Nothing can make you love (or re-love) a song like hearing it in a completely new way. Here are three stripped-down covers of hit pop songs that will make you hear the lyrics and the melody in a completely new way.
The first is Glen Hansard--of Once fame--doing "Cry Me a River." This video doesn't have the 
best audio quality. Also, he performs it tongue-in-cheek in the video whereas he does it straight and emotional on the record. Anyway, he turns the Timbaland and JT track into something less danceable but more yearning. His raw delivery underscore the pain of the track while the original--though also awesome--does it with a more gleeful vengeance. It's available on iTunes.
The second isn't fantastic, but it's worth a listen. It's Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban singing that perfect pop song of '07, "Umbrella." They don't really bring anything new--they even use pretty much the same drum loop--but the back and forth between them, as well as the dash of twang, makes it a lot of fun. It's almost as good as Mandy Moore's version.
Lastly, here's a song that Nickel Creek only performs live. And as you will see, the crowd goes wild when they do. With their take on "Toxic," they use a good ole fiddle to get that screech of a hook and, like Carrie and Keith, they offer back-and-forth male and female vocals. They claim that it's not a joke--it's their ode to one of their favorite pop songs. And it's one hell of a fun ode. Check it out. These covers are most likely to make you re-appreciate pop lyricists and melody makers.
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