Originals vs Cover versions

[OooohLaLa]

I was woken up by my alarm playing Dolly's dulcet tones gently warbling
'I Will Always Love You'.
Love her singing her song though I do also like Whitney's 90s cover.

What songs do you think are better as covers, and vice versa?

I would say Amy Winehouses "Valerie" is far better than the Zuton's original!
Awful cover was the Matt Cardle from xfactor destroying Biffy Clyros "many of horror" absolutely hate it (luckily don't hear it much these days)

Like a hurricane... I first heard it by The Mission then later discovered it was by Neil Young. I like both versions but listen to the original more now.

Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U is unbeatable IMHO.

I love Johnny Cash's version of Hurt, not better just different though from the NIN original.

Elton John breathed new life into 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. The Beatles' original hasn't got the same buzz.

Hurt by Johnny Cash instead of 9" nails

Live and Let Die by Guns n' Roses instead of the Beatles

I preferred Olivia Newton-John's cover of Jolene to Dolly Parton's original - it was the first I heard (didn't even know it was Dolly's till fairly recently).

Also much preferred Manfred Mann's version of Blinded By the Light to Bruce Springsteen's original. Nothing to do with the lyrics, which I can't fathom in either version, it was just the one I knew as a teenager and when I heard Bruce's forty years later it didn't have the same punch.

Mostly for me it's whichever I heard first that will be the version I prefer.

Nico's cover of "These Days" I prefer to the Jackson Browne original.

Candi Staton's You Got The Love is good, but I much prefer Florence and The Machine's version.

I just came on to say the same about Valerie! Nothing on Amy Winehouse as I adore her but the Zutons version rarely gets any airplay and it's infinitely better.

Also the Red Hot Chili Peppers' cover of If You Want Me to Stay by Sly & the Family Stone.

I came on to say the horror that is Matt Cardle's version of the sublime Many of Horror. Even down to the change in title so that X factor fans would "get it"

I was watching Rick Astley sing As it Was on New Years Eve and thought that he was better than Harry Styles.

Van Halen's cover of the Kinks "You Really Got Me"
Quiet Riot's "Cum On Feel The Noise"
Mama's Boys "Mama We're All Crazee Now"
Brian May "Since You Been Gone" (The Rainbow one, not Kelly Clarkson)
Linkin Park covered "Rolling In The Deep" which was pretty good too.

Prefer Nirvana's cover of Man Who Sold The World.
Also prefer the Guns n Roses cover of Live And Let Die.

Joe Cocker's With a Little Help from my Friends is better than the Beatles in my opinion.

The Damned's Eloise is a million times better than the original by Paul& Barry Ryan

Cakes version of I will Survive is waaaaay better than the original.

kd lang’s Hallelujah is better than Cohen’s.

The Lemonheads’ Mrs Robinson is as good as S&G, but in a different way.

Was coming on to post this, but also to add Soft Cell’s version of Tainted Love as superior to the original.

Much prefer the Communards' version of "Don't Leave Me This Way"
Also Earth Wind and Fire's version of "Got to get you into my Life"
And The Damned's version of "Eloise"

Godhead’s version of Eleanor Rigby is cracking, and I prefer it over the original.

Natasha Bedingfield the Scientist is amazing. (Coldplay)

Birdy covering The A Team. (Ed Sheeran)

I love the originals but the covers are incredible

Joni Mitchell’s ‘A case of you’ is one of my all time faves but now have a preference for James Blake’s version.

Similarly, Sara Jarosz cover of ‘A simple twist of fate’ rather than Dylan and Marianne Faithfull’s ‘It’s all over now baby blue’ (also Dylan)

Disturbed - The Sound Of Silence

The stranglers walk on by

The fall lost in music

Johnny cash one

Yes, I love Lemonhead's version.

I also love Wheatus's version of A Little Respect, and No Doubt's version of It's My Life.