Running Up That Hill [Placebo / Kate Bush]

This song is sometimes called "Deal With God," mostly by people who've only heard the song played as transitional music on some TV show, which seems to happen almost every night. CSI, Bones, Vampire Diaries, the O.C. and several more. It was also used as a promo for the Undertaker v. Shaun Michaels match at the last WrestleMania. "Deal With God" was in fact the original title of the song, but some record exec got his panties in a bunch about the word "god" and had the title changed.


The featured cover version today is by Placebo. The original is by Katie Bush. With no offense to Ms. Bush, the cover is so much better than the original, described by one magazine as "sound[ing] more like a 'pact with the Devil'  than the original 'deal with God'." Tiffany also did a cover version. Yes, that Tiffany.


If you're wondering what makes a good cover song in my book, it's simple. A good cover adds something new, like Placebo's cover does. A bad version sounds like an impersonator of the original, like Tiffany's.