Cover Songs that Blow the Original Away

Cover songs are usually a dicey prospect. Bands either go so far off the point on the original track that they wind up with a mess, or they remain so faithful to the original tune that they seem pointless. What follows are some cover songs that actually blow their well known originals out of the water.

Take Me To The River by the Talking Heads -- Originally Done by Al Green

It almost seems like blasphemy to say that a New Wave rock band from the 80's could best the great Al Green on his own song. But when you compare Al's studio verson and live versions to the studio version and live versions done by the Talking Heads, Al comes up short. Al's take is an uptempo pop number where the lyrics almost seem like an afterthought. The Talking Heads funk it up, slowing it down and putting it into a massive slow groove in the studio version, and making it funky and fast the version performed on their classic movie "Stop Making Sense". In both, the lyrics are sung with a passion that makes the Talking Heads the clear winner.

Rock And Roll -- Detroit (featuring Mitch Ryder) and Lou Reed (on his Live In Italy album) -- Originally Done by the Velvet Underground

There is no doubt that Rock and Roll is a classic Velvet Underground song. Appearing on VU's Loaded album, this song about the redeeming power of Rock and Roll is among the many classics in their catalog. But Lou Reed complained bitterly that the power had been stripped from the song in its original studio release. While this could be dismissed as typical Lou Reed bile, these two cover versions, one by Detroit (a band fronted by Mitch Ryder after the demise of the Detroit Wheels), and a live version by Lou off his Live in Italy album show what he means. On the first, the song is slowed down a bit and turned into a combination of blue eyed soul and Mountain-like rock. Lou allegedly was so taken with this version that he hired guitarist Steve Hunter to play on the tour that resulted in Lou's classic album Rock And Roll Animal. Lou's own version off of Live in Italy takes a different approach. Lou speeds the song up, giving it almost a speed metal rush. Over the propulsive guitar, bass, and drums, Lou shouts out his lyrics, even taking time to imitate Free with his shouts of "All Right Now" and Stevie Wonder with his stealing of a lyric from Uptight. It's a great song to crank up to 11 and roll down your windows to.

Nothing Compares 2 U -- Prince with Rosie Gaines -- Originally Done by The Family and Sinead O' Connor

Perhaps picking a cover of a cover of a cover as done by the person who wrote the song is a bit of a cheat, but this is a fascinating case in which both covers are superior to the original, with the final version surpassing the hit version. When Sinead O'Connor came on the scene with her bald head and her fascinating voice, she seemed destined for a long and interesting career. Her haunting version of Nothing Compares 2 U, with the video that showcased her unique beauty and vulnerability, would seem to have been the final word on this song, originally done by Prince spinoff group, The Family. But then Prince put out a version of his own on his 3 CD boxed Set. Prince and his protege, Rosie Gaines, quite simply, sing the hell out of it. The backing track, which includes a great sax solo, blows away the dated sound of Sinead's track. What both have in common is that their singers were not far away from going off the religious deep end.

Superstar -- Sonic Youth -- Originally Done by Delaney and Bonnie, The Carpenters, Ruben Studdard, Bette Midler, and Others

This song by Delaney and Bonnie, was originally entitled Groupie (Superstar). In most versions, including Karen Carpenter's sweet, best-known cover, the vocals simply sound sweet and sad, as if the "groupie" was mourning a relationship that never really was and never would be. Sonic Youth's version takes a different approach. How different? Imagine Glenn Close's character in Fatal Attraction singing it. Thurston Moore's distant, whispered vocals, coupled with a warped, melodic, toned down version of Sonic Youth's noise rock in the background makes the song sound like it is being sung by a desperate fan intent on harming himself and/or the person he is singing about. It's both beautiful and scary.

Blinded by the Light -- Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Originally Done By Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's original version of the song isn't bad, but sounds a bit like Bruce overdosed on Dylan records and then had a verbal case of the runs right before writing and recording it. The song is like a 400,000 word poem set to some nice bar band music. Manfred Mann's Earth Band version manages to take most of these same words and make them sound natural if more nonsensical. Couple this with the more interesting instrumentation and arrangement of this version and I'll take this one every time, even if the somewhat slurred version sung here makes "Revved up like a deuce" sound like "Wrapped up like a douche."

All Along the Watchtower -- Jimi Hendrix -- Originally Done By Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan has written so many songs and been covered so many times that it is almost a guarantee he'll get bested a couple of times. This is one time when Dylan's song is so definitively covered that the song no longer seems his. In Dylan's version you can hear what Jimi heard before he amped it up and made it his own. Dylan's version really isn't that far off Jimi's, really. In fact, Dylan sings it with a purity and sweetness you don't often hear in his music. What Jimi did that made all the difference was add power and anger.

Respect -- Aretha Franklin -- Originally Done by Otis Redding

Perhaps the greatest cover of all. In Otis Redding's hands, the song sounds like the anthem of a henpecked guy looking for his woman to treat him better. It's a good song, but nothing about it suggests that the tune would soon become an iconic anthem. Aretha Franklin, working with producers Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin, turned the song into an anthem of women's lib, black pride, and just plain kick-ass soul belting with more brass than a doorknob factory. Aretha's version pumps you up while making you glad YOU are not the one on the receiving end of her request for R-E-S-P-E-C-T. The song had been played to death, to be sure. But when it comes on, I dare say most of us crank it up and sing along. Otis Redding was so impressed with Aretha's version that he called it the song "that little girl done stole from me."