Watch 'dark pop' icon Chappell Roan perform acclaimed cover of Heart's Barracuda

06 Oct 2024, 00:37 · louder

By Stef Lach
( Classic Rock )
published 6 October 2024

Some pop stars have a knack for nailing classic rock covers – as this version of Heart's Barracuda by Chappell Roan proves

(Image credit: Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Pop star Chappell Roan performed a cover of classic Heart track Barracuda on the recent Council Bluffs, Iowa, stop of her current Midwest Princess Tour.

And judging by the almost universal acclaim online for her performance, the 26-year-old rising pop sensation absolutely nailed it.

Watch the fan-filmed video below and decide for yourself.

Roan is described as a pop star whose sound is underpinned by "dark and unsettling" tones.

She is, of course, not the first pop artist to attempt a cover of a beloved classic rock or metal song. But not all attempts have been as successful as Roan's take on Barracuda.

Maroon 5 once had a go at covering Nine Inch Nails' epic track Closer. And pretty much everybody wishes they hadn't.

Lil Uzi Vert's cover of Chop Suey by System of a Down was equally uninspiring.

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And while The Cardigans' version of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by the mighty Black Sabbath wasn't awful, they took it a little too far with a later cover of Iron Man.

But, as with Roan, when pop stars get it right, they sometimes take us all by surprise.

Tori Amos' cover of Slayer hit Raining Blood, for example, is as captivating as you'd expect from someone with her level of genius.

Perhaps even more impressive is when rock and metal bands successfully cover songs by pop artists.

Ghost are known for making other artists' songs their own. They've covered everyone from Depeche Mode (Waiting for the Night) to The Eurythmics (Missionary Man), but their version of ABBA's I'm A Marionette is arguable the most unexpectedly great.

Stef Lach

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.

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