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Original poster

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

245 replies

Soubriquet · 13/08/2023 18:32

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.

OP posts:
NomNomNominativeDeterminism · 14/08/2023 00:08

Richard Thompson’s cover of Oops I did it again is fun. I mean, not better than Britney. But fun.

NomNomNominativeDeterminism · 14/08/2023 00:12

Also Easy All Stars Dub Side of the Moon. A whole cover album! That’s commitment.

Blarn · 14/08/2023 00:18

Dotcheck · 13/08/2023 23:08

Bloody hate that Disturbed version of Sound of Silence. It’s so over rated and tries too hard.

Prefer Nazareth’s version of This Flight Tonight over Joni Mitchell’s
Prefer Jeff Buckley’s version over Leonard Cohen’s.
Prefer Patty Smith’s ‘Because the Night’

Oooh, I never knew Patti Smith covered Because the Night.

I'm not sure I prefer Disturbed Sound of Silence but I do enjoy watching him sing it live on youtube. It's very emotive.

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Music
QueenBitch666 · 14/08/2023 00:23

Tainted Love - Marilyn Manson 🖤

tiagra · 14/08/2023 00:30

Grace Jones' version of Private Life rather than The Pretenders

The Slits version of Heard It Through The Grapevine rather than Marvin Gaye or CCR

TheCyclingGorilla · 14/08/2023 00:41

Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) 's version of "We Gotta Get Out of this Place". The Animals did a good original but Dan's version updates it.

Wondrous Place by The Last Shadow Puppets. (Original: Billy Fury)

Eagles of Death Metal version of Family Affair by Mary J Blige. It's a bit weird but it works!

SheilaFentiman · 14/08/2023 00:44

Enjoy the Silence covered by Tori Amos

Mad World covered by Adam Lambert on American Idol

VanillaImpulse · 14/08/2023 00:53

"It's my life" covered by No Doubt I like as much as the original by Talk Talk.

I also like both versions of "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak and Parra for Cuva

paisley256 · 14/08/2023 01:14

@tiagra Ooh yeah I love the Grace Jones version of Private Life, good one!

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 14/08/2023 01:31

Any cover of any Bob Dylan song is superior to the original. Man can write. Can't carry a tune in a bucket.

The best person I've ever heard sing any of Bob Dylan's songs is... anybody but Bob Dylan! The man really should have embraced his amazing songwriting skills and partnered with an equally-talented singer. I still cannot believe that The Traveling Wilburys had Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and George Harrison in their number and yet still decided, on many occasions that, no, Bob was the best one to sing lead on this part!

Jim Steinman was a decent enough singer, but even he realised that his skills lay in writing the songs, and so he found an amazing singer to bring them to life, instead of insisting on doing it himself; similarly, Meat Loaf wrote a few songs himself, but they were a very poor relation indeed to Steinman's all-time classics.

I prefer:
Meat Loaf's version of Martha to Tom Waits;
Billy Joel's version of To Make You Feel My Love to Bob Dylan (of course!) and Adele;
Thea Gilmore's version of When I'm Gone to Phil Ochs;
Kate Rusby's version of Village Green Preservation Society to The Kinks;
Johnny Cash's version of Forever Young to Bob Dylan (again!);
Johnny Cash's version of In My Life to The Beatles;
Marvin Gaye's version of Abraham, Martin And John to Dion;
Ray Peterson's version of The Wonder Of You to Elvis.

Not a massive fan of Hallelujah, but if we're looking for the best version, John Cale all the way.

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 02:30

Mommybunny · 13/08/2023 20:46

Always on My Mind by the Pet Shop Boys is imo the best cover ever.

Prefer Fine Young Cannibals cover of Suspicious Minds to Elvis’s.

Prefer Dolly Parton’s original of I Will Always Love You to Whitney Houston’s cover.

Rick Astley’s “cover” of his own Never Gonna Give You Up to a grunge sound with the Foo Fighters is absolute legend (look it up on YouTube).

Patti Smith’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s Because the Night is pretty damn good.

I’ve long thought it would be great to hear Aerosmith’s Don’t Want to Miss a Thing as a lullaby. At the same time I’d love to hear Dolly’s Here You Come Again covered by a man. Dolly and Aerosmith could swap songs and it would be amazing.

Check out Rockabye Baby on YouTube- they turn pop/rock music into lullabies and they've definitely covered Aerosmith.

BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 · 14/08/2023 02:35

TheCyclingGorilla · 14/08/2023 00:41

Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) 's version of "We Gotta Get Out of this Place". The Animals did a good original but Dan's version updates it.

Wondrous Place by The Last Shadow Puppets. (Original: Billy Fury)

Eagles of Death Metal version of Family Affair by Mary J Blige. It's a bit weird but it works!

I must listen to those first two. I love Billy Fury's Wondrous Place.

BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 · 14/08/2023 02:44

TheCyclingGorilla · 14/08/2023 00:41

Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) 's version of "We Gotta Get Out of this Place". The Animals did a good original but Dan's version updates it.

Wondrous Place by The Last Shadow Puppets. (Original: Billy Fury)

Eagles of Death Metal version of Family Affair by Mary J Blige. It's a bit weird but it works!

Wow! Loving the Last Shadow Puppets' cover. Just as good as Billy Fury. Drug Store Romeo also does this one and I like it but not as much.

Like DA/Black Keys version of WGGOOTP, almost as much as The Animals. Almost . Thanks so much

BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 · 14/08/2023 02:45

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 14/08/2023 01:31

Any cover of any Bob Dylan song is superior to the original. Man can write. Can't carry a tune in a bucket.

The best person I've ever heard sing any of Bob Dylan's songs is... anybody but Bob Dylan! The man really should have embraced his amazing songwriting skills and partnered with an equally-talented singer. I still cannot believe that The Traveling Wilburys had Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and George Harrison in their number and yet still decided, on many occasions that, no, Bob was the best one to sing lead on this part!

Jim Steinman was a decent enough singer, but even he realised that his skills lay in writing the songs, and so he found an amazing singer to bring them to life, instead of insisting on doing it himself; similarly, Meat Loaf wrote a few songs himself, but they were a very poor relation indeed to Steinman's all-time classics.

I prefer:
Meat Loaf's version of Martha to Tom Waits;
Billy Joel's version of To Make You Feel My Love to Bob Dylan (of course!) and Adele;
Thea Gilmore's version of When I'm Gone to Phil Ochs;
Kate Rusby's version of Village Green Preservation Society to The Kinks;
Johnny Cash's version of Forever Young to Bob Dylan (again!);
Johnny Cash's version of In My Life to The Beatles;
Marvin Gaye's version of Abraham, Martin And John to Dion;
Ray Peterson's version of The Wonder Of You to Elvis.

Not a massive fan of Hallelujah, but if we're looking for the best version, John Cale all the way.

Re: Dylan. 100% this.

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 02:51

I remembered some more:

I prefer As by George Michael & Mary J Blige.

Ray Lamontagne and Damien Rice did a superb duet cover of To Love Somebody.

Otis Redding did I Can't Get No Satisfaction so much better than the Rolling Stones.

Westlife's cover of More Than Words will never compare to Extreme's version.

And funnily enough @BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 I did think of a differing version one- the American release version of Here I Go Again by Whitesnake sounds like trash in comparison to the UK version. BTW, you're the first person I've heard mention DC Talk in about 20 years ❤️

BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 · 14/08/2023 02:54

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 02:51

I remembered some more:

I prefer As by George Michael & Mary J Blige.

Ray Lamontagne and Damien Rice did a superb duet cover of To Love Somebody.

Otis Redding did I Can't Get No Satisfaction so much better than the Rolling Stones.

Westlife's cover of More Than Words will never compare to Extreme's version.

And funnily enough @BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 I did think of a differing version one- the American release version of Here I Go Again by Whitesnake sounds like trash in comparison to the UK version. BTW, you're the first person I've heard mention DC Talk in about 20 years ❤️

I'm with you on the Otis Redding cover of ICGNS.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has heard of dctalk! Lots of people would look at me and go "huh?"

❤❤❤

Derrymum123 · 14/08/2023 02:56

Only you by The Flying Pickets is far superior to the Alison Moyet/Yazoo version .

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 02:58

@BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 Same! And now I've got happy memories of being 17 and bopping around to Since I Met You!

BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 · 14/08/2023 02:59

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 02:58

@BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 Same! And now I've got happy memories of being 17 and bopping around to Since I Met You!

I was the same age when that came out!

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 02:59

Also a fan of Dream A Little Dream of Me by The Beautiful South.

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 03:01

@BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 Ah to be young again! I think I practically wore out my copies of Supernatural and also Satellite by POD.

BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 · 14/08/2023 03:25

HeathenPlayingHouse · 14/08/2023 03:01

@BrindleAbyssinianGuinea2 Ah to be young again! I think I practically wore out my copies of Supernatural and also Satellite by POD.

Never got into POD. I liked me a lot of delirious?. And Matt Redman.

Gotmygladragson · 14/08/2023 06:43

This may not go down well as I know how much Freddie/Queen are loved (and I love him/them too!) but I adore George Michael’s version of Somebody to Love. Definitely my preference.

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 14/08/2023 07:59

Slightly unusual one, this, but in amidst all of the strong 'polished' singers who have done The Impossible Dream, I think my favourite version of all is the one by Carter USM.

Burning Down The House is much better by Tom Jones & The Cardigans than the Talking Heads original.

Original poster
Soubriquet · 14/08/2023 08:09

whatabeautifulwedding · 13/08/2023 21:57

Darren Criss is an amazing singer.

Panic at the Disco did a great cover of Say It Ain't So by Weezer.

He is. I also prefer his version of Cough Syrup.

But I think it’s because it’s paired with such a dramatic scene (a suicide attempt) that it just hits harder

OP posts: