Paint it black!

Dark covers of non-dark songs

by Claudio Fabretti

Ispirati dallo speciale di Lorenzo Pagani “The sinister ten“, siamo andati alla riscoperta delle cover “dark” di brani dei generi più disparati: dal pop al beat, dal glam al punk, dalla new wave al folk, per la nuova puntata di Rock in Onda, il programma condotto da Claudio Fabretti tutti i martedì dalle 23 alle 01 su Radio Città Aperta (www.radiocittaperta.it).

Siouxsie & The Banshees, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Sisters Of Mercy, Nick Cave, Cabaret Voltaire, This Mortal Coil, Diaframma e tanti altri in una galleria di cover doc, attraverso la quale ripercorriamo la storia dell’arte della rivisitazione in nero: paint it black!

Ascolta o scarica gratuitamente i podcast:

Cover dark – parte 1

Cover dark – parte 2

Le band del filone goth si sono cimentate spesso e volentieri con le cover, concentrando i loro sforzi sulla musica dei 60’s e dei 70’s che più li ha influenzati.

The lion's share undoubtedly goes to David Bowie, histrionic forerunner of the “movement”, with his surreal and decadent imagery: dark versions of Bowie songs are found in abundance, some of which have been collected in two compilations, aptly titled “Goth Oddity” on Cleopatra Records. Excluded from this list is the extraordinary “Ziggy Stardust” by Bauhaus, which sticks too closely to the sound of the original to be considered a truly “alternative” version.

C’è spazio anche per riuscite “variazioni sul tema”, come nel caso delle Malaria! alle prese con Bo b Dylan o della “Sand” rimaneggiata dagli Einstürzende Neubauten. E per autentiche chicche, come la “In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated” dei Gathering, la “Hide And Seek” degli Aurora e la “Hymn” dei Kirlian Camera.

A list that makes no claim to be exhaustive: your comments and suggestions are welcome, indeed encouraged, and we invite you to listen to the originals as well.

Remember to subscribe to the Rock in Onda Facebook page, where you can always find downloadable podcasts, along with full tracklists and all the news about the show.

Feel free to send us comments, suggestions and ideas for future episodes, via Facebook or by email at: rockinonda@ondarock.it We'd be glad to build future tracklists with your input too.

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29/10/2025

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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Claudio Fabretti, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition

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Miscellaneous

Ten dark covers of non-dark songs

Discography

Show tracklist

1. Sisters Of Mercy – 1969 (The Stooges)
2. Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Passenger (Iggy Pop)
3. Siouxsie And The Banshees - This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us (Sparks)
4. Bauhaus - Telegram Sam (T. Rex)
5. Cinema Strange - Time (David Bowie)
6. Andrea Schroeder – Helden (David Bowie)
7. Nico – The End (The Doors)
8. Joy Division - Sister Ray (Velvet Underground)
9. Black Tape For A Blue Girl - Gravity's Angel (Laurie Anderson)
10. Faith And The Muse – Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush)
11. Chameleons - Tomorrow Never Knows (The Beatles)
12. Malaria! - Lay Lady Lay (Bob Dylan)

13. This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren (Tim Buckley)
14. Unto Ashes - The Needle And The Damage Done (Neil Young)
15. Coil - Who By Fire? (Leonard Cohen)
16. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Muddy Water (Seldom Scene)
17. Einstürzende Neubauten - Sand (Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra)
18. Cabaret Voltaire - No Escape (Seeds)
19. Gathering - In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated (Dead Can Dance)
20. Diaframma - Io ho in mente te (Equipe 84)
21. CSI – E ti vengo a cercare (Franco Battiato)
22. Kirlian Camera – Hymn (Ultravox)
23. Lacuna Coil – Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode)
24. Aurora - Hide And Seek (Howard Jones)

Base: Siouxsie & Morrissey - Interlude (instrumental)