Cover songs better than the originals

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Bang Bang (My Baby Shot me Down), by Nancy Sinatra (1966)

i1.ytimg.com/vi/BkKDSFYvxKU/mqdefault.jpg

It was first written by Sonny Bono, for Cher.

The Nancy Sinatra performance is just enthralling, and features an extraordinary guitar part. The guitarist said that he and Nancy did the song in one take, with no overdubs or sheet music. It was Nancy who decided to record it as a ballad (cf. Cher’s mid-tempo version).

This performance remained obscure until it appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Kill Bill (2003).
 
Edmundus1581 said:
Wow!!! (Sixpence)👍

I hardly understood a word apart from “There she goes” but it got right inside me. A beautiful performance!
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I really like the La’s original better because the singer’s voice combined with the guitar sound are just awesome together. 🙂 But, I second the person who said The Byrd’s rendition of Turn, Turn, Turn.
 
Song: THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE
Original artist: Peggy Seeger (1957)
Cover: Roberta Flack (1969)

Written by Ewan MacColl (“Dirty Old Town”) for Peggy Seeger, half-sister of Pete Seeger. This is one of those songs that (IMHO) is so bad in its original form that I was shocked that anyone actually tried to cover it. Apparently MacColl only liked Seeger’s version, and despised all the others. No accounting for taste.

Most versions in the sixties (Peter Paul and Mary’s, f’r’instance) were patterned after Seeger’s, but it was Flack’s version that broke the original mould – I think all versions since Flack’s are based on hers. I also really like Matt Cardle’s version from The X Factor: he sings it in almost a falsetto, very tentative and vulnerable. Josh Krajcik did a more forceful, raw version on The X Factor USA.

I also like the version done by the Welsh band Stereophonics, and Johnny Cash’s version is almost painful to listen to (and I mean that actually in a good way).
 
Earth, Wind & Fire - Got To Get You Into My Life (Orig. The Beatles)
The Carpenters - Close To You (Orig. Richard Chamberlain)
Naked Eyes - Always Something There To Remind Me (Orig. Dionne Warwick)
Sergio Mendes - The Look Of Love (Orig. Dusty Springfield)
Sergio Mendes - The Fool On The Hill (Orig. The Beatles)
Phil Collins - You Can’t Hurry Love (Orig. Diana Ross & The Supremes)
Donna Summer - MacArthur Park (Orig. Jimmy Webb)

Just a few I can think of off of the top of my head. Love all of these tunes, especially that Earth Wind & Fire cover!
 
If you want obscure:

Queensryche’s cover of “Gonna Get Close to You” by Canadian songwriter Lisa Dalbello. 👍
 
Techno2000 said:
Elton John>… Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
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John_Lazarus said:
Song: THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE
Original artist: Peggy Seeger (1957)
Cover: Roberta Flack (1969)

Written by Ewan MacColl (“Dirty Old Town”) for Peggy Seeger, half-sister of Pete Seeger. This is one of those songs that (IMHO) is so bad in its original form that I was shocked that anyone actually tried to cover it. Apparently MacColl only liked Seeger’s version, and despised all the others. No accounting for taste.

Most versions in the sixties (Peter Paul and Mary’s, f’r’instance) were patterned after Seeger’s, but it was Flack’s version that broke the original mould – I think all versions since Flack’s are based on hers. I also really like Matt Cardle’s version from The X Factor: he sings it in almost a falsetto, very tentative and vulnerable. Josh Krajcik did a more forceful, raw version on The X Factor USA.

I also like the version done by the Welsh band Stereophonics, and Johnny Cash’s version is almost painful to listen to (and I mean that actually in a good way).
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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, I thought was originally by Marianne Faithful around 1965 on an LP called “Faithful Forever”:confused: To me Roberta Flack was a pain to listen to after hearing Marianne Faithful
youtube.com/watch?v=vtSOjkOz6Kg Here is a link to that version:thumbsup:
Going back to my earlier post, I like Faith Hill cover of the Janice Joplin song because I can understand what Faith Hill was singing. Same went for Dwight Yoakam over Cheap Trick.
 
Garth also did a cover of “You may be right.” That when in concert was way better than Joel’s.

Alien Ant Farm Did a cover of MJs “smooth Criminal” that I thought was better than MJ. And whoever does the Cake Boss theme “Sugar, Sugar” is better than the original.
 
thequietsinger said:
Chris Young’s cover of “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” It was originally sung by Keith Whitley, but in my own opinion, Chris Young did a better job.

youtube.com/watch?v=H_qN1-Unnk0
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Very good! I don’t know the original so can’t compare, but I enjoyed that.

The theme of the song is the man’s version of one of my favourite country songs…

Jessi Colter… I’m not Lisa… :bighanky:… I don’t think anyone even tried to cover it!

While we’re in Nashville, I’ve got to mention:

Emmylou Harris.* Rose of Cimarron.* The original is by Poco, and is very good, but I think Emmylou adds something and makes it memorable.

i1.ytimg.com/vi/1JlYA4jXqF8/mqdefault.jpg

And finally a cover which just hit’s it out of the park…

i1.ytimg.com/vi/yqXvHXJvk44/mqdefault.jpg

👍😃

To Know Him is to Love Him, by The Trio. Orig by The Teddy Bears
 
Edmundus1581 said:
Very good! I don’t know the original so can’t compare, but I enjoyed that.

The theme of the song is the man’s version of one of my favourite country songs…

Jessi Colter… I’m not Lisa… :bighanky:… I don’t think anyone even tried to cover it!
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What? I’m not the only one who’s a sucker for that song? When I first started going out with DH I was jealous of his previous girlfriend and used to sing that song and change the name. :o
And finally a cover which just hit’s it out of the park…
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To Know Him is to Love Him, by The Trio. Orig by The Teddy Bears
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OH YEAH! They do such a wonderful job on that one!
 
DaddyGirl said:
First song that comes to my mind:

Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You”, first recorded (and written by) Dolly Parton.
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Are you kidding me!!! Whitney screeches her way through that song and totally destroys it!.

Sorry, did I say that out loud?😃
 
Buble Covers Mack the Knife better than Blue eyes.

Pink Martini Covers a lot of foreign music and they do it absolutely perfectly, hard to imagine the original being better but as I don’t listen to foreign music I can’t say for sure.
 
Strawberry Letter 23
Originally by: Shuggie Otis
Remade by: The Brothers Johnson
The original is fine on its own, but the remake is definitely more soulful. Plus the guitar part in the remake seems so wonderfully out-of-nowhere and like it comes from another planet.

I Was Made For Loving You
Originally by: KISS
Remade by: Kate the Cat
Personally, KISS is one of the most overrated bands ever. They didn’t have the chops other bands of the time had, and really for a rock band they didn’t really rock. This cover is a fun bossa nova verison of an otherwise pretty mediocre song.
 
Phemie said:
Are you kidding me!!! Whitney screeches her way through that song and totally destroys it!.

Sorry, did I say that out loud?😃
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And the original came from a Broadway play - and later movie - called “The Best Little” – er, well, this is a family forum. “Hard Candy Christmas,” from the same play/movie, is still ripe for a remake. Or not. (I have yet to hear a decent version of that one, surprisingly.)
 
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