Great Cover Versions

[Heathcliff]

This topic is for cover versions of songs you like which, in your opinion, were better or were just an amazing new addition to the original version of the song. I would be interested to see any of them.

Rancid- To Have and Have Not

(Originally by: Billy Bragg)

Hurt- Johnny Cash

(Originally by: Nine Inch Nails)

The Clash- I Fought the Law

(Originally by: The Cricketts/The Bobby Fuller Four?)

Obadiah Parker- Hey Yah

(Original by: Outkast)

 

Please add your own!

[Anonymouse]

I just listened to this last night:

It's Rihanna covering Tame Impala's "New Person, Same Old Mistakes." Pretty much everything is the same except Rihanna is singing.

Also this, which is half Sublime covering "54-46 Was My Number" by Toots and the Maytals:

[Juto]

This is great! I'm very interested to see more posts here too... 

"Have I the right" - Vampire weekend (originally by The Honeycombs)

"The great pretender" Freddie Mercury (originally by the Platters)

 

"I don't mind" by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox (originally by Usher)

Yea, that last one is probably just me   oops... Sorry. 

 

[Heathcliff]

Oh my God, I didn't realise The Great Pretender was a cover! I love you Juto. I love Freddie Mercury so much.

Edit: I watched it now. Yeah, not many other than Freddie could cover a black voice like that.

[Nola]

Aaah! I love covers!!!

1. Literally anything Michael Bolton sings. He does a lot of covers. Here's just three: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUuNDb-nm5M ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWilvQrSoVE ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeS7giknkmw 

2. Dixie Chicks "Landslide" (originally by Stevie Nicks) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4_wXPZ1Bnk

3. Amanda Cole "Hello" (originally by Adele) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS5TLq0oE4k

4. PMJ "Love Yourself" (originally by Justin Bieber)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1QNhIAlP8M

5. PMJ's "Seven Nation Army" (originally by White Stripes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB6HY8r983c

6. PMJ's "Never Gonna Give You Up" (originally by Rick Astley) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPYwcTDVRAg

I could go on all day....so I'll stop now! (Also, I have no idea how to put the video in the post - sorry!!)

[Juto]

20 minutes ago, Heathcliff said:

Oh my God, I didn't realise The Great Pretender was a cover! I love you Juto. I love Freddie Mercury so much.

Edit: I watched it now. Yeah, not many other than Freddie could cover a black voice like that.

FREDDIE MERCURY IS MY DRUG!!!  

Aww thanks  but honestly, I didn't know his version was a cover before someone told me last years and played the original for me and I was like.... Pfffft FREDDIE ALL THE WAY!!!  I've always thought the song was perfectly written for him  haha

There's an extended version of the video on YouTube where they go backstage on the music video... 

Did you know that one of the back up singers is Roger Taylor, the drummer from Queen? Just awesome!!! 

[Garnet]

I really love Sarah Jarosz's cover of Come on Up to the House by Tom Waits. Not more than the original, because Tom Waits, but it's just a cool take on it.

And then I actually prefer the original, but when I've seen these types of threads come up on other sites, people often mention Nirvana's cover of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World

 

[PuddinPop]

Firstly, this is a great topic, Heath! You also linked Rancid which were like, one of my favourite bands in the world when I was a teen, so thank you for bringing some nostalgia back to me

At the risk of being unpopular, I really love UB40's version of Can't Help Falling In Love (originally by Elvis). 

 

I really like listening to cover versions of things on YouTube by unknown artists, and one of my favourites has to be this version of Mmm Mmm Mmm by The Crash Test Dummies:

I was also obsessed with Jake Coco for a time, who is a well-known cover artist on YouTube. His version of Some Nights by Fun is really great that he did with a lot of other people. The video is really great, too.

 

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

Awesome topic @Heathcliffand Johnny Cash's Hurt might be the best cover ever.  Ok my turn

Inori - Lena Park (You Raise Me Up). I actually have several songs covered in Japanese but this is my favorite.

I'm Om Fire - AWOLNATION. I also like Tori Amos' version too but this is so haunting it gives me chills. Original by Bruce Springsteen.

Somebody To Love - Jordan Smith, I don't watch the voice but I adore Queen and he just nails this classic.

PMJ - Oops I Did It Again. Ok I despise most of what Spears sings but this song got me into PMJ.  I could list more by them, everything they do is fantastic.

 

[bloom]

How funny, another forum I'm on had this exact thread like, within the last week!

I think I really prefer covers that are an entirely new take on a song, rather than people singing the same way and playing their instruments the same way as the original. I just get bored otherwise.

I have listened to Streetlight Manifesto's cover of Bad Religion's Skyscraper probably 200 times in the last week. I love it a million times more than the original (which I don't actually care that much for):

I typically really... don't like Disturbed very much at all... but their cover of The Sound of Silence (which might be my all-time favorite song) is frankly absolutely incredible. Not "better" than the original, but surprisingly beautiful: 

Israel kamakawiwo'ole's cover of Over the Rainbow is almost more classic to me than the original at this point: 

 

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

16 minutes ago, Junia said:

Israel kamakawiwo'ole's cover of Over the Rainbow is almost more classic to me than the original at this point: 

Snap, I knew I forgot one!  yes I adore his version!!

[Artemis]

Okay I think I got the idea right.

You belong with me, I prefer it by All Those Sleeping better then by Taylor Swift.

[Mr. Black Cherry Berry Tea]

Yay!

JUST discovered this cover of a Debussy piano piece by a bluegrass band (or like, a band with bluegrass instrumentation, anyway), which is everything: 

 

A long time favorite:

 

The best version of this song, I don't care what you say, I will fight you on it: 

 

[PuddinPop]

I know what's going to happen here. I'm going to keep coming back and adding to this because I'll keep remembering really great cover songs. I'll try not to bombard the thread but I do want to add some more in here now.

Enjoy The Silence by Lacuna Coil is really great. Originally by Depeche Mode, their version is really hauntingly beautiful:
 

And then Ed Sheeran makes a beautiful cover out of most songs (especially No Diggity) but my favourite cover of his has to be Wild Mountain Thyme:
 

There's a user on YouTube called RollUpHills and he did an amazing cover of Hello by Adele.
 

AND FINALLY LAST ONE I PROMISE.
Jimmy Fallon and Jack Black's version of More Than Words by Extreme
 

It's worth watching just for the video, ESPECIALLY if you've seen the original video xD

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

This is a rad topic !

cover of  Cheerleader by Pentatonix (originally by OMI, which I don't like the original one bit xD but Pentatonix makes it work)

cover of Here Comes The Sun by Dodie Clark (originally by the Beatles<3 ) it starts around 1:30 btw.

Fka Twigs covers Sia's Elastic Heart

Ed Sheeran covers Christina Aguilira's Dirty.

Ed Sheeran covers Hozier's Take Me To Church

Duke Stamina covering Sadie's Song from the show Steven Universe(created by Rebecca Sugar)

Stronger Than You covered by Sierra Nelson originally from the show Steven Universe(created by Rebecca Sugar)

Tear In My Heart covered by Bry and originally by Twenty One Pilots

 

Thats all I have for now

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

7 hours ago, PuddinPop said:

I know what's going to happen here. I'm going to keep coming back and adding to this because I'll keep remembering really great cover songs. I'll try not to bombard the thread but I do want to add some more in here now.
 

Yeahhhhhhhh

Careless Whisper - Seether, original which isnt bad by George Michael but this version is just lovely.

Tubthumping - They Might Be Giants, original by Chumbawamba and such a great one hit wonder.  TMBG puts their own unique spin on the song and I'm also biased since TMBG is my fave band ever.

 

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

@PuddinPop and @Ellie, Ed Sheeran could cover the Folger's coffee jingle and I'd be a puddle. 

My suggestion for a great cover is Florence and the Machine's cover of Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love.

 

[Anonymouse]

Sorry to add more but these guys are so awesome. Really unique covers. Walk off the Earth covering Lorde's "Royals"

And Gotye's "Somebody that I Used to Know"

and last but not least, and probably my favorite because they look like they're having so much fun and they sound fantastic, covering Pharrell's "Happy"

 

[tma]

Pentatonix is brilliant!!  Dodie - is really cute.

Have to disagree re: Sheeran's cover of Hozier.  Just can't compare.  Hozier was loads better (in my book).

OMG- ANY song that Freddy Mercury does = the best version!!

 

No, he didn't do it first, but he did it best. Jeff Buckley singing Leonard Cohen's classic.

As someone who grew up on the original - this is not bad at all.  I like it about equally as well.  The original was by Don Henley

 

 

I enjoy this cover a lot.  Just "amps up" the original by Paul Mc Cartney (which was originally performed by Wings)

 

Love the original (Depeche Mode), but with this version, I have to say that the interplay between the male and female voices does add something very sensual to the song.

Evidently this song was originally by   Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos but .... ummmm.... yeah.  This song always and forever belongs to Ms. Norah Jones  

 

 

And while I do love me some Otis Redding, this obviously always belonged to The Queen of Soul

 

I know that this is so bad to say because Cash was one of a kind, and I normally wouldn't pick an actor as slightly better with the song, but....  Joaquin did such a great job.

 

WAY better version than T Swift - (sorry to Swiftie fans  )

 

[tma]

 Anony - I love Walk off the Earth!!   Brilliant covers!!  "Happy" was just WAY too much fun!

[sneezymui]

31 minutes ago, tma said:

No, he didn't do it first, but he did it best. Jeff Buckley singing Leonard Cohen's classic.

Oh yes, I LOVE Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah. It gives me chills every time I hear it. He sings it with so much passion that I feel was missing in the original.

3 hours ago, Kaze wo Hiku said:

Tubthumping - They Might Be Giants, original by Chumbawamba and such a great one hit wonder.  TMBG puts their own unique spin on the song and I'm also biased since TMBG is my fave band ever.

They are one of my favorites too, but I hadn't heard this cover before! I love it. 

Always loved VersaEmerge's take on Britney Spears' Toxic:

 

[Icarus Rex]

A lot of my favorites have already been mentioned in the initial post, so let's seeeeee:

Ain't it a Shame - Nirvana (covering an American folk song by way of Lead Belly) -- I know it's such a cliche at this point, but I love acrimonious punk/grunge covers of folk songs, always.

Aha - Pentatonix (covering Imogen Heap)  -- A cappella covers are always such a cool thing, but this is probably my favorite.

Alex Boyé's covers are always outta sight. I defy anyone to watch his cover of T. Swift's Shake it Off and not fall in love with his energy, voice, and dance moves! (I've never heard the original song, but this cover of Am I Wrong? by Nico & Vinz is great, too.)

I don't think there's a single David Bowie cover that I like better that the original, however I'm really, staggeringly gay for Hozier, in general, so I was really excited to hear this mostly-on-the-fly-tribute cover of Young Americans...!

Also, an honorary mention for the entire album Primus and the Chocolate Factory with Fungi Ensemble, which is... exactly what you'd expect it to be.

Lastly, I feel like it's extremely bland of me to mention Hendrix' All Along the Watchtower, because everyone's heard that one, but, really... who could ever listen to Bob Dylan again?

[Hawkeye]

This isn't exactly a cover, but it's an EXCELLENT mashup of a variety of Bach pieces and I Want You Back by the Jackson 5:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZPSV78iQxg

The Piano Guys have a bunch of other kickass covers and mashups - they do a lot of combining pop music with classical music and it works so well.

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

Another Over The Rainbow cover.  I adore the TV show Scrubs and Ted who played the Lawyer is in The Blanks, who also cameoed a few times in the series.  Their version of the classic.

 

[Chanel_no5]

I'm too lazy to look for Youtube links to post, so I'll just do it the old-fashioned way.

Umbrella - Lillasyster (originally by Rhianna)

The Power of Love - Celine Dion (originally by Jennifer Rush)

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (originally by Dolly Parton)

The Rose - Bonnie Tyler (originally by Janis Joplin)

And my all-time favourite cover.... Titanium - The Piano Guys (originally by David Guetta & Sia). It's instrumental, so no vocal cover, but it's amazing.