Ongoing History Daily: Why do we call it a “cover song?”
When an artist performs or records a song written by another artist, we call that a “cover version.” But why do we call it that? Why “cover” song?
The origin of the term is murky. It goes back to the days when there was horrible segregation and racism in the music industry. Black artists had a very hard time having their hit songs played by white radio stations. The solution was for a label to bring in a white artist to record it so the song could be heard in mainstream (which is to say, white) places. That allowed the song to “cover” more of the marketplace, especially places where a song by a Black artist could never be heard.
In other words, the origins of the term “cover version” are rooted in the racism of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.
