10 Cover Songs That Shouldn't Have Worked (But Did)

Considering his massive pedigree in the rock landscape, David Bowie is not really a man who needs to rely too much on cover songs. Since he basically invented genres like glam metal from the ground up, it's safe to say he has the songwriting chops to keep writing bangers until the end of time. When you're transitioning genres though, it's sometimes best to have a musical life raft like Wild is the Wind.

Compared to the kraut rock vibe coming from the album Station to Station, this cover of an old Ned Washington song feels almost momentum destroying. After all, you're not really supposed to go from the sounds of the impending European destruction to one of the weepier standards of the modern age. Then again, when you're the Thin White Duke, you're free to do whatever the hell you want.

Aside from just being an amazing rendition, this is a performance that is carried on Bowie's vocal range, which is one of the more impressive outings he would take on in his classic period. Even with the sterile sounds of the Berlin period creeping in, there's something about this track that ties it in to feeling oddly human. As much as Bowie likes to play with different genres left and right, this song alone should be the real posterchild for his musical diversity.