favorite cover songs

[wiscodevil]

here are some of mine. would love to add to my collection...

"I Believe" Sinead O'Connor (Bob Dylan)

"Helpless" k.d. lang (Neil Young)

"Wonderwall" Ryan Adams (Oasis)

"Hallelujah" Jeff Buckley (Leonard Cohen)

"Jolene" the Mindy Smith (Dolly Parton)

"Something" Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

"In My Life" Johnny Cash (The Beatles)

"Hurt" Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails)

"I Will Survive" Cake (Gloria Gaynor)

"A Murder Of One" Allison Crowe (Counting Crows)

"You're The One That I Want" Leah Joy (Olivia Newton John/John Travolta/Grease)

"I'm On Fire" Bat For Lashes (Bruce Springsteen)

"Born In The U.S.A." Ballboy (Bruce Springsteen)

"Don't Stop Believin'" Petra Haden (Journey)

I'm pretty sure just about all of these are available on iTunes, if you're interested.

[mpj96]

Was just listening to Neil Young singing "Imagine". That was a pretty good cover. Also, "Day Tripper" by Jimi Hendrix is probably even better than the original.

[hc5duke]

Ditto on "I Will Survive" Cake (Gloria Gaynor)

Others I like:
Puff Daddy "I'll Be Missing You" (The Police "Every Breath You Take")
Run DMC "Walk This Way" (Aerosmith, though it's pretty much the same song)

[rthomas]

Word Up - Willis
Stella Blue - Willie Nelson
Smoke on the Water - Judith Owen

[snowdenscold]

Because The Night - 10000 Manicas (Springsteen / Smith)
When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating (Overstreet / Schlitz / Whitley)
Gladiator Soundtrack ;) (Wagner / Holst)

[allenmurray]

All Along the Wtachtower - Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan). Hendrix simply owned that song. Even Dylan said "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way... Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

[mpj96]

Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson "Ghost Riders in the Sky"

[GDT]

A few more (I could write on this for hours):

Gloria, Patti Smith (Van Morrison)
Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough, The Embarassment (Michael Jackson)
The Drum, Bongwater (Slapp Happy)
Wayfaring Stranger/You Got Me Running, Tim Buckley (Traditional/Jimmy Reed)
Photograph, Camper Van Beethoven (Ringo Starr)
I Saw the Light, Lori Carson (Todd Rundgren)
Long Black Veil, Nick Cave (The Band)
Which Will, Lucinda Williams (Nick Drake)
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Leo Kottke (Bach?)
Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Television (Bob Dylan)
Bonnie & Clyde, (Serge Gainsborough)
End of the Rainbow, Barbara Manning (Richard Thompson)
I Love You, You Big Dummy, Magazine (Captain Beefheart)
Tears of a Clown, English Beat (Smoky Robinson)
St. Elmo's Fire, Portastatic (Brian Eno)
Sex Beat, Alejandro Escovedo (The Gun Club)
Percy's Song, Fairport Convention (Bob Dylan)
Victoria, The Fall (The Kinks)
What Goes on, The Feelies (velvet Underground)
Out of this World, Freakwater (Loudon Wainwright)
Motel Blues, Alex Chilton (Loudon Wainwright)
Listen the Sky is Falling, Galaxie 500 (Yoko Ono)
Hey Jude, Wilson Pickett (The Beatles)
Glory Box, John Martyn (Portishead)
Cosmic Slop, Material (Funkadelic?)
Dead Dog's Eyeball (album), Kathy McCarty (Daniel Johnson)
Makes No Difference, The Mekons (The Band)
Dear Darling, Sue Garner (Mary Margaret O'Hara)
Slip Inside This House, Primal Scream (13th Floor Elevators)
Satisfaction, Otis Redding (the Rolling Stones)
Cold Turkey, Soft Boys (John Lennon)
Soft Picasso, Kelly Hogan (Vic Chesnutt)
Eight Miles High, Husker Du (The Byrds)
Ohio/Machine Gun, The Isley Bros. (Neil Young/Jimi Hendrix)
David Watts, The Jam (The Kinks)
The James Bond Theme, John Zorn (Jerry Goldsmith)
and Yo La Tengo's Fakebook in its entirety.

[Bostondevil]

Elvis Costello's album of country covers, Almost Blue, is one of my favorites. I also love his cover of Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.

Others:

(I'm not your)Stepping Stone - Swinging Richards (covering the Monkees)

First Cut is the Deepest - Sheryl Crow (covering Rod Stewart, I have the Stewart version on a 45 that I bought in the '70s, it was always my favorite Rod Stewart song, thanks Sheryl!)

[DevilAlumna]

Gin & Juice by Phish is pretty amusing, especially if you're more familiar with Snoop Dogg's original.

[Highlander]

Gin & Juice by Phish is pretty amusing, especially if you're more familiar with Snoop Dogg's original.

It's actually by the Gourds, although I've seen Phish mistakenly get credit for it before. I credit that version for teaching me the words :)

If you like covers that are different from the originals, how about these?
Smooth Criminal - Adam Ant (Michael Jackson)
Hard Luck Woman - Garth Brooks (Kiss)
Summertime Blues - Rush (but who hasn't done this cover)
You Really Got Me - Van Halen (the Romantics)
Ice Cream Man - Van Halen (John Brim)

and, I'll hate myself for this one in the morning...
Your momma don't dance - Poison (Loggins and Messina)

The entire second disk of Garage, inc. by Metallica is awesome. The Poison cover album... not so much.

[rthomas]

Gin & Juice by Phish is pretty amusing, especially if you're more familiar with Snoop Dogg's original.

I love the Gourds version of G&J. Awesome.

[captmojo]

Yellow Submarine by Mrs. Miller

[duke74]

Because The Night - 10000 Manicas (Springsteen / Smith)
When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating (Overstreet / Schlitz / Whitley)
Gladiator Soundtrack ;) (Wagner / Holst)

When you say...also a great version by Alison Krauss (Keating's is on the Notting Hill Soundtrack, BTW)

[snowdenscold]

When you say...also a great version by Alison Krauss (Keating's is on the Notting Hill Soundtrack, BTW)

Yup that was actually the first time I heard the song - in the movie. I like his version better than Alison's.

[snowdenscold]

It's actually by the Gourds, although I've seen Phish mistakenly get credit for it before. I credit that version for teaching me the words :)
...
You Really Got Me - Van Halen (the Romantics)



Speaking of miscredits - I think you meant the Kinks, not Romantics?

[duke74]

Yup that was actually the first time I heard the song - in the movie. I like his version better than Alison's.

So do I. (I believe he was a member of some Boy Band).

The song was written by Keith Whitley. Krauss's version was included in a tribute album to his memory (died too young from acute alcoholism, I believe). His version grabs you....

[merry]

Ditto on "I Will Survive" Cake (Gloria Gaynor)

Others I like:
Puff Daddy "I'll Be Missing You" (The Police "Every Breath You Take")
Run DMC "Walk This Way" (Aerosmith, though it's pretty much the same song)

Double ditto on "I Will Survive" by Cake. I like "Walk this Way" by Run DMC as well as "All Along the Watchtower" by Hendrix that allenmurray mentioned. All of those were better as covers than as originals.

Yesterday I was listening to "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" by White Stripes and thinking how brilliant that was. I'm not sure who to credit with the original version as I think a lot of people have recorded it (it's a Bacharach and David song).

[snowdenscold]

So do I. (I believe he was a member of some Boy Band).

The song was written by Keith Whitley. Krauss's version was included in a tribute album to his memory (died too young from acute alcoholism, I believe). His version grabs you....

Well to be accurate, it was written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Keith Whitley heard it soon thereafter, liked it, and was the first to perform.


(Sorry, one of my pet peeves is the fact that songwriters pretty much get absolutely no credit in the music industry - at least to the general public - since about 1950. I think they're just as important as the performing artist)

[wilson]

Emmylou Harris-"Lodi" (Fogerty/CCR original)
Johnny Cash-"Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" (Dylan)
Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard-"Pancho and Lefty" (Townes van Zant)

[dball]

First Cut is the Deepest - Sheryl Crow (covering Rod Stewart, I have the Stewart version on a 45 that I bought in the '70s, it was always my favorite Rod Stewart song, thanks Sheryl!)


"First Cut" is a Cat Stevens song. Keith Hampshire had a big hit in Canada with it (moderate in the States) and the Stewart version is basically just like Hampshire's.

What about "On Broadway" by George Benson (Drifters)?

[wilson]

Gin & Juice by Phish is pretty amusing, especially if you're more familiar with Snoop Dogg's original.

That song's attribution to Phish is an urban legend/mistake. It was recorded by an outfit called "The Gourds." Phish never recorded that song.
At any rate, that version is pretty funny (especially the first time).

[dball]

All Along the Wtachtower - Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan). Hendrix simply owned that song. Even Dylan said "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way... Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."


Another great Dylan cover was "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds. They also covered Dylan's "My Back Pages".

"Knockin' On Heaven's Door" Guns 'n Roses

Other covers:
"The Letter" Joe Cocker (Box Tops)
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" Marvin Gaye (Gladys Knight)
then covered by CCR
"Respect" Aretha Franklin (Otis Redding)
"Blinded By The Light" Manfred Mann (Bruce)
"Devil With A Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly" (c'mon!) Mitch Ryder (Shorty Long/Little Richard)
"Reason To Believe" Rod Stewart (Tim Hardin)
"Who Do You Love" George Thorogood (Bo Diddley, then many others including a version I like by Tom Rush)
"Summertime Blues" Who (Eddie Cochran)

[Bostondevil]

"First Cut" is a Cat Stevens song. Keith Hampshire had a big hit in Canada with it (moderate in the States) and the Stewart version is basically just like Hampshire's.


That explains why I liked it then.

James Taylor's cover of Up on the Roof is quite nice.


And a Motown cover I like is Roxy Music's version of Wait Til the Midnight Hour

[Highlander]

Speaking of miscredits - I think you meant the Kinks, not Romantics?

I had the Kinks down at first, but checked my sources. According to Wikipedia, it was the Romatics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_I_Like_About_You_%28song%29).

[allenmurray]

Another great Dylan cover was "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds. They also covered Dylan's "My Back Pages".

"Knockin' On Heaven's Door" Guns 'n Roses



Warren Zevon's cover of Dylan's Knockin on Heaven's Door is great also. Particularly given the circumstances.

Fot obscure, David Lindley and El-Rayo X did a tremendous version of Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London. Not surprising given that DL frequently played with Warren. A great transformed line from DL's version - I saw Jack Nicholson drinking a pina coloda at Trader Vic's and his hair was, well, very very greasy. Very greasy indeed."

[snowdenscold]

I had the Kinks down at first, but checked my sources. According to Wikipedia, it was the Romatics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_I_Like_About_You_%28song%29).

I'm confused - I thought we were talking about "You Really Got Me", not "What I Like About You".

[billybreen]

All Along the Wtachtower - Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan). Hendrix simply owned that song. Even Dylan said "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way... Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

I have a friend whose theory of music is that you can easily divine someone's age or musical savvy by asking them who sang 'All Along the Watchtower.'

[billybreen]

That song's attribution to Phish is an urban legend/mistake. It was recorded by an outfit called "The Gourds." Phish never recorded that song.
At any rate, that version is pretty funny (especially the first time).

Yes, I love that song. I'm pretty sure the Phish attribution was propagated by Napster and the like. When I first stumbled across it, the artist name in the MP3 was 'Fish.' Um, ok.

[Johnboy]

I have a friend whose theory of music is that you can easily divine someone's age or musical savvy by asking them who sang 'All Along the Watchtower.'

I'm an old fart, but I like the DMB version as well or better than Hendrix. it's really not my favorite Hendrix song. I have Dylan's original on my iPod as well.

Any song from Cover Girl by Shawn Colvin is great, but I'm particularly fond of "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" (Talking Heads) and "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" (Dylan).

[colchar]

I had the Kinks down at first, but checked my sources. According to Wikipedia, it was the Romatics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_I_Like_About_You_%28song%29).

While the Romantics certainly did What I Like About You, the song in question was You Really Got Me which was originally done by The Kinks (and was mistakenly attributed to The Romantics) and was covered (most famously) by Van Halen.

Halen also did a good cover of The Kinks' Where Have All the Good Times Gone.

[rthomas]

I have a friend whose theory of music is that you can easily divine someone's age or musical savvy by asking them who sang 'All Along the Watchtower.'

A duo called Brewer and Shipley had a great version - their albums are out of print. I saw them with Iron Butterfly in 1970 (I think). Hendrix is best, then Dave Mason, then Dylan, then Dave Matthews.

[colchar]

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (The Boss)

The Runner - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Ian Thomas)

Do You Love Me - Girschool (KISS)

Call Me The Breeze - Lynyrd Skynyrd (J.J. Cale)

Gloria - The Doors (Van Morrison)

Wild Night - John Mellencamp (Van Morrison)

All Along the Wachtower - Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan)

Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Guns N Roses (Bob Dylan)

Devil With A Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly - The Boss (Mitch Ryder)

Your Momma Don't Dance - Poison (Loggins and Messina)

Make Me Do Anything You Want - Helix (A Foot In Cold Water) -- I actually like the original a lot better but the Helix version was pretty good.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Jeff Healy Band (Beatles)

Train Kept A Rollin' - Aerosmith (The Yardbirds)

Soulshine - Gov't Mule (The Allman Brothers Band) -- Not sure if this counts since two members of Gov't Mule were in The Allman Brothers when this song was written/recorded.

Sugar Magnolia - The Allman Brothers Band (The Dead)

[Highlander]

I'm confused - I thought we were talking about "You Really Got Me", not "What I Like About You".


While the Romantics certainly did What I Like About You, the song in question was You Really Got Me which was originally done by The Kinks (and was mistakenly attributed to The Romantics) and was covered (most famously) by Van Halen.

Halen also did a good cover of The Kinks' Where Have All the Good Times Gone.

You guys are right. I got the Poison cover of "What I like about you" confused with the Van Halen cover of "You Really Got Me" when I was posting. Plus I had a mp3 I downloaded years ago that credited "What I like" to the Kinks.

BTW, the Poison cover is atrocious.

[Highlander]

I have a friend whose theory of music is that you can easily divine someone's age or musical savvy by asking them who sang 'All Along the Watchtower.'

I've also heard that most people prefer either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but most don't like both.

[lmb]

How about a song you wish someone would cover? I have always wanted the Foo Fighters to cover the Beatles' song Everybody's Got Somthing to Hide (Except for me and my Monkey). I think the percussion in that song lends itself well to that band.


Worst Cover?
I will never forgive Michael Bolton for ruining "When a Man Loves a Woman".

[mehmattski]

I've also heard that most people prefer either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but most don't like both.

I like both a great deal. My road trip playlist features Sympathy for the Devil followed by Hey Jude (great songs, and it kills a good 15 minutes right there).

As for my favorite covers:
Blinded By the Light- Manfred Mann (Springsteen)
All Along the Watchtower- Hendrix (Dylan- don't even get me started on the DMB version)
Walk This Way- Run DMC (Aerosmith)
Smooth Criminal- Alien Ant Farm (MJ)
Mr. Tambourine Man- Dylan (The Byrds) Was it really a cover? Wikipedia says the song was written by Dylan but released by the Byrds before Dylan released his own version later that year.
I Will Survive- Cake (Gloria Gaynor)

And for nerdiness' sake:
Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)- They Might Be Giants (http://tmbgstolemyplanetariumsong.ytmnd.com/) (Hy Zaret And Lou Singer)

[colchar]

I've also heard that most people prefer either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but most don't like both.

Probably true. I despise the Beatles (strangely enough, I love Harrison and McCartney as solo artists) but like the Stones.

[duke74]

Well to be accurate, it was written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Keith Whitley heard it soon thereafter, liked it, and was the first to perform.


(Sorry, one of my pet peeves is the fact that songwriters pretty much get absolutely no credit in the music industry - at least to the general public - since about 1950. I think they're just as important as the performing artist)

Oops...bad assumption (since it was on a tribute album). Sorry

[wilson]

Worst Cover?


Surely Michael McDonald appears somewhere on that list, too.

[MrBisonDevil]

'97 Bonnie & Clyde (Eminem) – cover by: Tori Amos
I'm Housin' (EPMD) – cover by: Rage Against the Machine
Microphone Fiend (Eric B & Rakim) – cover by: Rage Against the Machine
How I Could Just Kill A Man (Cypress Hill) –cover by: Rage Against the Machine
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) – cover by: Tori Amos
At Your Best (Isley Brothers) – cover by: Aaliyah
Here She Comes (Velvet Underground) – cover by: Nirvana
Nobody Does It Better (Carly Simon) – cover by: Radiohead
Red Red Wine (Neil Diamond) – cover by: UB40
Back At One (Brian McKnight) – cover by: Mark Willis
Before I Cheat (‘Before He Cheats” Carrie Underwood) – cover by: Joe
Windmills Of Your Mind (Noel Harrison) – cover by: Sting
Children’s Story (Slick Rick) – cover by: Tricky
Let’s Get It On (Marvin Gaye) – cover by: Jack Black
How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (Marvin Gaye) – cover by: James Taylor
To Be Young, Gifted And Black (Nina Simone) – cover by: Donnie Hathaway
This Christmas (Donnie Hathaway) – cover by: Christina Aguilera
Wonderall (Oasis) – cover by: Metallica
Going Back To Cali (LL Cool J) – cover by: Sevendust
Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) – cover by: Chris Cornell
Aubrey (David Gates) – cover by: Grover Washington Jr

[DUKIECB]

Metallica's entire Garage album. All rock and metal covers...awesome.

[YmoBeThere]

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians(Bob Dylan)
Suspicious Minds - Fine Young Cannibals(Elvis Presley, but I am not sure if he was the original writer)

[darthur]

Mr. Tambourine Man- Dylan (The Byrds) Was it really a cover? Wikipedia says the song was written by Dylan but released by the Byrds before Dylan released his own version later that year.

It was written by Dylan and performed live several times by him in 1964. Both Dylan and the Byrds released it in 1965 with Dylan releasing it first as far as I can tell (Dylan's album came out in March, the Byrds' single came out in April). It looks like the Byrds *recorded* it before Dylan *released* it though. Perhaps that's what you're thinking of?

Maybe it's my Dylan fandom speaking but I really truly can't stand most of the Byrds' Dylan covers. The only one I actually like is You Ain't Going Nowhere.

[05dukie]

One of my favourite covers is "The Man Who Sold the World" by Nirvana (originally by David Bowie).

[captmojo]

http://www.cduniverse.com/images.asp?pid=1169034&style=classical&image=front&title=London+Symphony+Orchestra+%2D+Kashmir%3A+Sym phonic+Led+Zeppelin+CD

I bought this many years ago as a novelty and was happily surprised.

[Johnboy]

The top of my list of bad covers that are wildly popular is a song mentioned on this list several times: Blinded By the Light by Manfred Mann. They took a fabulous song by Springsteen and mangled it beyond recognition - adding a section in which he plays chopsticks on the piano. Awful. I'm not a huge Bruce fan, so it's not that, but his version has passion and verve. Manfred Mann's has "chopsticks" - ugh. Listen to the original on Greetings from Asbury Park and you'll know what I'm talking about.

[Bluedawg]

Oak Ridge Boys 1981 -- Elvira (http://youtube.com/watch?v=9VJ6RUmlbLE) (Kenny Rogers and the First Edition) [interesting note..Richard Sturban was a soprano as a boy]

Ricky Van Shelton - Statue Of A Fool (http://youtube.com/watch?v=U18RoNcwkmI) (Jack Greene, David Ruffin)

Ricky Van Shelton In My Pocket (Little Jimmy Dickens)

Alan Jackson Mercury Blues Live on Tool Time (http://youtube.com/watch?v=wjEZ1Nh7tDU) (Steve Miller Band, Wishbone Ash)

Mr. Bojangles (the list is long. I think it was Jerry Jeff Walker's originally. My favorites are the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (http://youtube.com/watch?v=QAY-qY177Ds&feature=related) and Sammy Davis jr (http://youtube.com/watch?v=j-5bkCkQ3V0)

[Bluedawg]

Oak Ridge Boys 1981 -- Elvira (http://youtube.com/watch?v=9VJ6RUmlbLE) (Kenny Rogers and the First Edition) [interesting note..Richard Sturban was a soprano as a boy]

Ricky Van Shelton - Statue Of A Fool (http://youtube.com/watch?v=U18RoNcwkmI) (Jack Greene, David Ruffin)

Ricky Van Shelton In My Pocket (Little Jimmy Dickens)

Alan Jackson Mercury Blues Live on Tool Time (http://youtube.com/watch?v=wjEZ1Nh7tDU) (Steve Miller Band, Wishbone Ash)

Mr. Bojangles (the list is long. I think it was Jerry Jeff Walker's originally. My favorites are the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (http://youtube.com/watch?v=QAY-qY177Ds&feature=related) and Sammy Davis jr (http://youtube.com/watch?v=j-5bkCkQ3V0)

My time ran out while I was looking for the version of these two so i couldn't edit my original post and add them:

Route 66 - Asleep At The Wheel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtDn5ChHI28) (written by Bobby Troups. The list of remakes is too long, no idea who did it first.)

Blues Brothers Soul Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea9mV9EhPvE) (i think Sam and Dave)

[snowdenscold]

The top of my list of bad covers that are wildly popular is a song mentioned on this list several times: Blinded By the Light by Manfred Mann. They took a fabulous song by Springsteen and mangled it beyond recognition

I second this sentiment.

[colchar]

The top of my list of bad covers that are wildly popular is a song mentioned on this list several times: Blinded By the Light by Manfred Mann. They took a fabulous song by Springsteen and mangled it beyond recognition - adding a section in which he plays chopsticks on the piano. Awful. I'm not a huge Bruce fan, so it's not that, but his version has passion and verve. Manfred Mann's has "chopsticks" - ugh. Listen to the original on Greetings from Asbury Park and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I actually prefer the Manfred Mann version. The Boss sounds constipated in his version.

[Mal]

Tons of great stuff on the lists here, kind of overwhelming. And hard to think of anything not already mentioned.

Since a lot of people are focused on Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower being sort of the definitive re-branding via cover, I'd submit Aretha Franklin's version of Respect as being in the same vein. On the Otis Redding box set, there's a live version of the song, introduced by Redding half-jokingly (OK, maybe less than half-jokingly; he actually sounds deeply annoyed by it) as a song of his "stolen" by a "little girl." Clearly, Aretha owns it now.

And in the Hendrix vein, I don't think he topped the original, but Stevie Ray Vaughan took Voodoo Chile and certainly put his own stamp on it. I prefer his version. It's faithful to the original, but mindblowingly awesome in its virtuosity and intensity. The live versions are ridonkulous. Especially the one from Austin City Limits where he plays half the song with the guitar on his back while sweating profusely (probably from the coke).

The very first poster mentioned perhaps my favorite cover, Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah." It not only eclipses Leonard Cohen's original, but completely changes the tone and meaning of the song and lyrics. That's what a great cover does - it's a re-imagining. It's so heartbreakingly, transcendently beautiful, that I can't even be bothered to listen to anyone else's versions, even Cohen's. This song has been used to death (often inappropriately) in movies and cheesy TV and should thereby have been sapped of any meaning for me, elitist snob that I am ;) . But it hasn't.

One other cover I've always loved more than the original is the Sunday's version of Wild Horses. Don't get me wrong, the Stones' original is great, all melancholy and bitter, but Harriet Wheeler turns it into a sweet, hopeful bit of fragility. I like the different interpretation, and the ethereal guitar work. It's a dreamer's version of a sad song.

[allenmurray]

One other cover I've always loved more than the original is the Sunday's version of Wild Horses.


I agree, it is phenomenol - very different, but very moving. The first time I heard it I was in a sub shop and it was being piped in on the corporate muzac subscription Quizno's subscribes to. My initial reaction as a Stones fan was to be horrified - then as I listened to it I was mesmerized. I bought it that same day.

[colchar]

And in the Hendrix vein, I don't think he topped the original, but Stevie Ray Vaughan took Voodoo Chile and certainly put his own stamp on it. I prefer his version. It's faithful to the original, but mindblowingly awesome in its virtuosity and intensity. The live versions are ridonkulous. Especially the one from Austin City Limits where he plays half the song with the guitar on his back while sweating profusely (probably from the coke).



Good point. I can't believe that I forgot to include this in my list.

[MrBisonDevil]

Favorite covers of all time:
"Black Hole Sun" (Soundgarden), "Creep" (Radiohead) & "Epic" (Faith No More) - all covered by MrBisonDevil & MrsBisonDevil (via the Rock Band video game) :o

[dball]

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians(Bob Dylan)
Suspicious Minds - Fine Young Cannibals(Elvis Presley, but I am not sure if he was the original writer)

Mark James was the writer of Suspicious Minds and co-writer on Always On My Mind (covered by Willie Nelson). Interestingly (or not), in the same session, Elvis recorded songs from two guys who would have successful music careers of their own.

Mac Davis (In The Ghetto)
Eddie Rabbit (Kentucky Rain) which raises the question of how a New Jersey guy is writing about Kentucky rain

James also wrote Hooked on A Feeling for B.J. Thomas and that song was later covered by Blue Swede.

[Tommac]

Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen from 1970 is almost all cover songs, with the exception of a few Leon Russell (who was in the tour band and recording) songs.

[Tommac]

Crossroads as performed by Lynnyrd Skynnyrd on One More From the Road.

[mkirsh]

Most of the good ones have been mentioned already, but here are a few more:

Johnny Cash's American Recordings had some good covers in addition to Hurt: Solitary Man (Neil Diamond) and One (U2)

Jimmy Buffet's version of Southern Cross (orignal Crosby Stills and Nash I think)

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's (not sure I got that right) version of Over the Rainbow

I also really like Jose Gonzalez's version of Heartbeats (orginal by the Knife), although many people may not have heard the original.

As for worst covers, althought not technically a cover, this is probably the worst butchering of a great song ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmIObmv2t6M

[colchar]

Crossroads as performed by Lynnyrd Skynnyrd on One More From the Road.

As much as I love, and I do mean love, Skynyrd, I've never been a big fan of Crossroads no matter who performs it (the song, after all, does carry a curse).

But One More From the Road is an amazing album.

[YmoBeThere]

REM did a fairly good cover of One in concert...I got a copy of it during the heydey of downloading. I had a lot of other concert stuff that got wiped out when my hard drive crashed, but I did manage to hold on to this one.

[allenmurray]

As for worst covers, althought not technically a cover, this is probably the worst butchering of a great song ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmIObmv2t6M

Now I will have to drink an entire bottle of Maker's Mark just to make the psychic pain go away.

[YmoBeThere]

Oh, GNR did a decent version of Knockin on Heaven's Door in concert

[tecumseh]

I have a lot of Dylan covers, really a lot. So thanks for the reference at the start of the thread to Sinead O'Connor somehow that one had escaped me, but a little correction the song is called "I believe in you" and is from the Slow Train album. I just bought it off iTunes it is great and it can also be listed as a modern Holiday song.

For old rock and roll fans like me one of the most fun covers is "My Back Pages" from Bobfest. Because of their distinctive voices you can hear Neil Young, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Bob Dylan all taking turns singing parts of the song.