# "controversial" music choices (one song vs another) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057 "2015-10-29T04:04:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/21 "2015-10-29T18:56:59Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I like the original NIN version of “Hurt” better than Johnny Cash’s version, which I’m told is a serious faux pax to say. > > I love Johnny, I have several of his albums. And the video was crazy amazing yes. But the original was one of “my” songs, the sad, angry teenager songs. That “this is deep!” moment where you connect completely with Trent Reznor. Yes, it quite apt for poor ol’ John but…well, it wasn’t written for you, fella! > > In general I am not a fan of covers at all, fwiw. So I’m sure that doesn’t help Johnny’s case with me. Yeah, I too like the Johnny Cash song better but I can see how the song has a history for you… music is like that > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > And along those lines, I prefer Peter Schilling’s sequel from the 80s, “Major Tom (Coming Home).” Ok, I’ll check it out 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/22 "2015-10-29T19:37:33Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I’ve always preferred [Louis Armstrong’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrHWrdfw7eo) version(s). Back when I was a voracious file sharer, I had a live medley of it and “When You’re Smiling” that ended up being extra chilling. If I could get another copy of it, I’d happily pay for it this time. Definitely better than Darin’s version, but I still prefer Lenya’s. Remember, the song is about a cold-blooded killer and something creepy and haunting fits better than something jazzy. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/23 "2015-10-29T19:40:53Z")
I still prefer Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah over the various covers, including Buckley, Wainright, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/24 "2015-10-29T19:49:46Z")
I prefer **Wish You Were Here** by Rasputina over the original version by Pink Floyd. The cello works very well and, principally, I just don’t find Gilmore to be a very good singer. His voice is too raspy, he doesn’t have much range, and he doesn’t emote terribly much. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/25 "2015-10-29T19:56:38Z")
I prefer [Gladys Knight’s version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWvwP72FuVg) of Heard It Through the Grapevine to either Marvin Gaye or Credence. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/26 "2015-10-29T20:37:31Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I still prefer Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah over the various covers, including Buckley, Wainright, etc. > [@kunilou](#): > > I prefer [Gladys Knight’s version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWvwP72FuVg) of Heard It Through the Grapevine to either Marvin Gaye or Credence. I prefer Buckley and Credence… but, these songs fit right in with the topic so thanks for helping the thread gain some more traction… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/27 "2015-10-29T21:44:20Z")
This is a bit broader but…anyone that knows me knows how much I hate Rush, I find Geddy’s voice irritating. He seems to only be able sing in that high pitched screech. However, I love Supertramp and Styx. Not quite the same, but people often assume that since I don’t like Rush, I won’t like the other two. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/28 "2015-10-30T00:40:10Z")
From a lyrical point of view, Lollipop by The Chrodettes would probably be very similar to Lick My Love Pump by Spinal Tap, if such a song existed. It’s tough to decide which one I’d like better. Mach Vs _POP_. Decisions, decisions… ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/29 "2015-10-30T00:55:00Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > This is a bit broader but…anyone that knows me knows how much I hate Rush, I find Geddy’s voice irritating. He seems to only be able sing in that high pitched screech. However, I love Supertramp and Styx. Not quite the same, but people often assume that since I don’t like Rush, I won’t like the other two. Goodbye Lover is one of my fave songs ever… but I’m not aware of any other really good songs from Supertramp… ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/30 "2015-10-30T01:22:31Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > Goodbye Lover is one of my fave songs ever… but I’m not aware of any other really good songs from Supertramp… I know how annoying Supertramp got but "Even in the quietest moments’ is almost all good somehow. Lover Boy, Fools overture, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/31 "2015-10-30T01:35:38Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Along the same lines, I prefer Weird Al’s\* Eat It\* to MJ’s _Beat It_ and when the latter comes on the radio I always sing the lyrics to the former. I feel the same way about “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Amish Paradise.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/32 "2015-10-30T01:46:10Z")
Bruce Springsteen says that just about everything he has written was a result of hearing The Animals version of “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” I like “Born to Run” but "We Gotta Get Out of This Place’ is superior. The songs have the same message. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/33 "2015-10-30T01:48:41Z")
I love every song from Across the Universe more than I like the Beatles’ own versions. In fact, before that movie, I thought I hated the Beatles’ music. Turns out I like their music just fine, I just don’t like them doing it. I think some of it has to do with changing recording technology and some with production aesthetics. I just prefer the richer, rounder, fuller sound to the Beatles’ stuff, which often sounds tinny or scratchy to me. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/34 "2015-10-30T02:05:16Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > I like Dave Mason’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” better than either Hendrix’s or Dylan’s. Those are two pretty heavy hitters, so I’d assume that makes my choice a pretty controversial one. > > There is nothing wrong with the other two versions, but for listening pleasure, I’d rather hear Dave. > [@Robert163](#): > > I actually don’t like Dylan’s… and the Dave mason one I wasn’t too fond of, but, I’m glad you pointed it out to me. The Hendrix version i rate at 9/10, at least… I guess it’s a song that splits opinion - my favorite version by far is the Dylan one. Even though Dylan himself prefers Hendrix’s, and uses his arrangement in concerts, I feel as though there’s more focus on the poetry in the original. In fact, apart from Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love,”\* I’ve never encountered a Dylan cover I preferred to the original (I have a deep-seated hatred for the Byrds, but that’s another story). I also am an old codger in that I preferred him pre-electric (and certainly pre-Jesus, though I don’t think that’s as controversial). Maggie’s Farm, Like a Rolling Stone, Ballad of a Thin Man . . . they’re all fantastic, but compared to Mr. Tambourine Man? My Back Pages? It Ain’t Me, Babe? Subterranean Homesick Blues? Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright? It’s the great vs. the divine. \*Which isn’t really fair, as he wrote that in the 90s - you can’t expect a 70-something guy to have a serviceable voice, let alone a 70-something Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/35 "2015-10-30T02:26:59Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > I guess it’s a song that splits opinion - my favorite version by far is the Dylan one. Even though Dylan himself prefers Hendrix’s, and uses his arrangement in concerts, I feel as though there’s more focus on the poetry in the original. > > In fact, apart from Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love,”\* I’ve never encountered a Dylan cover I preferred to the original (I have a deep-seated hatred for the Byrds, but that’s another story). I also am an old codger in that I preferred him pre-electric (and certainly pre-Jesus, though I don’t think that’s as controversial). Maggie’s Farm, Like a Rolling Stone, Ballad of a Thin Man . . . they’re all fantastic, but compared to Mr. Tambourine Man? My Back Pages? It Ain’t Me, Babe? Subterranean Homesick Blues? Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright? It’s the great vs. the divine. > > \*Which isn’t really fair, as he wrote that in the 90s - you can’t expect a 70-something guy to have a serviceable voice, let alone a 70-something Bob Dylan. I prefer his (Dylan) version of House Of The Rising Sun over every other version I’ve ever heard. I like the anger and sarcasm in his voice. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/36 "2015-10-30T06:37:30Z")
I’m apparently the only person who prefers the original NIN _Hurt_ to Cash’s. Including Trent Reznor Hell, I prefer the Kermit The frog version to Cash’s. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > I much prefer Lotte Lenya’s moody version of **[Mack the Knife](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPG9GcykPIY)** (in German) to Bobby Darin’s shoobie-do version. > [@Robert163](#): > > What about [Louis Prima](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnOWikgTG2Q)? How about [The Young Gods](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcP2zycN3P0)? Makes even Nick Cave’s [ooompah carnie version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5rc1sJ5z08) seem tame. (The entire “Young Gods …Play Kurt Weil” album is great, BTW). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/37 "2015-10-30T10:41:27Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Bruce Springsteen says that just about everything he has written was a result of hearing The Animals version of “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” > > I like “Born to Run” but "We Gotta Get Out of This Place’ is superior. The songs have the same message. I hadn’t heard that but the connection is obvious upon hearing it. Fun. One is a punky rebel yell, and the other is a thickly-orchestrated, wall of sound declaration of eternal rebellion. Interesting. In comparison, the Animals song is a better fit with the material - shaggy and raw, like the punk teens in the song. Born to Run is the Broadway version of that scene. Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/38 "2015-10-30T11:15:48Z")
I was never a great fan of the original Ozzy Black Sabbath - which is controversial enough on it’s own - but I have all three Ronnie James Dio era (two studio and one double live) Black Sabbath albums amongst my all time favourites albums. Which is as controversial as it gets in metal. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057/39 "2015-10-30T12:00:57Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > Goodbye Lover is one of my fave songs ever… but I’m not aware of any other really good songs from Supertramp… The Logical Song Take The Long Way Home Bloody Well Right Dreamer Breakfast In America Give A Little Bit Also, it’s Goodbye Stranger, unless you’re thinking of another song (in which case, add that to my list) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-music-choices-one-song-vs-another/736057.md?page=1)