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.
“I always feel like somebody’s watching me.” If you read that line and Rockwell’s 1984 hit didn’t come into your head, we probably can’t be friends. The one-hit wonder received some help from the king of pop Michael Jackson and his brother Jermaine, which probably helped its gold certification.
 Every Halloween season, this song manages to creep up on me and I began to wonder if anyone has ever covered it.
In comes this week’s challenger, Anna Waronker. She’s spent most of her career in the background, producing scores for TV series and films such as Clueless and “Josie and the Pussycats. Waronker’s cover of “Somebody’s Watching Me” made its debut on an episode of Sex and the City prequel, The Carrie Diaries.

After realizing that The Carrie Diaries had come and gone, I deemed Waronker’s cover blog worthy and thus we begin the case of Rockwell versus Waronker. I assume you’re already seated. May the trial commence.
Round 1: Deviation? Good or Bad?
Take a moment to listen to the original song. Now do it again. Tell me at what point Rockwell actually sings because I couldn’t find it. He talks through the verses which I never noticed growing up.  While the song is known for its catchy hook, we must remember that was done by the great MJ.

Waronker actually sings the verses and the hook while she slows the tempo to give the song an updated, ghostly feel. The lyrics remain the same but that’s about it. It’s a different style, pace, emotion and delivery than the original and it benefits from being so different.
Point to the cover. Score 1-0.
Round 2: Replay Value
I’ll say it now. Pop music was made to be the catchiest thing since commercial jingles. Rockwell’s original is chock full of bad ‘80s synth, piano and stock drum patterns, but that’s all you needed back then to make a hit song. It’s still hitting the radio 30 years later because of its simplicity and nostalgia.
If you listen to Waronker’s cover enough times alone, you’ll begin to feel as if someone’s actually watching you. Then you turn it off, lock your doors, barricade your windows and refuse sleep so Freddy Krueger doesn’t take your life.
Alright, maybe that was just me reflecting my life experiences but the song does make a person uncomfortable after repeated listening. It’s good, but on a long road trip or at a party, it isn’t going to make it on the playlist.
Point to the original. Score 1-1. 
Round 3: Ability to connect with the listener
The original is so pop that we forget it’s supposed to be a song about someone being stalked. Instead of receiving that creepy feeling, we find ourselves dancing along as if the song was about sunshine, rainbows or whatever else we find happy.
Is it better to have an intended connection or just a connection at all? Some artists legitimately don’t think about the message their song conveys or how it’s performed. Sure, the original is catchy but I don’t feel any ounce of haunt from it.
Point to the cover. Score 2-1. Winner: Anna Waroken’s cover. What can I say? When the cover deserves it, I have to give it credit. Not even MJ could save this song.
Thank you all for reading and sticking with me this semester. Happy Halloween everyone. Be safe out there no matter what you’re doing.
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.

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