# 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:** 8
**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:** [August 27, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/141 "2020-08-27T20:47:22Z")
FWIW, between them Rockpile (Nick Lowe and friends) and Brinsley Schwarz (Nick Lowe and friends) had an influence that extended _everywhere_ in British music. Costello, Graham Parker, Ducks Deluxe, the Feelgoods. Dave Robinson (manager) founded Stiff Records (The Damned, Ian Dury, Madness etc) and worked for Island - and so the influences go on. Dave Edmunds was Johnny Cash’s son-in-law, for crissakes. j ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/142 "2020-08-27T20:51:52Z")
One of my all-time favorite songs, “St. James Infirmary” has relatively ancient antecedents (supposedly going back to the 18th century) but was first recorded by Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra in 1927. It became a hit for Louis Armstrong and _his_ Orchestra in a 1928 recording. However I’m going to argue that it really hit national awareness in this acid-trip sequence from the Betty Boop “Snow White” animated film, as performed by Cab Calloway: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8r-6_EBw6T8/maxresdefault.jpg "BETTY BOOP: SNOW-WHITE Cab Calloway / Koko the Clown Sings St. James Infirmary Blues (1933 1080p HD)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r-6_EBw6T8) Or if you prefer, here’s Koko the Clown singing the White Stripes’ version: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C1ASTu7XNts/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AGaBIACpAOKAgwIABABGBogZShXMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBaV_H3ybAEfW5JgfAiQEYsZQyBQA ""St. James Infirmary Blues" - The White Stripes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ASTu7XNts) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/143 "2020-08-27T20:53:08Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Dave Edmunds was Johnny Cash’s son-in-law, for crissakes. Sorry, this is the Dope where we have to nitpick: Johnny’s son-in-law was Nick Lowe, who also wrote “The Beast In Me” for him. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/144 "2020-08-27T21:01:31Z")
Goddamn! I always make that mistake! j ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/145 "2020-08-27T21:17:54Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > But I have a little difficulty with calling Nick Lowe’s work “a tad light-weight” Nick himself at one point described his music as “disposable”. But one cannot overlook the fact that he rick-rolled all of us [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/m6hzkBihaew/hqdefault.jpg "Nick Lowe - "All Men Are Liars" (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6hzkBihaew) long before anyone had ever heard of rick-rolling. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/146 "2020-08-27T21:22:13Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Elton John’s pinball wizard from the Tommy movie is very good. Pretty sure it was a bigger hit than the Who’s version. As you probably know it’s mostly a piano song with guitars. Who’s version was guitar/bass/drums/vocals. There’s no way it was a bigger hit than The Who’s original version: cite [Pinball Wizard - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Wizard) The original still gets airplay on classic rock stations. But the Elton John version (which I do like) faded like the movie version of “Tommy” did. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/147 "2020-08-27T21:40:52Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Nick himself at one point described his music as “disposable”. But one cannot overlook the fact that he rick-rolled all of us Light-weight or not, but he’s always been a funny guy 😆 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/148 "2020-08-27T21:54:32Z")
I hear he feeds his dog dead actresses. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/149 "2020-08-28T01:13:34Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > Less different is the old Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah: I came to this song by way of Shrek. You can buy the soundtrack but for some reason, they put a version by Rufus Wainright on it, not John Cale. You can also find Cale singing it (Music from Scrubs) but it isn’t THIS version. AFAICT John Cale’s version from the film is not available for purchase in MP3 or CD form. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nN1npZG3edI/hqdefault.jpg "Shrek hallelujah") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN1npZG3edI) > [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Elton John’s pinball wizard from the Tommy movie is very good. Pretty sure it was a bigger hit than the Who’s version. This reminds me of Elton covering Lennon’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” but I’m too lazy to look up which sold more. The girl with colitis goes by… ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/150 "2020-08-28T01:28:18Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > This reminds me of Elton covering Lennon’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” but I’m too lazy to look up which sold more. The girl with colitis goes by… The Beatles version never was a single, I don’t know if Elton John’s version was. At least the Beatles LP it was on sold several millions and is one of the most famous albums of all time, so I doubt that Elton John’s version sold more. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/151 "2020-08-28T01:52:46Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > The Beatles version never was a single, I don’t know if Elton John’s version was. At least the Beatles LP it was on sold several millions and is one of the most famous albums of all time, so I doubt that Elton John’s version sold more. I came along later, so I can’t speak to what the Beatles released as singles. It has, of course, become famous. Wikipedia says: Among its many cover versions, a 1974 recording by [Elton John](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John), with a guest appearance by Lennon, was a number 1 hit in the US and Canada. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/152 "2020-08-28T02:44:30Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > One of my favorite Carpenters songs was the lengthy “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” But this is the _definitive_ cover (The Langley Schools) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x8wykEr8rqs/maxresdefault.jpg "The Langley Schools Music Project - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (Official)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8wykEr8rqs) ---
**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:** [August 28, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/153 "2020-08-28T06:07:14Z")
The Byrd’s “Turn, Turn, Turn” was way better than the Bible’s version, and totally different. The Bible is still a bigger seller, though. \< Pete Seeger slams his guitar down and stalks off \> ---
**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:** [August 28, 2020, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/154 "2020-08-28T23:14:31Z")
A couple from Warren Zevon: Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ is great, but Warren Zevon’s star-studded cover is awesome - not least because he was literally knocking on heaven’s door when he performed it. He only had a few months to live, and knew it. He died before the Album was released. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jKHFWpaTUmY/hqdefault.jpg "Warren Zevon-Knocking on Heaven's Door") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKHFWpaTUmY) At the end you can hear him calling ‘Open up! Open up for me!’ Another obscure Zevon cover, he did an album of covers with REM as his backing band under the name ‘Hindu Love Gods’. Here’s their cover of Prince’s ‘Raspberry Beret’: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eTiGGY86NZI/hqdefault.jpg "Warren Zevon - Raspberry Beret") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTiGGY86NZI) ---
**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:** [August 28, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/155 "2020-08-28T23:26:15Z")
I missed another awesome, and very different Zevon cover. Steve Winwood originally performed ‘back in the high life again’ as kind of an uplifting, ‘I’ll be back even though I’m down now’ song: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Adw772km7PQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Steve Winwood - Back In The High Life Again (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adw772km7PQ) Zevon, in typical fashion, turned it into more of a cynical song by someone who thinks they’ll make it back, but it ain’t happening. It’s also much better than the original. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mo3lxKrjABE/hqdefault.jpg "Back in the High Life Again: Warren Zevon") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo3lxKrjABE) ---
**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 29, 2020, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/156 "2020-08-29T09:47:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > this cite gives both answers: > > 97.3 The Dawg: > _What’s the difference between a cover and a remake? Why do we call them “cover” songs? There’s a dark past behind some of music’s biggest hits._ That article makes a distinction between “cover” and “remake”. I haven’t used the term “remake” in decades. I’ve always thought of them as interchangeable terms. If the article is correct about the distinction, then “cover” is definitely the appropriate term for this thread! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/157 "2020-08-30T01:25:02Z")
B.J. Thomas’s version of **Hooked on a Feeling** (love that electric sitar) was a #5 hit in 1969, but five years later, here comes _Ooga-Chaka-Ooga-Ooga_ 🤪 by Blue Swede and it goes to #1. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/158 "2020-08-30T04:22:19Z")
“Venus” Shocking Blue, 1969 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aPEhQugz-Ew/hqdefault.jpg "Shocking Blue - Venus (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPEhQugz-Ew) “The Banjo Song” The Big Three, 1963 [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9uqnN3ek2vI/hqdefault.jpg "The Banjo Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uqnN3ek2vI) ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/159 "2020-08-30T14:16:39Z")
Wall of Voodoo’s debut single was a sinister-sounding cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HZn6Y1JWksM/maxresdefault.jpg "WALL OF VOODOO - Ring Of Fire") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZn6Y1JWksM) This is also the answer to the question “What would happen if someone just recorded the Milkdrop animation on Winamp for a song.” ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-was-good-but-it-was-the-radically-different-cover-version-that-was-the-hit/918591/160 "2020-08-30T14:49:25Z")
Was “Without You” as done up by Nilsson different enough from the original by Badfinger? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/49dquH8tn6E/hqdefault.jpg "Without you - Badfinger") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49dquH8tn6E) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G-ZDKirjQgM/hqdefault.jpg "Harry Nilsson Without You 1972 HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZDKirjQgM) [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=7) [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=9)