Music I've Been Missing - cover versions

I've been wanting to do one of these for ages. Cover versions. Because I love them. And they're the music I've been missing.

I love these covers more than the original. The way the artists have interpreted the originals is to be commended. I enjoy that there is something different in the cover songs. I know there are some bad cover versions out there but I think these really show the artists' versatility and pay respect to the original.

I apologise for some of the songs not having moving video clips, but I hope you enjoy the songs anyway.

The first few are Australian artists. I adore Australian music out of any other genre.

Genevieve Maynard's Am I ever Gonna See Your Face Again?, originally by The Angels is a favourite cover of mine - Gen, I know you sometimes read my blog, can you please put a YouTube video of Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again up to showcase your talent in this song? Meanwhile, you can hear a bit of it here.

Bertie Blackman - In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins)

This was done for Triple J Like a Version. When I first heard it, I was blown away. I really like Bertie Blackman and I think this shows off how powerful and controlled her voice is.

Sarah Blasko - Flame Trees (Cold Chisel)

This song is from the movie Little Fish. The movie is so brilliant, Cate Blanchett is so beautiful and Sarah Blasko's cover of the classic pub-rock song by  Cold Chisel adds magic to the movie.


Darren Hayes - Lost Without You (Delta Goodrem)

This was a tribute to Delta Goodrem at the 2003 ARIA Awards. I was told by a source very close to Darren that Darren's appearance was a surprise, even to Delta. Sometimes I sing this song in the shower, emulating Darren's vocal style. I am not as good as him. But if I keep practising...

Megan Washington and the Bamboos

I've become a fan of Megan Washington this year. She reminds me of Missy Higgins without the drawl. This song is very cool. I like the Kings of Leon version just as much.


The Vines - Ms Jackson (Outkast)

I like the Vines. Craig Nicholls is rather eccentric, but I like their rocking sound. I particularly like this balladesque cover. 

Ben Lee - Float On (Modest Mouse)

Ben Lee's Awake is the New Sleep was on high rotation for many hours when I first bought it. I think he's an interesting and quirky lyricist. I enjoy the original by Modest Mouse but like Ben's version better :)


Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)

I eased my way into Nirvana through their MTV Unplugged album, and The Man Who Sold the World is a favourite of mine. I am not sure whether I've heard the original by David Bowie.

Placebo - Johnny and Mary (Robert Palmer)

I didn't hear the original by Robert Palmer until it was randomly played on Triple M a few years back. I like the drums and energy of Placebo's version. Robert Palmer's seems a little flat.

Florence and the Machine - Hospital Beds (Cold War Kids)

I know a few Cold War Kids songs and like them very much. When I hear this song through my headphones, it feels like Florence is singing in the same room as me.


Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

Ok, so I don't like the Tori Amos version more than Nirvana's, but I like it a lot. It sounds like a music box.

I've been wanting to share these covers with you. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Music I've been missing – Placebo, You Don't Care About Us

One of my favourite bands is Placebo.

I first took note of Placebo when I saw the Taste in Men video clip on Channel [v] in 2000. I was enchanted by how attractive I found Brian Molko, and that he looked more feminine than the woman in the clip.



I received Black Market Music for Christmas that year. I played it a lot. They were a darker band than I was used to. I was intrigued by the band's alleged debaucherous lifestyle - so far removed from my own - sex, drugs and well, rock n roll. I enjoyed the moody, introspective, sometimes repetitive lyrics and Brian Molko's whiny voice. So many people dislike Placebo for these features.

Back then, and sometimes still, I was drawn to effeminate looking men with long hair. Brian Molko was right up my alley.


In January 2001, two friends (including Lucy) and I went to the Big Day Out where Placebo played. The day before the BDO, we met Placebo at the now (sadly) defunct Gaslight Records in Bourke Street Melbourne. We queued in the 35 degree heat for around four hours to meet them. It amused me that the goth-types were wearing long PVC coats and Doc Marten boots in that heat. There was a wedding photoshoot happening across the road at the famous Italian cafe Pellegrini's. I expect the photos have some of the queue for the Placebo signing in the background!

Placebo signed my Slave to the Wage CD. I was very excited. We saw them play at the Big Day Out the next day, right before Powderfinger.

After the Big Day Out I decided to get serious about Placebo. I bought Without You I'm Nothing and their first self-titled CD. I bought all of their back catalogue of singles from Ebay. I loved the artwork on each single.

My favourite song of theirs is You Don't Care About Us.



I love the beat of this song. The speed of it makes me drum my hands. And I'm no way near musical. I also love when the band are forced to swim with the shark in the clip.

Other favourite songs are Soulmates, This Picture, Without You I'm Nothing, Meds, Infra Red, Commercial for Levi and the cover of Robert Palmer's Johnny and Mary. I have their video clip collection and really enjoy the stories each clip tells.

I have seen Placebo play live twice since the Big Day Out in 2001.

The second time I saw them was at The Palace (also defunct) in St Kilda in 2003. My friends and I queued for ages to get a spot near the stage. The crowd was rough, drunk and smoking (cigarettes, not smoking as in 'stylish'). This concert was the scariest concert I've been to. I remember going to the bar to get water between the support band and Placebo, and some girls wouldn't let me back into my spot at the front. My friend picked me up and put me back at the front! There was a lot of moshing. I held on for dear life at the front – sometimes to the barrier, and sometimes to a guy I didn't know – and hoped that I wouldn't faint from heat exhaustion. I had a bottle of water placed vertically down my jacket so my boobs wouldn't get hit. The security guards were worried about me so they gave me a lot of free water, so that was a bonus of being so red! The crowd moved so much that my friends ended up at the back of the venue. I rate it 60 percent terrifying and 40 percent exhilarating.

The other time was at Festival Hall in 2006. So-so. The security were heavy handed, confiscating a guy in our row's camera. We were sitting so far back that I doubt the photos would even be evidence that he saw Placebo. I got really sick after the gig, and I put it down to being in that closely confined venue. They've toured twice since, but I chose not to go because both subsequent times was at Festival Hall and once was mid February.

I am driving 300 km tomorrow and so I think I'll be revisiting the music I've been missing – Placebo.

I like Placebo's old stuff better than their new stuff, though.