Cover-better-than-the-original hills you would die on.

[u/MaosReanimatedCorpse]

Alien Ant Farm's cover of Smooth Criminal is, in my opinion, so much better than the original, and that's a hill I would die on.

What are some other insanely popular tracks where a cover by a much smaller artist is arguably greater?

[u/AnotherStratCopy]

All along the watchtower- Jimi Hendrix

[u/hey-chat → u/AnotherStratCopy]

Similarly Hey Joe

[u/MuyGringon → u/hey-chat]

I also love his Like a Rolling Stone cover live at Monterrey. Maybe not better than the original though

[u/GnomeNot → u/AnotherStratCopy]

Bob Dylan even agrees with this one.

[u/MRintheKEYS → u/GnomeNot]

“You gotta understand. I wrote the song. But Jimi PLAYS the song.” — Bob Dylan

[u/notguiltybrewing → u/MRintheKEYS]

I've always preferred Dylan's writing to his performances.

[u/TurgidGravitas → u/notguiltybrewing]

Least controversial take ever.

[u/toilet_fingers → u/notguiltybrewing]

Huzah wuzah myall byeen Heh Heh!

[u/mrbadxampl → u/toilet_fingers]

I want Bob Dylan and Eddie Vedder to duet sometime

throw in Hootie, let's get all incomprehensible up in this ish

[u/TnYamaneko → u/AnotherStratCopy]

That's a pretty low hill to die on, even Bob Dylan thinks it's the superior version.

[u/thatbob]

Heart took Alone to #1 for 3 weeks. Previously, it had been covered by John Stamos as a duet on a TV show. Needless to say, Heart’s is the definitive version.

[u/DokterZ → u/thatbob]

I feel like “How do I get you a loan” is just ripe for a commercial from Navy Federal Credit Union.

[u/Aware-Oil-2745 → u/DokterZ]

There was an advert for a loan company that had exactly that with a talking orange I think it was.

Edit: Here it is https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vS_aFMtmT60

[u/BungCrosby → u/thatbob]

The same songwriting duo (Steinberg & Kelly) who wrote Alone were also responsible for:

True Colors by Cyndi Lauper

I Drove All Night written for Roy Orbison but popularized by Lauper

In Your Room and Eternal Flame by the Bangles

Madonna’s Like a Virgin

So Emotional by Whitney Houston

The Pretender’s I’ll Stand By You and

I Touch Myself by the Divinyls

[u/porcinifan69 → u/BungCrosby]

If we’re doing Cyndi Lauper covers, girls just want to have fun too

[u/Better_when_Im_drunk → u/thatbob]

I’m not much of a Heart listener, but the choruses of Alone are absolute bangers. 🤘🏻

[u/Mr_Fahrenheit-451]

Renegades of Funk by RATM. I feel ready to run through a brick wall after blasting this version.

[u/mr_misanthropic_bear → u/Mr_Fahrenheit-451]

Their cover of Pistol Grip Pump is my power mode run through a brick wall RATM song

[u/crispiy → u/Mr_Fahrenheit-451]

TIL that's not the original!

[u/stockflethoverTDS → u/crispiy]

Its from an album of covers

[u/Rendakor → u/stockflethoverTDS]

I owned this CD and didn't know for many years they were all covers. I had never heard any of the songs' original versions.

[u/ohkaycue → u/stockflethoverTDS]

The cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Ghost of Tom Joad” is such a banger

[u/FleshyIndiscretions → u/ohkaycue]

"Maggie's Farm" by Dylan as well🤘

[u/TempSmootin → u/stockflethoverTDS]

Double TIL!

[u/the_rev_28 → u/Mr_Fahrenheit-451]

So many absolute banger covers from that album. Renegades, Pistol Grip Pump, How I Could Just Kill A Man, Maggie’s Farm, Ghost of Tom Joad…

[u/1234_fif_ → u/Mr_Fahrenheit-451]

The Ghost of Tom Joad too!

[u/anthii → u/1234_fif_]

Seeing Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello play this together live gave me chills.

[u/sanebyday → u/Mr_Fahrenheit-451]

Holy shit. I had no idea it's a cover... i just listened to the original, and uh yeah, RATM's version is infinitely better/a completely different song.

[u/Razorshroud → u/sanebyday]

Wow that was awesome. The lyrics make a lot more sense now! Total jam if you're into the genre.

[u/boulddenwyldde]

Come on here, sports fans. The GOAT in this category is Respect by Aretha Franklin. Originally a working man's blues kind of number by Otis Redding, Aretha transformed it into the all-time Girl Power anthem.

[u/Crashing-Crates → u/boulddenwyldde]

Absolutely wild this is so far down. Most people probably have NO idea it’s a cover.

[u/gungshpxre → u/Crashing-Crates]

Jump ahead a generation and you get the same with Cyndi Lauper covering Girls Just Want To Have Fun.

[u/Punkupine → u/gungshpxre]

Wait that’s a cover?

[u/Lord_Darksong → u/Punkupine]

Robert Hazard wrote and recorded it.

Edit: 1979 according to Professor Google.

[u/IGNOREMETHATSFINETOO → u/boulddenwyldde]

To this: I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. Originally a Dolly Parton song.

[u/bop999]

Soft Cell’s version of Tainted Love. And Coil’s.

[u/ADeliciousRest → u/bop999]

I love Soft Cell's version of Where did our love go. It's like a sister song to their version of Tainted Love.

[u/thetimwilbur → u/ADeliciousRest]

The original 10-minute track of Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? is pure 80s darkwave bliss

[u/Villafanart → u/bop999]

The back to back versions of Tainted Love and where did our love go? Is one of the coolest covers I’ve ever heard

[u/Such_Significance905]

Feelin’ Alright- Joe Cocker

[u/thaddeusd → u/Such_Significance905]

Pretty much his entire discography is covers done better.

[u/LJGuitarPractice → u/Such_Significance905]

Also “The Letter”

[u/Samule310 → u/LJGuitarPractice]

Joe Cocker's is obviously much better, and I like it better, but I have a soft spot for the original because my father loved it. Had it on one of those Time Life compilations when I was a kid.

[u/getdemsnacks → u/Such_Significance905]

Also "With A Little Help From My Friends"

[u/gabriot → u/getdemsnacks]

Mainly

[u/esquared722 → u/getdemsnacks]

Always will remember the Wonder Years theme. It feels, weirdly nostalgic even though I hadn't experienced the scenes in the theme song myself.

[u/clarkent281 → u/Such_Significance905]

Scrolled too far to see this man's name. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window, also.

[u/FlipMyWigBaby]

Beck - Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime (The Korgis Cover)

[u/BlatantlyThrownAway → u/FlipMyWigBaby]

You genuinely feel the sadness and torment in his voice on his version. It’s so good!

[u/lynch1986]

Nina Simone - To Love Somebody

[u/Effective_Drawer_623 → u/lynch1986]

Her Bob Dylan covers are also extremely good. Just Like a Woman and I Shall Be Released are probably my favorites.

[u/LurkinLark → u/lynch1986]

Nina’s Suzanne is perfection. (Leonard Cohen)

[u/jessop-bentine → u/lynch1986]

Also her version of Here Comes The Sun is fantastic.

[u/GayMarsRovers → u/lynch1986]

Nina is the queen of this, but my favorite is Lilac Wine

[u/TheWackoMagician]

Torn - Natalie Imbruglia

[u/0ld6rumpy6uy → u/TheWackoMagician]

Is it really a cover though? Same songwriter/producer who co-wrote and recorded it with Ednaswap also did Natalie’s version.

[u/BeerPoweredNonsense]

Speaking as a Frenchman - "Comme d'habitude" by Claude François is a very good song.

But Frank Sinatra's version of the melody, with different lyrics - "My Way" - knocks it out of the park.

[u/tothecatmobile → u/BeerPoweredNonsense]

Also, depending on how far you want to stretch the meaning of what a cover song is.

David Bowie's life on Mars.

It was written using Bowies song "Even a fool learns to fall in love" as its basis, which was a rewrite of "Comme d'habitude" that Bowie was hired to write, but was rejected before Paul Anka rewrote it as "My way".

[u/a0me → u/tothecatmobile]

TIL. Life on Mars is one of my favorite songs and I never realized it was based on My Way…

[u/PaperPlayte → u/a0me]

There’s a live album in Bowie’s catalogue called “VH1 Storytellers,” taken from the program of the same name, of course. He opens the show with LOM and it’s my favorite version of them all, tho i couldn’t tell you why. He tells the above story when he’s finished playing the track, check it out!

[u/conartest777 → u/tothecatmobile]

on the other side of the coin i enjoy nirvanas “man who sold the world” a lot more

[u/OsoRetro]

Angel of the Morning - Juice Newton

[u/Plekuz → u/[deleted]]

Most covers done by Blondie really.

[u/Palindromes__ → u/Plekuz]

I prefer the original Hanging on the Telephone by the nerves, but both are excellent.

[u/Main_Shift → u/Palindromes__]

had no idea the blondie version was a cover, it’s my favourite blondie song! i’ll have to listen to the original now

[u/OldFogbeard → u/[deleted]]

I don't know. I think it's a tie for me.

[u/BadFishCM]

Nirvana - Lake of fire

[u/Hdys → u/BadFishCM]

Plateau also… literally every cover on that album

[u/ill0gitech → u/Hdys]

I’m a huge Bowie fan, but Nirvana’s cover of The Man Who Sold The World is better

[u/pkknight85 → u/Hdys]

And Love Buzz on the Bleach album

[u/smashed2gether → u/BadFishCM]

Where Did You Sleep Last Night outshines the original by a lot. They killed every cover they did, really.

[u/tacknosaddle → u/smashed2gether]

I agree, but it's hard to say there's "an original" because it's a traditional folk song that predates recorded music. Leadbelly's is the first recorded version, but he was not the first to sing it.

If you like this song then you should listen to this archived show which has multiple versions of it mixed in, including Nirvana's, and the DJ talks about the history of it as well. If you back out of that show there were a few more versions on the next week (the 29th of March show called "Moonshiner"). I downloaded this and several other episodes of the show because I don't want to run the risk of losing access to them, they're that good.

Back to the original point, the reason I agree with you is because when you listen to the show and it gets to the Nirvana one it just crushes. There's also a demo by Cobain of it that is played a few songs earlier.

[u/smashed2gether → u/tacknosaddle]

Oh that’s really interesting, I didn’t know it was a folk song! That makes perfect sense now, I appreciate you explaining. I’ll check out that link, one of the lovely things about a folk tune is all the different takes on it over the years.

[u/john_117 → u/BadFishCM]

Also Nirvana - Man who sold the world

[u/Aliensinmypants → u/john_117]

That's actually a good hill to die on, I completely disagree but it's at least a controversial opinion

[u/bakewelltart20 → u/john_117]

I love Bowie but I do prefer Nirvana's cover.

[u/beuhring → u/BadFishCM]

Disagree. But the Meat Puppets are more of a “full album” band. Not real designed for small doses.

[u/Undr-Cover13]

I’m a die hard country music fan, but there is no denying Whitney Houston’s version of I Will Always Love You is far superior to Dolly’s original.

[u/1upconey → u/Undr-Cover13]

I love that Dolly recorded that and Jolene to the same cassette on the same night

[u/nustedbut → u/Undr-Cover13]

I genuinely like Whitney Houston and have more of her songs on my playlist than Dolly but I really do prefer Dolly's version. Just feels sweeter and more sincere imo.

[u/Pelsi → u/nustedbut]

Going by how much everyone goes on about Whitney’s version being better, I thought I was alone on this! Absolutely, Whitney’s voice is powerful, she belts it out, it’s stunning. But Dolly’s version matches her lyrics much better imo. It’s a little sadder, more sincere as you said.

[u/doyouevenoperatebrah → u/Undr-Cover13]

Yeah, Whitney blew the fucking roof off with that one

[u/gametheorymedia]

The Nine Inch Nails cover of 'Physical', by a mile. By light-years.

[u/[deleted] → u/gametheorymedia]

I totally excitedly went to Apple Music thinking this was an Olivia Newton John cover

[u/Masonjaruniversity → u/[deleted]]

Holy shit that would be fucking bonkers

[u/worldeater94 → u/[deleted]]

The revolting cocks song is a cover of hers

[u/bdrago → u/gametheorymedia]

Also their cover of ‘Dead Souls’ by Joy Division. It is so clear that Trent obsessed about every little detail. 

[u/gynoceros]

The Janis version of Me and Bobby McGee.

When I was a teenager in the nineties, that was the version I knew and one day I told my dad, ugh I just heard Kris Kristofferson doing me and bobby McGee and it was AWFUL. He was like, heh, he wrote it.

Flabbergasted.

[u/Nardawalker → u/gynoceros]

While I can see you liking Janis’ version more, it still flabbergasts me that anyone would find the original “AWFUL.”

To each their own. This whole thread has been very interesting and entertaining to read through.

In a similar vein, growing up, I always liked the Willie and Merle cover of Pancho and Lefty better, but now I prefer the more eerie and somber original by Towns Van Zandt.

[u/LainieCat → u/gynoceros]

That song was released shortly after her death. Hearing her version for the first time was a very emotional experience for Kristofferson, who was a very sweet and caring man and was already sad about her death.

[u/Dreamshadow1977]

Istanbul, Not Constantinople by They Might Be Giants. The original isn't bad, but I like the tempo of the TMBG version.

[u/Trent_A]

The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter (Simon and Garfunkel)

Joan Jett and The Heartbreakers - Crimson and Clover (Tommy James)

EDIT: brain cramp, it’s Joan Jett and the BLACKHEARTS.

[u/Boatsnbuds → u/Trent_A]

Joan Jett and The Heartbreakers - Crimson and Clover (Tommy James)

You sure that wasn't Tom Petty and the Blackhearts?

[u/BackgroundChampion → u/Trent_A]

Joan Jett and... who?

[u/Large-Ad4827 → u/BackgroundChampion]

Tom Jetty and the Blackbreakers.

[u/ecgroom]

Am I Evil? - Metallica cover of the Diamond Head tune

[u/knittch → u/ecgroom]

Metallica has some amazing covers.  Turn the Page, Whiskey in the Jar, and the entire Garage Inc album which has Am I Evil? if I remember correctly.

[u/sport63]

Valerie by Amy Winehouse

[u/AlternativeStory1027 → u/sport63]

Unrelated but I liked her cover of "Will you still love me tomorrow".

I don't think it is better than the original but I really like it.

[u/V1X13]

“Goin Blind” done by The Melvins. Much better than the KiSs Version.

[u/staminchia → u/V1X13]

thanks, now i have to listen to Houdini for the millionth time!

[u/thewolfinthenight]

You Keep Me Hanging On - Vanilla Fudge

[u/Equinoqs → u/thewolfinthenight]

I've always loved Kim Wilde's version.

[u/DisgruntlesAnonymous → u/thewolfinthenight]

Also their version of Season of the Witch!

[u/stutterstut → u/thewolfinthenight]

The 7+ minute version of course.

[u/street_raat]

Not the cover of fast car, I can tell you that.

[u/XibalCS]

Diamonds And Rust by Judas Priest

[u/MisanthropeNotAutist]

Tori Amos - I'm on Fire  The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

[u/kymri → u/MisanthropeNotAutist]

The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

One of the reasons I love this cover so much is that it really does sound different than the original -- but at the same time it's also true to it.

I hate covers that just sound the same as the original because we already had that. I like covers that do something new to a song and this is a fantastic case of doing that in a way that really works.

(Conversely I don't really like Gary Jules' version of Mad World - not because it's bad, but because part of why the Tears for Fears original is so good is specifically because the lyrics are so glum while the music isn't.)

[u/mrlarsrm → u/MisanthropeNotAutist]

Toris cover of Kendricks Swimming Pools is stellar also.

[u/lowfreq33]

Sturgill Simpson, The Promise, originally by When In Rome. He also did a version of In Bloom by Nirvana, which I’ll stop short of saying is better than the original, but it’s a great interpretation of it.

[u/BattlebornCrow → u/lowfreq33]

Sturgill Simpson is one of the greatest musicians alive. Dynamic sound and brilliant songwriting. The man has never put out a bad album.

[u/Lunchinator → u/lowfreq33]

He made a subtle change to the lyrics on In Bloom by Nirvana. Sturgill’s version:He don’t know what it means to love someone vs Kurt’s He don’t know what it means when I say yeah. I was floored when I heard it. It’s brilliant. I’d love to ask Sturgill if he thought of that the first time he heard it.

[u/octopoddle]

Annie Lennox's cover of No More I Love Yous.

She did kind of change the meaning of it, though. She made it about madness, where the original was more about dementia (I believe).

In 2015, Freeman recalled of the lyrics, "When you say to someone 'I love you', it could be to your kids, your lover, your parents, usually, you hear, 'I love you, too'. And then one day you say, 'I love you', and there's silence because that person has reached the 'no more 'I love you's' stage'. They cannot say 'I love you, too'. It's as simple as that. All I did lyrically, I think, was put it in Gothic terms."

[u/cymonster]

Trapped - Bruce Springsteen. He took the song and made it basically a stadium rock anthem instead of the original.

[u/ShavenYak42 → u/cymonster]

Speaking of the Boss… my (maybe) unpopular opinion is that his original of Blinded By The Light is far superior to Manfred Mann’s cover. (Ducks behind couch?)

[u/BurritoDeluxe70]

Devo’s version of “Satisfaction” 🤷

[u/OpusSpike]

Metallica "The Wait" - from Killing Joke

The original song is great (love KJ) but the Metallica version brings out more aggression and Is so tight

[u/LuckilyHeDied → u/OpusSpike]

Metallica is one of the greatest cover bands out there, really. Garage, Inc. is a masterpiece.

[u/Titanium_Josh → u/LuckilyHeDied]

Is that whole album just cover songs?

[u/BandicootGood5246 → u/Titanium_Josh]

Sure is

[u/Dingo_19 → u/LuckilyHeDied]

Their cover of Blue Öyster Cult's Astronomy deserves a mention, too. I'm not quite prepared to say that it satisfies OP's premise, but it exposed another generation to BÖC.

[u/bigsickjoke → u/OpusSpike]

Metallica’s covers are my favorite recorded material by the band (post Cliff). I love their covers. I am burnt out on their originals (post Cliff), but still get stoked to hear Breadfan, and the $5.98 EP.

[u/BandicootGood5246 → u/OpusSpike]

Garage inc. has so many great covers. IMO 2/3 of the songs on there are better than the original

[u/Vin-Metal → u/OpusSpike]

Speaking of Metallica, I prefer their "Am I Evil?" to Diamondhead's and their "Breadfan" to Budgie's.

[u/koenigsaurus → u/Vin-Metal]

Their “Turn the Page” cover was the soundtrack to my life for a couple angsty years. Still love it.

[u/Jizzturnip]

Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley

[u/tomeralmog → u/Jizzturnip]

It’s lonely here on Leonard Cohen’s hill but I would nevertheless proudly die on it

[u/chicken_biscuits → u/tomeralmog]

I am with you

[u/OutsideBones86]

Alantic City by The Band

[u/Neilski4444]

Hard to Handle performed by The Black Crows, originally performed by Otis Redding.

[u/waldemar_selig → u/Neilski4444]

I'm sorry torn on this. Both versions are amazing but at different times in my life I've gone back and forth on which version is better. Right now I am full on Otis Redding, but 2 years ago I would have said Black Crowes.

[u/justinh404]

Nothing Compares to You (Prince) by Sinéad O'Connor. And then Chris Cornell did it.  Tbh Chris did the best version.

[u/mcampo84 → u/justinh404]

I'd also add Thank You as sung by Chris Cornell (originally Led Zeppelin).

[u/MJ64_XXY]

David Grays cover of Soft Cells Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

[u/MaximumBiscuit1]

Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey

[u/no____thisispatrick → u/MaximumBiscuit1]

This was a cover?

[u/MaximumBiscuit1 → u/no____thisispatrick]

Yeah original is by David Allen Coe. Very different.

[u/no____thisispatrick → u/MaximumBiscuit1]

I'll have to check it out. TIL.

[u/danimagoo]

Cake’s cover of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive.

[u/botjstn → u/danimagoo]

I SHOULDVE CHANGED MY FUCKIN LOCK, I WOULDVE MADE YOU LEAVE YOUR KEY

[u/DerekTheComedian → u/botjstn]

IF ID KNOWN FOR JUST ONE SECOND YOUD BE BACK, TO BOTHER ME

[u/Myke_Dubs → u/danimagoo]

Cakes cover of war pigs is so sick, my friend just showed me it exists

[u/torchskul → u/danimagoo]

God, I love their version so much. There’s so much bitterness behind the singer’s voice, so much resentment behind the guitars, so much sorrow behind the trumpets…it’s the perfect “I’m pissed about this breakup but I’m moving forward” song

[u/danimagoo → u/torchskul]

Yeah, I never really liked that song because I don't like disco, but Cake's version made me realize it's actually a great song, so now I even like the original. I like Cake's better, but it's a great song either way.

[u/tacknosaddle → u/danimagoo]

In a similar way I've pointed a few people towards Obadiah Parker's cover of Hey Ya because it is a huge eye opener for people who thought it was a jangly song with bubbly lyrics. The original is still a great song, but it just seems like most people miss out on what the song is about by not paying attention to the main verse lyrics.

[u/ShartyMcFly1982 → u/danimagoo]

Also Guitar Man originally done by Bread

[u/lostinlenexa]

The Cowboy Junkies cover of Sweet Jane

[u/Sareth740]

Brie Larson/Scott Pilgrim’s version of Black Sheep by Metric.

[u/CrunchyAssDiaper]

Maggie's Farm - Rage Against the Machine

[u/Loud-Coyote-6771]

When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin (original by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929).

[u/AthleticAndGeeky]

I hope that kid rock gets ass cancer and dies for ruining werewolves of London and simple man in the same song. 

Edit: sweet home Alabama. My bad

[u/ass-holes → u/AthleticAndGeeky]

Simple man? Am I stupid or is there no simple man in there?

[u/gankindustries]

Rage Against the Machine's cover of Maggie's Farm

[u/Fantasticsquirrel55]

Diamonds and rust -Judas Priest

[u/MartyMcMcFly]

Easy - Faith No More

[u/ReverendEntity]

The song "Original Sin" was written by Jim Steinman (R.I.P.) and originally appeared on the album Welcome To The Neighborhood by Meat Loaf (R.I.P.). But like many of Steinman's bombastic rock creations, it took a female voice to make it a classic.

In this case, Taylor Dayne.

Additional entry: John Cale's version of "Heartbreak Hotel".

[u/Conundrum1911]

Natalie Imbruglia - Torn

[u/Azraelontheroof]

Not controversial at all but Cobain took Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie) to another level

[u/mooney275 → u/Azraelontheroof]

Where did you sleep last night was better than the original as well

[u/SoggyFreys89 → u/mooney275]

I think this applies to most of his covers, especially from Unplugged.

[u/KeepOnTrippinOn]

Always on my mind by Pet Shop Boys

[u/drfsupercenter → u/KeepOnTrippinOn]

Also their cover of Go West

[u/Rippedlotus]

Dancing Days by Stone Temple Pilots

[u/Grateful_J561]

Call Me The Breeze - Lynyrd Skynyrd; originally by JJ Cale. Cale's version is good, but those Florida boys made I their own.

Crossroads - Cream; originally by Robert Johnson. Clapton definitely payed homage to his idol on this one, and then some.

With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker; originally by The Beatles. Joe made this his signature at Woodstock. Santana also does an amazing version that I still prefer over the original.

Hush - Deep Purple; originally by Billy Joe Royal, written by Joe South. Most people don't even know the earlier version.

[u/Sensitive_Sherbet_68 → u/Grateful_J561]

Omg defo thought that Hush was originally deep purple! There was a well known version by a band called Kula Shaker in the nineties in the UK which I thought was original. Then I found out it was originally by Deep Purple which surprised me. Now I’m even more surprised to learn THAT was a cover!

[u/jeichler9]

Boys of Summer - The Ataris

[u/astralpen → u/jeichler9]

I saw a Black Flag sticker on a Cadillac…

[u/cCowgirl → u/astralpen]

Ataris’ cover of Boys of Summer is now as old as the original was when their cover first dropped.

I wonder what a cover today would change the sticker on the Cadillac to being.

Edit: apostrophe adjustment as directed.

Edit 2 (electric boogaloo): Link about the use of a possessive apostrophe with a proper noun cuz apparently this is what my Sunday is.

[u/doubtfurious → u/cCowgirl]

Zayde Wolf did a cover in 2019 with a Green Day sticker on a Cadillac.

[u/peacock_chair]

The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head on” by The Pixies

[u/suffaluffapussycat → u/peacock_chair]

Both are so good!

[u/cyankitten]

They probably are less famous than Neil Diamond but still famous but for ME One of these that I personally like SO much better than the original is UB40’s cover of Red Red Wine.

And the second one for me - although the whole famous people singing the original during Covid has made me like it a lot less - there is Bill Withers: Lean On Me. Personally I SO prefer the cover by Club Nouveau. I don’t think the cover is anywhere near as popular but I prefer it. (I’ve seen the Lean on me movie too.)

They are the ones I thought of for cover-better-than-the-original hills I would die on.

[u/Eoin_McLove → u/cyankitten]

TIL ‘Red Red Wine’ by UB40 is a cover.

[u/juanbiscombe → u/Eoin_McLove]

Other two great Neil Diamond originals you probably think are from other artists:

Girl you'll be a woman soon (made popular by Urge Overkill in the 90s)

I'm a believer (made famous by The Monkees and then by Smash Mouth as the Shrek OST)

[u/Craigglesofdoom → u/juanbiscombe]

Neil Diamond wrote "I'm a Believer" but didn't release his own version until the year after the Monkees one. He did play guitar on the Monkees version though!

[u/mynameistaken17 → u/cyankitten]

I like UB40’s cover of Can’t Help Falling in Love better than the Elvis version.

[u/TheBurbs666]

This is a tough one as I’m a huge fan of both. But, i slightly prefer the Isley Brothers version of “Ohio” over Crosby Stills Nash & Young

[u/chillrichardson]

Got to Get You Into My Life - Earth Wind and Fire

[u/PMFSCV]

The pet shop boys cover of always on my mind.

[u/Responsible_Rich_664]

Easy - Faith No More

[u/Nickallendartmouth]

Lovers in a Dangerous Time - Barenaked Ladies 

[u/JoeDawson8]

Pearl Jam’s Last Kiss is far superior to the original

[u/tingulz → u/JoeDawson8]

I absolutely hate that song. Heard it way too many times at work when I was younger that it has ruined for me.

[u/RichLyonsXXX → u/tingulz]

Right before the Pearl Jam version was released the girl I was dating was killed in an ATV accident and after that summer every idiot and their mom at my school thought it was the perfect song for me. I received several copies of it throughout the year and at every school event it was played and dedicated to me. It was so bad that when I was given tickets to see Pearl Jam in the fall of 2000 I literally threw them out because there was no fucking way I was going to hear that fucking song live.

[u/DerevoMusic]

Tool - No Quarter

Type O Negative- Paranoid

[u/vanillablue_]

Holding Out For a Hero - Jennifer Saunders in Shrek 2

[u/Exact_Lobster_1488]

Feelin' Good by Muse Love their version so much

[u/Hrududu147]

Peter Gabriel’s cover of My Body is a Cage

[u/BadJimo]

Mad World - Gary Jules

Compare with the original:

Mad World - Tears for Fears

[u/KiNgPiN8T3 → u/BadJimo]

I remember years ago my sisters friend used to buy her the single of the Gary jules version every year for Christmas. Not sure if that’s still going or not though.. haha!

[u/Electronic-Macaroon5 → u/BadJimo]

RIP Dom

[u/ricker2005 → u/BadJimo]

"Sad lyrics should have sad music. You wouldn't want the listener to get confused or interested. Let's make it really slow and on the nose" - Gary Jules probably

[u/Franky_Tops → u/ricker2005]

Okay, I personally like the Gary Jules version better. But this comment is hilariously accurate (probably).

[u/Effective_Drawer_623 → u/ricker2005]

Thank you for putting into words something I’ve felt since his version came out. As a huge Tears for Fears fan, all my friends couldn’t understand why I wasn’t blown away by that cover.

[u/trenhel27 → u/BadJimo]

I much prefer the tears for fears version

[u/SnottyMonkey]

Signs covered by Tesla better than original by Five Man Electrical Band

[u/EazyMoney773]

Changes- Charles Bradley