Favorite Cover Songs?

[Treechu]

Simple question? What are your's?

"Hurt" - Johnny Cash, original by Nine Inch Nails [Video]

"Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley, original by Leonard Cohen [Video]

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, original by Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong [Video]

 

[foreign contaminant]

cat power's cover of i found a reason is marvelous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmMpkOZtdb8

television also covered (i can't get no) satisfaction at live shows. i liked it a lot.

 

[Alexi]

Atreyu's cover of You Give Love a Bad Name is awesome on a stick. I also like Children of Bodom's cover of She is Beautiful, originally by Andrew WK. And pretty much every cello-y rendition of every song by Apocalyptica, ever.

 

[Bombsii]

Jennifer Saunder's version of Holding out for a hero is quite good. Err... can't think of any others.

 

[Felidire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwlmHPq_Ge0 ?

*shrug* .. I don't listen to very many covers. xD

 

[Tarvos]

Echoing the Buckley sentiment.

Anathema's covers are awesome (particularly the one of Better Off Dead).

There's a lot more but I can't think of them right now (Sonata Arctica's version of Fade to Black and Mostly Autumn's version of Fairytale of New York)

 

[Valerunner]

Flight of Icarus on the all-star tribute for Maiden was good. Credit to Ripper Owens on that one.

Oh, and Battery by Machine Head, once you get over the growling.

 

[Tarvos]

It's not really growling. It's more of a hardcore punk vocal style.

 

[Jolty]

All The Way From Memphis by Brian May, original by Mott The Hoople
the cover is probably my favouritest song ever...

oh oh and You Really Got Me by Van Halen, original by The Kinks

 

[opaltiger]

I am going to have to go with Cobra Starship's cover of I Kissed A Girl.

 

[Tarvos]

they kissed a girl and they liked it

 

[opaltiger]

actually:

I kissed a boy and they liked it
Got all the honeys in the club excited
I kissed a boy just to start shit

it's great because it captures the spirit of the original down to the letter

 

[Tarvos]

oh man that is awesome

 

[Teh Ebil Snorlax]

"Hurt" - Johnny Cash, original by Nine Inch Nails [Video]

Seconding this.

Also both Marilyn Manson's and Johnny Cash's covers of Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. Alien Ant Farm's Smooth Criminal, Fall Out Boy's Beat It, My Chemical Romance's Astro Zombies, Marilyn Manson's Sweet Dreams, Muse's Feeling Good and also seconding Cobra Starship.

EDIT: I just saw MCR's Desolation Row which I'm also liking.

 

[Retsu]

Elane's cover of Moonlight Shadow.

Oh, and Emilie Autumn's Bohemian Rhapsody...

 

[Zuu]

The Black Dahlia Murder's "Paint It Black", Graveworm's "Losing My Religion", and ... well I guess that's it. It's humorous to hear death metal bands cover Maiden, though. They do so often and it's so weird to hear grunting with Maiden.

Links:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=y_zpL2Mvczg TBDM's Paint It Black

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bZxLz_x6YMM Graveworm's Losing My Religion

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MakJWP0VxgU death metal band covering The Trooper (it's sad; I like Vital Remains and this cover is kind of awful)

 

[Dannichu]

I really get annoyed with all the millions and billions of covers of Hallelujah. Leonard Cohen's version was just fine, thank you, and we all know by now that it's a sweet song and anybody can sing it.
(it was the Christmas no.1 and no.2 over here and played on the radio constantly, so now have issues with it. I still have Cohen's version and a cover by k.d. lang on my MP3, though).

And if one more person covers Seal's Kiss From a Rose I'm going to hurt something. He sings it so, so beautifully, it sounds like blasphemy to hear anyone else sing it.

I don't think you can call Cobra Starship's "I Kissed a Boy" a cover version, really. It's a different song, after all. And I still hate it.

I used to really like Utada Hikaru's version of Boulevard of Broken Dreams for some reason. I haven't listened to it in ages, though.

And while it's not better than the original, I absolutely adore The Flaming Lips' version of Bohemian Rhapsody. Mostly because they performed it with a bunch of people dressed as Santas and aliens.

...and I can't think of any more. I've seen a few shows at the West End and I've liked the British cast more than the cast on the Broadway CD (Avenue Q, Starlight Express, Les Miserables), but I don't know if that counts. And most of the bands I like only perform their own stuff, so yeah.

 

[Treechu]

Buckley's version is just so pure though, and yes I know there are a lot of covers. Cohen's version just doesn't have that essence Buckley's has. His voice just doesn't compensate the lyrics.

Just my thoughts though. xD;

 

[opaltiger]

I don't think you can call Cobra Starship's "I Kissed a Boy" a cover version, really. It's a different song, after all. And I still hate it.

Of course it's a cover. Just because you change the lyrics doesn't make it not a cover! :( And I can see hating it because of the tune, but come on, you have to love what they did with the lyrics.

 

[Retsu]

As a general rule, Cobra Starship is not funny no matter how hard they try to be.

Damn if they're not catchy, though.