Secondhandsongs Now

Of course, not all covers are equal. There is the dutiful, lifeless karaoke cover that adds nothing. There is the deconstructionist cover that changes the song so drastically that the melody is lost. But the successful cover sits in the fertile space between fidelity and freedom. It recognizes that a great song is a blueprint, not a prison. It is an invitation for the next artist to add their own floor, tear down a wall, or paint the living room a different color.

: As of early 2021, the database included approximately one million covers of roughly 100,000 original works. secondhandsongs