In the cult that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Halloween is a high holiday. When I was a part of the cast at the River Oaks Theatre, you could always count on the Saturday before Halloween selling out. Often it took us an hour to clean the auditorium from thrown toilet paper rolls and playing cards afterward.
Those days are long behind me, but I still love a little rendition of “Time Warp” every now and then. There have been a lot of great covers, and today, we’re going to look at a few.
Damian (1989)
Any discussion of “Time Warp” covers has to start with English pop star Damian. He basically tried to build an entire career out of a killer cover of the song, which rocketed to No. 7 on the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart thanks to a remix by Peter Hammond. The song was popular enough to get a traditional music video, which featured Damian teaching various people in the streets how to do the dance.
Tenacious D (2020)
By far the biggest actual band to cover “Time Warp” is Tenacious D. Jack Black, Kyle Gas, and a host of guests used this version to encourage people to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election. Those guests include Sen. Elizabeth Warren, director John Waters, original Rocky actress Susan Sarandon, and Peaches. While the video gets points off for Black singing Magenta’s parts dressed as Columbia, Tenacious D puts their hearts into the song and leave nothing on the table.
Hillywood (2014)
Longtime readers will hardly be surprised I sneaked some Doctor Who content in this list. Hilly Hindi turns “Time Warp” into an ode to the first David Tennant era of the BBC’s long-running time travel drama. Her impersonation of the Tenth Doctor is eerily spot on. If you’re not a fan, don’t worry. The song itself is almost completely unchanged lyrically, with only a few references to the show in the Columbia part. Stay after for dance criticism from the Daleks!
Dan Baker (2021)
Truth be told, few covers of “Time Warp” venture far outside the musicals rock origins. One wonderful exception is Dan Baker, who reimagines the tune as a horror hoedown. Turning the tune into a bluegrass joint is weird, even for Rocky Horror, but utterly delightful. Baker takes all the musical duties himself, adding a freaky flare thanks to some deft video editing and a few plug-and-play filters. It’s silly, but that’s fandom for you.
VoicePlay (2023)
This is the cover that inspired the list in the first place. VoicePlay has an incredible catalogue of acapella covers, and their “Time Warp” is no exception. Like Baker, simply switching up musical styles helps add new flare to the old favorite. Ashley Diane guests spots in the Columbia parts, hitting some soaring notes that can crack glass, but it’s bass singer Geoff Castellucci who is clearly having the most fun. He drips in an almost Hammer Horror hamminess to the proceedings, leaning into the creep factor whenever he gets a line. If you listen to no other “Time Warp” cover, listen to this one. It really is astounding.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
