Standards of tomorrow: Which recent rock songs will stick?
Joan Anderman
Boston Globe

Published Jul 31, 2002 POPVAR

Imagine it's the year 2025. You're in an upscale lounge, the one with the terrific house band, and in the mood for some vintage tunes. Nothing like a night soaking up the standards. The band plugs in, cranks up the volume, and plays a scorching version of -- what?

"All Apologies," perhaps? Nirvana's 1993 grunge anthem has already been covered by Herbie Hancock, Sinead O'Connor and someone named Dr. Zaius in a cocktail-music style.

Maybe it will be Sting's "Fragile," which has been recorded 26 times by everyone from Julio Iglesias and Kenny Barron to Isaac Hayes and the Ballroom Band.

Or possibly "Sweet Child O' Mine," the Guns N' Roses rocker that has inspired six versions, including one on a collection of lullabies.

Which songs from the rock era will be the standards of the future? It's hard to even agree on the criteria. Songs that define a cultural moment, songs with an unforgettable melody, songs that the most people loved -- all of those qualities contribute to a song's staying power. Or not. It's no secret how mercurial the world of pop music is. The great songwriter Nick Drake is a shadowy cult figure and ABBA is the toast of Broadway. Go figure.

It's impossible to predict with any certainty what musicians will want to play, and what listeners will want to hear, a half century from now. Music from the Great American Songbook -- the Gershwins, Cole Porter and their contemporaries -- has remained a vital source for jazz artists and pop singers. As far as the rock canon goes, Lennon and McCartney's "Yesterday" is the most frequently covered song so far. Exact numbers are elusive, but a search on the Web site allmusic.com shows more than 500 different recorded versions of the beloved Beatles ballad.

There are scant few sure bets; one of them is that the Beatles will endure. The band's music is the indisputable essence of modern pop; they were simultaneously the best at what they did and the most popular, too. Bob Dylan won't be fading into memory any time soon. Neither will the best-known tunes by Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and the Who.

New canon

But at the turn of the millennium, a new indie-oriented canon is beginning to emerge -- heralded by an unconventional generation of pop and jazz artists who embrace the fundamental qualities of a great song, but are tuned in to contemporary sensibilities. For them, the pull may be as ephemeral as a brilliant texture -- or as studied as the wish to tap into retro chic.

Tori Amos' most recent album, "Strange Little Girls," is a high-concept collection of songs written by men about women, among them Eminem, Depeche Mode and the Velvet Underground. Cat Power, a Southern-bred singer-songwriter who is establishing herself as a remarkable interpreter of other people's songs, released an all-covers disc in 2000 featuring the music of Moby Grape, Smog, the Stones and Michael Hurley, among others. Alt-rock hero Mark Eitzel's coming release, "Music for Courage and Confidence," reinvents such wildly diverse tracks as the Glen Campbell hit "Gentle on My Mind" and Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me."

"It's really all about the melody," says Eitzel.

"But the thing about pop music is sometimes the melody is in the bass part -- or the drum rhythm," says Steven Bernstein, founder of the New York jazz ensemble Sex Mob, best known for its audacious deconstructions of rock songs. Among Sex Mob's live show staples are James Bond themes, ABBA's "Fernando" and "Sign 'O' the Times" by Prince -- who has become one of the most coveted composers in modern pop. His music is covered by a broad range of musicians, among them Patti Smith (who just recorded "When Doves Cry") as well as Alicia Keys (she put "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" on her Grammy-winning debut CD) and jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, who included the same song on 1998's "Timeless Tales (For Changing Times)," a collection of songs by distinguished pop composers.

Pianist Brad Mehldau has two songs by the British band Radiohead in current rotation in his live set. Singer/saxophonist Curtis Stigers will release "Secret Heart" on April 23; the title song is by alt-rock songwriter Ron Sexsmith; other tracks are by Steve Earle and Randy Newman. Diana Krall and Jane Monheit both cover Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" alongside traditional jazz standards, while jazz vocalist Nora York sings a medley of "You Go to My Head" and Hendrix's "Manic Depression."

"The songs I grew up singing and hearing are the ones I want to claim and give my voice to," says York. "I sing [the Rolling Stones'] 'Ruby Tuesday' in the first person. And it's those songs that capture my audience. It's like a collective inner jukebox."

Singer Cassandra Wilson has carved a niche in jazz with material that defies expectation. Her new album, "Belly of the Sun," spans rock, blues and soul, and includes interpretations of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" and the Band's "The Weight." Perhaps her most controversial cover was the Monkees hit "Last Train to Clarksville," which she recorded for 1995's "New Moon Daughter."

"I watched the Monkees every Saturday morning," says Wilson. "I've always loved that song. It tells a great story, and that's what attracts me to a song. You have to own the story, it has to connect to some part of your experience in order to interpret it well. I like to play with melodies too much to be a straight pop singer. But that's the music I loved."

thanx for the article.
I fear his greatest songs will just fade away, unheard by so many-becuz radio and tv just don't get it.
I forget how great SOTT was(and is) when it first came out. Took me a few listens, and then i was 'converted' once again. I just listened to the SOTT soundtrack today and it just shines with love and passion, wit and faith...
[This message was edited Tue Jul 30 16:13:29 PDT 2002 by mrchristian]