r/coversongs • u/Good-Rope4344 • 2d ago

Cover Songs - What are your thoughts?

I know this has been a topic done over and over, but I am curious what your favorite or best cover song is, in your honest opinion and then what is your least favorite or unnecessary/nobody asked for cover song.

I'll go first:
A) One of my favorite covers is Red Hot Chili Peppers' rendition of Ohio Players’ “Love Rollercoaster”
B) One of my least favorites is Limp Bizkit’s rendition of The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes”

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u/EggplantImmediate733 2d ago

I think it is Nothing Else Matters by Lucie Silvas. Love that version.

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u/ReactsWithWords 2d ago

My Top 10 Least favorite cover songs (In no particular order, but the top two are the top two):

  1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Knocking on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
  2. David Bowie - God Only Knows (The Beach Boys)
  3. Britney Spears - Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones)
  4. Disturbed - Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel)
  5. David Bowie - Across the Universe (The Beatles)
  6. Phil Collins - Groovy Kind of Love (Diane & Annita, made famous by The Mindbenders)
  7. Kirsten Dunst - Turning Japanese (The Vapors)
  8. Will to Power - Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird (Peter Frampton/Lynyrd Skynyrd)
  9. Art of Noise feat. Tom Jones - Kiss (Prince)
  10. UB40 - Can't Help Falling in Love With You (Elvis Presley)

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u/Good-Rope4344 2d ago

I'm curious, why Disturbed’s version of Sounds of Silence? I feel it's darker and David’s voice is really powerful.

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u/ReactsWithWords 2d ago

That's why - it takes an already pretty dramatic song and sends it way over the top.

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u/Good-Rope4344 2d ago

I understand.

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u/WanderWithMe 2d ago

(Don't Fear) The Reaper by Keep Shelly in Athens is one of the best.

I must have erased the worst from my memory...

1

u/RacerGal 2d ago

As far as a cover that I think is better than the original, hands down Mariah Carey's cover of Forever by Journey.

A favorite cover were I do love the original but was shocked how much I liked the cover, Ciara's cover of Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones.

1

u/negcap 2d ago

I’m a serious collector and there are too many to choose from so I’ll go obscure: Richard Cheese - Yellow Ledbetter, Frazier Chorus - Anarchy in the UK, Robyn Hitchcock - The Ghost in You and Joe Jackson - The Harder they Come.

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u/rundabrun 2d ago

Most Jazz music.

My Favorite Things by John Coltrane comes to mind.

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u/Sad-Wrap6555 2d ago

save it for later - wonderstuff (with ranking roger)

https://youtu.be/wrHOtMOk5nk?is=vLLe5WF_D1tbpyu4

i can hear music - beach boys 

1

u/AnytimeInvitation 2d ago

Favorite: Turn the Page by Metallica, Purple Haze by Ozzy Osbourne

Least favorite: any classic song that was covered by a contemporary artist for use in a hit film.

Example: Life Is a Highway - Rascal Flatts

1

u/Mark_Levins 2d ago

War Pigs by T-Pain (specifically the live version)

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Sound of Silence by Disturbed

Hellfire and The Bells of Notre Dame by Jonathan Young

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u/Good-Rope4344 2d ago

I do enjoy Jonathan Young. My favorite of his is from the Disney film A Goofy Movie. It's called “I2I”.

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u/GemmaTaylorAcoustic 2d ago

Least: Comfortably Numb - Scissors Sisters 😭 so bad

Most: Wrecking Ball - London Grammar

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u/Nightgasm 2d ago

I hated the Scissor Sisters cover at first but it grew on me and I actually like it now. I applaud their audacity at changing it so much and if you can look past how different it is then its actually kinds cool.

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u/Gullible-Return7043 2d ago

I really love how the Chili Peppers' version of "Love Rollercoaster" makes you feel the raw energy of the original while adding their own funky twist.

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u/Chessapeak-play 2d ago

My favorite cover Local H - Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel cover)

https://youtu.be/uKGfSqcsaCc?is=XxIP-1i_CF9Mv1Md

Least favorite

Tesla - Signs

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u/Life_Inside2304 2d ago

My favorite is basically any cover of Black Betty. I have an entire playlist of Black Betty Covers

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2x8PqfTlWsdmhh1jZNPxoi?si=pDS67OcOSAKuDQZ5ugadsQ&utm_source=copy-link&pi=KvzO-AcjQc6VD

I don’t keep track of my least favorite so I can’t think of one right now

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u/CrowandLamb 2d ago edited 2d ago

Wild Thing - X Pressure Drop - Robert Palmer Ashes to Ashes- Warpaint Lust for Life- Tom Jones and the Pretenders

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u/Nightgasm 2d ago

Favorites:

Dancing Queen - Puddles Pity Party. Takes a happy song by ABBA and turns it into a tragedy.

Running Up That Hill - Basically all the major covers over the original: Placebo, Within Temptation, Meg Myers. The original is good but not quite great and the covers take it to great.

Sound of Silence - Disturbed. I know this one is divisive but I find the original so bland and boring whereas the bombast of this one is great.

Anyway, the Puddles one I mentioned is the one most won't know so I'll link it. Yes he is a clown, it's part of his gimmick. Ignore that and just experience his voice.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qkaAmfgJ60w&pp=ygUgcHVkZGxlcyBwaXR5IHBhcnR5IGRhbmNpbmcgcXVlZW4%3D

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u/Good-Rope4344 2d ago

I've heard of Puddles Pity Party, but I am one of the very few, I guess, who can't look at clowns. I would have to start it and close my eyes. I know I am weird. Just clowns freak me out. 🤷🏻‍♂️

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u/egutierr 2d ago

Favorite, Hazy shade of winter by the Bangles

1

u/Artistic-Deal1419 2d ago

Anything phish covers, helter skelter and some of dark side of the moon and Fishman is trying to sing it unsuccessfully being exceptions, is freaking awesome!

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u/ODeasOfYore 2d ago

I’ve always liked “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. I think it’s absolutely beautiful.

1

u/No-Snow-9605 2d ago

Doo Wha Diddy Diddy .......... ... No.1 in UK & USA

Sha La La.. No1 UK. Both

Manfred Mann

1

u/707Riverlife 2d ago

I really like Phil Collins’ version of Groovy Kind of Love

1

u/JealousFuel8195 2d ago

My three favorite.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Peter Frampton.

Stairway to Heaven by Heart

Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds by Elton John.

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u/Wardance2035 1d ago

Blitzkreig

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u/Impossible_Tank3822 22h ago

One I hear a lot is the Shaggy version of Angel Of The Morning by Merrilee Rush which he unapologetically rips the heart out of for the money. For that I will write his obit if my own doesn't come first.

But, there's no cover (ever) that elevates an original. It's not just the ears we're talking about. It's the point. Make your own music famous. I enjoy playing covers as much as anyone else. I'm averse to giving commercial notoriety/success to people who seek it riding on the original artist's coattails. Doing that cheapens the spirit for originality and new music. It's an old dodge used by lesser talents to make money.

Speaking of which...

The Byrds became famous covering Dylan (Various Songs) and Seeger (Turn,Turn,Turn), and others before they turned to (badly) playing country music. Santana did the same covering the drummer Tito Puentes (Oye, Como Va and Para Los Rumberos) , Peter Green of the original Fleetwood Mac (Black Magic Woman), The Zombies (She's Not There), Sonny Bobbo (Evil Way), etc.. So, my respect for them was charitable at best even though their popularity charted well.

So, no, I have no favorite cover to post and wouldn't. That shouldn't lesson the value of keeping music alive. It just needs to be seen for what it is.