is, I'm afraid this new one is now the ultimate version. The band's unofficial name is "Backwards Hat and the Rusty Gate." While Backwards Hat and his bandmate "Earphones" have swagger for days, it's the way the Rusty Gate sings in your ears and reverberates in your bones that really makes this song a hit.
Try not to think of this version every time you hear this song from now on. This video is from 2019, but it's criminally under-watched and Usher needs to find this band and sign them immediately.
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