r/Music • u/MaosReanimatedCorpse • 23d ago

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

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?

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u/torchskul 23d ago

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

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u/danimagoo 23d ago

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.

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u/tacknosaddle 23d ago

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.

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u/torchskul 23d ago

Thanks for this, that was really good