# Cover songs that are better than the originals **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159 "2003-03-05T03:00:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/1 "2003-03-05T03:00:09Z")
My thoughts: “Respect”, originally done by Otis Redding, done right by Aretha Franklin. “Barbara-Ann”, originally by The Regents, done right by The Beach Boys “Do You Wanna Dance?”, originally by Bobby Gentry (iirc), done right by The Beach Boys. “Head On”, originally by The Jesus & Mary Chain, done right by The Pixies ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/2 "2003-03-05T03:03:18Z")
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” Done right by The Band, done better by Joan Baez. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/3 "2003-03-05T03:09:24Z")
I think the Bauhaus cover of “Ziggy Stardust” surpasses the original. Thinking of Bowie covers, I like Beck’s “Diamond Dogs” better than the original. He managed to leave out the silliest lyrics, too. Thinking of songs from the _Moulin Rouge_ soundtrack, I kinda like the version of “Your Song” performed by Ewan McGregor and Alessandro Safina, but I don’t care for the original Elton John song at all. Pearl Jam’s cover of “Last Kiss” was an improvement on the earlier three versions, but that’s not saying a whole lot…there’s only so good any version of that song could be. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/4 "2003-03-05T03:10:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RawkStah \* > \*\*My thoughts: > > “Do You Wanna Dance?”, originally by Bobby Gentry (iirc), done right by The Beach Boys.\*\* Also done right by the Ramones Computer Age done gawdawfully by Neil Young done right by Sonic Youth Beth done by Kiss done right by Coffin Break ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/5 "2003-03-05T03:15:36Z")
**All Around the Watchtower** by Bob Dylan, made immortal by Hendrix. And I like Clapton’s acoustic **Layla** better than the original one he cut with Derek and the Dominoes. I don’t know if that counts as a cover, though. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/6 "2003-03-05T03:16:35Z")
Van Halen’s “Jump” by Aztec Camera. Best…cover…ever. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/7 "2003-03-05T03:22:09Z")
“I Fought the Law” by the Crickets was far surpassed by the Clash’s version. “Baker Street,” orig. by Gerry Rafferty, was tremendously improved by the Foo Fighters. First and foremost by getting rid of those awful flute and sax bits. Come to think of it, The Clash’s cover of “Brand New Cadillac” was far better than the original as well. I can’t recall who first did the song. Many more, but those are off the top of my head. Oh! Who did that cover of “Jet Plane,” the Mamas & Papas song? It was a woman; can’t remember her name, but that was great. ---
**Author:** ![Merseybeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Merseybeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merseybeat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/8 "2003-03-05T03:27:22Z")
**All Along The Watchtower** by both Dylan and Hendrix are both so good I couldn’t decide which is best. Likewise **Respect** by Aretha Franklin or Otis Redding. I have 'em in my collection and play as the mood demands. All wonderful stuff! ---
**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/9 "2003-03-05T03:30:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jackelope \* > [BWho did that cover of “Jet Plane,” the Mamas & Papas song? It was a woman; can’t remember her name, but that was great. \*\* John Denver wrote it, but, afaik, The Mamas & The Papas never covered it. The one that gets played most often is done by Peter, Paul & Mary. Don’t know which cover you’re thinking of, with the woman. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/10 "2003-03-05T03:46:37Z")
Hendrix did the essential performance of “Like a Rolling Stone” at Monterey Pop, blowing away Bob Dylan and all other subsequent attempted versions. “Excuse me a minute, just let me play my guitar” indeed! More recently and more trivially…somebody or other in the pop music circuit just recently redid “When I Fall in Love”, which I first heard as an annoying tune by a 60s group called The Lettermen. The new version is much better, not that I care enough to find out who they are. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/11 "2003-03-05T03:56:28Z")
Spanky and Our Gang also covered “Leavin’ On a Jet Plane” on their first album. AMG says > [@](#): > > The successful album tracks include a pair of gems with soaring harmonies, “If You Could Only Be Me,” where they’re singing and playing with a lot of heart despite the presence of a string section; “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” the latter beautifully embellished with a punchy folk-rock sound, closer to the Byrds or the > Beau Brummels than to Peter, Paul & Mary’s hit ---
**Author:** ![Convict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Convict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Convict)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/12 "2003-03-05T03:58:27Z")
I’ll probably get roasted for this one, but I think Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cover of **Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)** is better than Hendrix’s version. SRV’s version of **Superstition** by Stevie Wonder is pretty good as well. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/13 "2003-03-05T04:35:19Z")
Just about any Van Halen hit of the David Lee Roth era was a cover of somebody. I used to be a Van Halen fan. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/14 "2003-03-05T04:45:24Z")
Marvin Gaye’s cover of **I Heard It Through the Grapevine** , which also spent seven weeks at #1, released a year after Gladys Knight had a big hit (#2) with it–and vastly superior. ---
**Author:** ![vertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3ec8ea/32.png) [@vertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertigo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/15 "2003-03-05T04:50:56Z")
**Frente!** covering “Bizarre Love Triangle” by **New Order**. and **The Cardigans** loungifying “Iron Man” by **Black Sabbath**. ---
**Author:** ![DarkWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee59a6/32.png) [@DarkWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkWriter)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/16 "2003-03-05T05:04:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jackelope \* > \*\*“I Fought the Law” by the Crickets was far surpassed by the Clash’s version. > \*\* Wasn’t that _The Bobby Fuller Four_? I really liked The Beatles’ version of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” but I thought Elton John’s version was fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![raizok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@raizok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raizok)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/17 "2003-03-05T05:05:06Z")
Spiderman by the **Ramones**!! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/18 "2003-03-05T05:15:44Z")
Ozzy Osbourne - Stayin’ Alive. OK, maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/19 "2003-03-05T05:22:21Z")
_Come Together_, Aerosmith If the OP is interested, there have been a slew of thread on this same topic if you wanna check those out, too. ---
**Author:** ![leafrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@leafrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leafrog)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159/20 "2003-03-05T05:27:07Z")
_Come on Eileen_ was done by **Dexie’s Midnight Runners** , but was brilliantly covered by **Save Ferris**. Ska! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-that-are-better-than-the-originals/159159.md?page=2)