# The original was good, but it was the RADICALLY different cover version that was the hit **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591 "2020-08-20T14:40:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/101 "2020-08-23T19:17:54Z")
A Girl Like You - is a nice little pop song by Wolfgang Press. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/g1EW-mBQDgQ/maxresdefault.jpg "The Wolfgang Press - A Girl Like You (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1EW-mBQDgQ) And here is the Tom Jonesified cover… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mrtnibalsec/hqdefault.jpg "Tom Jones - A girl like you") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrtnibalsec) ---
**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:** [August 24, 2020, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/102 "2020-08-24T08:52:16Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > Trent Reznor just sang it, but Cash _lived_ it. This seems to indicate you think Reznor was just writing the song and singing it without feeling. That is very far from the case. As he himself says in the same interview where he lauds the Cash version: " I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone." Personally, I greatly prefer the NIN version. > These days, I would wager this is the version most people think of when you mention “Blue Monday.” I highly doubt that. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/103 "2020-08-24T13:59:06Z")
Keeping with NIN, they had a small hit from [this cover](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nEHDmn4zS1k) of a _Joy Division_ B-side, _“Dead Souls”_. It didn’t hurt that the cover was featured in the movie, _The Crow._ _Joy Division_ sounds a bit like a early 80s version of the _Velvet Underground_ trope: they didn’t have many fans, but everyone of them started a band. Not that they were around very long before Ian Curtis’s suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/104 "2020-08-24T16:50:50Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5RDSkR8_AQ0/maxresdefault.jpg "50 Cent - Ayo Technology (Official Music Video) ft. Justin Timberlake") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RDSkR8_AQ0) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DE9IchvpOPk/maxresdefault.jpg "Milow - Ayo Technology (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE9IchvpOPk) Milow’s cover is better. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/105 "2020-08-24T17:48:15Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > In 1998 Orgy made an industrial version of the song. It also charted all over the world and (as I recall) got lots of airplay. These days, I would wager this is the version most people think of when you mention “Blue Monday.” No, simply no. You would lose that wager heavily I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/106 "2020-08-24T17:50:46Z")
Depending on what musical subculture you’re from, Patti Smith’s cover of “Gloria” might be more well known to you than Them’s original. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/107 "2020-08-24T20:03:42Z")
One of my favorite Carpenters songs was the lengthy “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/teBV0EoJJY8/maxresdefault.jpg "Carpenters - Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (Full Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teBV0EoJJY8) I only recently found out that that was a cover of the original by a group named Klaatu, a suspiciously below-the-radar group that was shrouded in controversy as being The Beatles incognito in 1976. And it’s easy to hear Beatles influence (and a dash of Pink Floyd). I like this version, though the Carpenters’ version is the one I grew up with–Karen Carpenter’s angelic voice could have made a phone book sound amazing. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9URM_5R-vWk) ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/108 "2020-08-25T10:18:58Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > In 1998 Orgy made an industrial version of the song. It also charted all over the world and (as I recall) got lots of airplay. These days, I would wager this is the version most people think of when you mention “Blue Monday.” Well, I’m a New Order fan, so naturally I think of them first. Frankly, I’ve never heard of the Orgy version. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2020, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/109 "2020-08-25T12:34:23Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > _Joy Division_ sounds a bit like a early 80s version of the _Velvet Underground_ trope: they didn’t have many fans, They were actually quite popular in their genre. Their singles were number ones on the Indie charts. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/110 "2020-08-25T18:29:43Z")
Yeah, I’ve never heard that version, either (nor have I heard of that band – and I was in college from 1993-1998, so should be the sweet spot for remembering these things.) Meanwhile, today, driving at around 11 a.m. in Chicago, New Order’s “Blue Monday” played on 93.1FM WXRT. It’s a staple song there. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/111 "2020-08-25T18:35:56Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > _Joy Division_ sounds a bit like a early 80s version of the _Velvet Underground_ trope: they didn’t have many fans, but everyone of them started a band. Not that they were around very long before Ian Curtis’s suicide. In the US, maybe. In their home country, not so much. Both their studio albums hit #1 on the UK Indie charts and hit #5 and #6 on the general charts. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/112 "2020-08-25T18:36:41Z")
And the first recorded release was by the fantastic Limeliters. The lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/113 "2020-08-25T18:42:47Z")
This thread and the other proves that anyone who sez “Oh, it’s just a cover” is being a snobbish idiot. Originally the term cover was used when a white singer/band would do a version of a song first made into a hit by Black artists. Many radio stations wouldn’t play music by Black artists, so a white artist would be hired. That has gone away, thankfully, so there should be anything wrong with a new recording of a song. Besides, the music industry hasnt even greed exactly what a “cover” is: Is the original the first recording? First played? First hit? ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/114 "2020-08-25T19:54:00Z")
I recently made a playlist of covers for a MS Teams music channel hosted by a coworker. https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL4AWJREyuuN25BuJ9nWpslybuB0TrYMpY&wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=1&enablejsapi=1 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/115 "2020-08-25T20:16:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Originally the term cover was used when a white singer/band would do a version of a song first made into a hit by Black artists. Do you have a source for this, out of curiosity? (Not saying that white artists didn’t remake Black music; just curious as to whether that was the original source of the term.) ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/116 "2020-08-25T20:19:08Z")
Well, _I_ definitely think of the Orgy version when I think of “Blue Monday”. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/117 "2020-08-25T20:30:53Z")
The original Soul version of Knock on Wood by Eddie Floyd was a decent hit back in 1966 [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Kceiks__PsE/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDtWTD53SRDpUoF8Ua9Gw_8vpzWug "Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kceiks__PsE) But I’m going to suggest the 1979 Amii Stewart disco version is better known (and it was certainly a bigger hit) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XKuJUxGntRI/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BYACwASKAgwIABABGEkgZSg8MA8=&rs=AOn4CLAzzMPXarFxu6OhPUKiDwyUaAr4Jg "Amii Stewart - Knock On Wood (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKuJUxGntRI) TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/118 "2020-08-25T20:33:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Do you have a source for this, out of curiosity? (Not saying that white artists didn’t remake Black music; just curious as to whether that was the original source of the term.) [Wiki contradicts that,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version#:~:text=In%20popular%20music%2C%20a%20cover,of%20a%20previously%20recorded%20song.) at least for the original use of the term. Of the two earliest examples they cite, Paul Williams’ _Hucklebuck_ in 1949 and Hank Williams’ _Jamabalaya_ in 1952, Paul Williams was black and Hank Williams was white. Certainly in the rock and roll era many white musicians covered songs by black ones, but that’s not the origin of the term. Elvis covered songs by both black musicians like _Hound Dog_ by Big Mama Thornton (though it was written by two white songwriters), but also by white ones like _Blue Suede Shoes_ by Carl Perkins. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/119 "2020-08-25T21:05:21Z")
**Bruce Springsteen** wrote and recorded **Fire** in 1977 but decided not to release it. He gave the track to **Robert Gordon** who gave it the Rockabilly treatment in 1977/8 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rQJaMpXH0X0/maxresdefault.jpg "Fire") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQJaMpXH0X0) The massive version was **The Pointer Sisters** effort of 1978 which reached Number 2 in the US charts [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K9S5EZgIJck/maxresdefault.jpg "Pointer Sisters - Fire") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9S5EZgIJck) **Bruce** had always played the song in concert and eventually released his own live version in 1986 when it was a modest hit [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pxnNidqdOZI/hqdefault.jpg "Bruce Springsteen - Fire - Lyrics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxnNidqdOZI) According to Wiki, **Bruce** initially thought to offer it to **Elvis Presley** and sent him a demo but sadly **Elvis** died before it arrived. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/120 "2020-08-25T21:15:17Z")
No love for [Robin Williams’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhbrFGcYabA) version? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591.md?page=7)