Songs that pay homage to deceased artists, no covers.

[fresh_42]

There is a neighboring thread

Cover songs versus the original track, which ones are better?
https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...original-track-which-ones-are-better.1050205/

which is an endless subject and as colorful are the posts there. I came across a Buddy Holly cover by Eva Cassidy only to find out that the Buddy Holly song was already a Paul Anka cover. Anyway, both artists who had covered the song have passed far too early in their lives. That gave me the idea of this thread, possibly a bit too ambitious. We will see.

I'll begin with Budy Holly:

 

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The Replacements Alex Chilton

 

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Bob Dylan Blind Willie McTell

 

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Graham Nash Buddy Holly

 

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Sandi Thom SRV

 

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Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard Django Reinhardt/Jimmie Rogers

 

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Liz Phair Lou Reed Laurie Anderson

 

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Sleater-Kinney Joey Ramone

 

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Replacements Johnny Thunders

 

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Bob Dylan Woodie Guthrie

 

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Not dead (sorry)

Ray Lamontagne Meg White

 

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Juliana Hatfield Nirvana

 

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Falco Mozart

 

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Not dead

David Bowie Bob Dylan

 

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Waterboys Jimi Hendrex

 

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Last one. A song from a singer/songwriter who knew he was dying

Warren Zevon

 

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Pink Floyd Syd Barrett

 

[fresh_42]

Ok, if Mozart counts, then so do Ludwig and Peter ...



Fun Fact: The distance between this TV studio and Beethoven's birthplace was under 200 km.

 

[Frabjous]

A cover, but played at the artist’s funeral last year (2023)

Shane McGowan

There are several other nice performances

 

[Frabjous]

3rd Buddy Holly tune

Don McLean Buddy Holly/The Big Bopper/Ritchie Valens

 

[DaveE]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/...ide-legendary-chelsea-hotel-encounter-121067/

 

[DaveE]

Written about Gram Parsons after his death

 

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Notable for its opening guitar riff, the song was written as a tribute to the band's former singer Bon Scott, who died suddenly in February 1980.

 

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Another Buddy Holly song from Weezer:

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A tribute to someone still alive, but in bad health:

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The song is written about and dedicated to founder member Syd Barrett, who departed from the band in 1968 after dealing with mental problems and substance abuse.

Barrett visited the members of Pink Floyd in 1975 during the recording sessions for their ninth album, Wish You Were Here. He attended the Abbey Road session unannounced, and watched the band working on the final mix of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"—a song about him. Barrett, then 29, was overweight and had shaved off all of his hair (including his eyebrows), and his former bandmates did not initially recognise him. Barrett spent part of the session brushing his teeth. Waters asked him what he thought of the song to which Barrett responded "sounds a bit old".

 

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George Harrison about John Lennon:

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Queen for John Lennon:

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In 1988, former guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose. The song serves as a tribute to Slovak; according to Kiedis, "It was a song that described what it was like to be a drug addict, to have that ego and to think you were impenetrable and impervious to the forces of nature and life. But it was also a love song for Hillel."

 

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Queen about Freddie Mercury:

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Paul McCartney for John Lennon:

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[DennisN]

U2 - Angel of Harlem (a homage to Billie Holiday)

 

[DaveE]

someone still alive

Nope.

 

[pinball1970]

A tribute to someone still alive, but in bad health:

He was out of the public eye for a long time. He died in 2006.

 

[pinball1970]

I always liked this track by Heinze, a tribute to Eddie Cochran. Richie Blackmore is playing guitar on the track, he would have been 18 at the time.

 

[pinball1970]

This song is dedicated to a lighting engineer who was killed after a fall during the Kate Bush tour of 1979, but there are references to some deceased artists all the way through the track.

Minnie Riperton
Keith Moon
Sid Vicious
Buddy Holly
Sandy Denny
Mark Bolan