# Cover songs with the most disparate versions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531 "2009-10-12T15:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/1 "2009-10-12T15:28:14Z")
In the last few decade, I’ve noticed a trend by young singers to do cover versions of previous big hits that closely mimic the original recording. For example, No Doubt’s cover of “It’s My Life” is practically a clone of the original ABC recording of the song - not just note for note, but vocal inflection for vocal inflection. Apart from being sung by a girl, nothing about the cover is different from the original. I often wonder why the hell they bother going to all the trouble of recording an already well-known hit if they aren’t going to bother to try to do anything original with it. And then there are songs that seem to undergo radical metamorphoses with every recording. I submit “Sally Go Round the Roses” as an example. Original ‘girl group’ recording by [the Jaynetts](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xta59InkwUw) Raga-fied acid rock version by [Grace Slick](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NSy4i-5Qxw) (pre-Airplane) Bluesy folk-rock version by [Tim Buckley](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs6kHNzE2Co&feature=related) Funk rock version by [Donna Summer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIKBphYwBVc) Disco version by [Yvonne Elliman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgN30dJOX4Q) Country-fied version by [Pentagle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69arcGtYVAU) And a punk version by some band called [Fanny](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69arcGtYVAU) who look like the punk-rock Heart. I’ve also heard a version recorded by k.d. lang, but for the life of me I can’t find a video for it. That song got a lot of mileage. Any other songs out there that got revamped more times than that? And just to be clear, I’m NOT talking the cover with the MOST EVER recorded versions. I believe “Yesterday” by the Beatles is supposed to be the most covered song ever, but most versions I’ve ever heard are pretty much the same. I’m talking about cover songs that sound COMPLETELY different version to version. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/2 "2009-10-12T15:45:54Z")
I don’t know if this fits your scenario, but Eric Clapton’s acoustic remake of “Layla” is quite a change from the original. I like them both. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/3 "2009-10-12T16:06:25Z")
Any cover by Disturbed is going to be radically different from the original. The Wikipedia entry for _Shout_ originally done by Tears for Fears lists over a dozen covers by all sorts of bands, but I can’t say how different they all are, having only heard the original and Disturbed versions. Disturbed’s _Land of Confusion_ will never be confused with the original by Genesis, and Wikipedia lists covers by jazz, ragae, and death metal groups. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/4 "2009-10-12T17:28:58Z")
Disturbed - Down With the Sickness ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzdeH6MaNVI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzdeH6MaNVI)) VS Richard Cheese - Down With the Sickness ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBOpk33VlSg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBOpk33VlSg)) Black Eyed Peas - My Humps ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs4\_-xKTDP0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs4_-xKTDP0)) VS Alanis Morissette - My Humps ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wHXVAwAIbQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wHXVAwAIbQ)) ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/5 "2009-10-12T17:36:29Z")
My way - Sinatra My way - Sex Pistols ---
**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 12, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/6 "2009-10-12T20:40:22Z")
MacArthur Park by [Waylon Jennings](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6WVoEWqTKw) [Donna Summer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3rEzI0PtPA) [Maynard Ferguson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khgHaqOeajs) [The Three Degrees](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI6Yubkz9eA) [The Four Tops](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVwfuxYvVtU) [Glen Campbell](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7nhSclIEYM) [Wayne Newton](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT4rEhNj7VI) [Edgar Cruz](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wELSTco8UZA) [The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ7rx76g5DM) [A marching band](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEFcSKkIl2k) [Chet Atkins](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIOF8jeXh8I) [Psychotica](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX99ADFDAag) [And the other guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su3JdzUUuH4) ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/7 "2009-10-12T21:14:23Z")
FWIW, _It’s my Life_ is by **Talk Talk** , not **ABC**. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/8 "2009-10-12T21:23:18Z")
I was listening to Louis Prima’s version of “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” yesterday and it’s surprising how directly David Lee Roth copied his cover version directly from Prima. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/9 "2009-10-12T21:36:01Z")
Dylan does his own songs in totally different ways also. Compare _The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll_ on **Times They Are A Changin’** and the Rolling Thunder Revue official bootleg. Barnes & Barnes (you may know them for Fishheads) has a weird version of _Please Please Me_. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/10 "2009-10-12T21:54:46Z")
> [@unwashed\_brain](#): > > FWIW, _It’s my Life_ is by **Talk Talk** , not **ABC**. :smack: I knew that! ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/11 "2009-10-12T22:20:56Z")
Celine Dion cover AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/12 "2009-10-12T22:28:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was listening to Louis Prima’s version of “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” yesterday and it’s surprising how directly David Lee Roth copied his cover version directly from Prima. Presented for your amusement… the [Village People](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FvVcagZln0) cover ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/13 "2009-10-12T22:32:07Z")
Pat Boone, “Crazy Train” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/14 "2009-10-13T00:55:40Z")
The Muse militaristic rock/techno version of House of the Rising Sun verses the original folk style song. Another would be the Rammstein version of Barbie Girl. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/15 "2009-10-13T01:26:06Z")
WFMU once upon a time collected two or three dozen versions or “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” including the “original” lounge version, but I can no longer find the list. There’s [79 Versions of Popcorn,](http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/03/79_versions_of_.html) but they mostly sound the same. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/16 "2009-10-13T01:29:49Z")
Oh, and if you take it back a generation or two, Jazz has long found ways to rethink songs from other genres. Compare John Coltrane’s version of [My Favorite Things](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_n-gRS_wdI) with the one by [Julie Andrews.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irhroQ14Ufo) ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/17 "2009-10-13T08:28:20Z")
Frank Zappa’s renditions of “Purple Haze” and “Sunshine of Your Love” on _The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life_ are… interesting. Also, the album closes with a cover of “Stairway To Heaven”, done in a sort-of reggae style, with the ending guitar-solo-part played by the horn section. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/18 "2009-10-13T09:24:03Z")
I can’t find a recording online, but a few years ago, a band called The Recliners recorded a lounge lizard version of Wanna Be Sedated [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMD7Ezp3gWc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMD7Ezp3gWc) I was horrified… ---
**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 13, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/19 "2009-10-13T11:58:10Z")
There’s the original **Opus** version of _Live is Life_. And then there’s **Laibach** ’s Ditto **Queen** ’s _One Vision_. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531/20 "2009-10-13T12:09:02Z")
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by [The Eurythmics](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQHrspjw4aA) [Marilyn Manson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdf1Q5__uvg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-with-the-most-disparate-versions/513531.md?page=2)