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
Ok, I’ll check it out 
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.
I still prefer Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah over the various covers, including Buckley, Wainright, etc.
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.
I prefer Gladys Knight’s version 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…
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.
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…
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.
I feel the same way about “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Amish Paradise.”
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 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.
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.
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.
How about The Young Gods? Makes even Nick Cave’s ooompah carnie version seem tame. (The entire “Young Gods …Play Kurt Weil” album is great, BTW).
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…
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
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)