It’s often regarded as an extremely rare musical occurrence, but occasionally there comes along a band or artist who manages to cover a song and make it much better than the original. Of course diehard fans of the original track or artist often can’t see past the one version but on a few occasions those who wrote the track often aren’t the best at performing it.
Here are just 5 cover songs which are better than the original:
1 – Johnny Cash – Hurt
This song, originally by Nine Inch Nails is one of the most depressing ever written by the band. However despite its intention to be all doom and gloom, Johnny Cash somehow manages to bring a darker and far more haunting quality to the track than Trent Reznor ever did. Cash’s decision to cover the track surprised the world at the time, but if you take into account his life and the lyrics of the song, you can begin to understand just how he manages to add that extra spark of passion to this hauntingly melancholy track.
2 – The Clash – I Fought the Law
The Clash’s iconic version of this track has become so popular, the song is practically synonymous with them, rather than the band who originally recorded the track, The Crickets. Originally released by the latter in the 60’s, the song became known and considered a classic about a decade before The Clash covered it. The punk band added some of the UK anarchic aggression associated with their genre to create this version.
3 – The White Stripes – Jolene
This is a much lauded cover in the indie rock world is mostly about Jack White’s presence and intensity put into the performance rather than an epic reworking of the song. Originally by country queen Dolly Parton, you’d never catch her howling and wailing desperately like White, or adding a dirty guitar riff in the chorus. This is perfect country for rockers.
4 – Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World
One of the world’s most famous covers, this song originally appeared on David Bowie’s third studio album of the same name, although you may not initially be able to tell when listening to Kurt Cobain’s vocal rendition. His Seattle drawl and grungy take on the song almost make it seem like the track couldn’t possibly have belonged to anyone else to begin with. Unlike these new sites that offer free bonuses, Cobain didn’t need covers to draw people into his buying his work, but rather made them work for him.
5 – Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower
Bob Dylan has had many a track of his covered, hailing more commercial success than its original, partly because of his vocal abilities vs others, and partly because of the artists interpretation. The rocky Jimi Hendrix version of All Along the Watchtower is undeniably the best, so much so that even Dylan himself agrees.
In a world where hearing cover versions now sometimes feels like a version of musical bingo, it’s difficult to sort out which artists are taking the lazy road and which have put a lot of thought, effort and heart into their covers. The latter is what it usually takes for a cover to become better than the original.
Last edit: 2015-01-19 16:43:57 UTC by Bastien
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