# Cover Versions Of Songs That Are Much Better... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2019, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628 "2019-07-25T19:02:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/41 "2019-07-26T03:11:25Z")
I prefer Boyz II Men’s version of “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday” compared to the original by G.C. Cameron. Also I’ll take the Black Crowes’ version of “Hard to Handle” over Otis Redding’s. And Billy Idol’s “Mony, Mony” over Tommy James and the Shondells’. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2019, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/42 "2019-07-26T03:14:32Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Oops, thanks. The Fiona Apple version [Across the Universe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXE1C--WezU), if anyone cares. I really liked it, although I wouldn’t call it better than the original, especially the original without Phil Spector’s over-production. Here’s the “naked” version: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NLddD6Xf-8g/maxresdefault.jpg "Across The Universe (Naked Version / Remastered 2013)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLddD6Xf-8g) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/43 "2019-07-26T03:31:47Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I really liked it, although I wouldn’t call it better than the original, especially the original without Phil Spector’s over-production. Here’s the “naked” version: > > [https://youtu.be/NLddD6Xf-8g](https://youtu.be/NLddD6Xf-8g) That was really good. Clean. Was it another recording entirely? Lennon’s voice sounds higher. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/44 "2019-07-26T03:41:26Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Funny thing; five hours ago I told my summer school class “When I’m king, it’ll be illegal to do a cover of a song unless it’s 1) Different… and 2) Better.” This thread is proof it can be done. > > That was from an album [pairing R&B and Country artists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm,_Country_and_Blues). Every song’s amazing… like “Rainy Night in Georgia” done by Sam Moore and Conway Twitty, or “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” with Vince Gill’s crystal-clear tenor paired with Gladys Knight. You’re not kidding - there are some great cuts (and great players!) on that album. Thanks for pointing it out! ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/45 "2019-07-26T03:42:06Z")
Nice find Leaffan! 😉 Tell us all about it. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2019, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/46 "2019-07-26T04:19:33Z")
> [@saucywench](#): > > Nice find Leaffan! 😉 Tell us all about it. Well, I could, but look at the Wikipedia article for the whole reissue of the “Let It Be…Naked” album. [Let It Be - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be)…\_Naked “Let It Be… Naked is an alternative mix of the Beatles’ 1970 album Let It Be, released in 2003. The project was initiated by Paul McCartney, who felt that the original album’s producer, Phil Spector, did not capture the group’s stripped-down, back-to-their-roots intentions for the album.” Listen to “The Long and Winding Road” especially. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2019, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/47 "2019-07-26T04:32:38Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > That was really good. Clean. Was it another recording entirely? Lennon’s voice sounds higher. Original speed. Phil Spector slowed it down, for some unknown reason. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/48 "2019-07-26T04:35:30Z")
My go to in this game is White Lion’s take on Radar Love. Love Golden Earring’s, but the White Lion version is just so powerful and soulful. And a couple of Van Halen covers not usually mentioned, You’re No Good (Ronstadt) and Summertime Blues (Cochrane). Summertime Blues isn’t on a VH album, but there are a number of live versions out there, most notably South America 1982. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/49 "2019-07-26T10:54:34Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > …\*Blinded By The Light \*by Manfred Mann is far better than the original. I agree with all the American Woman outrage, but we should also be jumping all over this remark. Not just better, but “Far better”??. I’m wondering if \*\*Gato \*\*is even referring to the Springsteen version. mmm ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/50 "2019-07-26T11:49:00Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > My go to in this game is White Lion’s take on Radar Love. Love Golden Earring’s, but the White Lion version is just so powerful and soulful. Vito Bratta puts on a clinic of advanced hard rock guitar technique in that song. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/51 "2019-07-26T12:19:45Z")
It’s only half a cover, but the Run-DMC/Aerosmith cover of **Walk This Way** is better than Aerosmith’s version. I prefer Naked Eyes’s version of **Always Something There to Remind Me**. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/52 "2019-07-26T12:23:04Z")
Richard Thompson – “Oops I Did It Again” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/V4WGsMplGxU/hqdefault.jpg "Richard Thompson - Oops I Did It Again") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4WGsMplGxU) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/53 "2019-07-26T12:56:19Z")
Yeah, I’m sure we’ve done this thread before, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to repeat what I said last time. And I don’t care. The Pet Shop Boys had the ability to take anthems and make them sound like _they_ had written them. I give you [Go West](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNBjMRvOB5M) and [Always On My Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eTWWHGouSM). And yes, I’m perfectly fine arguing that these are now the _definitive_ versions. Speaking of me repeating myself: > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The Cowboy Junkie’s version of ‘Sweet Jane’ is better than the Velvet Underground’s version. _Someone_ said exactly this last time round. Was that you, Sam? j ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/54 "2019-07-26T13:13:13Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > My go to in this game is White Lion’s take on Radar Love. Love Golden Earring’s, but the White Lion version is just so powerful and soulful. > > And a couple of Van Halen covers not usually mentioned, You’re No Good (Ronstadt) and Summertime Blues (Cochrane). Summertime Blues isn’t on a VH album, but there are a number of live versions out there, most notably South America 1982. _You’re No Good_ has quite the history. It was first recorded by [Dee Dee Warwick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xUisVuPt8M) (Dionne’s sister) in 1963. The following year it was a hit in the UK for [Swinging Blue Jeans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPSAz3a7nuU). The best known version, by [Linda Ronstadt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e47Ya2iVFRI), was released in 1975. Everybody wanted to cover this song, including: [Tina Turner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSNxiEmXcpg) [Van Halen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBN3BtdIr0Y) [Michael Bolton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVg6tovHGKc) [Jose Feliciano](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1-2_cxvwMk) [Elvis Costello](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krPOSubbwaA) (Kind of an annoying take) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/55 "2019-07-26T14:06:09Z")
As I always post in these threads, Wilson Pickett owns “Hey Jude.” I like Manfred Mann’s “Blinded by the Light” better than Bruce’s. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/56 "2019-07-26T14:20:11Z")
Personally I think that Siouxsie and the Banshee’s cover of ‘Dear Prudence’ is much better than the original: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/M6rrTROoZIw/maxresdefault.jpg "Siouxsie And The Banshees - Dear Prudence (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6rrTROoZIw) Someone already mentioned Fiona Apple’s version of Across the Universe, I also would prefer the Bowie, Laibach and other versions to the original. I have something like 4 covers of ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ that I prefer to the original. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/57 "2019-07-26T14:29:32Z")
I’m surprised we’ve come this far with no mention of “With a Little Help from My Friends.” It’s usually brought up rather quickly in these threads. Joe Cocker’s version is vastly superior to the Beatles’. I’ll also throw my support behind Manfred Mann’s version of “Blinded by the Light.” Much better than the original. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/58 "2019-07-26T15:59:05Z")
‘2000 Man’. I like KISS’ ( Ace Frehley ) version much better than the original one from the Rolling Stones. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/59 "2019-07-26T16:04:03Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > _You’re No Good_ has quite the history. It was first recorded by [Dee Dee Warwick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xUisVuPt8M) (Dionne’s sister) in 1963. The following year it was a hit in the UK for [Swinging Blue Jeans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPSAz3a7nuU). The best known version, by [Linda Ronstadt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e47Ya2iVFRI), was released in 1975. Everybody wanted to cover this song, including: > > [Tina Turner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSNxiEmXcpg) > > [Van Halen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBN3BtdIr0Y) > > [Michael Bolton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVg6tovHGKc) > > [Jose Feliciano](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1-2_cxvwMk) > > [Elvis Costello](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krPOSubbwaA) > (Kind of an annoying take) I wasn’t aware of the history. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628/60 "2019-07-26T16:09:46Z")
> [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](#): > > Alien Ant Farm’s rendition of Smooth Criminal is way more fun than Michael Jackson’s. I like that version a lot, but I can’t go so far as to say it’s better than MJs in any way. It’s one of MJs top 5 songs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-versions-of-songs-that-are-much-better/837628.md?page=4)