by Jason Provencio
Sometimes big hits become ever bigger hits, for someone else. Photo credit: Massivivid.com
Before I present my list of eight cover songs that I like better than the original versions, let’s make a couple things clear: 1. Anything like this related to music is certainly subjective. The opinions I have about these eight songs in no way should be taken as gospel fact. Many factors come into to play any time you read a “best of” or “favorite” list, relating to music. 2. Saying I prefer these songs over their original versions doesn’t mean that I don’t also love and appreciate the original songs themselves. So let’s get started, in the order these came to mind this morning.
W. Axl Rose and Slash, during their Use Your Illusion Tour. Photo credit: ultimateclassicrock.com
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Guns N’ Roses. Originally recorded by Bob Dylan in February, 1973. It was composed for the soundtrack of the movie, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. It was a worldwide hit and a top ten in several countries. Guns N’ Roses covered it on their double album, Use Your Illusion I and II, with it appearing on II. They also put a cover of Paul McCartney’s Wings hit “Live and Let Die” from the James Bond movie of the same title, also recorded in 1973. I prefer Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door between the two, with Axl’s scowling vocals, Slash’s amazing guitar solos and the gospel choir backing them up. For me, this song outperforms Bob Dylan’s mumbling original version.
Higher Ground, Red Hot Chili Peppers. Originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in May of 1973 (’73 was a great year for music, evidently.) Recorded during a three hour burst of creativity, Stevie not only sung, but also played every instrument on the track. The Red Hot Chili Peppers covered it on their 4th studio album, Mother’s Milk, and I truly love the upbeat vibe. It’s just so funky, with Flea’s amazing bass playing and the howling guitar riffs, they go along perfectly with Anthony Kiedis’ vocals. It’s my favorite version of the song, even over Stevie’s.
David Draiman’s epic vocal performance in The Sound of Silence gives me chills. Photo credit: Billboard.com
3. The Sound of Silence, Disturbed. Originally written and performed acoustically by Simon and Garfunkel in March of 1964, it was remixed and re-released in September 1965. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the beginning of 1966. While I adore Simon and Garfunkel and this song, I can vividly remember the first time hearing Disturbed’s cover version around the end of 2015. Lead singer David Draiman’s powerful vocal range, starting so low in the beginning of the song and raising to a thunderous conclusion by the end, is just incredible. The track almost has a Game of Thrones sound to it, epic in every way. It will give you goosebumps listening to it.
4. I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston. The original song by Dolly Parton was again a product of 1973. Recorded in June of ’73, I Will Always Love You was a tribute to her one time partner and mentor, Porter Wagoner. She had decided to separate from their partnership of seven years, and wrote the song from the perspective of a female ending a relationship in a respectful way, but by her initiative. Whitney took it to a whole other level when she covered it for The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992. It became the best selling single by a female vocalist of all time, selling over 20 million copies. It’s an incredible vocal performance and to me, outperforms Dolly’s version in the way only Whitney Houston could.
Kurt Cobain performing Where Did You Sleep Last Night. Photo credit: Getty Images
5. Where Did You Sleep Last Night?, Nirvana. Originally recorded in various versions by Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Leadbelly. His first version recorded in February 1944 is arguably his best known version. Nirvana performed their version on MTV Unplugged, as their final performance of the evening. They recorded every song that night on a single take, and Kurt refused to do an encore. He felt the ending of the song could not be topped, and I have to agree. His final lines of the song were delivered in such a guttural, raw way that any song following would have been anti-climatic. He opens his eyes before delivering the final line, like he’s just awoken from a trance. Pure magic and definitely a better cover version than the Leadbelly original.
6. You Really Got Me, Van Halen. The 1964 original version by The Kinks was groundbreaking. The Kinks are one of my favorite early rock bands and their ’64 classic was one of the earliest hits to feature a guitar solo. Van Halen must have also been impressed by this hit, as they included it on their 1978 debut album Van Halen. They recorded their cover of You Really Got Me in 1977 and the world was introduced to Eddie Van Halen’s innovative finger-tapping guitar technique. It was so incredible, they decided to release a cover song over their own original material as the debut song of their Hall of Fame career. As much as I love the Kinks, Van Halen’s version takes a rock and roll classic and sets it on fire.
Cyndi WAS so unusual. But it worked. Photo credit: albumcoverstickers.com
7. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper. I didn’t even know this was a cover song, until recently. I was informed of this by my sixteen year old daughter, who I’ve introduced so many great bands, artists and songs to over the years. When she told me, I had to look it up and damned if she didn’t teach her Dad something about music, for once. The original version of the same title was released by Robert Hazard in 1979, to little notice. Cyndi’s cover however, made her a star. She changed the lyrics to a feminist's point of view, advocating for equality in terms of the fun that men have. Add a little synthesizer, a stylish video, her own unique fashion sense, along with powerful vocals, and Cyndi became an 80’s MTV icon. Most people felt Madonna was more successful, but I’d take Cyndi’s funny charm and uniqueness over Madonna’s sex appeal, any day. And Cyndi’s cover over Robert Hazard’s original version, time after time.
8. Mony Mony, Billy Idol. This big hit was originally released by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1968. It was a hit and 13 years later, Billy Idol made it rock even harder. Six years later, he rereleased a live version of the song and had yet another hit. A cover of his own cover of a cover. Sounds like something Billy Idol would do, and I love all three versions. I give Billy the edge with the live version, the third time being the charm. It’s definitely vital Idol.
Again, this is just an opinion piece. For me, these are some of my very favorite cover songs. There are so many more to explore, and perhaps I’ll tackle a Part Two to this topic soon. You may not agree with some or many of these. But that’s the beauty of great music. We can love and appreciate what we want to. Our lists will certainly rarely be exactly the same. That’s cool by me. I’d love to hear your thoughts as to some of YOUR favorite cover songs.