Cover versions of songs

[hangrylady]

Just a lighthearted musing! I was listening to the radio earlier and they played Baby Can I Hold You by Boyzone. An absolute abomination when compared to the original by Tracy Chapman. The only example of a cover that I think is better than the original is Only You by Yazoo, which is far superior to the weird Flying Pickets version. Can anyone think of any more songs where the cover is better than the original?

@UniKittie

For me, Whitney’s version of I Will Always Love You is better than the original.

I read that even Dolly agrees with that!

Renan Zonta, Cry Baby

@HelloCanYouHearMe

For me, Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry's version of Jealous Guy is much better than the John Lennon original

You beat me to it.

Lots of my preferred covers are on here (Man Who Sold The World, Hurt, Hallelujah etc)
I really like Placebos cover of "Running Up That Hill"
Also Guns N Roses version of "Live and Let Die" is vastly superior imo
Agree with the posters who say covers of Bob Dylan are better than the original, although I do have a soft spot for "Subterranean Homesick Blues"

Cyndi Lauper's girls just wanna have fun. The origional, sung by a man(!) is beyond creepy.

I love radio 1 live lounge for this stuff. I had a whole playlist of my fave covers on YouTube music that took me ages to compile and then one day all my playlists just vanished 😭 some could suggestions on here for when I make another one.

Anyway off the top of my head

Sound of silence - Disturbia
Wrecking Ball - James Arthur
We can't stop - Bastille
It's a sin - years and years
Pink - bohemian rhapsody
Happier than ever - Kelly Clarkson
I will wait -little mix
Love yourself - Halsey

Red Hot Chilli Peppers cover of Higher Ground.
PWEIs cover of Beaver Patrol, I'm prepared for flaming over this one.
Carter USMs cover of This is How it Feels

Radiohead's version of "Nobody does it better".

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the world. Placebo - Running Up That Hill

I love radio 1 live lounge for this stuff
If you like Live Lounge check out Tripe J's Like a version. Same idea. The DMA's cover of Cher's Believe is pretty good as is AB Original doing Dumb Things ( along with the original singer Paul Kelly)DMAs

Talking about covers and Like a version it was a bit of a suprise (maybe?) for the Wiggles covering Tame Impala's Elephant and winning the hottest 100! It's not a bad cover to be fair!

Sisters Of Mercy's version of Jolene.
Abney Park's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which is creepy AF and I'm absolutely here for it. (If the Child Catcher had done it instead, that's the Abney Park version!) They have done a whole series of weird covers over lockdown, probably bored at home. See also their version of Sia's Ho Ho Ho.

TheNumberfaker Ray of Light by Madonna isn't a cover

@WhiskersPete

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the world. Placebo - Running Up That Hill

Are you me? Those were the exact two I was going to post! Can’t stand Kate Bush but love the placebo version.

I also prefer the scissor sisters version of comfortably numb, but like the previous poster know this is controversial

It's not exactly a cover, but back when The Eagles were Linda Ronstadt's backing band she did a version of Desperado which is far superior to the Eagles' own.

FunkySlippers
TheNumberfaker Ray of Light by Madonna isn't a cover

www.covermesongs.com/2020/07/thats-a-cover-ray-of-light-madonna-curtiss-maldoon.html

Chris Cornell ‘Billie Jean’

CCR - Heard it through the grapevine, all day long. Absolutely amazing tune.

I prefer Phoebe Bridgers cover of Fake Plastic Trees over the Radiohead version.

@angieloumc. Take a listen to Pentatonix version of Sound Of Silence. Dare i say it is better than the Simon and Garfunkel and Disturbia versions

@DinosaursEatMan

Chris Cornell ‘Billie Jean’

Love this. Don't know if I think it's better than the original but it's a bloody amazing cover nonetheless !

To add to @MrsRussell with The Sisters ‘Jolene’ (also rate the White Stripes cover) they also have a cracking cover of ‘Gimme Shelter’. Though Clan of Xymox do ‘Alice’ better, IMHO.

I’ll go back under my rock now…

@MrsWidgerysLodger

It’s certainly very different

The Dead South's version of This Little light of mine is a lot of fun

Oh I just realised I typed Disturbia instead of Disturbed, what a twit!
I really love both versions of Our Lips are Sealed by the Go-go's and Fun Boy Three, not sure which came first but I believe Terry Hall wrote it.