David Lee Roth Covers Tommy Tutone Classic, ‘867-5309 / Jenny’

Who doesn't love random cover songs? I absolutely love it when an artist drops a cover of a band that's totally unexpected. Now, David Lee Roth has unleashed a cover of Tommy Tutone's Top 5 classic "867-5309 / Jenny," which he calls "That Telephone Song." Of course, he's joking when he calls it "That Telephone Song," but that's a pretty good name for it. You can listen to Roth's cover via the YouTube player below. It's cool to see this unexpected cover. I mean, you expect a metal band to cover Metallica, but when a pop or hip-hop artist covers Metallica, that's something extra special. 

David Lee Roth stays pretty true to the original 1981 song, but he does go acoustic on the track. He turns down the powerful, electric guitars and instead adds acoustic strumming and an almost alternative rock approach. He also adds a bluesy harmonica solo instead of a guitar solo. So, even though the song structure stays true to the 1981 classic, Roth definitely puts his own stamp on it. I like the new version, but I think it's hard to replace the nostalgia of that original Tommy Tutone classic. Many artists have tried to recreate its magic over the years. For whatever reason, the one that sticks in my head is Everclear's cover of "867-5309 / Jenny." The guys would often perform it live, too.

I always think it's chancy to cover such a massive hit, such as the Tommy Tutone one, but Roth has earned the right to take that risk. I'm curious to see what other random songs he decides to recreate in his own voice. He should do death metal next or folk and really switch things up. He's already been pretty experimental when it comes to the kind of solo music he puts out there.

This isn't the first bit of music Roth has shared with fans this year. He's been active on YouTube lately and has unleashed a range of songs, as well as dance videos and even spoken-word pieces. About two months ago, he released a cover of the rap-rock anthem "Election Year." Last year, Roth also revisited Van Halen's discography and put out new renditions of some classics, including "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love." Roth has also teamed back up with former guitarist John 5 over the years to release some songs, such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill" and "Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway." So, now we can just wait to see what Roth has coming next.

David Lee Roth is one of rock's greatest frontman and, overall, one of music's most unique characters.

When he's on stage, he's the ultimate showman. When he's off stage and talking with the press, he walks a line between brilliant and insane. One minute, he takes off on a stream of consciousness that convinces you he's not all there. Then he'll throw out a surprising one-liner that'll make you think, "Holy s---...Diamond Dave's has been smarter than all of us this whole time."

Roth will often release his "stream of consciousness" moments on YouTube nowadays. Back in February, he released a clip about his music video for "California Girls." Roth, of course, released his cover of the Beach Boys classic in 1985. The cover was featured on the EP Crazy from the Heat. That EP title would be recycled by Roth as the title of his 1997 autobiography.

Roth reflected in the video, "On a personal note: I feel fairly confident saying that these were some of the best times in my life, not the times on stage that my dad most envied about me. These were probably the moments everyone else's dad envied most about my life, and looking back now, even I envy me."

It's comments like that that set DLR apart from most rock figures, both past and present. During his heyday, Roth was one of rock's biggest stars because he was fronting one of the biggest bands in the world. Plus, not enough can be said about his stage presence. How could you not love those high kicks and toe touches?! Even today, he's often more interesting than most "current" lead singers in rock. Then again, who else could really replicate his unique brand of madness?

In honor of years of zaniness, let's wish a happy birthday to the one, the only David Lee Roth by looking back at these ten quotes attributed to him.