# Covers that were better than the original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651 "2002-07-06T18:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rib\_Eye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Rib\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rib_Eye)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/41 "2002-07-08T18:58:05Z")
Maybe a sacrilege for some especially in lieu of Entwhistle’s recent death, but W.A.S.P.’ s “The Real Me” is better than than the Who’s (Whos’? Whose?). Scorpions also outdid Townsend and Co. with “Can’t Explain.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/42 "2002-07-08T19:43:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thea Logica \* > **OK, we’ve done covers that we like, that suck, that were maybe as good as the original…** If you wanna see three more pages of opinions, KXL did a [“Covers of songs that were better than the original?”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=113594) thread back in May. ---
**Author:** ![Dirty\_Earthworm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Dirty\_Earthworm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dirty_Earthworm)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/43 "2002-07-08T20:12:00Z")
**jjimm** , I agree with you on both points, although the song Alien Ant Farm covered was Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” not “Annie Are You OK.” I’ll nominate three Guns N’ Roses covers (and probably get smacked for at least one of them) : McCartney/Wings’ “Live and Let Die,” Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog” all rock a lot harder than the originals, IMHO. [shameless plugs] At the only gig my band from high school ever had, we did a cover of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take it Anymore,” featuring Yours Truly on vocals. And local band Hoser (then known as B.R.U.C.E.) - featuring Little Brother Earthworm on guitar - did a cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right (to Party)” at one of their very first shows. It was cool. [/shameless plugs] -Dirty ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/44 "2002-07-08T21:12:33Z")
Eric Clapton’s unplugged version of _Layla_ was much better than his original. ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/45 "2002-07-08T22:07:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hastur \* > \*\*Hit Me Baby, One More Time by Fountains of Wayne. > > Talk about transforming dreck into something cool. This is a great translation. \*\* I agree that Fountains of Wayne do a good version, but the best version has to be by Travis. Frannie’s voice in his version is so heartfelt, it makes the song almost beautiful. On another note, How about Superchunk’s “Slack Motherf@#\*er” as performed by fIREHOSE? It slays me every time. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/46 "2002-07-09T01:12:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SkipMagic \* > \*\*Eric Clapton’s unplugged version of _Layla_ was much better than his original. \*\* :eek: Blasphemy, sir. Utter blasphemy. Besides, that’s not a cover, but a rearrangement. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bristlesage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@bristlesage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bristlesage)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/47 "2002-07-09T03:57:22Z")
I’ll toss in “I Want You to Want Me” by Letters to Cleo (featured on the **10 Things I Hate About You** soundtrack). The original by Cheap Trick is really very good, but there’s just something so peppily pleading in the Letters to Cleo version. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/48 "2002-07-09T04:08:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*:eek: > > Blasphemy, sir. Utter blasphemy. > > Besides, that’s not a cover, but a rearrangement. 😉 \*\* But, um…blasphemy, huh? Awwwwriiight! I kinda like the sound of that. “_Blasphemous SkipMagic_, you’ve got me on my knees…” Well, it’s got a beat, but I’m not sure I can dance to it. Besides, at least with the…ahem!..rearranged version I finally understood the lyrics for the first time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/49 "2002-07-09T05:15:46Z")
Janice Joplin’s version of “Me and Bobby McGee” is light-years ahead of the original by Kristofferson. I also prefered her version of “Summertime” ---
**Author:** ![BigStar303](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@BigStar303](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigStar303)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/50 "2002-07-09T05:21:58Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Thea Logica \* > \*\* > “Love Hurts”- Nazereth. In a lot of old '50’s and '60’s songs, the melodies don’t quite lay right on the rhythm of the song, and the Everly Brother’s version of this song is a major victim of this phenomenon. Also, the lyrics just fairly cry out for the heavy-metal ballad treatment._\* Yeah, it cries out…for mercy when it comes to Nazareth’s sledgehammer savaging of one of the best songs of the pre-Beatles era. I do agree with you that neither the Everly Brothers’ nor Roy Orbison’s original versions quite tap the song’s potential, but Nazareth’s version is sheer torture. Surprisingly, the best version of “Love Hurts” I’ve ever heard is by an artist known primarily for his original songs…Jim Webb. Beautifully arranged, sensitively sung…plus he puts in a passing chord at the second “to take a lot of pain” that’s not present in any of the other versions. This subtle change really makes all the difference in the world. ---
**Author:** ![BigStar303](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@BigStar303](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigStar303)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/51 "2002-07-09T05:32:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by China Guy \* > **George Thorogood improved on a lot of the old lackluster blues covers. Apologies to the Hook aka John Lee Hooker, but One bourbon, one scotch, one beer by Thorogood is way better. There are a lot more examples but that one springs readily to mind.** Hoo-boy! George Thorogood is a bar band hack. If he had confined himself to playing clubs on weekends I would have no complaint…after all, there are guys all over the world who do what he does as well or better. But instead he somehow parlayed this into a national recording career – how I’ll never know. You’re to be congratulated for at least knowing who John Lee Hooker is…but the fact that most Thorogood fans have little or no appreciation for the artists he stole his entire schtick from really galls me. While Thorogood lines his pockets by virtue of his clumsy rip-off of “Who Do You Love,” Bo Diddley still has to work shitty clubs to make a living, as he can’t get royalties from his original recordings. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/52 "2002-07-09T07:02:39Z")
Hey BigStar303, I’ve met the Hook several times, interviewed him once, seen him live a half a dozen times. Had a weekly blues show on college radio for 5 years. Regardless, I prefer Thorogood’s version of an awful lot of the covers he does. Thorogood’s version of Who Do You Love is also better than Bo’s original and the two times I’ve seen Bo live. I don’t think Thorogood can write originals worth crap. I would point out that an awful lot of people became blues fans or at least came to appreciate blues through the likes of George Thorogood, especially people that started listening to music in the 1980’s. Finally, I can’t believe no one has mentioned **Hendrix** and the **Star Spangled Banner** ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/53 "2002-07-09T12:41:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\*I also prefered her version of “Summertime” \*\* I’m sorry **Sam** , but have you heard Ella do it or Carmen McRae? I love Joplin and she adds a soulful aspect to the song but it is far from better than either of those two. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/54 "2002-07-09T14:53:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TridCloudwalker \* > \*\*Hendrix’s cover of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” > > \*\* **Any** cover of any Dylan song is better than the original. (d&r) ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/55 "2002-07-09T18:01:15Z")
I liked “Come on Eileen” by Save Ferris, better than the original. Probably just opinion though, I doubt a lot of other people would. ---
**Author:** ![tulley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@tulley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tulley)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/56 "2002-07-09T23:31:15Z")
Metallica’s cover of “Last Caress” by The Misfits is the best cover I’ve ever heard. Took a good song and made it fantastic. I also love Captain Beefheart’s cover of “I’ve Grown So Ugly” by Robert Pete Williams. The original is kinda bland, but Beefheart really spiced it up and made it great. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/57 "2002-07-09T23:35:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SkipMagic \* > \*\*Eric Clapton’s unplugged version of _Layla_ was much better than his original. \*\* Bite your typing fingers!!! I hated \*\* hated \* hated\*\*\* the unplugged version of “Layla”!!! It has had all the fire, all the passion and all the _je ne sais qua_ torn right out of it, and as soon as I’m done reading the rest of this thread, I’m going over to the “covers that should be shoved so far up the artists ass” thread and saying so. Um, so, how 'bout that Dead Kennedeys version of 'Viva Las Vegas" (which I have gained a whole new appreciation for since moving here) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/58 "2002-07-09T23:42:33Z")
or is it _quoi?_ unplugged version of 'Layla" indeed. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/59 "2002-07-10T00:04:43Z")
Bracket covering “867-5309” Class of 99 covering “Another Brick in the Wall part 2” Pseudo Echo covering “Funky Town” Letters to Cleo covering “I Want You to Want Me” Pearl Jam covering “Last Kiss” Mest covering “I Melt With You” ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651/60 "2002-07-10T01:42:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by javaman \* > \*\* > **Any** cover of any Dylan song is better than the original. > > (d&r) \*\* Including **Rod Stewart’s** versions of _Only a Hobo_ and _Tomorrow is a Long Time_… I also prefer **Matthew Sweet’s** cover of Walter Egan’s _Magnet and Steel_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covers-that-were-better-than-the-original/117651.md?page=4)