Cover songs better than the originals

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randomuser said:
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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Actually, I Will Always Love You and Hard Candy Christmas were Dolly Parton songs that were incorporated into the film version. Neither was in the play.

I prefer Linda Ronstadt’s cover of I will always love you.
 
The song ***‘What Do You Want Me to Do’ ***written by Mike Scott. Wonderfully done both originally and cover versions because the lyrics stand up alone. However, I’ll always go for the cover first when I get the hankering to listen.

Original - Mike Scott and the Waterboys

Cover - Rod Stewart
 
Song: WITHOUT YOU
Original by: Badfinger
Cover by: Harry Nilsson

I heard Nilsson’s version first – sometimes whichever version you hear first becomes the benchmark, the “proper version” that you judge the others by. I think in this case it is justified. Badfinger’s version sounds like a bad cover. Nilsson’s version, which IIRC became his biggest smash hit, is the version that everyone else – like Mariah and Celine – covers.
 
randomuser said:
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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Nope… Dolly used to end her TV show (back in the '70s) by singing “I Will Always Love You”… long before that musical or that atrocious movie with Burt Reynolds. She has referred to that song as the “Energizer Bunny” song of her career. And yes, Whitney Houston mercilessly mauled that song. The best cover of it was when Dolly sang it as a duet with Vince Gill. But nothing beats the original!
 
Mike_from_NJ said:
**(…)**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.
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:clapping: I heard a KISS song came on the radio one day and I was noticed their girly-falsetto voices (not smooth like the Bee Gees) and wondered why guys thought they were cool and girls thought they were sexy. Now I will sing like that couple from SNL, the ones who sang rock songs like they were church songs or opera or whatever, when KISS comes on the radio. I don’t sound any different from KISS when I do that.
 
jimmy said:
Long Black Veil, not sure who the original was but Johnny Cash had a version, Dave Matthews Band had a better cover
A Little Help From my Friends, originally by the Beatles, covered by Joe Cocker

😃
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A Little Help From My Friends was also covered (instrumentally) by Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass
Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass - With A Little Help From My …
► 2:42► 2:42
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZxFPetNH2c
Feb 7, 2010 - Uploaded by gebjgbtl571e
Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass - With A Little Help From My Friends … Herb Alpert …
 
jimmy said:
Big Bad Bill, originally by Leon Redbone covered by van Halen
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“Big Bad Bill (is Sweet William Now)” wasn’t originally by Leon Redbone (though I love his cover), it was written back in 1924 and was a hit for both Margaret Young and the Dave Clark Orchestra, among many others (Peggy Lee, Merle Haggard, et al)

Johnny Cash generally hit it out of the park on his covers. Besides “Hurt,” “The Mercy Seat” by Nick Cave was great but became absolutely chilling when Cash sang it.

Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue” was originally written and performed by poet Shel Silverstein but everyone remembers Cash’s version, of course. (Interesting trivia [to me, at least] - the song was inspired by American humorist Jean Sheperd (whose fictional alter-ego was Ralphie in "A Christmas Story), a close friend of Silverstein, who got teased as a kid for his ambiguous first name.)

For guilty pleasures, “Hooked on Feeling” recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1968 was vastly overshadowed (IMHO) by Blue Swede’s 1974 cover, with its infectious “Oooga-Shaka” chorus.
 
Arizona_Mike said:
For guilty pleasures, “Hooked on Feeling” recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1968 was vastly overshadowed (IMHO) by Blue Swede’s 1974 cover, with its infectious “Oooga-Shaka” chorus.
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Some of these are a real toss-up. I grew up with Blue Swede’s version, but now that I’m a little (or a lot!) older, I prefer the original B.J. Thomas rendition.

I still like Grand Funk Railroad’s version of* The Loco-Motion *, which also came out in 1974, better than Little Eva’s original hit…
 
christofirst said:
Some of these are a real toss-up. I grew up with Blue Swede’s version, but now that I’m a little (or a lot!) older, I prefer the original B.J. Thomas rendition.
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As do I. Never really cared for Blue Swede’s version.
 
Trust me, if someone told me this before I heard it I wouldn’t have believed it myself…but…

There is a video on youtube of Carrie Underwood covering “Alone” by Heart at a fan club party performance or something. It’s not the first cover you will find. You usually have to scroll down a bit to finally find it. She does such a good job I have a feeling Ann Wilson might tear up (with joy, because imitation is the best form of flattery so I think a fantastic and respectful cover is a major compliment).
 
Glen Campbell did a great cover of the Bob Dylan song “I Don’t Believe You.” Much better than the original, in my opinion!

I liked the Monkees cover of “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” instead of Neil Diamond’s original.

I like Linda Ronstadt’s version of “I Can’t Let Go”…a little better than the Hollies.

Now to flip-flop…the absolute worst cover of someone else’s song I think I’ve ever heard was when Herman’s Hermits did Frankie Laine’s “Jezebel”…it’s so bad it’s funny!!
 
Pax2u said:
Glen Campbell did a great cover of the Bob Dylan song “I Don’t Believe You.” Much better than the original, in my opinion!

I liked the Monkees cover of “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” instead of Neil Diamond’s original.

I like Linda Ronstadt’s version of “I Can’t Let Go”…a little better than the Hollies.

Now to flip-flop…the absolute worst cover of someone else’s song I think I’ve ever heard was when Herman’s Hermits did Frankie Laine’s “Jezebel”…it’s so bad it’s funny!!
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Nobody does “Jezebel” like Frankie Laine! I can well imagine how ridiculous Herman’s Hermits must have sounded!:eek:
 
Song: LOVE HURTS
Original Singers: Roy Orbison (1961)
Cover: Nazareth (1975)

It’s possibly a bit controversial – or maybe foolhardy – to think that anything could top Roy Orbison in terms of a hurtin’ song. I mean, this is the guy who gave us “Running Scared”, “It’s Over”, “Crying”… and Roy, I think, does an admirable job on this. But personally, I think it’s Dan McCafferty’s raw vocals and the simple rock arrangements knock this out of the park.
 
Speaking of controversial…

Song: CRYING
Original Singer: Roy Orbison
Cover: Roy Orbison and k.d. lang

Yes, the original is a classic, and rightly so. It’s one of the Big O’s signature tunes, and I remember when they announced this cover, I could (sort of) understand updating the song for a new audience, or, in this case, a movie soundtrack. But, why, oh why, did there have to be a new singer? Wouldn’t Roy Orbison be enough on a Roy Orbison song?

Then I heard the song on MuchMusic, and I was blown away.

First off, the tempo was slowed way down, and the pop orchestra feel was replaced by a sad twangy country guitar arrangement with harmonica. Roy started singing in that vulnerable, longing way of his…then k.d. came in on the second couplet, and her soft voice was a perfect complement to Roy’s. In the second chorus, she replaced Roy’s falsetto with a forceful but feminine cry that had a whole lotta hurtin’ poured into it, and then they continued singing together until the last notes.

One of the few songs that gives me a lump in my throat when I hear it.
 
John_Lazarus said:
Song: LOVE HURTS
Original Singers: Roy Orbison (1961)
Cover: Nazareth (1975)

It’s possibly a bit controversial – or maybe foolhardy – to think that anything could top Roy Orbison in terms of a hurtin’ song. I mean, this is the guy who gave us “Running Scared”, “It’s Over”, “Crying”… and Roy, I think, does an admirable job on this. But personally, I think it’s Dan McCafferty’s raw vocals and the simple rock arrangements knock this out of the park.
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Roy Orbison’s is a cover of the Everly Brother’s song. It was released on their 1960 album “A Date with the Everly Brothers” which also has “So How Come (No One Loves Me)”. I discovered it in 1972 while going through my cousin’s LP collection. I searched for it a long time after that but only found it again on Napster and then, more recently, youtube. For me their version is the definitive one. I liked Nazareth’s OK but it just made me long more for theirs.
 
John_Lazarus said:
Speaking of controversial…

Song: CRYING
Original Singer: Roy Orbison
Cover: Roy Orbison and k.d. lang

Yes, the original is a classic, and rightly so. It’s one of the Big O’s signature tunes, and I remember when they announced this cover, I could (sort of) understand updating the song for a new audience, or, in this case, a movie soundtrack. But, why, oh why, did there have to be a new singer? Wouldn’t Roy Orbison be enough on a Roy Orbison song?

Then I heard the song on MuchMusic, and I was blown away.

First off, the tempo was slowed way down, and the pop orchestra feel was replaced by a sad twangy country guitar arrangement with harmonica. Roy started singing in that vulnerable, longing way of his…then k.d. came in on the second couplet, and her soft voice was a perfect complement to Roy’s. In the second chorus, she replaced Roy’s falsetto with a forceful but feminine cry that had a whole lotta hurtin’ poured into it, and then they continued singing together until the last notes.

One of the few songs that gives me a lump in my throat when I hear it.
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All of that and more!!
 
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