Cover Versions Of Songs, Better than Original

[Zeuhl34]

I really prefer Yes's rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "America"

 

[Bbucko]

Very very few covers exceed the original, but many bring a totally different feeling to the song in question.

A great illustration of this is a group called Nouvelle Vague, a contemporary French group that completely re-orchestrates and rethinks some of the best post-punk hits:

The Cramp's Human Fly

NV's version

Echo & The Bunnymen's Killing Moon

NV's version

Sisters Of Mercy's Mariane

NV's version

Buzzcock's Every Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have Fallen In Love With)?

NV's version

A YouTube search will undoubtedly uncover your own particular fave (pun intended).

As to covers that surpass the brilliance of the original, I'll offer:

Cyndi Lauper's When You Were Mine
(If for no other reason than not having changed the him/her lyrics and that fucking insane voice of hers)

B-52's Downtown
(Not even close)

Grace Jone's Warm Leatherette
(Really...really)

Sisters Of Mercy's 1969
(Though Iggy now covers the SoM's cover, without the Eldridge Scream)

Oh! and the best cover of Ziggy Stardust belongs to Nina. She performed it at The Channel in Boston in 1982 just as my enhancements were peaking

 

[Catchoftheday]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpxoO58GxQw

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

Jesse Cook and Holly Cole's cover of Fragile by Sting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQGSKrRrz0M&feature=related

 

[Fsjal]

Jolene (Dolly Parton)- The White Stripes
Jack the Ripper(Screaming Lord Sutch) - The White Stripes
Crossroads(Robert Johnson)- Cream
Stand by Me(Ben E. King)- John Lennon
Shadowplay(Joy Division)- The Killers
I'd have to say that the Santana cover of "Black Magic Woman" barely edges out the original Fleetwood Mac one.
And respect to Marley, but I prefer Clapton's version of "I Shot the Sheriff".

 

[ignatius4446z]

Metallica - Whisky in the Jar

Metallica - Breadfan

Prince - One of Us

Jimi Hendrix - Like a Rolling Stone

 

[ignatius4446z]

Cyndi Lauper's When You Were Mine
(If for no other reason than not having changed the him/her lyrics and that fucking insane voice of hers)

Nooooo!! She murdered that song IMHO. :wink:

I think the best versions of When You Were Mine are Prince's own live performances.

 

[Bbucko]

Nooooo!! She murdered that song IMHO. :wink:

I think the best versions of When You Were Mine are Prince's own live performances.

The link to Prince's version (which was, in fact live) was expressly put there to underline my point; I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree :smile:

Other brilliant covers:

Lene Lovich's I Think We're Alone Now wipes Tommy Roe and the Shondells on the floor.

Vanilla Fudge's Keep Me Hanging On makes you forget that the Supremes even sang it (almost).

The worst single cover I can think of off the top of my head has to be when some group of nearly-plus-sized singers decided to redo Womack and Womack's Teardrops: It's beyond hideous.

 

[ignatius4446z]

The link to Prince's version (which was, in fact live) was expressly put there to underline my point; I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree :smile:
.

Thanks for that link. That's my favourite live version of the song.

I have that performance on a bootleg CD, but the tape that obviously recorded it was warped, which spoils it a little. That's fantastic - thanks. :biggrin1: