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Recording a cover song is an exercise fraught with risks, specifically that you might not live up to the original—especially if it’s a well-known song. But there are also those times when an artist puts so much thought and effort into a cover that they unlock the song’s hidden potential and turn it into something greater than anyone thought it could be. The following six examples show how a song can be completely transformed in its interpretation and reach new levels of excellence.
1.“All along the Watchtower,” Jimi Hendrix (1967)
Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding album from 1967 was a muted affair, a step back from the high wire on which he’d balanced during his “electric” period the previous few years. The songs were purposely quizzical and restrained. Dylan sings his version of “All along the Watchtower” on that album as if even he doesn’t quite know the song’s meaning. But Jimi Hendrix heard in the track a kind of apocalyptic call to arms. He sings the song on 1968’s Electric Ladyland as if the hellhounds are on his trail, and absolutely incinerates the proceedings with his wah-wah guitar. He showcased a kind of fever dream playing that no other guitarist could match.
Dylan would tacitly admit that Hendrix had come up with the better take by playing Jimi’s arrangement of the song when he would do it live. Not only is it one of the best cover versions ever, but Hendrix’s take also stands as one of the best-ever psychedelic rock songs as well.
2. “Me and Bobby McGee,” Janis Joplin (1971)
The original version of this song, written mostly by Kris Kristofferson from a title provided by Fred Foster, was recorded by Roger Miller. His version of the track, gentle and unassuming, made the country charts in 1969. A few others (including Kristofferson) recorded their own takes around the same time. But it was Joplin, who recorded the song just a few days before she died in October 1970, who brought out the wisdom and soul of brilliant Kristofferson lines like, Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose, and, I’d trade all my tomorrows for one single yesterday. And her vocal improvisations throughout the song managed to convey as much emotion as the lyrics. When the version was released on Joplin’s posthumous album, Pearl, in 1971, “Me and Bobby McGee” reminded the world of her singular talent on its way to No. 1.
3. “Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes (1981)
This is one of the songs where the cover became so iconic that most people didn’t realize it wasn’t written or performed first by Carnes. The song initially appeared on a 1974 album called New Arrangement by Jackie DeShannon, who wrote it with Donna Weiss. DeShannon, a hitmaker in the ’60s, decided on a jaunty arrangement that makes it sound as if she’s singing in a saloon. What Carnes and her band did with the song for the 1981 album Mistaken Identity made it nearly unrecognizable. With producer Val Garay, Carnes concocted a very of-the-moment New Wave structure, complete with prominent synths and white-noise percussion effects. Carnes’ version of “Bette Davis Eyes” helped to define the ‘80s sound, and also led to her becoming friends with Bette Davis, the legendary early-Hollywood movie star who loved the newfound notoriety the song lent her.
4. “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Sinéad O’Connor (1990)
Prince aficionados might remember The Family as a project that His Purpleness helped to orchestrate, one that resulted in a single self-titled album in 1984. Even though it was released at the height of Prince’s popularity, that album failed to make much of a dent. But someone brought it to the attention of Sinéad O’Connor as she assembled material for her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. O’Connor and producer Nellee Hooper came up with a new arrangement for The Family’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was written by Prince. They placed the focus on atmospheric synths and O’Connor’s soaring vocals. The Irish songstress managed to find hidden depths of emotion in the lyrics, emotions emphasized by the unforgettable video. “Nothing Compares 2 U” was a chart-topping hit all over the globe, and catapulted O’Connor, who passed away in 2023, to worldwide stardom.
5. “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley (1994)
To be fair, the original “Hallelujah” was an incredible composition. It’s just that the initial version, recorded in 1984 by the song’s writer, Leonard Cohen, somewhat masked its potential under tinny production techniques. John Cale of Velvet Underground fame helped to unlock the song’s potential when he released a gorgeous version in 1991 that played up the beauty of the melody. Cale also deserves credit for pruning down the lyrics out of pages and pages of options Cohen sent him, since Cohen never sang quite the same version twice when he played it live.
Cale’s version then set the table for what Jeff Buckley would come up with for the song on his 1994 album, Grace. Buckley’s trilling vocals imbued the song with a kind of loneliness that touched listeners worldwide. Since then, myriad artists have taken a crack at Cohen’s masterpiece. But no one has ever matched what Buckley did with it.
[RELATED: Behind The Meaning of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen]
6. “Hurt,” Johnny Cash (2002)
In many of the examples here, the original version of the song didn’t quite capture the potential of the writing. That’s not the case with “Hurt.” The original Nine Inch Nails version of the song, with its fuzzed-out production and writer Trent Reznor’s wailing vocals, was a powerhouse. But once he heard Johnny Cash sing it, even Reznor would come to admit in an interview with Alternative Press that “that song isn’t mine anymore.” Cash was initially unsure about recording the song, but über-producer Rick Rubin persuaded him to give it a go for his 2002 album, American IV: The Man Comes Around, released less than a year before Cash’s death. Accompanied by a stunning video featuring a weathered Cash interspersed with iconic images that spanned his career, this version of “Hurt” immediately moved to the short list for greatest-ever performance by the Man in Black.
Photo by David Gahr/Getty Images
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September 12, 2023 at 01:15AM
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6 Cover Songs That Surpassed the Original Versions - - American Songwriter
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