Top 10 Cover Songs Better Than the Original

Going back down the musical path today, with a top ten list of cover songs that are better than the original version. This list reflects my opinions, with a brief attempt at justification for each. I based my list on some combination of quality of the song as a whole, quality of the cover, and disparity between the original and the cover (that is, how much better the cover is than the original). First, a few honorable mentions:

"Drive" by Deftones (originally by The Cars)
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Guns N' Roses (originally by Bob Dylan)
"Whiskey in the Jar" by Metallica (originally by Thin Lizzy)
"Head Like A Hole" by AFI (originally by Nine Inch Nails)
"New York Groove" by Ace Frehley (originally by Hello)

10.
“Heroes”
Originally By: David Bowie
Improved Upon By: The Wallflowers
Most songs would sound better with Jakob Dylan singing them anyway, but it’s the whole package here. When you can give a song a unique sound even when compared to Bowie, you’ve really accomplished something.

9.
“Across the Universe”
Originally By: The Beatles
Improved Upon By: Fiona Apple
I can’t actually justify this one, I just think it sounds better with a female vocalist, particularly Apple’s. Her voice seems to wander its way across the universe in question with a wonderful sort of ease.

8.
“Psycho Killer”
Originally By: Talking Heads
Improved Upon By: Velvet Revolver
The Talking Heads were certainly influential due to an unconventional sound, but few of their songs were as good as their potential. Velvet Revolver filled that potential gap and then some. Not to mention, Scott Weiland might actually be a psycho killer.

7.
“Higher Ground”
Originally By: Stevie Wonder
Improved Upon By: Red Hot Chili Peppers
This one is actually close, and I certainly have no qualms with Wonder’s original. The Chili Peppers maintain the funk, but give the song a relentless aggression that it had previously lacked.

6.
“All Along the Watchtower”
Originally By: Bob Dylan
Improved Upon By: Jimi Hendrix
Such an obvious choice, but also so prominent that I couldn’t leave it off such a list. I’m hardly critical of Dylan, but his rendition simply struck me as lackluster, while Hendrix quite simply blew it out of the water.

5.
“Easy”
Originally By: Commodores
Improved Upon By: Faith No More
Of two Faith No More-performed covers (the other being “War Pigs”), this is the more widely-heard, but its unexpectedness gives it the edge. Such a far cry from their usual sound, this is another that shouldn’t have worked, but against all odds emerged as the better rendition.

4.
“Ring of Fire”
Originally By: Johnny Cash
Improved Upon By: Social Distortion
Shouldn’t a song called “Ring of Fire” be a little harder-hitting than your average country tune? Social D stepped up to the plate to fill in what was missing from this one. The original is rightly famous, but the lesser-known cover is far, far better.

3.
“The Boys of Summer”
Originally By: Don Henley
Improved Upon By: The Ataris
Not a thing wrong with the original here, but the Ataris give it some much needed energy and turn it into the kind of song you blast at full volume while driving with the windows down.

2.
“Turn the Page”
Originally By: Bob Seger
Improved Upon By: Metallica
“Whiskey in the Jar” was also in heavy consideration, but Metallica’s version of “Turn the Page” is the more emotionally powerful, a far cry from Seger’s laid-back offering of a song that really demands a heartfelt performance.

1.
“Hurt”
Originally By: Nine Inch Nails
Improved Upon By: Johnny Cash
Cash hit such a nerve with this cover that Trent Reznor proclaimed that “this song ain’t mine anymore.” Enough said.