Philosophy Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Publication Source
Popular Musicology Online
Abstract
The notion of a “cover song” is central to an understanding of contemporary popular music, and has certainly received its share of attention in writing about contemporary music, from the mainstream press to slightly more technical ethnomusicological studies such as “Cross-Cultural ‘Countries’: Covers, Conjuncture, and the Whiff of Nashville in Música Sertaneja (Brazilian Commercial Country Music)” (Dent, 2005). In many major U.S. cities, musicians make a living in “cover” bands, recreating the music of well-known groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, U 2, the Who, ABBA, the Dave Matthews Band, the Grateful Dead, and others. Consumers of popular music will easily identify a favorite “cover,” a favorite tribute album devoted to “covers” of a particular musician or group, and often even a favorite “cover” band. In short, the term “cover” song is used without the recognition that there are many different kinds of “covers,” and thus that the reference of the very term “cover song” is systematically ambiguous.
ISBN/ISSN
1357-0951
Document Version
Published Version
Copyright
Copyright © Kurt Mosser, 2008
Publisher
Popular Musicology Online
Peer Reviewed
yes
eCommons Citation
Mosser, Kurt, "Cover Songs: Ambiguity, Multivalence, Polysemy" (2008). Philosophy Faculty Publications. 26.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/phl_fac_pub/26
Comments
Document is made available in the repository with the permission of the author. Permission documentation is on file.