Tonight I realized that a few of the American Idol performances this year have replaced the original versions of the songs as THE version in my mind. For example, when “Mad World” earworms through my head daily, it’s not Tears for Fears’ or even Gary Jules’ but Adam Lambert’s interpretation that is driving me slowly mad. (warning: YouTube link)
Others from this season are Allison Iraheta’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (I prefer the televised performance to the studio recording) and Kris Allen’s “Falling Slowly.” And while nobody can ever replace Johnny Cash’s version of “Ring of Fire,” Adam Lambert’s is the one in my music library.
From last season, David Cook’s “Little Sparrow” is still insanely catchy a year later, and his “Always Be My Baby” justifies Mariah Carey’s existence (barely!).
Does anyone else have a favorite Idol performance which rivals the original, or even makes a once-terrible song great?
In 2006, Ace Young did “Father Figure”. Totally, totally blew George Michael’s original out of the water. I can barely stand to listen to the original now.
I much prefer David Cook’s version of “Music of the Night” to Gerard Butler’s or anyone else’s that I’ve heard. David sings it softly and seductively, while Butler pretty much shouts it at the poor girl.
Also, thanks for that link to “Mad World”. I hadn’t heard anything by Adam Lambert before (skipping Idol this year), and that was really beautiful.
I had never heard the song “Somewhere Only We Know” until Blake Lewis sang it.
I heard the original Keane version and thing Blake’s version far outdoes it.
I’m very “blah” on American Idol in general (haven’t watched in a couple years, got tired of seeing the better singers kicked off early), but I went to check this one out on YouTube just to see… beats the crap out of the original for sure.
David Cook’s “Billie Jean” is better than both the Michael Jackson original and the Chris Cornell arrangement that he used. I don’t often say that someone is a better singer than Chris Cornell.
Taylor Hicks’ “Takin’ It To The Streets” was also better than the original.
I think Katharine McPhee’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” qualifies for me, to say nothing of her “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Bringing out the Elvis in Me” (I really liked her).
By the by: Jasmine Trias’s “It’s Raining Men” also counts in my book, but I think that’s a very singular opinion that is unlikely to be shared by anyone else.
Dittos to the David Cook songs already mentioned. In fact, just about any cover he’s done has become better to me than the original. I really like his voice.
Blake sounds like an amateur (and is off key in many points)
In response to the OP
Adam’s “Mad World” is better than the original
David Cook’s “Hello” and “Billy Jean” are awesome remakes (can’t say if they’re better or worse than the originals, since it’s comparing apples and oranges)
For some reason, local radio has been playing the hell out of Bon Jovi’s You Give Love A Bad Name recently. And every time I hear it now, I think “wait…where’s the beatboxing?”
I just listened to Mad World, and the thing that grates on me is the ridiculous overproduction (and over singing, imo). Gary Jules made it a delicate, sadly cynical song, and the AI version seems to be purposefully lampooning it with THOOM—KACHOONG 80’s style drums, redundant backup singers, and a string arrangement that adds nothing but cheese and takes away the sparseness that made the other cover so poignant. The singer sounds too concerned with his vibrato and doesn’t really channel the same feeling of loneliness and quiet exasperation that Gary Jules does.
I will agree that it sounds a little better than the original, but there’s no contest to Gary Jules’ version to my ears.
