Cover owns

It's not often a cover is better than the original, but it does happen occasionally. Hendrix doing "All Along The Watchtower" is the most obvious example.

Here's one of my favorites in this category, and as much as I love Warren, it pains me to admit it. Dwight has always owned this one since he first sang it. Bonus: I discovered this mid-'80s clip tonight.

Please share your favorites. Of course, these are always debatable, other than the Hendrix one.

The Byrds and Pete Seeger's "Turn Turn Turn".

Really like how the mood matches the lyrics here which IMO gets lost is the original dance version.

To be perfectly honest I never even paid much attention to the lyrics other than the hook until hearing this version.

Sure, the original is notorious for who sang it, and probably many would feel like much is missing if they want to boogie along, but the depth that is reached here IMO outshines the otherwise shallow, heard is 500 times to the point of nausea, ding-dong, any old pop tune original.

Brilliant of Bootstraps to find magic here with their different approach no matter how simple, and to be perfectly honest I can't listen without getting a bit choked up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRqq8o9980c

Wish that this was on Youtube.

Columbus, Oh Alt/Country singer Lydia Loveless took Justin Bieber's "Sorry" and brilliantly found its depth, meaning, and feeling.

Unless you're in need of a sugar rush, don't even bother listening to Bieber's original.

Hear Lydia Loveless Reinvent Justin Bieber's 'Sorry' : All Songs Considered : NPR

Sorry Whitney to keep nudging you aside, but for me Linda Ronstadt's version of the Dolly Parton penned "I Will Always Love You" is the magical and moving one.

To some purists it might sound like sacrilege to say this, but Neil Young really killed it in the feels with Hank Williams "Oh Lonesome Me" off of his 1970 "After The Gold Rush" release.

Disturbed singing -Sound of silence .

Song has been recorded over 90 times by different artist, I think Disturbed does it better than anyone. Including the original.

Tom Jones- Green Green Grass Of Home. Recorded by others before him after the original, Tom by far the best!

Pearl Jam "Last Kiss".

No Doubt's version of "It's My Life" is better than Talk Talk's version.

This is a fun video. About 20-30 seconds of each version.

Cash "Hurt"

Disturbed singing -Sound of silence .

Song has been recorded over 90 times by different artist, I think Disturbed does it better than anyone. Including the original.

 

Tom Jones- Green Green Grass Of Home. Recorded by others before him after the original, Tom by far the best!

Im going to heavily disagree with the Disturbed cover. Buddy of mine said to check it out, that they totally killed it. I checked it out and I struggled mightily to get through the whole thing. That's one I still can't grasp how it's on the radio so often. I'm sorry but I can't justify it. Nothing personal

Im going to heavily disagree with the Disturbed cover. Buddy of mine said to check it out, that they totally killed it. I checked it out and I struggled mightily to get through the whole thing. That's one I still can't grasp how it's on the radio so often. I'm sorry but I can't justify it. Nothing personal

No problem, if everyone liked the same kind of music we would only have a few singers and bands in the world....

When I think of someone who "owns" a song they've covered, I think it goes beyond the idea of the cover being better than the original. I think it really means the cover song turns into the version that most folks out there think of when they hear the name of the song.

There are relatively few folks who would hear someone say, "I love the song All Along The Watchtower" and not basically immediately think of Hendrix's cover. I think the same goes for Turn, Turn, Turn and The Byrds, and with Janis Joplin's version of Me & Bobby McGee.

When I think of someone who "owns" a song they've covered, I think it goes beyond the idea of the cover being better than the original. I think it really means the cover song turns into the version that most folks out there think of when they hear the name of the song.

 

There are relatively few folks who would hear someone say, "I love the song All Along The Watchtower" and not basically immediately think of Hendrix's cover. I think the same goes for Turn, Turn, Turn and The Byrds, and with Janis Joplin's version of Me & Bobby McGee.

To your point, I didn't even know those three songs were covers by those artists.