Fearless Records has announced the 6th edition of the Punk Goes Pop compilation series, which will be released on November 17th. Punk Goes Pop has been the most successful, and frequently occurring, strand of the Punk Goes… series, which also includes the likes of Punk Goes Acoustic, Punk Goes Classic Rock and Punk Goes Crunk. Evidence has shown that cover versions of well-known songs can lead to big business in today’s market. One quick browse of YouTube is enough to prove their popularity, as a host of user-generated cover videos can often be seen populating the suggestion bar whenever you view an artist’s official music video.
Justin Beiber is testament to the power and popularity of cover songs, as his whole career emerged from the success of a cover he recorded of “So Sick” by Ne-Yo in 2007. Fearless Records started to see their contribution to the covers market bear fruit in 2012 when Punk Goes Pop 5 debuted at number sixteen on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. This represented the most successful opening week in the history of the Punk Goes… series to date, indicating that the market for cover songs is even rising with alternative music fans. Punk Goes Pop 5 also helped Mayday Parade reach number nineteen in the US Heatseekers Songs chart with their cover of Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know,” which also featured Vic Fuentes of Pierce the Veil. This accolade made it the first single from the Punk Goes… series to hit the Billboard Chart.
Whether you claim to love or hate cover versions of songs, YouTube viewing figures suggest that as a listening public we just can’t help but satisfy our curiosity by listening to the versions that people come up with. Punk Goes Pop 6 will give fans the opportunity to hear what acts such as August Burns Red, We Came as Romans and Crown the Empire can bring to this year’s edition. Among the songs being covered are Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” Beyonce’s “Drunk in Love” and Pharrell’s Williams’ major hit “Happy” from the movie Despicable Me 2.
The full track-listing is as follows: 01. Paramore’s “Ain’t It Fun” by Tyler Carter and Luke Holland, 02. Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” by August Burns Red, 03. Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” by We Came as Romans, 04. DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down For What” by Upon A Burning Body and Ice T, 05. Ariana Grande’s “Problem (ft. Iggy Azalea)” by Set It Off, 06. Ellie Goulding’s “Burn” by Crown the Empire, 07. Beyonce’s “Drunk In Love” by Oceans Ate Alaska, 08. Lorde’s “Royals” by Youth In Revolt, 09. Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Volumes, 10. The 1975’s “Chocolate” by Knuckle Puck, 11. The Neighbourhood’s “ Sweater Weather” by Slaves , 12. Zedd’s “Stay the Night (ft. Hayley Williams)” by State Champs and 13. Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” by Palisades.