xkcd

by **Jesse** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 12:41 am UTC

Jeff Buckley, no-one can beat any of his songs. I am in love with the man's voice.

by **Kulantan** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 1:00 am UTC

All of you people who are wrong about the best version of Hallelujah, witness how wrong you are*.

*better would be a version with higher sound quality. Darned YouTube.

by **Essah** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:53 pm UTC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBzcOUOY5YY&feature=related
Laura Jansen's cover of Use Somebody
this song is not astonishing. Just so beautiful.
Don't get me wrong. I love the original by Kings of Leon but she gives the song a completely different expression. So much deeper.
seriously, listen to it.

by **Amie** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 4:37 am UTC

I like Babe I'm gonna leave you by Led Zep. More than I like Joan Baez's version.

Dark Souls Challenge · by **Mishrak** » Mon May 03, 2010 6:17 pm UTC

Silver Springs

Much better cover by Stacy Dupree of Eisley than Fleetwood Mac's original.

Both great songs, but I'm more partial to Stacy's cover.

by **KrazyerKate** » Mon May 03, 2010 9:48 pm UTC

Based on the song's lyrics, I think raspy and tired-sounding vocals are most appropriate for Hallelujah. Whenever I hear American-Idol style pitch-perfection on a song like this it doesn't sound right.

I really like the harmony on this version though. I'm surprised more singers decide to sing solo.

by **KallistiEngel** » Mon May 03, 2010 10:49 pm UTC

Streetlight Manifesto (one of my favorite bands) is currently working on a project called "99 Songs of Revolution", 8 albums with a total of 99 cover songs. I'm sure I'll find something on there. They just recently released Volume 1, but I haven't had a chance to really listen to it.

To note: Not all of it will be Streetlight Manifesto. 2 of albums will be by them, 2 will be by Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution (a side-project of Streetlight's singer), and there will be 2 more unannounced bands each releasing 2 albums.

by **Kaeyn** » Tue May 04, 2010 8:23 am UTC

I particularly enjoy listening to this cover of Billy Joel's Lullaby by The King's Singers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2xpg3N1DA8

by **luvnotwar** » Tue May 04, 2010 1:30 pm UTC

I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, written by Burt Bacharach, originally recorded by Tommy Hunt, covered by Dusty Springfield, Isaac Hayes, Elvis Costello, and my personal favorite: The White Stripes.

by **davidmarlee** » Tue May 04, 2010 2:51 pm UTC

If you've ever heard it, A Perfect Circle's cover of Love Song by the cure is worlds apart from the original.

by **Dasboard** » Tue May 04, 2010 5:50 pm UTC

Listened to A perfect Circle's cover and it was as you said, worlds apart. It was good. But not as good as The Cure's version.

My opinion might be slightly off because I'm a rather big The Cure fan.

I like how they made a completely different song though.

by **Lounge** » Tue May 04, 2010 8:34 pm UTC

Johnny Cash's cover of Sting/The Police's "I Hung My Head."

Two completly different sounding songs. I actually heard Cash's first, and can't even get through Sting's now.

I'm a big fan of Cake's version of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." However, it depends on my mood which one I find better at the moment.

Pain does a cover of The Beatle's "Eleanor Rigby", which I wouldn't consider better, but it's certainly different and enjoyable enough that I think is worth mentioning in a Cover's thread.

I like the Foo Fighter's cover of Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street."

Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" has seen a lot of covers, but I like Dion & The Belmont's version the best.

Jack Johnson's "Imagine" is pretty good. But John Lennon is pretty untouchable.

Hmm. I guess only one of these I consider "better." The rest are pretty much even, but most of them have at least different styles of the songs if you want to check them out.

by **KallistiEngel** » Wed May 05, 2010 4:32 am UTC

davidmarlee wrote:If you've ever heard it, A Perfect Circle's cover of Love Song by the cure is worlds apart from the original.

I could say the same for Voltaire's cover. I kind of like the addition of violins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV42V-Rvnsg

by **Aardvarki** » Fri May 07, 2010 6:27 pm UTC

KallistiEngel wrote:Streetlight Manifesto (one of my favorite bands)

Loooooooooooooove Streetlight Manifesto! I actually didn't even know about them at all until I started looking around for more music by Catch-22 (Keasbey Nights was one of my favorite albums for a loong time)

On topic: I'm sure it's probably been mentioned, but Cake's "War Pigs" is awesome. (Not claiming it's better than the original, they're both too similar to call one better than the other) "I will Survive" is also great.

Also, every single cover that Andy Rehfeldt does is AWESOME. Maybe "cover" isn't exactly accurate, but neither is "parody". Regardless, they're good. Ones I would strongly recommend:
Enter Sandman (Smooth Jazz)
Polka Face (just for the dancing)
Party in the USA (Metal)
Detroit Rock City (Reggae)

http://www.youtube.com/user/AndyRehfeldt

by **uncivlengr** » Sun May 09, 2010 2:02 pm UTC

Have to make mention of Scarlett Johansson singing Tom Waits... just the thought of it is too sexy for words, so luckily there's video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLoG6_imrKY

Her album version, and the album as a whole, sucks, though.

by **socynicalsohip** » Sun May 09, 2010 4:53 pm UTC

Soulwax - Last Christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w3kjZ7UIQ8

by **bonzoWhale** » Mon May 10, 2010 2:35 am UTC

In my opinion, The Beatles music is great, but one of the interesting properties is that i's great in its simplicity, and thus covering the Beatles makes it (arguably) not-too-hard to make it better (unlike more complex anthems, which simply can't be covered). One good example is, of course, the movie Across the Universe. Here's another great example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBgVJMuSh-I

by **philsov** » Mon May 10, 2010 3:58 pm UTC

Speaking of Streetlight Manifesto, "If and When we rise again" off their Everything Goes Numb Album features a cool little cover blip of Hungarian Dance No. 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5WxdN6SG_g @ ~3:19 onward (last 3/4 of the song)

by **Ulc** » Wed May 12, 2010 4:50 pm UTC

Marilyn Manson - Sweet dreams (are made of this)

The fact that this thread managed to get this far without mentioning that one is shocking to say the least, I have never met anyone that liked the original better, Posting this on a forum most likely means I will now though!

by **Rinsaikeru** » Wed May 12, 2010 4:51 pm UTC

I like the original better. There, now you've met someone who disagrees. Eurythmics are awesome.

by **socynicalsohip** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:48 pm UTC

Rinsaikeru wrote:I like the original better. There, now you've met someone who disagrees. Eurythmics are awesome.

Make that two people.

by **Dasboard** » Wed May 12, 2010 8:22 pm UTC

I like Marilyn Manson ( Saw him live, was pretty cool. ) but he should stick to making his own songs. Most of his covers aren't better than the originals. ( *cough* Personal Jesus *cough* ) Sweet Dreams is one of his best covers though.

Also, Twisted Sister fans, don't hate me for this as I still think Twisted Sister is awesome but I like Dimmu Borgir's version of Burn in Hell better.

by **Aardvarki** » Wed May 12, 2010 8:55 pm UTC

socynicalsohip wrote:
Rinsaikeru wrote:I like the original better. There, now you've met someone who disagrees. Eurythmics are awesome.

Make that two people.

Three. (Are one word posts allowed? Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore)

by **KallistiEngel** » Wed May 12, 2010 10:48 pm UTC

Aardvarki wrote:
socynicalsohip wrote:
Rinsaikeru wrote:I like the original better. There, now you've met someone who disagrees. Eurythmics are awesome.

Make that two people.

Three. (Are one word posts allowed? Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore)

Four. I don't dislike Manson's cover, I just like the original better. I also like Choking Victim's cover. It was on some bootleg, and they changed some of the lyrics.

by **Giant Speck** » Wed May 12, 2010 11:05 pm UTC

KallistiEngel wrote:
Aardvarki wrote:
socynicalsohip wrote:
Rinsaikeru wrote:I like the original better. There, now you've met someone who disagrees. Eurythmics are awesome.

Make that two people.

Three. (Are one word posts allowed? Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore)

Four. I don't dislike Manson's cover, I just like the original better. I also like Choking Victim's cover. It was on some bootleg, and they changed some of the lyrics.

Five. I love Annie Lennox.

YouTube · by **Jar'O'Jam** » Wed May 12, 2010 11:32 pm UTC

Giant Speck wrote:
KallistiEngel wrote:
Aardvarki wrote:
socynicalsohip wrote:
Rinsaikeru wrote:I like the original better. There, now you've met someone who disagrees. Eurythmics are awesome.

Make that two people.

Three. (Are one word posts allowed? Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore)

Four. I don't dislike Manson's cover, I just like the original better. I also like Choking Victim's cover. It was on some bootleg, and they changed some of the lyrics.

Five. I love Annie Lennox.

Six. Also, on the subject of Hallelujah and harmonies. And yeah, I've tried listening to the original, but I just didn't feel it after the Jeff Buckley version.

by **Sytri** » Thu May 13, 2010 11:51 am UTC

Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt. Amazing song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22eIJDtKho

Youtube quality isnt great though.

by **KrazyerKate** » Sat May 15, 2010 9:24 pm UTC

Aardvarki wrote:Also, every single cover that Andy Rehfeldt does is AWESOME. Maybe "cover" isn't exactly accurate, but neither is "parody". Regardless, they're good. Ones I would strongly recommend:
Enter Sandman (Smooth Jazz)
Polka Face (just for the dancing)
Party in the USA (Metal)
Detroit Rock City (Reggae)

http://www.youtube.com/user/AndyRehfeldt

I found his channel a couple weeks ago, and realized I could actually listen to an entire Taylor Swift song without it getting on my nerves. That's pretty impressive.

Jar'O'Jam wrote:Six. Also, on the subject of Hallelujah and harmonies. And yeah, I've tried listening to the original, but I just didn't feel it after the Jeff Buckley version.

How did I miss that one? It's gorgeous!

bonzoWhale wrote:In my opinion, The Beatles music is great, but one of the interesting properties is that i's great in its simplicity, and thus covering the Beatles makes it (arguably) not-too-hard to make it better (unlike more complex anthems, which simply can't be covered). One good example is, of course, the movie Across the Universe. Here's another great example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBgVJMuSh-I

Something about the Beatles' voices bothers me, but any time I hear someone else sing their music it's fantastic.

pomplamoose is one of my favorite cover bands ever. Almost everything on their youtube channel is better than the original. I can't believe how amazing they made Telphone or Single Ladies sound.

YouTube · by **Jar'O'Jam** » Sun May 16, 2010 10:48 am UTC

KrazyerKate wrote:Pomplamoose is one of my favorite cover bands ever. Almost everything on their youtube channel is better than the original. I can't believe how amazing they made Telphone or Single Ladies sound.

Oh yes, Nataly and Jack are amazing!

Got the Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants, and of course, their version of Istanbul ( Not Constantinople ) is really great.

by **KallistiEngel** » Sun May 16, 2010 7:26 pm UTC

Oh man, just listened to 99 Songs of Revolution Volume 1 for the first time. So many good covers, I can't say all of what's better than the originals. Their cover of "Linoleum" definitely beats NOFX's original. I've never really cared for NOFX much. But checking out the original versions of some songs, Streetlight definitely did them justice. I've heard "Such Great Heights" by Postal Service before and like the original, but the way Streetlight dealt with translating electronic sounds to instruments is pretty cool. I'd say they're about on par.

by **Giant Speck** » Wed May 19, 2010 7:59 pm UTC

I found another one: Red's cover of Duran Duran's "Ordinary World".

by **Aardvarki** » Fri May 21, 2010 5:38 pm UTC

Sytri wrote:Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt. Amazing song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22eIJDtKho

Youtube quality isnt great though.

Boo, Hisssssssss!!!! The fact that radio stations play Cash's cover of Hurt more than the original version is the main reason I don't like Johnny Cash. The original Hurt was my favorite song for a solid six years. To me, at the time Cash's version came out, trying to cover that song (and changing the words, too! gasp!) was sacrilege. He did do a very good job with it, but I still greatly prefer the original.

by **KrazyerKate** » Sun May 23, 2010 1:38 pm UTC

Giant Speck wrote:I found another one: Red's cover of Duran Duran's "Ordinary World".

link
So apparently the original singer is male. I had no idea until I saw the video. I think the distortion and more obviously-male vocals really help update the song. I'm kind of a fan of Red though, so I might be biased.

Aardvarki wrote:
Sytri wrote:Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt. Amazing song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22eIJDtKho

Youtube quality isnt great though.

Boo, Hisssssssss!!!! The fact that radio stations play Cash's cover of Hurt more than the original version is the main reason I don't like Johnny Cash. The original Hurt was my favorite song for a solid six years. To me, at the time Cash's version came out, trying to cover that song (and changing the words, too! gasp!) was sacrilege. He did do a very good job with it, but I still greatly prefer the original.

I'm fairly certain over-exposure accounts for 90% of all musician-hatred. It's a shame that some people are forced to listen to perfectly decent musicians so often that they have to hate them. I know I wouldn't have the sort of seething hatred of Lady GaGa I do if I hadn't had to see her everywhere.

by **Giant Speck** » Sun May 23, 2010 2:02 pm UTC

KrazyerKate wrote:
Giant Speck wrote:I found another one: Red's cover of Duran Duran's "Ordinary World".

link
So apparently the original singer is male. I had no idea until I saw the video. I think the distortion and more obviously-male vocals really help update the song. I'm kind of a fan of Red though, so I might be biased.

For me, it's the strings and the singing toward the very end of the song ("Every one... every oooooooone") that make it better than the original. Also, Micheal's vocals are slower and much more controlled, especially during the long notes. It helps bring a stronger emotion to the song.

Overall, Red seems to have really put their hearts and souls into the making of their sophomore album. When I first heard the album, I thought they were being too over the top, but as I listened to each song more closely, it became clear that each song was really thought out. In their first album, it sounded as though the strings (while very nice) were slapped onto the songs as an afterthought. In this album, it seems as though they put more consideration into the strings, and they beautifully weave in and out of the rock portions of the songs.

by **TheMaestro** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:56 am UTC

Rinsaikeru wrote:I like the original better. There, now you've met someone who disagrees. Eurythmics are awesome.

Both are good in my books, but I have to go with Eurythmics, unless I am in a depressed, Manson-y mood of course.

by **lanicita** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 1:04 am UTC

Kanye, I'mma let you finish, but Sherri DuPree did the best cover of your song "Heartless" of all time. Of all time.

by **cjmcjmcjmcjm** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:47 am UTC

Richard Cheese covering Nirvana's "Rape Me"

by **UniqueScreenname** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:26 pm UTC

Lacuna Coil's cover of "Enjoy the Silence" must be the best cover I've ever heard in my life. Apocalyptica's version of "Nothing Else Matters" makes me feel like Metallica wanted cellos but just didn't know how to play. Oh, and 311 and Adele's covers of "Love Song." Genius.

by **AceAudacious** » Fri Nov 25, 2011 2:11 am UTC

This is all hogwash! Nobody does Dylan like Dylan! His voice is rough, but no other singer sings like they know what they're singing about.
I registered just to say that.

Also NIN-Hurt>Cash-Hurt

Hendrixs Watchtower and Crawl out Your Window are quite good, though Watchtower loses the desolation that Dylan's has.

Get the Bootleg Tapes No 4, (The Band-era "Judas" live show).

He has done some great covers too: Fixin' to Die, See that My Grave is Kept Clean...Mostly on the first album

Deep Purples cover of Hey Joe (Listen to the original by Billy Roberts, Hendrix added nothing but electricity!)

by **Maraki** » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:27 pm UTC

The Dream Theater cover of Deep Purple's Highway Star.

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