Cover versions shouldn't be direct copies of the originals?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

They keep playing Sam Smith's new version of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' on Radio 2. What on earth is the point of it? Why did anybody (I think I can guess who) see the need for Sam to go to the trouble of recording and releasing a song that sounds pretty much identical (albeit not as well sung) as the original? Even the instrumentation sounds very much like a direct copy.

Surely a cover version is meant to be a different interpretation of a song, isn't it? At least bring a little something extra or alternative to the table?

Like them or not, I'm thinking of meaningful and well thought-out covers such as:
Cyndi Lauper vs. Roy orbison with 'I Drove All Night'
Dolly Parton vs. Whitney Houston with 'I Will Always Love You'
Dougie MacLean vs. Amy Macdonald with 'Caledonia'.
Prince v.s Sinead O'Connor with 'Nothing Compares To You'

If it's a tribute act/show or local karaoke/soundalike competition, then all well and good; but if it's just a commercially-released song that is available to buy/listen to in exactly the same places as the identical original version??? Is it just me?!

I like Sophia Somajo's cover of Private Dancer (Tina Turner). Quite unexpected

I love a metal cover. Machine heads version of message in a bottle and Disturbed's version of land of confusion are great.

Callum Scott's cover of Dancing on my own is terrible and for some reason gets played all the time! There are times when you shouldn't try and make something your own.. This is one of them.

Oops, I meant Futureheads

To compound my embarrassment, can I offer up The Carpenters’ version of Desperado as a favourite cover?

Talking of The Carpenters, I also like their cover version of Neil Sedaka's 'Solitaire'. They're not that astoundingly different, but they do each have their own distinctive feel to them.

Oddly enough, Neil sings it in a higher key/pitch than Karen does.