It’s raining again. Still. Some more. While it’s making my garden happy (except for the cantaloupes, which seem to have lost the will to live), it’s making my bones creak and my basement smell musty. Howling at the sky is therapeutic but makes no difference. The same can be said for making rain a theme for Cover freak, but it’s more fun than howling at the sky. And less likely to make the neighbors think I’ve finally gone over the edge.

Purple Schulz “Rain” (The Beatles)
It’s nice to hear somebody covering a Beatles tune that you don’t hear too often. It’s not as trippy as the original but it’s got a nice dreamy quality.

The White Birch “Purple Rain” (Prince)
This song is from the massive Norwegian Prince tribute album Shockadelica that the Little Guy had pulled from the market. It’s a shame he did, because it’s full of wonderful covers like this one. It’s a very sad song. It sounds like the singer is resigned to the loss of his lover but he’s not quite over her yet.

Shonen Knife “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” (B.J. Thomas)
There’s just something about cute little Japanese girls singing phonetic English that slays me. I wonder what the appeal of it is for the Japanese.

The Recliners “Only Happy When It Rains” (Garbage)
The singer on this one just doesn’t sound as much like an art-damaged girl with excessive eye makeup as the one on the original version. Whether or not you think that’s a good thing depends on you opinions of art-damaged girls and lounge music.

Kaiser Chiefs “Flowers In The Rain” (The Move)
When the Move released “Flowers In The Rain” they also put out a postcard with a naked picture of the British Prime Minister to promote the single. The prime minister sued and a judge ruled that all royalties from the song be donated to a charity of the PM’s choosing. I’m not sure which charity he chose, but the Kaiser Chiefs are helping make it a little richer.