# What are your favourite covers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647 "2006-07-22T23:49:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Caparazon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@Caparazon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caparazon)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/1 "2006-07-22T23:49:29Z")
This could be a very long thread. And it’s simple: what is the best cover that you’ve heard? For me there are lots, so I will mention those that in my opinion are superior than the original: 1.- Fields of gold by Eva Cassidy.- 2.- One by Johnny Cash.- 3.- Redemption song by Johnny Cash.- 4.- Louie Louie by The Clash.- 5.- What a wonderfull world by The Ramones.- What are your favourite’s covers? ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/2 "2006-07-23T00:50:57Z")
“Ring of Fire” by Universal Hall Pass (Melissa Kaplan). You can download it [here](http://www.universalhallpass.com/music/01%20Ring%20of%20Fire%201.mp3) (direct link to the mp3 from her website). It’s really interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/3 "2006-07-23T00:51:32Z")
> [@Caparazon](#): > > This could be a very long thread. And it’s simple: what is the best cover that you’ve heard? > > For me there are lots, so I will mention those that in my opinion are superior than the original: > > 1.- Fields of gold by Eva Cassidy.- > 2.- One by Johnny Cash.- > 3.- Redemption song by Johnny Cash.- > 4.- Louie Louie by The Clash.- > 5.- What a wonderfull world by The Ramones.- > > What are your favourite’s covers? I definitely agree with Fields of Gold. I heard that Sting cried when he heard it. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (I think that’s my all-time favorite cover) Happy Rhodes - _Ashes To Ashes_ ([here](http://wretchawry.com/happy/samples/HappyRhodes_RhodeSongs12_AshesToAshes(AcousticCover).mp3)), _Mercy Street_ ([here](http://wretchawry.com/happy/rarities/ProjectLoWithHappyRhodes_MercyStreet.mp3)) and _Space Oddity_ ([here](http://wretchawry.com/happy/rarities/HappyRhodesLive_TinAngel10-12-96_2ndShow08_SpaceOddity.mp3), but it’s an audience recording) Kate Bush - Lord of the Reedy River Mary Hopkin - Lord of the Reedy River Victoria Williams - What A Wonderful World Nan Vernon - While My Guitar Gently Weeps Kirsty MacColl - Days Those are just a few of dozens. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/4 "2006-07-23T00:51:44Z")
Hard to choose just one. Recently I picked up the new Lacuna Coil CD which has a pretty awesome version of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”, it went right on the playlist with Orgy’s “Blue Monday”, In Flames’ “Everything Counts”, and “Clones” by the Smashing Pumpkins. The world’s funniest cover has got to be [David Grohl butchering “Stairway to Heaven”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juCQ1BteSW4) on the Craig Kilborne show. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/5 "2006-07-23T00:54:25Z")
Janis Joplin’s cover of _Me & Bobby McGee_ ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/6 "2006-07-23T00:55:42Z")
The four that immediately spring to mind are; 1. Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s _All Along The Watchtower_\* 2. Jimi Hendrix’s version of The Troggs _Wild Thing_ 3. Joe Cocker’s version of The Beatles _With A Little Help From My Friends_ 4. Nils Lofgren’s version of The Yardbirds _For Your Love_ \*Most people will know that Dylan himself preferred Hendrix’s cover. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/7 "2006-07-23T02:06:23Z")
Dave Edmunds’ covers of Smiley Lewis’ “I Hear You Knocking” and Chuck Berry’s “The Promised Land” Smith’s cover of The Shirelles’ “Baby It’s You” Atlanta Rhythm Section’s cover of the Classics IV’s “Spooky” Harry Nilsson’s cover of Badfinger’s “Without You” The Beatles’ cover of Barrett Strong’s “Money” The Jeff Beck Group’s cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Ain’t Superstitious” Charity Brown’s cover of Mary Wells’ “You Beat Me To The Punch” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s cover of Dale Hawkins’ “Suzie Q” Tim Curry’s cover of Dionne Warwick’s “Anyone Who Had A Heart” Downchild Blues Band’s cover of the widely-performed “Caldonia” The Everly Brothers’ cover of Paul McCartney’s “On The Wings Of A Nightingale” The Brothers Johnson’s covers of Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23” and The Beatles’ “Come Together” The Lovemongers’ cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Battle Of Evermore” Johnny Rivers’ cover of Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s “Rockin’ Pneumonia - Boogie Woogie Flu” The Rolling Stones’ cover of The Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” Rare Earth’s cover of The Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” Rod Stewart’s cover of The Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” (can’t keep a good song down!) Linda Ronstadt’s cover of Betty Everett’s “You’re No Good” Rufus’ cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Tell Me Something Good” Aretha Franklin’s cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Until You Come Back To Me” David Lee Roth’s cover of Louis Prima’s “Just A Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody” Todd Rundgren’s cover of The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” Jackie Shane’s cover of William Bell’s “Any Other Way” James Taylor’s cover of Jimmy Jones’ “Handy Man” Three Dog Night’s cover of Harry Nilsson’s “One” Ike & Tina Turner’s cover of CCR’s “Proud Mary” Rick Derringer’s cover of his own “Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo”, done first by Johnny Winter There are a few, off the top of my head, of covers that I think own the originals, except for Todd, which is a draw, as it’s a note-for-note replication. I collect original versions of famous covers, and have all these and many more. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/8 "2006-07-23T02:06:51Z")
Continuing with Joe Cocker, I love his version of “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”, from the _Two Rooms_ album. I also love this version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” performed by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, a Hawaiian man (unfortunately deceased), with just his vocals and a ukelele. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/9 "2006-07-23T02:30:14Z")
Rufus Wainwright’s cover of “Across the Universe” is one of my all-time favorite songs. It’s the song I was listening to when I finally decided to come out. Any time I get stressed out or worried about the future, I play it and it always grounds me again. Been playing it a lot, lately. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/10 "2006-07-23T02:41:41Z")
In 1970, Black Sabbath took an obscure, 3 year old, 3:25 long track by entitled _Warning_ by Aynsley Dunbar’s Retaliation and turned it into 10 1/2 minutes of crunching hard blues perfection. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/11 "2006-07-23T02:58:34Z")
> [@ErinPuff](#): > > “Ring of Fire” by Universal Hall Pass (Melissa Kaplan). You can download it [here](http://www.universalhallpass.com/music/01%20Ring%20of%20Fire%201.mp3) (direct link to the mp3 from her website). It’s really interesting. That is … something. I love her voice and enjoy the music but I cannot decide if I like the song or really, really hate it. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/12 "2006-07-23T03:06:04Z")
Foo Fighters doing Gerry Rafftery’s “Baker Street.” Foo Fighters doing Prince’s “Darling Nikki.” Michael Stipe and Natalie Merchant doing “To Sir With Love.” ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/13 "2006-07-23T03:36:45Z")
Johnny Cash’s reading of Nick Cave’s “The Mercy Seat” really impresses me. It’s a very complex story that Cash manages to re-edit and reduce to something somehow more majestic and yet terrible. mm ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/14 "2006-07-23T04:03:09Z")
Fiona Apple’s cover of the Beatles _Across The Universe_. Okay. You may all flog me now. But I just love the way the lyrics mesh with her “oh well… who cares… I’m skanky and I sing flat” personality. It seems, sometimes, like the Beatles existed principally to write and record songs so that other people could make different, better covers of them. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/15 "2006-07-23T04:06:52Z")
The Fatboy Slim remix of _Body Movin’_ is so completely different (and superior) to the Beastie Boy’s version as to qualify as a cover, IMO. Shaft’s cover of _Sway_ (Mucho Mambo). Creedence Clearwater Revival’s cover of _I Heard It Through The Grapevine_ Hooked On Classics. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/16 "2006-07-23T04:08:30Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Fiona Apple’s cover of the Beatles _Across The Universe_. > > Okay. You may all flog me now. But I just love the way the lyrics mesh with her “oh well… who cares… I’m skanky and I sing flat” personality. > > It seems, sometimes, like the Beatles existed principally to write and record songs so that other people could make different, better covers of them. Agreed! Fiona Apple’s cover of this song is one of the few “Sad” songs I actually like… ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/17 "2006-07-23T04:18:18Z")
Hmm am going to turn my favorite cover on right now. **Annie Lennox - Waiting In Vain** So so pretty. So so bittersweet. ---
**Author:** ![jemmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/65b543/32.png) [@jemmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jemmy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/18 "2006-07-23T05:58:35Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > Hard to choose just one. Recently I picked up the new Lacuna Coil CD which has a pretty awesome version of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”, it went right on the playlist with Orgy’s “Blue Monday”, In Flames’ “Everything Counts”, and “Clones” by the Smashing Pumpkins. > > The world’s funniest cover has got to be [David Grohl butchering “Stairway to Heaven”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juCQ1BteSW4) on the Craig Kilborne show. 😉 They also covered “Tiny Dancer” on Kilborne. Hilarious. Anyone have a link to that? ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/19 "2006-07-23T06:50:22Z")
Without question, my favourite cover of all time is Jeff Buckley’s version of _Halleluja_. Listen to it; this song will just make you _ache_. I know there are a few Kate Bush fans poking around, but I thought that the Futureheads one-upped her on _Hounds of Love_. Their echoey vocals on the intro absolutely sell it for me. Blasphemy? Galaxie 500 did an astonishingly moody cover of _Isn’t it a Pity_. Hard to improve on George Harrison, but there you go. The Bangles was my favourite band when I was eight. Their cover of _Hazy Shade of Winter_ had a fierce insistency that Simon & Garfunkel’s never had. Lastly, I’ll nominate Frente’s _Bizarre Love Triangle_. They took one of my least favourite New Order synth-orgies of dance-pop and gave it new life as an acoustic ballad. ---
**Author:** ![DarRRva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@DarRRva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarRRva)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647/20 "2006-07-23T11:04:08Z")
I have to say, among my favourites are: Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit Tori Amos - I don’t like mondays Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb Marylin manson - Tainted Love Ben harper - The Drugs Don’t Work Strawpeople - Drive Placebo - Running Up That Hill Joan Baez - Imagine Mandalay - I don’t want the night to end Garbage - Wild Horses Save Ferris - Come On Eileen natalie Merchant - Symapthy For The Devil Emiliana Torrini - If You Go Away Cyndi Lauper - Unchained Melody [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favourite-covers/365647.md?page=2)