We’ve seen endless lists of ‘covers that beat the originals’, most of them mentioning this one and that one. In my quest to find original songs that were obscured by their more famous covers, I got to first discover many popular tracks that I had no idea were covers. Finding and listening to the beautiful original was often like a revelation, and making the list was probably more fun that the list itself. Feel free to add in the comment any songs you think should have made the cut.

 

It’s my life (Original: Talk Talk/Cover: No Doubt)

Talk Talk were big during the New Wave period and had a few hits such as Talk Talk and Such a Shame. Their most known track however is still It’s My Life and the best thing about the song – the synthesizer –  wasn’t as prominent in No Doubt’s version.

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American Woman (Original: The Guess Who/Cover: Lenny Kravitz)

It’s debatable whether Lenny Kravitz’s version of The Guess Who’s hit is the most popular one, since the original reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. The feature of the cover on Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is probably what got the song into the big mainstream.

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Mad World (Original: Tears For Fears/Cover: Gary Jules)

This is a case of a cover that is definitely more famous than the original. It’s also a case where most readers will disagree that the original is better. In fact, Gary Jules’ version often appears on Covers That Beat The Originals list, so there is no doubt a lot of people prefer the cover. I can’t explain much my choice here, as it could be a matter of taste, but it’s also a case of which version you discovered first. Close your eyes, don’t think about Donnie Darko and try listening to Tears For Fears’ version again.

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I Want Candy (Original: The Strangeloves/Cover: Bow Wow Wow)

Using the famous Bo Diddley beat, The Strangeloves managed to mix their love for candy with a purely 60s sound, giving birth to a masterpiece that saw an endless number of covers in the following decades. The most famous may be Bow Wow Wow’s (still really good) interpretation.

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Love Buzz (Original: Shocking Blue/Cover: Nirvana)

Shocking Blue is band from the Netherlands and mostly known for their hit Venus (later covered by Bananarama in 1986). Love Buzz was released in 1969 and later covered by Nirvana in 1988. The psychedelic take on the orientalist riff gives the song the charm that was taken away by Kurt Cobain in the cover version.

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Beggin’ (Original: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons/Cover: Madcon)

Madcon’s cover of the 1965 Frankie Valli hit is a Hip Hop take that adds a not really necessary rap section. The raw sounds created by The Four Seasons is essentially what helped the song make it to the list.

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Sunny (Original: Bobby Hebb/Cover: Boney M)

The original by Bobby Hebb is just one of the most beautiful songs out there. It shouldn’t have been let be ruined by Disco in any way.

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Red Red Wine (Original: Neil Diamond/Cover: UB40)

Don’t get me wrong, the “reggae” take by UB40 is beautiful. However, Neil Diamond, with one of the greatest voices in history, gives the song the real red wine effect. And no I’m not talking about making you want to sleep.

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Proud Mary (Original: Creedence Clearwater Revival/Cover: Ike & Tina Turner)

Proud Mary became a American Idol/The Voice standard, mostly thanks to (because of) Tina Turner. Credit goes to the Turners though as they were actually creative in their take. But the southern sound rooted in this song is why CCR’s version is still way better than the famous cover.

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Killing Me Softly (Original: Lori Lieberman/Cover: The Fugees)

 

I was actually surprised to discover that there’s a version of this song that was even older than Roberta Flack’s. A blond woman that goes by the name Lori Lieberman released the first version in 1971.

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Since I Don’t Have You (Original: The Skyliners/Cover: Guns’N’Roses)

Two shitty words: Axl Rose

 

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