Crucial Track for March 8, 2026

"Lifelong Fling" by Over the Rhine

Listen on Apple Music

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A song you'd like to hear covered by someone else. Which artist?

Funny for this prompt to show up while I’m listening to the remastered release of Tori Amos’s covers record, Strange Little Girls.

I have a strict rule about covers: unlikely or unusual interpretations are favored, but the lyrics - especially gendered ones - must remain true to maintain the integrity of the song. It’s The Girl from Ipanema, not The Boy from Ipanema (an unnecessary modification I see many female artists have made, possibly culminating a most ruinous cover by Crystal Waters for an otherwise excellent 1996 Red Hot compilation called Red Hot + Rio.

My favorite band since the mid-90s has remained Over the Rhine and I don’t see that changing any time soon. They’ve been produced by Joe Henry and have collaborated with musicians like Lucinda Williams and Aimee Mann. Their original songs are excellent and they know how to cover a song well. But I don’t know of any prominent performers who’ve covered them.

I think it’d be awesome if Dolly Parton could amplify them with a cover, but my ultimate pick would be Mary J. Blige covering their song, “Lifelong Fling” from their record, Ohio. I’ve thought for years (actually a decade+ now, I guess) about how perfect it’d be. Their music always has soul, but “Lifelong Fling” is the closest they’ve come to an R&B track, and it’d be befitting to hear the reigning queen of R&B cover it.