Great song covers

[Guynemer]

Let's avoid the low hanging fruit of covers that are more famous than the originals (ie, Hendrix's "Watchtower", Franklin's "Respect). Let's focus on those covers where the new artist(s) made the song their own.

Some that leap to mind:

Johnny Cash's "Hurt" (Nine Inch Nails)
Aerosmith's "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" (Shangri-Las)
Cake's "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor)
Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Higher Ground" (Stevie Wonder)
Oak Ridge Boys' "Seven Nation Army" (White Stripes)
Cake's "War Pigs" (Black Sabbath)



Hit me with some of your favorite covers.

[Wezil]

[loinburger]

Pretty much every cover of pretty much every Bob Dylan song. The man may be a great writer but his nose gets in the way of his singing.

[Guynemer]

Wezil: Excellent example. Not better than the original (that would be nigh impossible), but Devo definitely made it their own.

[Wezil]

Covers often start with great original songs. It is usually harder to make it "better" but I agree, an artist can put their own stamp on it.

I have a couple more in mind.

[Asher]

"Big Yellow Taxi" is one of my most reviled songs of all time. I cannot stand the ****ing thing. Amy Grant's rendition on it drove me to several suicide attempts.

[Guynemer]

Covers often start with great original songs. It is usually harder to make it "better" but I agree, an artist can put their own stamp on it.

Harder, but not impossible.

I listed "Hurt" above. Johnny Cash took a good NiN song, and made it ****ing art. You don't see that very often.


Oh, and while the CCs put their own stamp on that song, that's not always a good thing; that is ****ing intolerable.

[Asher]

[Guynemer]

Tina & Ike Turner's cover of "Proud Mary" (CCR) is also terrific.

[loinburger]

[Wezil]

Oh, and while the CCs put their own stamp on that song, that's not always a good thing; that is ****ing intolerable.

I can post great renditions (with little change in style) all night long. I didn't think that was what you were after.

[Guynemer]

Well, make it your own style, but also make it listenable. I'm down with Devo, but I wanted to hurt people when I listened to the Counting Crows.

[Guynemer]

I might file that one under the "low hanging fruit" definition in the OP. I think that version is more famous than the original.

[loinburger]

I might file that one under the "low hanging fruit" definition in the OP. I think that version is more famous than the original.

I was filing it more in the Bob Dylan category, because Rufus Wainwright should not sing.

[Wezil]

Well, make it your own style, but also make it listenable. I'm down with Devo, but I wanted to hurt people when I listened to the Counting Crows.

Fair enough. We'll call it 1 for 2.

How about this? "Better" is debatable, but certainly pleasantly different.