what covers were more successful than the original ?

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what covers were more successful than the original ?
big fun took Jacksons "blame it on the boogie " to a higher chart position in uk

― martine ricardo, Sunday, 2 January 2005 04:20 (twenty years ago)

That is a great question. I never liked Jackson Browne's songs at all, 'til I heard Bonnie Raitt's covers, on two of her best, GIVE IT UP and TAKIN' MY TIME. I'm still not that crazy about his originals, but would probably buy a whole album of her JB covers. NEW COAT OF PAINT is a very illuminating (and fun) Tom Waits trib (haven't heard STEP RIGHT UP, but it's gotta be better than his versions)(ditto Bloodshot's collection of Kristofferson covers, or anybody's!)

― don, Sunday, 2 January 2005 04:41 (twenty years ago)

are we talking more successful artistically or commercially?

― we call them pirates out here (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 2 January 2005 04:42 (twenty years ago)

Chubby Checker - "The Twist" (orig. Hank Ballard)

― Steely Zan (AaronHz), Sunday, 2 January 2005 04:48 (twenty years ago)

commercially --
Whitney Houston -- I Will Always Love You
Soft Cell -- Tainted Love
Aretha Franklin -- Respect

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 2 January 2005 04:49 (twenty years ago)

Mariah Carey "Without You" (Badfinger). Some other people covered it - like Air Supply and Harry Nilsson, but I think Mariah's was the most commercially successful.

― sulky (sulky), Sunday, 2 January 2005 06:25 (twenty years ago)

Naked Eyes "Always Something There To Remind Me" over Dionne Warwick's
Rick Springfield's "I've Done Everything For You" over Sammy Hagar's

(both being more successful commercially, not artisitical-wise)

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Sunday, 2 January 2005 08:52 (twenty years ago)

I mean, could ANY cover be more successful aritisically over the original? (Assuming the original performer is also the author, I guess)?

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Sunday, 2 January 2005 08:54 (twenty years ago)

There is absolutely no reason why an author's interpretation of a song would be automatically "more successful" than anyone else's!!! What are they teaching people these days!?!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Sunday, 2 January 2005 09:20 (twenty years ago)

"hallelujah" (or however they were spelling it): both the john cale and jeff buckley versions are leagues ahead of the leonard cohen original, which sounds like a fun-time synthesizer hits version. and, after "shrek", cale is the one people will know.

same goes for absolutely everything written by dylan. fucking william shatner's version of "mr tambourine man" beats dylan's.

2005 is the year i single-handedly destroy the dylan myth, yo.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Sunday, 2 January 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

Which cover versions improve on the original?
Cover versions that are better than the originals
crappy originals - great covers

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 2 January 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

"2005 is the year i single-handedly destroy the dylan myth, yo"

While you're at it, destroy the Mozart myth, the Sinatra myth, the Beatles myth and the Muddy Waters myth, too.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Sunday, 2 January 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

Didn't "Der Kommisar" by After the Fire chart higher than Falco's original?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 2 January 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

Mariah Carey "Without You" (Badfinger). Some other people covered it - like Air Supply and Harry Nilsson, but I think Mariah's was the most commercially successful.

nope. harry nilsson's was a much bigger hit, the only version of "without you" to hit #1 in the US, and most definitely the "standard" version.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Sunday, 2 January 2005 17:23 (twenty years ago)

hey, you're right. i just went to www.mariahcharts.com and i guess her version peaked at #3 in the us. this is sad to admit, but i've never heard nilsson's version in its entirety. nilsson, schmilsson.

― sulky (sulky), Monday, 3 January 2005 05:04 (twenty years ago)

fourteen years pass...

terry jacks no. 1 hit "seasons in the sun" from 1974 is a relatively free cover of jacques brel's "le moribond" from 1961.

― je est un autre, l'enfer c'est les autres (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 28 July 2019 19:20 (five years ago)

judy collins - both sides, now. though you could argue it is the original as joni mitchell's own version came out one year later.

― je est un autre, l'enfer c'est les autres (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 28 July 2019 19:27 (five years ago)

Aaliyah's cover of "At Your Best (You Are Love)" went Gold (#2 RnB/#6 Top 100), much more chart success than the Isleys original

― bunny slopes, Sunday, 28 July 2019 19:31 (five years ago)

Lol @ og thread posts

― Οὖτις, Sunday, 28 July 2019 20:19 (five years ago)

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