10 Rock Cover Songs Better Than The Original
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder)
Stevie Wonder's 'Higher Ground' is a squelchy masterpiece of funk and soul, perfectly integrated into pure vibe. Wonder's another artist its best not to cover. Like Bob Dylan and the Beatles, he's so highly accomplished that you better be damn sure in your ability if you hope to do his material justice.
The Chilis certainly hadn't received widespread commercial success, or even critical acclaim when they took on this cover. By this point they'd been around for 6 years but their studio endeavours had all been met with lukewarm receptions. What they did have on their side was pure and unharnessed bravado and a passion for funk rock fusion.
You only need to listen to the first second and half of this track to realise the bass line was written for Flea. Slap on some heavy metal guitar - courtesy of John Frusciante - and some arena rock percussion from Chad Smith and you're onto a winner.
1989 was the year the Chili Peppers started to show the world they weren't just a bunch of sex crazed, punk-funk madmen, and this was the track that helped them do it.