If you cover a cover of a song, who should you give credit to?

BetterThanThou

For instance, lets go with Umbrella by Rhianna, this song has been covered by an American pop punk band, All Time Low, though, in a different style.
So lets just say I decided to do a cover of the All Time Low version, would I credit them, Rhianna, or both?

Nervous Wreck

Stop covering shit songs, is the answer.

MrStuffins

BetterThanThou wrote: »

For instance, lets go with Umbrella by Rhianna, this song has been covered by an American pop punk band, All Time Low, though, in a different style.
So lets just say I decided to do a cover of the All Time Low version, would I credit them, Rhianna, or both?

Neither. You'd credit the writers of the song.

BetterThanThou

Nervous Wreck wrote: »

Stop covering shit songs, is the answer.

Surely a moderator shouldn't respond with something like this?

Nervous Wreck

BetterThanThou wrote: »

Surely a moderator shouldn't respond with something like this?

Just a joke pal.

Serious answer: I don't see the point in covering a song if you're not gonna make it your own. Covering a song in the same way as someone else covered it is as unoriginal as doing it exactly the same way as it was originally performed. As someone else quipped, the people who wrote the song are the ones that really deserve the credit (and I don't know much about Rhianna but I'd be willing to bet she doesn't write her own songs). I guess if you're going to do that kinda cover, the general way it's done is to say "'Umbrella by Rhianna, in the style of All Time Low" but you'd be quicker writing a new song than saying that mouthful! I generally think covers should be taken with a pinch of salt anyway cos, apart from the novelty at a gig, I don't see too much point in them...

Vision of Disorder

I covered a lot of poppy songs in my day, would have always tossed out the name of the original artist and not the 'punkier' act whose cover I'd probably just mimicked anyway.

For example, "this is a song you might know, an old MXPX number called 'Summer of 69' would not have been the way I'd announce stuff. That's just me though, credit whomever you want, there's no right or wrong answer.

Rigsby

MrStuffins wrote: »

You'd credit the writers of the song.

+1.

I thought this would have been the "no brainer" answer.

LOTD

Just do what Led Zeppelin did, don't bother at all.