Cool cover song of the week...

No matter what issues he had in his personal life, there's no denying Michael Jackson's exceptional talent. I had the opportunity to see his Bad tour in 1988 (I think that's the last thing I won from a radio station), and I still remember how blown away I was by his performances and his choreography. Between that album, hits off of Thriller, and his earlier stuff, Jackson's music is tremendously memorable, and I still find myself singing along (and pretending to dance) when I hear his songs.

Smooth Criminal was (amazingly) the seventh single released off of Bad. I love the beat and, of course, the constant refrain of "Annie, are you okay, are you okay, Annie?" The song hit number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after it was released in 1988.

The band Alien Ant Farm released a cover version of Smooth Criminal in 2001, which I thought was fairly faithful although unique and a bit harder than Jackson's. For fun, I enjoy juxtaposing both versions of the song. And when I'm feeling slightly more introspective but still in the mood for the song, I listen to the amazing instrumental cover version recorded in 2011 by the musical group 2Cellos.

Here's Alien Ant Farm's version:


Here's 2Cellos' version (not bad for a song entirely performed on cello):


And just for fun, here's Michael's original version:


Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees