We live in an era where people such as Justin Bieber, SoMo and Greyson Chance have become famous in no small part due to their Youtube covers.
Cover songs have been around for decades and sometimes the remake trumps the original track. This is where this blog comes in. It is here that we will stack these covers against their predecessors to determine which rendition of the song is truly better.
These covers will be judged according to the following: how well or badly the cover deviates from the original song, replay value and the cover’s ability to connect with the listener.
All hail the King of Pop! He needs no introduction. He’s a vital part of music history and the world cried after his passing in the summer of 2009. Michael Jackson, no matter what you believe he has done in his personal life, is a musical icon and that is the aspect we will focus on.
Now the hardest part of this weeks blog was deciding which of his songs should I write about. After about five minutes on Spotify, this weeks cover snuck upon me.
American rock band Alien Ant Farm’s cover of “Smooth Criminal” came ripping through my headphones. The band covered the song 13 years ago and it put them on the map. The cover topped the charts of a few countries, but the band never received the same success from anything else.
But, is it better than the original? Allow me to thrill you with my bad analysis. (Points for MJ puns? No? Okay.)

Round 1: Deviation? Good or Bad?
If you’ve never heard the “Smooth Criminal” cover, I suggest you take a few minutes and listen to that right now.
There’s something about the exciting guitar riffs and the bands energy that is surely infectious. The band honors the lyrics to a tee and include a personal flavor in its breakdown.
The cover is different in more than its sound, its tempo is also increased a little to back the rock sound. There’s even a slight bit of comedy in the AAF cover due to lead singer Dryden Mitchell’s attempted replication of MJ’s ad-libs. The rockification of MJ’s original is more than welcome and such a bold step should be honored by a point.
Point to the cover. Score 1-0.
Round 2: Replay Value
Take a few listens to the beginning of the “Smooth Criminal” cover. Just the first 20 seconds or so. That opening ad-lib from Mitchell is an ear piercing howl and it can be a little rough to get through listening to that over and over and over.
To replay a song means I can sustain that same mood for a long period of time. I can’t be as excited as AAF is for more than 10 minutes or begin putting my heart at risk.
The original “Smooth Criminal” is…well…smooth. I don’t mind listening to MJ for a road trip because it’s just upbeat enough to keep me awake while also functioning as solid back-up music.
Point to the original. Score 1-1.
Round 3: Ability to connect with the listener
People, I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to feel when listening to “Smooth Criminal.” Should I feel excited? Happy? Afraid? I’ll never fully understand the desired emotion from “Smooth Criminal.”
Both are great songs, but there’s a level of depth to the lyrics that isn’t personified by MJ’s or AAF’s delivery.
Point to neither. Score 1-1. Tie. Again? Wow, this is getting tougher.
I enjoy both of these songs but I can’t fight against MJ’s talent. He’s a fellow Jackson, so we stick together. I just want to know if Annie is okay. It’s a closure I’ll never get.
Agree? Disagree? Tell me below and suggest some other covers to listen to. Send me a tweet @Joshua_Jackson_. I’ll be back next week with another original pitted against its cover.