Cover songs that are better than (or as good as) the original

[Dildo Argentino]

I swear everything Prince touches turns to gold.

I used to think that, but it's a user illusion. Since I listened to the majority of everything Prince ever made, I realise that:

1. Prince touches a truly astounding number of things.

2. A highly unusual proportion of those things do indeed turn to gold.

3. Possibly only to assuage rumours of superhuman stature, but he has made some atrocious shit.

[Aucoq]

Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

And I'm going to say Rammstein - Stripped even though as a (pretty big) fan of Depeche Mode it's hard for me to whole-heartedly say someone else does one of their songs better than them.

And I think My Darkest Day made a pretty decent cover of Duran Duran's Come Undone.

Gary Jules - Mad World

Yes! Fucking fantastic cover!

[Bu🤠ns]

I disagree on that last one, the only band that has been able to do Enjoy The Silence better was Depeche Mode themselves when they re-mixed it for some compilation. 

OKOK...so possibly for redemption...

My wife was like "Has anybody covered "Black" by Pearl Jam that didn't try to sing like Vedder?"

"I have no idea," I reply. 

"I wonder if Tori covered it..."

well, I searched and found.....

Tori Amos - Black (Pearl Jam cover)

[Bu🤠ns]

I swear everything Prince touches turns to gold.

I used to think that, but it's a user illusion. Since I listened to the majority of everything Prince ever made, I realise that:

1. Prince touches a truly astounding number of things.

Not quite enough....

2. A highly unusual proportion of those things do indeed turn to gold.

This is true.

3. Possibly only to assuage rumours of superhuman stature, but he has made some atrocious shit.

FUCK U

[AFK]

I disagree on that last one, the only band that has been able to do Enjoy The Silence better was Depeche Mode themselves when they re-mixed it for some compilation. 

OKOK...so possibly for redemption...

My wife was like "Has anybody covered "Black" by Pearl Jam that didn't try to sing like Vedder?"

"I have no idea," I reply. 

"I wonder if Tori covered it..."

well, I searched and found.....

Tori Amos - Black (Pearl Jam cover)

She's a cover machine.  she did Smells Like Teen Spirit too, which was, different.  I was never a big Tori fan and in fact I think she was kind of ruined for me back in the day.  I was in college when she broke through, and I was running this Open Mic show on campus and all of the girls would do Tori songs but go way over the top with them to show how edgy and original they could be.  So I guess it ended up turning me off to her.

[Bu🤠ns]

Lol, I can see that happening.

[Freeky]

Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

FUCKING BALLS.  The other version I've heard of that was way better. 

[Don Coyote]

Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

FUCKING BALLS.  The other version I've heard of that was way better.

Which one?
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Sweet Dreams - Emily Browning (Full Version)

[AFK]

Marilyn Manson's version is Marilyn Manson's best song.  (or in my humble opinion their only good song)


But the original is better, it had that cold, sterile 80's feeling that MM couldn't recreate in his wildest dreams.

[Freeky]

Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

FUCKING BALLS.  The other version I've heard of that was way better.

Which one?
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Sweet Dreams - Emily Browning (Full Version)

The Eurythmics one. 


ETA:  The Emily Browning one isn't bad, either.  I didn't realize that song had been on Suckerpunch soundtrack. 

[Aucoq]

Marilyn Manson's version is Marilyn Manson's best song.  (or in my humble opinion their only good song)

I personally think Coma White is his best song.  Hell, the album it comes from, Mechanical Animals, is probably his best album from a critic's standpoint.  Although Holy Wood is by far my favorite album simply because of the reason why he created it.  He released it a couple of years after the Columbine school shootings when everyone blamed him for the incident (despite the fact the shooters didn't like him or his music), and he decided to essentially go into hiding for a while.  Out of nowhere he releases Holy Wood which is an attack on virtually every aspect of American culture.  He attacks the media, how they glorify violence and turn insane killers like the Columbine shooters into celebrities.  He attacks the fact we love war and how any president who is assassinated in office (JFK, Lincoln) is instantly turned into "one of the greatest presidents ever."  As well as the fact we obsess over said assassinations.  He attacks religion, saying that people worship one of the most violent images out there (the crucifix).  He attacks the "Guns, God, and Government" aspect of our culture.  Hell, he even attacks our sports, saying our favorite sport (football) is one of the most violent sports out there as well as the violent-sounding name of the songs we play at said games (fight songs).  Manson having the balls to counterattack when it seemed everyone was gunning for him (no pun intended), the take-no-prisoners ass-ripping nature of his criticisms, and the fact the album practically oozes his anger blew me away.  To this day I still think it's one of the coolest moves anyone has ever done in my life and has earned my respect for him even if his music went in the crapper after that.  (Although his newest album, Born Villain, is pretty awesome and definitely closer to his "Big 3" albums than his last few albums).  Anyways, enough Manson fanboyism...

But the original is better, it had that cold, sterile 80's feeling that MM couldn't recreate in his wildest dreams.

I kind of agree.  I love the music of the 80s.  And I think the Eurythmic's original is awesome.  I don't know if I'd say it's better than Manson's version though simply because the two are almost completely different, personality-wise (if that makes sense).  If the goal of a cover is to sound exactly like the original than yeah, I'll agree Manson failed in that aspect.  But I like the fact that he took the original and made it his own.  I guess what I'm trying to say is I think both are equally good but for different reasons because it might as well be two different songs.  He also did a cover of Personal Jesus, but I think it's complete shit because he did the exact opposite of what he did with Sweet Dreams.  His cover of Personal Jesus sounds exactly like the original (only with different voices, of course).  In my opinion, you're not going to do better than Depeche Mode especially if you keep the cover exactly the same as the original.

[AFK]

I think a lot of New Wave covers fall short because that 80s, synth-feel of the songs was kind of essential.  There are exceptions of course.  I forget the name of the band, but there was this Chill-out, loungey kind of band that did a decent cover of Blue Monday, and I also liked Frente's version of Bizarre Love Triangle. 

[Freeky]

I think a lot of New Wave covers fall short because that 80s, synth-feel of the songs was kind of essential.

Totally agree with you on this one. 

Also, some of the stuff from the eighties was bizarre and comical in their seriousness. 

[AFK]

I think essentially New Wave was punk for nerds.

[Dildo Argentino]

I forget the name of the band, but there was this Chill-out, loungey kind of band that did a decent cover of Blue Monday ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX_9TnAU3s8

That one?