The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture

This article is about the cover album by the Protomen. For other uses, see Cover Up.
The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
Studio album by
the Protomen
ReleasedJanuary 23, 2015
Recorded2011–2014
GenreRock, arena rock, hard rock
Length1:02:43
LabelSound Machine Records
ProducerAlan Shacklock, the Protomen
The Protomen chronology
Present: A Night of Queen
(2012) 		The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
(2015) 		Act III: This City Made Us
(2026)
Singles from The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
  1. "I Drove All Night"
    Released: December 21, 2012

The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (commonly referred to as The Cover Up) is a cover album by the American rock band the Protomen, released January 23, 2015 and presented as the soundtrack to a fictional banned film (a story within a story) within the band's dystopian rock opera trilogy The Protomen.

Produced by Alan Shacklock and the Protomen in ITB Studios, the album reinterprets 1980s rock songs as "the OST of a film that never existed".[1][2]

The album received positive commentary from music, gaming, and entertainment outlets. Several tracks from The Cover Up have achieved wider recognition. "In the Air Tonight" was featured in the Netflix series Cobra Kai and a 2025 Hugo Boss advertising campaign, while the Protomen's rendition of "Mr. Roboto" was credited by Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw as the inspiration to return the song to their own live setlist, performed in the style of the cover.[3][4]

Background

In November 2010, while performing at InDisFest in Atlanta, Georgia, the band announced their intention to formally record an album of cover songs. Production on the album began in February 2011 with producer Alan Shacklock, the band's second collaboration with him following Act II: The Father of Death[5]

In an interview with The Tennessean on the upcoming release, band-member Commander B. Hawkins explained that the Protomen perform cover tracks "that just mean something to [them]" to show audiences "where we're coming from."[6] Underscoring the album as an expression of the band's overall genre and approach to storytelling, Hawkins has also noted, "we're considered a video game band, but in reality we're way more of a film score band or a film band ... all of our stuff is very film soundtrack music, like 80s film soundtrack, rock and jams ... taking Mega Man into the film world in an audio format."[7]

Narrative and design

The album is styled with a hidden narrative, being the surviving soundtrack to a banned movie within the universe of the band's dystopian three‑act rock opera tragedy, which is influenced by "Reagan-era media" like Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight", one of the cover album's tracks.[8][9] As We Own This Town explains, the album's song choices "fit within the mythology of the band."[10] The band has described this framing as intentionally fragmentary, designed to evoke the sensation of reconstructing a lost film from incomplete materials.[9]

Only brief vignettes of the fictional movie are directly depicted in interspersed dramatizations throughout the album.[11][12]

In the album's opening track, "Pick Up", a woman answers a silent phone call. In "Hunted", the woman, revealed to be a news reporter, commiserates with a man she is on the run with that 'he' will find them. The man agrees and, when asked about his partner, described as 'the one they killed', he says she was a fighter. In "Results", a phone call is depicted in which another man asks if something was secured, before declaring that he wants results, not excuses. The call ends and something crashes as the man grunts in anger. In "Last Stop", various radio broadcasts overlap including the naming of a prime suspect in a murder. Rain and distant police sirens are heard. The man on the run declares that no matter what happens, the way they used to be together was real and cannot be taken away.[13] At the end of Side-A of the cassette release (at the conclusion of "In the Air Tonight") a vignette of a numbers station style broadcast reads out the message, "We can hold out through this endless dark, all a fire needs is a single spark. Oh, and be sure to drink your Ovaltine".[14] In the album's final track, "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)", fades to a news report discussing the legacy of a long-gone man.[13]

According to the design firm for the 2012 single release, the Roy Orbison cover "I Drove All Night" was chosen "because of how directly it tied in with and expanded upon the band's long-running, conceptual narrative" and the artwork was designed to expand on that story. The cassette only release was described as "the final gesture"[15] A note on the interior of the album says that the full theatrical release of The Cover Up was halted by cast and crew going missing after the initial limited release and that the soundtrack is the only part that survived, declaring "this soundtrack may be the only remaining glimpse of a work of fiction that tread so close to the truth that its creators must have ultimately paid a terrible price."[2]

The album's cover art depicts a human hand shushing a damaged humanoid robot with its mouth removed. The back depicts a similar image with a crying human woman being shushed by a robot hand. The interior artwork depicts a shattered bust.

The album contains an example of lyrical substitution. In the cover of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper"[a] the lyric "the mighty roar of the Russian guns" is replaced with "the mighty roar of the robot guns."[16][13]

Release

As a teaser for the release, a 2012 limited run[17][18] single cover of the song "I Drove All Night" was produced, tying in with and expanding upon the band's long-running conceptual narrative.[15] The B-side is a cover of the Mike + The Mechanics song Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) and a remixed and remastered version of the Protomen's Breaking Out.[19]

By June 2014, the band announced that a downloadable EP would be made available to attendees of their Warped Tour 2014 performances to promote the upcoming full‑length album. The EP contained four tracks that would later be reissued in the final album. The download codes were printed on faux movie ticket stubs, in reference to the non-existent film, and packaged in laminate sleeves attached to a Warped Tour lanyards.[20][16] During coverage of the Warped Tour, The Tennessean noted the band was "planning to release a new album of cover songs as part of a soundtrack to an upcoming movie."[6]

The full‑length album was released on January 23, 2015, to attendees of MAGFest 13, where the Protomen were performing. The following morning, on January 24, the album was made available for pre‑order to the general public through the band's website.[21][13] Subsequent releases include a cassette in 2015,[22] CD album digipack in 2020,[23] and a red vinyl repress in 2021.[24]

Reception

Game Informer noted the album's range of classic '80s ballads and considered the Phil Collins cover an improvement on the original track.[25] Screen Rant included the Protomen's version of "No Easy Way Out" in a list of rock covers considered superior to their originals.[26] Cat Blackard ranked The Cover Up at #3 on her "Top Album of 2015" for Consequence's annual Staff Lists.[27]

PC Gamer described the album as a "killer ... [album] of '80s anthems" though noted fan anticipation for Act III: This City Made Us "was always hanging over" this and the previous cover album.[28] MetalSucks described the album as "full of kick ass 80s tunes",[29] comparing the cover of "The Trooper" to an "Iron Maiden song as sung by Freddie Mercury".[30] The publication also characterized the release of cover albums in the long period between story albums within the three-act rock opera as "downright frustrating".[31]

Writing for Nashville Scene, Stephen Trageser stated, "If I believe in any band's ability to do justice to Bonnie Tyler, Cyndi Lauper, Iron Maiden and Phil Collins in the same set, it's The Protomen".[32] We Own This Town noted the album's conceptual approach, observing that the Protomen "continue to world build even when they're covering songs written before the band (or Mega Man) ever existed."[10] Reviewers have described the album as an "excellent intoduction to [the Protomen's] style".[12]

The album has been discussed in gaming and music review podcasts. Retronauts described the album as "a lot of fun", and "a great album on its own", while also discussing how the album's narrative framing connects to the Protomen's broader mythos.[33] Unsung Podcast characterized the songs in the track listing as "the best of the era" and the album overall as "good covers, often great covers, of great songs".[34]

Legacy

Tommy Shaw of Styx said the band reintroduced "Mr. Roboto" to their touring set list based on the Protomen's cover from The Cover Up. "One day I was looking to see if anyone had covered 'Mr. Roboto,' and this band, The Protomen had, covered it as more of a rock song. It was more like if Freddie Mercury would have done it. I always thought if we were going to do it, Lawrence should sing it more like that; so, that's how we play it."[3][35] Shaw said they are really performing "a cover of a cover" by performing the Protomen's version in their shows.[36][37] Tim Cappello, noted by the Protomen for his influential cover of "I Still Believe" in relation to The Cover Up, subsequently collaborated with the Protomen on Act III: This City Made Us.[38]

The Protomen frequently cover "In the Air Tonight" live to positive responses.[39][40] Nashville Scene wrote that the band "nailed that one, iconic drum fill and all" while also highlighting their cover of "The Trooper" and noting the influence of the track on their original music.[41]

The cover of "In the Air Tonight" was featured in the third season of Cobra Kai in 2021[42][43] and as a result was the 7th top song on Shazam for the first half of 2021.[44] The use of the cover in Cobra Kai received positive commentary. Radio Times said "'In The Air Tonight' never sounded so good".[45] The cover made Cobra Kai "so true to its source material" The Karate Kid (1984) according to Entertainment Voice.[46] While Variety panned the use of music in Cobra Kai as "overdos[ing] on '80s kitsch", reporters Lily Moayeri and Shirley Halperin positively reviewed the use of the Protomen's "In the Air Tonight".[47] Collider found the mix of styles eclectic but successful, saying "The fact that songs like 'In the Air Tonight' by The Protomen and 'Crank It Up' by Joey Valence & Brae can exist in the same soundtrack is beyond wild. Some wonderful needle drops here."[48]

The same cover was licensed for a Hugo Boss underwear marketing campaign featuring David Beckham that ran in movie theatres as well as streaming services like Amazon Prime in 2025.[4]

Track listing

The Cover Up (Album)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Pick Up" (vignette) 0:41
2."Because the Night"Patti Smith / Bruce Springsteen5:05
3."Princes of the Universe"Freddie Mercury3:30
4."Mr. Roboto"Dennis DeYoung5:43
5."No Easy Way Out"Robert Tepper3:52
6."Last Stop" (vignette) 1:38
7."In the Air Tonight" (vignette[b])Phil Collins6:34
8."I Drove All Night"Billy Steinberg / Tom Kelly5:39
9."Total Eclipse of the Heart"Jim Steinman6:59
10."Hunted" (vignette) 1:48
11."The Trooper"Steve Harris4:13
12."I Still Believe (Great Design)"Michael Been / Jim Goodwin5:44
13."Results" (vignette) 0:44
14."Danger Zone"Tom Whitlock / Giorgio Moroder4:04
15."Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" (includes outro vignette)Mike Rutherford / BA Robertson6:29
Total length:1:02:43
Victory World Tour...pt. 1... North America: Cover Up EP (2014 EP)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Danger Zone"Tom Whitlock / Giorgio Moroder4:04
2."No Easy Way Out"Robert Tepper3:52
3."The Trooper"Steve Harris4:13
4."I Drove All Night"Billy Steinberg / Tom Kelly5:39
Total length:17:48
I Drove All Night (2012 Cassette Single)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Drove All Night"Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly5:37
2."Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) / Breaking Out (2012 Edit)"Mike Rutherford / BA Robertson / The Protomen9:46
Total length:15:23

Personnel

Notes

  1. ^ "The Trooper" appears as track 3 of the 2014 EP and track 11 of the 2015 album
  2. ^ cassette version only[14]
  3. ^ Commonly referred to as K.I.L.R.O.Y

References

  1. ^ Thompson, Dan (December 25, 2016). "Video: Mega Man Inspired Rock Band "The Protomen" Release Short Film". Nintendo Life. Hookshot Media. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  2. ^ a b The Protomen (2020) [2015]. The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (Media notes). Sound Machine Records, LLC.
  3. ^ a b Ruggieri, Melissa (May 25, 2019). "AJC THINGS TO DO CONCERTS: ROCKING OLD SCHOOL: Styx's Tommy Shaw happy to rock in Georgia heat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. p. D.1. ISSN 1539-7459. ProQuest 2229844818. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "HUGO BOSS Campaign with David Beckham". HearDis!. Berlin, Germany. January 30, 2025. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  5. ^ "Twitch". Twitch.tv. Retrieved November 20, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ^ a b Hoffman, William (July 30, 2014). "Yellowcard, Anberlin, Protomen talk Warped Tour". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  7. ^ "The Protomen: Rock Opera Rebels Take Nashville & Conquer the Charts!". The Roundtable with Robert Bannon (Podcast). February 8, 2026. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  8. ^ Kinzer, P.J. (April 11, 2022). "The Protomen Ring In the New Year (in April) at Exit/In". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2025. Proto-maniacs had come from far and wide — some of them even purchasing plane tickets — to ring in the New(ish) Year with one of geek culture's biggest rock acts.
  9. ^ a b Sandford, Jason (July 9, 2015). "Way more than just cover songs, The Protomen unleash epic new album at Orange Peel". Ashvegas. Archived from the original on June 25, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Eades, Michael (April 26, 2024). "20 Years of The Protomen". We Own This Town. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  11. ^ "Protomen – The Cover Up". Version Industries. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Walker, Chad (2015-04-10). "Geek Music Quickies for April 2015". Fandomania. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d The Protomen (2015). The Cover Up (2×LP, Album, White). US: Sound Machine Records (SMVL04).
  14. ^ a b The Protomen (January 30, 2015). The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (Cassette). US: Sound Machine Records (SMCS02).
  15. ^ a b "protomen_i drove all night". Version Industries. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  16. ^ a b The Protomen (June 13, 2014). Cover Up EP (Digital Media (EP)). US: Sound Machine Records.
  17. ^ Newbolt, Caspar (January 23, 2013). "I Drove All Night". Version Industries. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  18. ^ "PROTOMEN » End Of The Future Part II". December 20, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  19. ^ a b The Protomen (December 21, 2012). I Drove All Night (Cassette single (limited edition)). US: Sound Machine Records (SMCS01).
  20. ^ "Victory World Tour....pt. 1... North America". Protomen.com. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  21. ^ "Finally". Protomen.com. January 23, 2015. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  22. ^ The Protomen (January 30, 2015). The Cover Up (Cassette, Album). US: Sound Machine Records (SMCS02).
  23. ^ The Protomen (2020). The Cover Up (CD, Album, Digipack). US: Sound Machine Records (SMCD09).
  24. ^ The Protomen (2021). The Cover Up (2×LP, Limited Edition, Repress, Red). US: Sound Machine Records (SMVL04).
  25. ^ "Media Shelf" (PDF). Game Informer. No. 264. April 2015. p. 39. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  26. ^ "Rock Cover Songs Better Than the Original". ScreenRant. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  27. ^ Blackard, Cat (December 2015). "Staff Lists 2015: Top 10 Albums, Songs and Films". Consequence. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  28. ^ "Protomen Act 3 album release date". PC Gamer. 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  29. ^ Keenan, Hesher (October 24, 2025). "It's Finally F*cking Happening: The Protomen Reveal Release Date for 'Act III: This City Made Us'". MetalSucks. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  30. ^ Goretooth, Smokey; Keenan, Hesher (September 29, 2014). "The Protomen are Troopers". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  31. ^ Keenan, Hesher (December 16, 2022). "The Protomen Drop Their First New Single in Seven Years". MetalSucks. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  32. ^ Trageser, Stephen (January 29, 2015). "The Week in Fresh Tracks: Adia Victoria, Stone Jack Jones, Jessie Baylin, The Protomen and More". Nashville Scene. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  33. ^ "The Protomen Acts I & II". Retronauts (Podcast). November 24, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  34. ^ "Act II: The Father of Death by The Protomen - 337". Unsung Podcast (Podcast). October 8, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  35. ^ Scancarelli, Derek (November 7, 2019). "The Lasting Duality Of Styx: 'Mr. Roboto' And Two Decades Of Dissonance". Forbes. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  36. ^ Graff, Gary (August 6, 2019). "Styx at Sound Board, 5 Things to Know". The Oakland Press. Retrieved October 13, 2025. we're actually covering a cover of 'Mr. Roboto.'
  37. ^ Brooks, Dave (October 6, 2022). "Keep on Rollin': How REO Speedwagon and Styx Scored Best-Yet Grosses on Their 2022 Co-Headlining Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2025. 'But we had no idea how to play it live,' says Shaw. Looking for ideas, he logged into Spotify and found a rock cover of the song by The Protomen. Shaw said it was the band's rock-centric approach to the song on their excellent 2010[sic] covers album The Cover Up that laid the groundwork for Styx's new approach to the song. 'As soon as I heard that, I said, 'That's how we play it,' Shaw says, 'and we've been playing it like that ever since.' Also available as Brooks, Dave (October 6, 2022). "Keep on Rollin': How REO Speedwagon and Styx Scored Best-Yet Grosses on Their 2022 Co-Headlining Tour" (PDF). Billboard Bulletin. Billboard. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  38. ^ "Lights Last Stand: Act III - This City Made Us". The Protomen. The Protomen. November 25, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  39. ^ Weinstein, Leon (April 23, 2016). "The Protomen with Bit Brigade at The Velvet Underground". LIVE IN LIMBO. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  40. ^ Keenan, Hesher (July 22, 2015). "Show Review: A Night at the Rock Opera with Protomen". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  41. ^ The Spin (August 17, 2015). "The Protomen Bring the Fight to Exit/In". Nashville Scene. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  42. ^ Romano, Evan (January 1, 2021). "All The Songs from the Season 3 Soundtrack". Men's Health. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  43. ^ Moore, Kasey (January 1, 2021). "'Cobra Kai' Seasons 1-3 Complete Sountrack [sic]: Every Song Featured". What's on Netflix. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  44. ^ "Introducing Chartmetric's 6MO: Music Industry Trends From H1 2021". Chartmetric. 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2025. As is usually the case with Shazam, movie and TV syncs tend to be one of the primary drivers of global Shazam count growth. That was true of [...] The Protomen's cover of Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight" (No. 7), which had a placement in Netflix's Cobra Kai series.
  45. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (December 28, 2020). "Cobra Kai season 3 review: Netflix series returns in spectacular style". Radio Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  46. ^ Rengifo, Alci (January 1, 2021). "In Season 3, 'Cobra Kai' Pumps up the Nostalgia With Some Extra Depth To Its Kicks". Entertainment Voice. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  47. ^ Moayeri, Lily; Halperin, Shirley (January 27, 2021). "Hear Us Out: 'Cobra Kai' Has a Music Problem". Variety. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  48. ^ Possehl, Eddie (March 18, 2025). "10 Reasons Why 'Cobra Kai' Is One of Netflix's All-Time Greats". Collider. Archived from the original on September 6, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
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