6 Incredible Covers Of Classic Beatles Songs

6. Joe Cocker €“ With A Little Help From My Friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xJWxPE8G2c Brightly coloured submarines aside, "With a Little Help From my Friends" is one of the most popular and well-loved of all the McCartney penned-Starr sung songs. It€™s a jaunty, upbeat song with a simple melody that you can€™t help but sing along to and lyrics that burst with the positivity and optimism typical of Paul McCartney. Released in 1967, at the height of the sixties counter-culture, the song proved to be a cultural hit with lyrics such as €œI get high with a little help from my friends€ encapsulating the sixties spirit of love, peace and of course, copious drug use. The song also went on to become popular with other musicians, with almost a hundred different cover versions being recorded. However, it is arguably Joe Cocker's version of the song that, aside from the original, remains the most distinctive. Released only a year after the original, Cocker€™s version features radically different arrangements including changing the time signature from a standard rock beat in 4/4 to a slower more waltz-like 6/8, as well as changing the chord progression in the middle-eight and lengthening the song with an extended instrumental section. In the end this creates a unique song that while still very recognisable, offers a different feel and interpretation that works in the context of the 1960s and his performance of the song at Woodstock remains one of the most memorable live performances of the song to date. The fact the he looks/sounds heavily intoxicated certainly adds an extra element to the performance.