Spin through your playlists for today’s LTP, it’s about cover songs.
I can count the number of covers I like better than the original on one hand. Jane’s Addiction’s version of “Sympathy for the Devil” is sublime. Pretty much anyone who’s ever covered a Dylan song has a leg up. (Ducks.) I like UB40’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” better than Elvis’s. (Ducks and hides.) What covers do you like more than the originals? Extra credit: What cover would you love to hear that doesn’t exist? I’d like to hear Henry Rollins sing anything by John Mayer. I’d pay good money to hear it, in fact.
75 replies on “Lunchtime Polls: Covers That Outshine the Originals”
I’m so late to this and have terrible taste in music, but I love covers and can’t not comment (even though I know I’m going to leave out some of my favorites):
I love the Marilyn Manson version of “Sweet Dreams.” The Disturbed version of Tears for Fears’ “Shout” is maybe the funniest/most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, and I also love their cover of “Land of Confusion.” Korn’s cover of “Word Up” is also really strange/awesome. Seether’s “Careless Whisper” is pretty good. I absolutely love the Cake version of “I Will Survive.” And it’s not strictly a cover since Chris Cornell was in Temple of the Dog, but I love the version of “Hunger Strike” he did live with Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. I saw them do it on the 2008 Projekt Revolution tour and it was so fucking cool.
the Cowboy Junkies own “Sweet Jane” as far as I’m concerned. And because I live in 1995, I really like Natalie Merchant’s “Because the Night” too.
I’d pay good money to see Henry Rollins read a phone book.
Ok, so, not a cover song. But if you need yet another reason as to why Hillary Clinton is the shit, click this link.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/hillary-clintons-epic-rejection-letter-to-jason-s
The Placebo cover of ‘Running Up That Hill’ is one of my favorite things ever.
Ooh, I love that song!
I prefer both Harry Nilsson’s and Mariah Carey’s versions of “Without You” to the original by Badfinger.
UB40’s “Red Red Wine” is actually a cover, and I love it. And I don’t know if it counts as a cover, but I love Dropkick Murphy’s rendition of “Amazing Grace.” It was one of our wedding songs.
This is a very apt LTP, because LOOK WHAT I FOUND TODAY:
http://youtu.be/7aL3PjNTqwU
She does a banging cover of Rocket Man too.
Iron and Wine did a cover of “Such Great Heights” by Postal Service that I like much better than the original. It was the only music we had at our wedding, so it is sweet in that way, but it is a lovely song.
That version is so beautiful!
Isn’t it? :) It’s so soft and lovely…I could listen to it on repeat forever. :)
I didn’t realize that was a cover. I’ve only heard Iron and Wine’s version. It is a lovely song
I didn’t realize it was a cover until after we used it in our wedding. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the only version. ;)
Oh, I just adore that song! I believe it’s my #1 most played on my iPhone.iTunes.
I don’t have a real reply. Â My mind just instantly went to the Stevie Nicks video I saw floating around somewhere on the internet awhile back. Â It always manages to cheer me up. Â Raw version of Wild Heart. Â I love it.
And since you mentioned the lovely Mr. Rollins, enjoy this. I do. Every day.
I love you for posting this.
Bacharachattack! covering the cover version of the Last Shadow Puppets covering the cover of the Arthur Lee & LOVE version of the Burt Bacharach song called My Little Red Book. I would embed the Bacharachattack! version, but we have no good recording of it right now. It only lives on in the minds of the people who were there to see it… Soon….Soon we will have it recorded. And it will be AWESOME.
By the way, for readers in MA –May 21 at Precinct Bar – Bacharachattack! will be playing all of the great Burt Bacharach and Hal David hits you all love. Early show, come out to see us. I will sing a song just for you!