Does Enjoying Cover Tunes Mean I'm Getting Old?

Addiction is a strong word. Let's say I've developed a penchant for covers of songs from my youth, and it doesn't matter if I liked the original version or not. So why do I get a kick out of hearing some old, familiar songs redone? There has to be some psychology behind that. I went through the songs on my 'covers' playlist (yes, I went so far as to make a playlist), and managed to break it down to a few reasons. (I've linked to the songs I could find online, but otherwise linked to the artist.)

Firstly, some of these remakes just make me giggle. The Acorn's cover of Strange Animal by Gowan is probably not going to win them any awards for musical genius, but I could listen to that tune all day. Likewise, Sebadoh's overly-articulated version of Run To You (Bryan Adams) elicits a chuckle and a boogie almost every time. Then there's Your Love, originally by The Outfield. I had that album on vinyl; I probably still have it tucked away in a box somewhere. Bon Iver's version makes me smile, and gives me warm fuzzy feelings at the same time.

This overlaps into the second category of cover tunes: those that take me back to a specific time or place in my life. Ladies of the 80s, I've got 3 words - Pretty In Pink. As a teenager in the 80s, I wanted to be Molly Ringwald. The National's cover of Pretty In Pink allows me to drift off & reminisce, while still maintaining a aura of cool (yeah, right). On the flip side, I wasn't a fan of Cum On Feel The Noise back in the day but it was played at pretty much every school dance I attended. Thanks to Bobby Bare Jr., I can finally enjoy this tune. Repeatedly.

Finally, there are a few cover songs that are simply musically brilliant. M. Ward's version of Let's Dance rivals David Bowie's original for a place in my heart. And don't tell Elton John, but I may actually prefer Tortoise & Bonnie Prince Billy's version of Daniel. Maybe. Then there's the combination of two of my favourite artists: Neko Case singing Neil Young. I believe she always will be a Dreaming Man.

Most of these cover songs I love for a combination of all of the above reasons. So why is there an influx of covers from the days of my youth? Did these bands grow up on the same music I did? It's possible that for some of them, this is the music of their parents. Man, I'm getting old. But it is comforting to know that some things are recurrent in the soundtrack of my life - songs, people, lessons. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I hear Shonen Knife playing Top Of The World (The Carpenters). Time to dance.