33 Cover Songs People Like Unapologetically Better Than The Original
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Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community to share a song cover they like more than the original. The results had my eyebrows raised from beginning to end:
1."'Africa' by Weezer, I like the original by Toto, too, but I was alive when Weezer came out with the cover, so I think that’s why I like it more."
2."The Glee version of 'Valerie' by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse is superior."
3."Lauryn Hill’s version of 'Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.' Her version really speaks to my soul and grabs me, making me weak in the knees every time I hear it. It’s the most perfect version of the song!"
4."'Landslide' by The Chicks, fight me."
5."I love Dolly Parton, but Whitney Houston’s 'I Will Always Love You' is ICONIC!!!"
6."'The Man Who Sold The World.' I ADORE David Bowie's music, but something about the Nirvana MTV Unplugged version of that song makes me like it more."
7."Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen’s 'Hallelujah.' Cohen’s is beautiful on its own, but Buckley's version is so haunting and hypnotizing, and so much more emotional, especially with the knowledge of Buckley's untimely death."
8."Oh, and Rufus Wainwright’s cover of 'Hallelujah' is better than Jeff Buckley’s. Fight me."
9.Never have I ever wanted to add a comment before now. 'Sail' by AWOLNATION is good. 'Sail' by Devil Driver is on a whole other level above the original."
10."The Moulin Rouge version of 'Lady Marmalade!' Hands down."
11."I might get hate for this but 'Cancer' covered by Twenty One Pilots (originally performed by My Chemical Romance). Twenty One Pilots's version is at least on the same level as the original. The original feels like a cancer patient at the beginning of treatment, raging at the diagnosis. Twenty One Pilots's version feels like a cancer patient towards the end of treatment, just absolutely exhausted and done with the pain. It manages to respect the original while being different, and I love it."
12."I (probably) am the only one who thinks this, but I prefer The Corrs’ more energetic version of 'Dreams' to the original by Fleetwood Mac."
13."'Proud Mary' by Tina Turner. I love me some Creedence Clearwater Revival, but Tina brings so much energy to that song and makes it so much better."
14."'Under My Thumb' by Streetheart. Way better than The Rolling Stones's version!"
15."Anything from Pitch Perfect."
16."'Smooth Criminal' by Alien Ant Farm, original by Michael Jackson."
17."There’s an a cappella group called Straight No Chaser that does a phenomenal cover of 'Creep,' originally by Radiohead. Their harmonies are hauntingly beautiful!"
18."Conor Maynard's cover of 'Someone You Loved' by Lewis Capaldi."
19."'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)' by Placebo. I love Stranger Things, and I do enjoy Kate Bush’s voice. I’m very happy for her that Stranger Things made it so popular again. But honestly, Placebo’s version is so much better. It’s a bit almost grittier and smoother, and overall I would rather listen to their cover a million times than Kate Bush’s."
20."Bette Midler's version of 'Do You Wanna Dance' beats the Beach Boys's original. She takes it from a party song to a romantic ballad, and it's amazing."
21."'Tennessee Whiskey,' the Chris Stapleton version. Nothing against George Jones or David Allan Coke, but no one can sing that song like Stapleton. He does it so well that most people don’t even realize it’s a cover!"
22."Aerosmith's version of 'Come Together' is better than The Beatles."
23."Don't hate, but...'FIRST LOVE' cover by Boyz II Men is better than the original by Utada Hikaru.
24."Kelly Clarkson's version of 'Happier Than Ever.' Billie Eilish did a great job on it, but Kelly's version cuts deep, and it feels so good to scream along when you need an outlet."
25."'It's My Life' by No Doubt. To me, this song is better than the original by Talk Talk. I like the female vocals of it and how to me, it seems slightly more dramatic than the original."
26."Kate Bush's sweet (yet haunting) take on Elton John's 'Rocket Man.'"
27."Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails song 'Hurt.' Even Trent Reznor said Cash’s version was better."
28."'Sound of Silence' by Disturbed. When I heard the original by Simon and Garfunkel, I was shocked, to say the least."
29."'Emotion' by Destiny's Child. Samantha Sang did an okay job in the '70s, but when Destiny's Child did their version, it was like it was always made for them."
30."Stand Atlantic's cover of 'MakeDamnSure' by Taking Back Sunday. I adore the original, but the guitars' texture, the clarity of Bonnie's voice, and the added two beats at the end of the bridge??? The cover wins all-day."
31."Definitely an unpopular opinion, but I'll always prefer Geri Halliwell's version of 'It's Raining Men' over the original The Weather Girls version. (Sorry, Weather Girls!) It's just more fun to me. And this is coming from someone who grew up in the '80s and the original version of this song."
32."Chris Cornell’s version of 'Billie Jean.'"
33."'Respect' by Aretha Franklin! The song was originally written and recorded by Otis Redding basically to complain about his wife, and Aretha took the song and completely reclaimed it."
