Sometimes, things just feel right. My most recent post blew up big time, so I’m using this as an opportunity to launch a new series that I’ve wanted to do for a while now. It’s called simply Covers. There exist some songs that transcend the moment which produced them, and go on to be universal. Often this results in a supremely well known and loved recording of a song that becomes scripture set in stone for generations to come. But just as often, the universality of a song allows it to be performed by many different artists in their own styles. Some versions are better than others, yet all of the varied interpretations can tell us much about the time and place they were recorded. So I’m going to take a look at a single song and run down the many cover versions of said song, while taking a look at what each reading can tell us about the performing artist and/or their cultural moment.

I’m beginning the Covers series with the most beloved (and often covered!) songs of the rock era: Martha and the Vandellas’ immortal “Dancing In the Street.” As summer arrives and we all itch to get back outside and celebrate with our long quarantined neighbors, it seems like the perfect place to start.