I remember the moment like it happened last night. It was just after midnight on December 13th, 2013. I was taking a break from studying for my philosophy final, which was the following morning at 10am. As I walked down the hallway to my friend’s room, I casually checked Twitter on my iPhone, and the first tweet I saw changed the musical aspects of my life forever. Beyoncé, my favorite singer since I had been a Destiny’s Child-loving eight year old, had just dropped an album completely by surprise, with no advertising or promotion beforehand. At the time, I didn’t want to believe it really happened, because it seemed simply too good to be true. But now, almost a full year later, I’ve had eleven and a half months to realize that yes, Queen B did that. And she did it ***flawlessly. In celebration of the one-year anniversary of this legendary moment in musical history, I decided to compile a list of five covers Beyoncé has done of other songs that, in my opinion, are better than their original. (Although, if you can’t tell, I might be a little biased.)
1. Young Forever – Jay Z feat. Mr. Hudson
This rap-infused adaptation of Alphaville’s 80s hit “Forever Young” is already an interestingly modern take on the original. But with Beyoncé’s vocal substituted for Mr. Hudsons’, the song reaches entirely new heights. Rather than staying mostly along the same couple of notes like the original, her voice soars from high to low notes throughout the course of the song, sometimes even in the same line. Coupled with her husband’s lyrics about making the most out of life, this cover truly does make me want to stop time and remain forever young.
2. Holy Grail – Jay Z feat. Justin Timberlake
While Mr. Timberlake’s falsetto certainly compliments the lyrics of Mr. Beyonc Knowles (see what I did there?), I prefer her version of the 2013 hit. She brings a certain sense of sassiness to the lyrics about a love who constantly switches between hot and cold, in a way that JT can’t quite do. Sorry Justin, but I’m giving this one to Bey.
3. Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
On this cover, performed at 2011’s Glastonbury festival, Beyonc belts the lyrics in a way that is strikingly different from Kings of Leon lead singer Caleb Followill. The raspy nature of his voice is certainly a stunning contrast to the romantic lyrics, but the smoothness of Beyonce’s vocals makes me want to play this song on repeat and scream along while driving. Not that I’ve ever done that…
4. You Oughta Know – Alanis Morrisette
Performed alongside her 2008 hit “If I Were a Boy,” Mrs. Carter does more than justice to Morrisette’s angry breakup anthem, belting it with enough conviction and power for three scorned women. If I actually were a boy, her growling rendition of this song, and the stomping and headbanging she does to accompany it in the video below, would make me extremely nervous of ever breaking Queen B’s heart.
5. At Last – Etta James
What would a list of Beyonce covers be without the inclusion of her famous cover of the soulful singing icon Etta Hames, who Beyoncé played in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records? While I’m hesitant to say Beyoncé’s cover is actually better than the deceased star, it is absolutely comparable to it. Perhaps decades from now, we’ll be comparing a new musical ingénue to the timeless legend that is Beyoncé, an Etta James of her own generation.
While there’s nothing wrong with letting your regular Beyoncé playlist play on repeat, next time, try switching it up with some (or all) of these covers. You don’t want to be behind on your Beyoncé if another surprise album drops!