I want to talk about the song Stupid girl. The one by Garbage? No, not that one. The one byCold? Not, that one either. Neither of those are covers of the song I'm thinking about today.

If you don't know The Rolling Stones then. What can I say, 60's garage rock. And the band kept playing music... forever. I guess they're pretty popular or something. I'll admit that I like a lot of their songs. Gimme Shelter is probably my favorite song of it's decade. their lead singer is Mick Jagger... you might have heard of him before.

But I'm not here to talk about that song. I'm talking about Stupid Girl.

The song hits in with some stupid drums, a stupid organ and some sort of stupid guitar rift. Mick Jagger sings stupid lyrics in a stupid voice. The lyrics are lightly misogynistic. Did you know that she's not just a stupid girl, she's not just a stupid girl but she's the worst thing in this world! The songs chorus and verses are blandly similar. There seems to be a short bridge that shifts it up about a minute and twenty into the song. It doesn't matter if she dyes her hair or the color of the shoes she wears! I like the instrumental bit, kind of has the lead guitar solo, and the backing vocals saying something like "shop. yup." I don't quite know, it says the lyrics are "shut-up." But it's not what I hear.

The cover is by Ellen Foley. You obviously know who she is. She's an actress and singer. Probably best known for singing a duet with Meatloaf, the song Paradise by the Dashlight. Also something about The Clash's, Should I Stay or Should I Go... I don't know, that might have been about her.

Here's her cover of Stupid Girl.

That guitar rift is about as inspired as the original... this is going to be, whoa... a saxophone! I like the rockobilly piano too, the drums are pretty heavy and driving. And Ellen Foley's voice is very good, she is an excellent vocalist. Although there isn't much of a change in the general rift, the sax gives some dynamics. The piano also feels really lively so it keeps the song alive.

So I can't really hide that I prefer the cover. Maybe it's because of the context. I mean the original might come off as misogynistic, but it could just be about how much this guy really can't stand this stupid girl. Or take Gotye's, Someone That I Used To Know. The song is about a douchebag, sure but he was hurt and people have feelings and that makes them act like idiots, we all can relate to that. Gotye sells that in his song. Mick Jagger doesn't sound like it's a big deal, it sounds like he's just mildly annoyed with this stupid girl. Big fucking deal.

But in Ellen Foley's case, her voice emphasizes how much she can't stand that bitch! Could it be because stupid girl stole her man, or maybe she says horrible things about her behind her back. I'd believe it, and so I can emphasize with her. It could even be that the stupid girl is a air headed moron who uses her looks and girlish demeanor to not only get what she wants, but reinforce gender stereotyping. Suddenly a song that could have misogynist tendencies is kind of like the opposite of that. Whatever the case is, the contempt she has is palpable while in the original it was mild. That is why this cover works better then the original song.