# Cover songs that are better than the original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505 "2010-04-09T08:50:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Rattlehead02](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rattlehead02/32/3944_2.png) [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/61 "2010-04-09T21:35:42Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I’ve never actually heard Snoop Dogg’s version of “Gin and Juice” but I can’t imagine liking it more than The Gourds’ bluegrass cover. Oh man, how could I forget to mention this one! For anyone who has never heard it, it’s great. The lyrics are definitely NSFW, and this isn’t an official video, but you must check it out [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCAM3C3dpIA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCAM3C3dpIA) ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/62 "2010-04-09T21:46:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > If you want to hear an odder one, listen to Andy Griffith’s (!!) cover. It’s on the album **Golden Throats** , and will have you shaking your head in disbelief. I bet he did not sing that one in Aunt Bea’s presence 😃 Still, now that I know this exists, I must hear it. Just one of those things that has got to be done. ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/63 "2010-04-09T21:57:10Z")
I’m going to go with Fiona Apple’s rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s **Angel**. And I love Jimi’s version, so that’s saying something. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/64 "2010-04-09T23:10:57Z")
A little-known group called **Glass Moon** did Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill”, and made the original sound like a high school garage band. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/65 "2010-04-09T23:20:21Z")
I am sooooo tagging this thread; I adore remakes \ One I like better than the original \ is The Mad Caddies’ version of S.O.S. Incoming ska! [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZM-zPanFIo) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/66 "2010-04-10T00:20:42Z")
I think it’s maybe just because I really like Shirley Manson’s voice, but I like the Garbage cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen”. I don’t know that I’d say I like it _better_, but I like it _equally_. For comparison’s sake: [Thirteen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYAn6bMgqVs&feature=related) - **Garbage** (cover) [Thirteen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pte3Jg-2Ax4) - **Big Star** (original) Though I will say that whoever put together that Garbage video had absolutely no feel for the song and what it’s about. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/67 "2010-04-10T00:45:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > The song _Hallelujah_ has been done as a cover by an unusually large variety of singers. I’ve heard at least ten versions of this song, and I hate them all equally. I’ll be happy when it stops appearing in TV shows and movies on a regular basis. Anyway… “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game” was orginially by The Marvelettes. The Massive Attack & with Tracey Thorn cover done nearly 30 years later is much better. And people can throw things at me, but I like Toad the Wet Sprocket’s cover of “Hey Bulldog” better than by The Beatles. Finally, the much more recent “I Think She Knows” done by Kaki King is better than Justin Timberlake’s take. \ speaking of covers, has anyone ever heard a cover of “The Letter” by The Box Tops with a female vocalist _done within the last ten years_? I’ve been looking for one, but no luck so far. It seems like the only women who covered it did it decades ago. \ ---
**Author:** ![mbetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@mbetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbetter)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/68 "2010-04-10T00:54:43Z")
> [@Jadis](#): > > I’m going to go with Fiona Apple’s rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s **Angel**. And I love Jimi’s version, so that’s saying something. I like the Faces’ version, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/69 "2010-04-10T01:40:41Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I think that Jimmy Buffet also did _Uncle John’s Band_ better than **The Grateful Dead**. I take it you mean the Dead’s studio acoustic recording (from _Workingman’s Dead_). The best live electric renditions are as far beyond that as the Jimi “Watchtower” is from the Dylan original. Since the Dead have been raised, I’ll point out that their “Not Fade Away” (again, in the best live renditions) is on another planet from the Buddy Holly original (or the Stones’ take). A _bigger_ margin than the Jimi/Dylan, above. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/70 "2010-04-10T02:05:01Z")
Several of my favorites have already been named, but I can still be the first to mention one. 🙂 I like the Bauhaus cover of “Ziggy Stardust” better than the David Bowie original. The original always struck me as a song that had the _potential_ to really rock…but didn’t. I don’t know that the Bauhaus version fully lives up to that potential, but IMHO it comes a lot closer. It’s still pretty faithful to the original, it just rocks harder. [David Bowie version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXq5VvYAI1Q) (cheesy fan video) [Bauhaus version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_YQXFs7Ts) (somewhat grainy copy of real video) ---
**Author:** ![gone2thedogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gone2thedogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gone2thedogs)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/71 "2010-04-10T02:51:44Z")
Manfred Mann? That is probably one of the worst covers of all time. Can’t believe anyone would even listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![gone2thedogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gone2thedogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gone2thedogs)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/72 "2010-04-10T02:54:57Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > This has a Cafe Society bent to it but figured this called for opinion so here it is. > > Personally I _almost_ never like a cover song better than the original. Only rarely do I hear a reinterpreting of a song that I like and even more rarely like better than the original artist’s version. > > Yet occasionally someone really manages to pull it off in spectacular fashion. I am hard pressed to think of many but would like to find more. To start it off I offer the following: > > I am a fan of Leonard Cohen. I think he is an amazing lyricist. One of the best set of lyrics I have ever heard is the song _Hallelujah_ by Cohen. Pure poetry, just stunning. > > I really like his version but he has been upstaged (and willing to bet he loves it). The song _Hallelujah_ has been done as a cover by an unusually large variety of singers. Not surprising since the brilliance of the song is hard to miss and many others wanted a go at it. A Jeff Buckley cover seems to be a favorite but personally I do not care for it. > > However, K.D. Lang did a cover several years ago at the Canadian Juno Awards that was a show stopper. K.D. Lang herself is amazing with a staggering talent one has to think only god could give. She outdid even herself here. If you know the song and have not seen this you really must check it out (you can thank me later). If you don’t you should anyway. > > Check it out and, as the thread’s OP suggests, if anyone has other amazing covers to share that’d be great. > > [Hallelujah](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJTiXoMCppw) (original Leonard Cohen version) > [Hallelujah](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE) (K.D. Lang version) David Johannson’s (sp?) cover of Buttercup (why do i build you up buttercup?) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/73 "2010-04-10T03:21:06Z")
Another vote for Joe Cocker’s version of “The Letter.” Orgy’s version of “Blue Monday” really whips the buttocks of the original version by New Order. New Order’s version sounds like they were under a heavy dose of barbiturates. Orgy’s version has a much more compelling quality to it. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/74 "2010-04-10T03:42:41Z")
Both [the Isley Brothers’ cover of Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYHLVjzf1PY) and [Al Green’s cover of the Bee Gee’s “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO6Rknx5xyI) far exceed the original versions. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/75 "2010-04-10T04:30:57Z")
I once mentioned liking Tatu’s cover of “How Soon is Now?” better than the original Smiths version and was mocked viciously for it. I don’t give a shit, though, it’s a great version and covers of that song usually fail miserably (see versions by Everclear, Quicksand, etc for reference). ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/76 "2010-04-10T04:48:55Z")
Hazy Shade of Winter. I like the Bangles better than Simon and Garfunkel. Whiter Shade of Pale. I like Sarah Brightman better than Procol Harum. One Night in Bangkok. I like the Louise Robey version better than Murray Head. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/77 "2010-04-10T05:27:07Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > I once mentioned liking Tatu’s cover of “How Soon is Now?” better than the original Smiths version and was mocked viciously for it. I don’t give a shit, though, it’s a great version and covers of that song usually fail miserably (see versions by Everclear, Quicksand, etc for reference). I’d never heard of them before, but I looked on YouTube and I liked their cover. Not better than the original, but well enough. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/78 "2010-04-10T06:19:20Z")
Love all of the different links to covers that you all keep providing. Two of my favorite covers-that-beat-the-originals are \*\*Beck’\*\*s version of [Diamond Dogs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iAZfuPS3PM&feature=related) and **Elwood** ’s version of **Gordon Lightfoot** ’s [Sundown](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUO4y5_P-Bg) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/79 "2010-04-10T06:31:23Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Both [the Isley Brothers’ cover of Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYHLVjzf1PY) and [Al Green’s cover of the Bee Gee’s “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO6Rknx5xyI) far exceed the original versions. Ah, but have you heard Type O Negative’s cover of “[Summer Breeze](http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=28142274#)”? I love it. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505/80 "2010-04-10T06:49:46Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I’d never heard of them before, but I looked on YouTube and I liked their cover. Not better than the original, but well enough. The were a female duo from Russia who were coyly marketed as lesbians. Their schtick was making out during every possible photo op and then denying that they really were lesbians. They were somewhat popular in the US about 10 years ago (Christ, I can’t believe it’s been that long), maybe still big in Russia. Most of their songs sucked, but that Smiths cover was good and arguably better than the original. Also, the red haired one is hot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-original/535505.md?page=5)