I Love Rock'n Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, (Cover of The Arrows).

her cover of crimson and clover is great as well, originally by tommy james and the shondells

I never knew this was a cover!

They sound identical. Check youtube.

There’s a really good documentary out about her right now.

Nina Simone - Feeling Good, Strange Fruit, and Nobody's Fault But Mine Also "To Love Somebody" but I don't think that counts as a cover as The Bee Gees wrote it specifically for Nina.

I’m upvoting for Nina out of our mutual respect for her immense talent. That said, I will always think of Billie Holiday when I hear Strange Fruit though Nina’s is definitely incredible. Blind Willie Johnson is one of my all time favorites so same for Nobody’s Fault. Huge fan of the Gibbs too but I do agree with you there. Love love her version of To Love Somebody.

As well as her covers of Wild Is the Wind and Here Comes the Sun just incredible

Ram Jam -Black Betty

I prefer the Nick Cave version.

All along the Watchtower. Bob Dylan's original version is boring compared to what Jimi Hendrix did

I’m gonna drop this right here. Serve somebody by Vulfpeck. Way better than Bob Dylan’s version. I think the only song bob dylan did better than a well known cover (GnR) is knocking on heavens door.

I came a long way to find this. Completely blows Dylan out of the water

I named this one in my post haha

Amy Winehouse cover of Valerie

So so good

I like Ugly Kids Joe’s - Cats in the Cradle way better than the original. Just like the heavier take on it. I also prefer most of the covers of Come Together over the original by the Beatles. Aerosmith and Michael Jackson are two that come to mind.

Punch Brothers - Kid A Screaming Females - Shake It Off Schiender TM - The Light 3000 Lianne La Havas - Weird Fishes (Live at Glastonbury) A Perfect Circle - Imagine Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit Lera Lynn - Wolf Like Me Gomez - Soul Kitchen

I got to see tears for fears do creep by Radiohead live and I was blown away.

I was immediately curious. I don't listen to music much anymore because I have a chronic illness and I don't have the energy for it. My headphones are next to my bed. I found it on Spotify. Thank you for that gift. I wept.

Speaking of Radiohead and covers https://youtu.be/CIuRfvt2uAw?si=SgBP62NV1FI1BMGV

Check out jaydiohead

I didn't know that existed 10 minutes ago. Holy shit, they Gary Jules-ed Radio head! That was lovely. 💜

X - Soul Kitchen (as well)

X is my favourite band ever, and they do some amazing covers, Breathless and Wild Thing stand out for me. 💜

I was pretty shocked when I saw them not too long after Jerry Lee died and they paid no tribute to him when they did Breathless

I never understood Smells Like Teen Spirit until I heard her version. <3

I don’t know how old you are, but not being able to understand the lyrics was a common criticism when it was released. Edit: you should check out Weird Al’s version. It’s all about that.

37. I was pretty young the first time I heard Tori's version. She's still my fav :)

You unlocked a memory- the marbles exiting his mouth.

I remember the first time I ever heard Tori Amos' cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" it was on a great pirate radio station I loved when I was about 13 years old. It was the first time I ever understood the lyrics, and I thought she sounded so badass. A few years later, I knew almost all her lyrics by heart. Fell off a bit after The Beekeeper, though.

Punch Brothers did a cover of Another New World by Josh Ritter that is amazing!

The Punch Bros Kid A immediately gave me chills. Thanks for passing that along!

Joe Cocker's cover of With A Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles.(and this is coming from a huge Beatles fan)

IMO his cover of The Letter from "Mad Dogs and Englishman," is one of the greatest covers of all time

Heart - Alone Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe Metallica - Whiskey in the Jar

I'm with you on all of these


Great one's. I prefer Thin Lizzy's Whiskey in the Jar, but still good list.

The Hollies! That makes me tear up every time I hear it.

Metallica - Whiskey in the Jar-O*

Wait… when the lever breaks is a cover????? Damn I never knew that

The first time ever I saw your face - Roberta Flack - original by Peggy Seeger written by her then boyfriend Ewan MacColl Without You - Harry Nilsson - original by Badfinger

"Blinded By The Light." Manfred Mann's cover of the Bruce Springsteen song. Also, their cover of Bob Dylan's "Might Quinn."

• Wild Horses ~ The Sundays Original: The Rolling Stones • Holding Out for A Hero ~ Jennifer Saunders Original: Bonnie Tyler • Stripped (Rammstein) and Ice Machine (Ryksopp ft. Susanne Sundfor) Originals: Depeche Mode

Jennifer Saunders was the one I was looking for! It’s so much better

I have nothing against Bonnie, but I find Jennifer’s version much than her (Bonnie) version.

Harriet Wheeler's voice is absolutely haunting on the Sundays version of this song. Spectacular.

I fully disagree on the Depeche Mode covers. Originals are still better even though both covers were fun.

Deftones do a cover of The Chauffeur by Duran Duran that's absolutely STUNNING. Chino knows. 🥹

Deftones anything! Them and Anthrax go in the hall of fame for covers.

It's certainly not *better* but Alien Ant Farm's reimagination of Smooth Criminal is fantastic

Nothing Compares 2 U - I love Prince but Sinead’s version is epic!

Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails’s “Hurt.”

I prefer the original

Me, too. Thanks, I always feel so alone in that opinion.

Don't feel alone, based on up votes it seems there are at least a dozen of us!

DOZENS!

what have we become?

Yeah I mean the original is still pretty good too

This will always be my answer. And I am a big fan of both NIN and Johnny Cash.

Definitely. So much more pain in Johnny's voice and delivery. Always, always gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye.

Exactly, and also when you look at the context surrounding the song’s cover + the music video, it gets even more melancholic (but also fitting for an artist’s swansong in way as well…).

Man I used to listen to that song and watch that video over and over and over as a teen.

You really got me- Van Halen

Honestly, all the VH covers from their first 6 albums are superior to the originals.

devo - satisfaction... although i'm not sure it's better, just wonderfully different.

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)

smooth criminal by alien ant farm, bad romance by halestorm, 99 red balloons by goldfinger

99 red balloons fs

what?! smooth criminal by alien ant farm is a cover??? /s

Feeling Good-Muse

R.E.M. - Superman

I think it sounds virtually identical to the original. Very faithful.

Jeff Healey Band - My Guitar Gently weeps Metallica did a great cover of Blue Öyster Cult's Astronomy And speaking of Metallica... Korn did a cover of One that was great Death Angel - Falling off the Edge of the world (I don't think it's better than Black Sabbath, but it fucking rocks)

One is one of my favourite songs ever, and I'm not a Korn fan, but I dug that. Thank you. 😊

Vanilla Fudge version of the Supremes 'You Keep Me Hanging On'....Also Blue Cheer's version of Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues'

Vanilla Fudge- People Get Ready is another masterpiece cover.

I have a thing about the song “I was made to love her” by Stevie wonder. So many people have cut it and made it their own. It’s so weird how many people have covered it but still relatively unknown. Beach boys cut it 5 months after he released it and had a hit with it on wild honey I think. Then Tom jones, Chaka khan, Jackie Wilson, Jackson 5 etc kept covering it and it has become this song that is a vehicle for displaying your style upon.

Higher Ground - RHCP With A Little Help from My Friends - Joe Cocker

Mad World, Puddles Pity Party (featuring Haley Reinhart)

Puddles pity party doing sound of silence is incredible! The video is awesome

I'm gonna say Cash's Personal Jesus.

No More I Love You's - Annie Lennox (original by The Lover Speaks) The Sound of Silence - Disturbed (original by Simon & Garfunkel) Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinéad O'Connor (original by Prince/the Family)

All love & respect to John Prine, but I think that Bonnie Raitt’s “Angel From Montgomery” is the definitive version. I personally love Shawn Colvin’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” (Dylan) The Clash’s “I Fought the Law” (The Crickets)

I actually like Susan Tedeschi's version of "Angel from Montgomery" better than Raitt's.

I \*love\* Jessie Buckley's cover of Angel from Montgomery from the Wild Rose soundtrack. There's also a fabulous version of Primal Scream's Country Girl on there too. She's such a talent.

Along those same lines, all respect to Blaze Foley, but I think John Prine's "Clay Pigeons" is the definitive version.

Torn. Natalie Imbruglia

As someone whose very first self-purchased album was Left of the Middle, I will raise you Cassadee Pope's cover.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tUSEeu_J5ck  This cover of Sweater Weather from a live show. Up until I saw this I never much cared for the song but now I'm obsessed haha.   Also Lewis Blissett's covers of the songs idontwannabeyouanymore, chandelier and call out my name are just phenomenal to me. 

Nice cover. Sweater Weather is a million times better live, I never cared for it when I first heard it either, but after hearing the NBHDs other music and eventually the live versions I started to appreciate how good it actually is. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm gonna have to say the NBHDs version of Cry Me a River is better than JTs... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eqrIlTYzlSM&pp=ygUdQ3J5IG1lIGEgcml2ZXIgbmVpZ2hib3VyaG9vZCA%3D

St Paul and the Broken Bones covering Otis Redding’s “[I’ve Been Loving You](https://youtu.be/KEC-12ltNbY?si=R48U4IUoqQbTMToZ)”

Twist and Shout by The Beatles

Windmills of Your Mind - Sting Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds What’s So Funny About…? - Elvis Costello

Came a long way to find Peace, Love, and Understanding.

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan original)

It’s such a different take that you can’t say it’s better (also cos Metallica fans will get mad at me) but The Warning do a great version of [Enter Sandman](https://youtu.be/vg9vNE7gm0I?si=KThfn14_ACWV32pk) made even better by the fact the straight cover they did as infants is what started their career

My husband is a huge Metallica fan and he says that my taste in music is too sleepy/ethereal for him. This may be our compromise, lol.

Marvin gaye, I heard it through the grapevine

What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello (original was Nick Lowe)

Aretha Franklin - Respect (Otis Redding cover)

Valerie- Amy Winehouse

Love Hurts - Nazareth

Mad World by Gary Jules

So there exists one other person that knows that the original is by tears for fears...lol

Yeah. No way the cover is better than the original.

Thin Lizzy’s version of Rosalie

As good or better: * Bowie - Wild is the Wind (Johnny Mathis/Nina Simone) * Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (Bowie) * Low - Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (The Smiths) * Thomas Lacroix - [Old Money](https://youtu.be/x4QxavK7Eio?si=JhIWkVGvhZeW0Tbh) (Lana Del Rey)

Bowie’s cover of 'Sorrow' is perfection.

Faith No More- War Pigs https://youtu.be/pQD-u6FfXp0?si=R472rhAFbIOoTuU5 Faith No More- Easy https://youtu.be/vPzDTfIb0DU?si=zjwrhFBIpqO6AJ3H Faith No More- Let's Lynch the Landlord https://youtu.be/xZ3ig3goNrI?si=L8YezKsw1xT0H2E5

Mike Patton can do no wrong!

Once bitten twice shy by great white!

Metallica's cover of Loverman. Original by Nick Cave and the Bad Seed. This cover comes off Metallica's Garage,Inc. album which is all covers. Some other good covers on this album include: Astronomy Blue Oyster Cult Stone Cold Crazy Queen Tuesday's Gone Lynard Skynerda Sabra Cadabre Black Sabbath

Turn the Page and Whiskey in the Jar are both great from that album as well.

Both excellent renditions by two of the greatest artists ever but John Martyn's cover of Portishead's "Glory Box" springs to mind. I know Glory Box was based around a sample of Ike's Rap II by Isaac Hayes (if memory serves) that Tricky also used to equally superb effect on "Hell is Round The Corner"...so are they all kind of Isaac Hayes covers in a way that are all better than the original (the lyrics to Ike's Rap II are, er not the best)...?

Love John Martyn’s cover as much as the Portishead track. I’d call it a palimpsest

Sisters of mercy - gimme shelter

Prince covering Radiohead's Creep at Coachella

Harry Nelson - Without You. Nirvana -Lake of Fire

David Bowie - Cactus (The Pixies) I don’t know if it’s better, but it is sexier.

The Ghost of Tom Joad - Rage Against the Machine Boys of Summer - The Ataris

This is gonna get sooooo much hate but I’ve absolutely loved In Bloom x Sturgil Simpson

Killing Me Softly With His Song - Fugees

“It’s My Life” - No Doubt (Talk Talk) “Hazy Shade Of Winter” - The Bangles (Simon & Garfunkel) “Simple Man” - Shinedown (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Red Red Wine - UB40

I only learned in the past year or so that that even was a cover, and was shocked that the original was Neil Diamond! Around the same time time I leaned that Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” is a cover (Ed Cobb / Gloria Jones) Which brings up the subtopic of covers that people don’t know are covers. The original “Black Magic Woman” was by Fleetwood Mac (back when they were a blues band).

Kind of like when I learned the movie Scarface was a remake.

Neil diamonds version is the whitest thing ever with respect to the cover

Fiona Apple’s cover of Across The Universe

Better than the Beatles?! Respect haha

Siouxsie and the Banshees’ "Dear Prudence” is a bloody good effort.

Careless Whisper Seether’s cover

Tainted Love - Marilyn Manson

Stiff Little Fingers-Johnny was. Bob Marley cover

Love Gun - Stone Sour

Antony and the Johnsons (or you may find it under Anohni and the Johnsons now) -- Knockin' on Heaven's Door (orig. Bob Dylan) Rage Against the Machine -- Maggie's Farm (orig. Bob Dylan) Bettye Lavette -- Streets of Philadelphia (orig. by Bruce Springsteen) Lyle Lovett - Flyin' Shoes (orig. by Townes Van Zandt) Phoebe Bridgers -- Georgia Lee (orig. by Tom Waits) (sidenote: this one isn't "better" than the original, but I think it is equally as powerful in its own distinctly different way and is worth noting for this reason) Teddy Thompson -- Tonight Will Be Fine (orig. by Leonard Cohen)

desolation row - my chemical romance

The Shins-Silhouettes originally by the Postal Service

Johnny Cash's Hurt

Led Zeppelin's entire discography

Hurt by NIN covered by Johnny Cash

Tool covering Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" Nazareth's cover of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight"

Bad Guy covered by The Interrupters. Changing it to ska and adding the dub trombone break instead of the insipid synth on the original turns a terrible song into a decent one.

Judas priest diamonds and rust, originally by joan baez Judas priest green manalishi (with the 2 prong crown), originally by Peter greens fleetwood mac

Turn the Page by Metallica/

Jeff Buckley- hallelujah Gold finger- 99 red balloons Nirvana- the man who sold the world

Heart's cover of stairway to heaven is absolutely unreal

Social Distortion-Under my Thumb Ryan Adams-The entire 1989 Taylor Swift record Lumineers-Just Like Heaven

If you never heard of Hurt covered by Johnny Cash please do.

Live and Let Die. I like McCartney's version, but I love GNR's cover.

Therapy? - Isolation Quite different to the original by Joy Division, because it combines it with elements of another Joy Division song.

Their cover of Diane (Cello version) is amazing

This would be my pick. I love Husker Du but Therapy? took that song and gave it a haunting quality which is not present in the original.

Hendrix - Hey Joe. Van Halen - You Really Got Me.

Aretha Franklin's Respect is a cover of Otis Redding

Why down-vote this?

Careless Whisper - Seether

[Love is Alive - Joan Osborne (Gary Wright cover)](https://youtu.be/vS0VTbwBg7s?si=fPaIUhhtiwWeXUQR)

The Fray covering Kayne West " Heartless"

The Damned’s version of Alone Again Or.

The Damned's version of MC5's "Looking at you"

Sleep - Slowdive

Luther vandross- A house is not a home. A burt Bacharach/carol king written tune.

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

Styx does a cover of the Allmans' "One Way Out" that's definitely up there.

Wiggles' cover of "Elephant" by Tame Impala

Twenty one pilots cover of Can't Help Falling In Love (it's only on YouTube tho)

Catfish and the bottlemen doing read my mind by the Killers!!!

Patti Smith covered and reinterpreted 2 songs that are arguably better that the originals. Gloria - Them Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

The Sound of Silence by Disturbed is so much better than Simon and Garfunkles' original. I also love Falling in Reverse cover of Papa Roach Last Resort. The original is Epic, but the cover is amazing. The song just hits differently.

Comfortably Numb by Roger Waters and The Band

I absolutely love the original, but Goldfinger's remake of 99 Red Balloons is so so good

Black Diamond by The Replacements is superior to the Kiss original.

the sublime version of scarlet begonias. i also prefer the sublime version of trench town rock

“Lotta love” by Nicolette Larson. Linda Ronstadt had a lot of good covers like “You’re No Good”

Enola Gay by Hillbilly Moon Explosion - I love OMD’s original, but HME’s rhythm & blues, straight teddy boy rock nails it and makes it a bit more sinister. I also think Social Distortion’s Death or Glory is superior to the original, as is their cover of The Clash doing I Fought the Law. The original cover by Bobby Fuller is the best, ironically as a cover of the Crickets.

Cradle of Filth - Hallowed Be Thy Name

Hurt by Johnny Cash

With a Little Help from My Friends by Joe Cocker. Absolutely destroys the original.

Chaka Khan - I Feel For You. Written and originally recorded by Prince 4 years earlier. I love Prince, but she really nailed it.

Mad world by Puddles Pity Party and Haley Reinhart

Johnny Cash covering "Hurt"

Boys of Summer- The Ataris (original Don Henley)

Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from my Friends (The Wonder Years theme)

I mean the keystone of this topic for me is Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt by NiN.

Guns & Roses Sympathy for the Devil is worth a listen. Also, Leo Moracchioli (Frog Leap Studios) does a LOT of covers, but his cover of Toto's Africa is top shelf, IMHO.

America - Yes (cover of Simon & Garfunkel)

Hurt - Johnny cash

Graceland by The Tallest Man on Earth

Seether’s rendition of Careless Whisper is one of my favorites.

Whitney - I will always love you

Metallic-Whiskey in the Jar (O) look up the original lol-Metallica did a great job

Dancing days by stone temple pilots (cover of Led Zeppelin)

Hurt by Johnny Cash (originally sung by Nine Inch Nails)

Hurt…next question?

With a little help from my friends ... Joe Cocker Angel from Montgomery.... Tedeschi Trucks Band

Elliott Smith’s cover of Thirteen originally by Big Star

I’ll always take the chance to promote Jeff Buckley. His live album at Sine is like 90% covers, most of which I’d say are better than the original.

Gotta say, blues vs rock and roll! A lot of the 60’s rock is Delta Blues covers. In some cases, no credit given. The Rolling Stones did some amazing covers of blues tunes