"Not a day goes by that I don’t listen to at least one Sublime song. They epitomized the SoCal vibe and made a genre and sound totally their own."
Lana Del Rey released a chill cover of Sublime's hit "Doin' Time" on Friday (May 17), serving as a great excuse to look back at the singer's stacked resume of covers.
Alert the LBC and the ghost of Lou Dog! Pop's big-haired vixen, Lana del Rey, has pledged her allegiance to Bradley Nowell by covering Sublime's "Doin' Time." Her version is so perfect it's reasonable to think there's a Sublime poster hanging somewhere in her Malibu home.
“Once Upon A Dream” – Maleficent
Del Rey was
chosen by Angelina Jolie to sing this Disney classic for the 2014 live action “Sleeping Beauty” remake
Maleficent — and we get why. Del Rey turns the sweet “Once Upon A Dream” into a spooky rendition that’s chilling yet alluring, making it the perfect theme song for this fairy tale adaptation.
“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” — Nina Simone
It’s not an easy task covering blues, jazz singer Nina Simone but Del Rey makes it sound easy. This cover of Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” was the last track on Del Rey’s 2015 album
Honeymoon. The song is a soulful mash-up of romantic strings and woozy guitar strums, giving Del Rey’s sultry drawl an elegant edge.
“The Other Woman” — Nina Simone
It’s a bold move to cover legend Nina Simone, let alone two songs of hers. But Del Rey not only succeeds at it, she also makes the tracks her own. Del Rey’s melancholy harmony suits the trilling lyrics of Simone’s “The Other Woman” as her voice drips with the envy of unrequited love. The result is a roller-coaster of emotions to close out Del Rey’s third studio album
Ultraviolence
“Blue Velvet” — Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett’s 1951 “Blue Velvet” has been sung by many famous crooners — most notably Bobby Vinton — but Del Rey’s languorous version is matched only by the original. Her cover is the kind of song that’s super sexy but will simultaneously make your heart ache. The track was first recorded as part of the promotion for H&M’s L.A. Noir collection, but it was too good to just be used for advertising and in-turn appeared on her second record
Paradise.
“Heart Shaped Box” — Nirvana
Straying away from the old-school, Hollywood classics, Del Rey’s cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” was met with mixed reviews. Giving her wistful aesthetic a rest and stripping the track of its original grit, Del Rey sings “Heart Shaped Box” with a delicate melody much different from that of her other covers.
“Summer Wine” — Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
In this collaboration with her then fiancé Barrie-James O’Neill, Del Rey sings Nancy Sinatra’s “Summer Wine” with breathy precision over swelling strings and hollow piano keys. This cover was never officially released but it still received nearly 20 million views on YouTube thanks to the homemade music video the pair produced and shared for the track.
“Chelsea Hotel No. 2” — Leonard Cohen
The late Leonard Cohen wrote “Chelsea Hotel No. 2” about a short, romantic fling between himself and Janis Joplin. It’s a beautifully sad song about the comings and goings of love — a seemingly perfect fit for Del Rey’s melancholy drawl and repertoire of doleful songs. Although her cover is softer and more melodic than Cohen’s original, you can still hear Del Rey’s own sadness linger in its lyrics.
