Throughout his career The Artist has played many covers of songs by other artists he has admired -- from Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of You" to The Rolling Stones "Miss You", complete with Ron Wood backing him up -- right up to the present when he now includes Joan Osborne's "One Of Us" in his live gigs. Yet he never has recorded and released cover versions until his latest three disc "Emancipation" set that featured no fewer than six cover versions, including the lead single "Betcha By Golly Wow". This however has not stopped other artists covering his music. Probably most well-known is Quindon Tarver's sugar-coated with honey on top version of "When Doves Cry". The song was featured in the latest movie version of "Romeo And Juliet" and was produced by Nellee Hooper, who is probably best known for his work with Bjork on her "Debut" and "Post" albums. Originally the song was not included on the commercial release of the soundtrack album, but due to popularity it was later released on the second volume as well as being given a release as a single worldwide. Not all cover versions receive such high publicity. Most are hidden away as filler tracks on albums or as quirky b-sides. Majorly weird band, Ween, best known for their hit "Push Th' Little Daisies" are obviously Artist fans -- you can hear it in their music. "Push Th' Little Daisies" even contains a sample of Prince yelling 'No' from "Alphabet St". The boys from Ween, Gene and Dean, decided to put together a little tribute to Prince with a song known as "L.M.L.Y.P". The song begins with mutated Prince-like moaning and progresses into "Shockadelica" (the b-side from "If I Was Your Girlfriend"). It then goes into a slow laid-back sexy groove that progresses into the boys adding their own lyrics about 'making your bed and spreading your legs' before the rap from "Alphabet St" is overlaid into the song and then we get some more home-made lyrics from the boys including the title of this piece, "Let Me Lick Your Pussy". In the album slick, under the title, there is a little note from Ween that reads 'ween is in big trouble dudes' however both songs are acknowledged as being written by Prince. Any song can be interpreted in many different ways so it's not surprising the San Francisco queer punk band, Pansy Division

choose to cover Prince's ode to masturbation "Jack U Off". Their version of the classic takes on a decidedly punk feel that bends the lyrics into a queer camp anthem for liberated sexual freedom. This is what Pansy Division had to say about their version in the liner notes: 'You can beat it to the beat of this early Prince song. From 1981, when sexual ambiguity was part of his persona. He later retreated, a typical evasion, but he left this gift of a song behind.' Some fans believe that covering Artist songs is wrong and disrespectful to him while others find that the covers give them a new insight into his work. Irrespective of this debate, covers are here to stay. The next song The Artist may choose to cover could be a Marilyn Manson song -- or Marilyn Manson just might decide to take on and reinterpret an Artist song. Quindon Tarver's "When Doves Cry" is available on the "Romeo And Juliet" Soundtrack Volume 2. Ween's "L.M.L.Y.P." is available on the album "God Satan -- The Oneness". Pansy Division's "Jack U Off" is available on the album "Pile Up".