It's no secret that I am a huge Bette Midler fan and have acquired almost every album and soundtrack she's featured on and gradually bought all of her films (there are still a few gaps in that particular collection). She has won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award in her career spanning almost half a century. In addition to the countless soothing and soaring original songs she has released over the course of her illustrious career, she has also recorded some amazing cover versions that continue to rival the original versions. Here are my top seven favourite Bette covers (in no particular order):
Beast Of Burden
Originally released by the Rolling Stones in 1978, Bette included her version of the song on her 1983 album, No Frills. Her music video starts with fake tabloid headlines about a relationship between her and Mick Jagger ("Bette Dumps Sheik For Mick" and "Mick Dumps Everyone For Bette"). He then brings her roses in her dressing room before she heads to the stage to perform the song. He later joins her on stage for some killer 80s moves, including Miss M doing the splits, and the video concludes with an angry Sheik throwing a pie in Bette's face.
Do You Want To Dance?
Do You Wanna Dance was originally written and recorded by Bobby Freeman in 1958 and covered by Bette, who changed the title to Do You Want To Dance, in 1972. In contrast to subsequent uptempo cover versions by The Beach Boys and Cliff Richard, her version is a soothing, almost sensual ballad and was included on her iconic album, The Divine Miss M.
Under The Boardwalk
This pop song was recorded by The Drifters in 1964. Bette's version was featured on the soundtrack to one of her most famous (and arguably best) films, the tear-jerker Beaches, in which she stars opposite Barbara Hershey. In the movie, the bffs Hillary Whitney and Cecilia Carol "CC" Bloom first meet "under the boardwalk", making it an appropriate song to include on the soundtrack. In the movie Bette performs the song to an empty ampitheatre as part of a soundcheck to one of her shows.
Waterfalls
An unexpected but stunning and stripped down version of TLC's 1994 megahit appears on Bette's album It's The Girls that pays tribute to some of the all-girl groups that have inspired her over the years. The reimagined version of the song is further proof (not that I needed any) that she can sing literally anything and turn it to gold.
Come On-A My House
In 2003 Bette released the album Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook, paying tribute to the legendary American songstress and actress who had died a year earlier. This particular song was one of Clooney's most well-known and beloved hits and her jazzy version with its subtle percussion does it justice. I recently learned that the song is based on an Armenian folk song and the traditional Armenian custom of inviting people over to one's home and providing them with generous amounts of fruit, nuts and other food.
Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
This was a number 1 song by The Temptations, released in 1971. Bette covered the song on her 2000 album, Bette. Once again she opts for a soulful, laid-back interpretation of the original song.
Wind Beneath My Wings
A list of Bette covers would not be complete without this classic. To be honest I didn't even know that this was a cover; I had just assumed that it was a Bette song. The original was written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley in 1982 and recorded by several artists thereafter. However, Bette's cover (also featured on the Beaches soundtrack) is the most successful and dare I say the best version. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1989 and won two Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
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