What covers of music do you prefer to the original, and which original do you prefer over the cover?

[Soubriquet]

I’m a gleek. I enjoy watching glee a lot and I do like a lot of their covers.

I can’t remember all of them but start with

Last Friday Night by Katy Perry. Covered by Darren Kriss aka Blaine Anderson. I much prefer the cover to this. The original seems to lack depth.

On the other hand Here’s to us by Halestorm covered by Lea Michele aka Rachel Berry is no where near as good. Lzzy Hale just rules every song of hers and no one can compare to that.

New England by Kirsty MacColl beats Billy Bragg (but I'm now wondering if he did actually record it).

No Regrets by the Walker Brothers beats the original.

I think Disturbed's Sound of Silence is dreadful. Only ever heard of it when Alan Partridgeesque FIL made us sit through it as he thought it was amazing.

Arctic Monkeys 'Love Machine' by Girls Aloud

Heaven by Alice DJ. I am a proper rock fan but for some reason absolutely love this 🤔

Nivarna's cover of Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World.

Taken by trees version of sweet child of mine.
Agree with soft cell as well.

I like a properly different cover version. I get fed up of cover versions which are just slowed down, warbly versions of faster ones. But I do like Julia Jacklin's version of The Strokes' Someday.

Craig Charles does a segment on radio 6, where he plays alternative cover versions. Not forgiven him for the shockingly bad version of smells like teen spirit heplayed on bank holiday Monday though.

@Misknit yes! Absolutely!

Alien Ant Farm's cover of Smooth Criminal

Original- Snow Patrol’s Run.

Cover- Robson and Jerome’s Daydream Believer but this may be a personal connection!

Two immediately spring to mind. Billy Paul's version of Your Song over Elton John's and Phil Lynott's version of Old Town over The Corrs.

My Name is Luka - slightly prefer Suzanne Vega's original to the Lemomheads cover

Superstar - prefer the Sonic Youth cover to the Carpenters original, it's really haunting & poignant.

I love Stevie Wonder's version of We Can Work it Out, rather than by The Beatles.

I prefer UB40's version of Can't Help Falling in Love to the Elvis version.

I hate the Cyndi Lauder and Celine Dion versions of I Drove All Night compared to Roy Orbison.

And I don't hate the Ellie Goulding version of How Long Will I Love You, but I do prefer it by The Waterboys.

Etta James - 'At last'- so much better than the original.
I prefer most originals to covers though.

Valerie by Amy Winehouse and mark Ronson; waaaaay better than the original

My Girl (Otis Redding , almost a year after The Temptations recorded it ).
Can’t think of any Elvis or Leonard Cohen cover version I prefer to the originals, but Always on my Mind by the Pet Shop Boys is pretty darned good !

Adele - Make you Feel My Love is so much better than Bob Dylan.

Yes to Soft Cell Tainted Love but I also prefer David Gray's Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Wheatus, A little Respect

And Mrs Robinson - loved that version of the track

And this

@Oldraver came to say the opposite, much prefer Soft Cell's Say Hello Wave Goodbye.

Controversial one but I prefer June Tabor & Oysterband's Love Will Tear Us Apart.

I also prefer Girls Aloud's Jump to the original.

Melanie's version of Ruby Tuesday, rather than The Stones one.

Funky Town, as covered by Pseudo Echo.

Al Greene’s ‘How do you mend a broken heart?’ over the BeeGees’ original.

I think Iggy Pop’s version of ‘China Girl’ just pips Bowie’s, although they both wrote it but recorded it at different times -I do love the riff that Nile Rogers added to the Bowie version, though. I also equally like Roberta Flack’s and the Fugees’ versions of ‘Killing me softly’.

Randy Crawford’s ‘You might need somebody’ is better than Shola Ama’s cover.

The Carpenters’ cover of ‘Ticket to Ride’ is better than The Beatles’ original because Karen’s voice is so haunting.

Agree that Amy’s version of ‘Valerie’ is much better.

Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor

Sea of Love - prefer Cat Power version

Comfortably Numb - prefer Scissor Sisters

Could it be magic- prefer Donna Summer (and MacArthur Park)

Agree about Disturbed Sound of Silence, gives me goosebumps. Hate the Adele version of Make You Feel My Love. Awful