Covers that are way better than the originals:

Let me lead by saying: I enjoy every song on this list— both the OGs and the covers.

But I feel like there is a distinct psychological pressure to like the originals more.

But fuck that.

Sometimes I feel it as emotional preference for the version I heard first. Maybe that’s just a matter of familiarity, primacy, or nostalgia.

Sometimes I feel it as a nagging ethical preference for the version that actually came first. Perhaps that’s nothing more than the hope of giving credit where it’s due, and honoring the originator— the person or persons who birthed the art in its first iteration.

And others feel it too.

That’s why people lose their shit when a favorite character is recast, it’s why book nerds raise a finger whenever anyone enjoys the movie adaptation to say, “excuse me, the book was way better.”

But is that sentiment worth the time it took to feel it?

I don’t know.

Maybe.

I don't think so.

No, it’s not.

Because sure, applying that sentiment to art is a high compliment to the originator. But there is no such thing as perfection.

Sure, there are masterpieces and their creators should be celebrated.

And as much as we celebrate the creators we should study and admire and enjoy the masterpieces themselves.

But...

The cool thing is remakes, covers, and adaptations can share new insights and new depths of feeling-- and they can do it without diminishing the beauty or majesty of the original.

But think I like finding covers and remakes that seem better than the originals, and it's a very personal one: celebrating remakes is a way for me to celebrate newness, which is in turn a strong objection to one of the most paralyzing fears I've ever grappled with, the fear of change.

Last year I left a very toxic marriage, one where I'd felt trapped for a long and painful time.

I had known for a long time, deep in my heart that staying wasn't the right sacrifice to make, but I hesitated at the threshold of escape. Part of the reason I stayed had to do with the atrophy of my confidence and the diminishing of my self-worth. I hope you have never experienced emotional abuse, but if you have you probably know all too well how deeply it can stealthily erode your foundations. It's a gradual process, but 15 years into the trap you may wake up one day and feel the loss of self as a sudden and poignant departure.

And by the time I realized I'd been whittled away, I didn't think I had the strength to bail. I desperately wanted a change, a relief: a deep breath in the free air. But I deeply doubted my ability to stand in the sweeping torrents of change that would come with a bold departure.

It was like I had gotten lost in the woods, and worried that looking for the exit might only carry me deeper into the dark and the brambles.

Luckily, for me, the sense of entrapment was finally shattered. A situation arose which forced (or at least excused) my leaving, and I stepped willingly into that vulnerable state of exposure that comes from venturing into the blind unknown.

And happily, I discovered wells of happiness and peace and self-worth that I'd once mourned and never hoped to find again.

I'm reconnecting with the man I was before my pain. But I'm different now, not just older, but changed. More jaded, but also more tried and tempered. More tested and more informed.

And rather than mourn the loss of the man I was, I'm learning to appreciate the man I'm becoming.

Ultimately, finding covers of songs that really speak to me has been kind of like an auditory analog to my own journey of self-loss and self-rediscovery.

To me, the very act of digesting and appreciating a "remake" seems to be one way to defy the fear of change and accept your own growth.

And so, this playlist is a celebration of personal renewal.

COVERS THAT ARE BETTER THAN THE ORIGINALS:

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1

In the Pines, by Leadbelly

There are several recordings of this song from Leadbelly and this is my favorite. It’s haunting, mournful, ethereal— charged with a raw dose of the blues.

It actually gives me chills.

Funnily enough, while I'm listing this as an OG, this isn't even the true original. It's an old school folk song, and I'm pretty sure the original writer is unknown.

That said, Leadbelly's version is excellent, and I come back to it over and over and over again.

But... There's a cover of Leadbelly's specific arrangement which I like even better.

From the iconic MTV unplugged performance from Nirvana:

Constant frisson. GODDAMN.

It's grittier, heavier, rawer, grungier. And the brooding sense of danger really drives this cover.

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2

This original from soundgarden is just so kickass. So energized, so pissed off.

Perfect encapsulation of a mood I've often felt in my youth: righteous anger.

And again, it gives me chills, man. Every time.

Chris Cornell is my all time favorite male vocalist, so you'd think it unlikely that I'd ever like a cover better than one of his originals.

But:

Honestly, what the fuck?!

How can anyone not find this legit. The slower tempo perfectly fits Johnny Cash's gravelly grandpa voice.

Dude cut a rock album in the twilight of his life, what a bamf.

And the vibe on this song still has that righteous anger-- but it's not the angsty young-man anger that soundgarden carried. It's weathered by change that's either come too slowly or not at all. This feels like a cold seething promise as opposed to outward rage.

I dig it.

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3

This song literally feels like pain. The buzzing in the background is realer than words could ever be. The build up feels so brutally tragic and honest.

But the cover? Iconic:

Okay, wow. His voice carries so much pain, so much regret.

But come on, that's enough of Johnny Cash covering kick ass songs.

Let's pay Nirvana another visit, this time they'll be the OG so we'll have someone else return the favor they paid Leadbelly.

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4

Okay, this one is bound to piss people off. Because so many people positively worship Nirvana. And yeah, that song is killer.

We know.

But wait, because there's more (and in this case better)

HO.LY.FUCK

So sick.

Not only because you can actually understand what the damn lyrics in this one.

But come on, the build up is unreal. It starts so mellow and mournful and blue-grassy

but it grows into a thorn infested punk-poem that absolutely conveys the wilderness of our fucked up social climate with crystal clarity.

Every time I listen to this LOUD, I'm left raw and trembling.

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5

Alright, I don't actually adore this original. It's good. Boss for its time.

Don't get me wrong. But it's never been a fave.

The cover though, is savage.

Yes it's another Patti Smith song. Her arrangement elevates the original to a true masterwork.

She's staying on the list twice.

If you don't like it, tough shit.

She's punk as hell, so just enjoy it buddy.

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6

Okay, honestly it actually hurts to put this combo on the list, because the original is so unbelievably good. Her voice is so good it almost makes me cry, actually and for real.

But if anyone can do it justice and actually crush it... well...

Seriously, her voice is smoother than honey.

Lauryn Hill is one in a million. And the modernized arrangement contrasts the haunting tones in her voice so beautifully.

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7

Another original that's undeniably great.

Kinda cool and unexpected to see a rocker like Axl Rose do something so heartfelt.

But enough about that.

Here, a cover that's undeniably better:

Don't you dare fucking at me bro.

Seriously, don't.

I already said Chris Cornell was my all time favorite male vocalist.

This song is pure tears man, and I don't wanna hear any contradiction.

The fact that this was released posthumously makes it almost too heavy to listen too. Theres also a little lore behind this one which makes it way harder to listen to without crying. Cornell recorded this because his daughter was a huge GnR fan, and asked him to teach her how to play this song.

So you can't help hearing it as a love letter and a goodbye from father to daughter.

As a dad, I can't hear his version without crying a bit.

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8

Alright, I know these guys are classics. But I never really dug the falsetto and the dated sound.

BUT their OG is actually fire. Way ahead of its time. Actually a fucking banger.

And there are TWO covers which mark their own highly unique improved takes.

First (chronologically):

I actually don't know much of anything else by these guys, but the rap and the melody compliment eachother so well. This cover just feels 10 times cooler than the OG, and I think part of that comes down to the vocalists carrying way more emotional range and vocal heft than the original.

And, as promised, another cover that totally smashes:

Alright, I'll admit the first time I heard this guy's voice I was a little...

uh... not into it.

But the rock treatment absolutely works. The whole thing fits so well, and the dude's voice stops being jarring part way through the first listen.

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9

I know some of you are already pissed that I'm daring to say someone did it better, this is after all like THE quintessential Aerosmith song.

But try to listen with an honest ear and tell me this isn't rocking your socks off:

Fucking rad, you know it and I know you know it so don't bother denying it.

I thought no one could ever take Dream On from Steven Tyler. And admittedly, he still rules the higher notes, but Dio grabbed everything in his register and squeezed it to a pulp. And I don't know who shredded the guitar lines apart, but they sound like a demigod.

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Alright, solid delta blues here. What's not to like?

But modern gear really kicks this up a notch.

Just listen:

Undeniably, a great cover. And as musically grand as Led Zeppelin is, I'm actually kinda kicking myself for including them at all.

Reason being: they plagiarized some of their music from other artists, including old school blues musicians.

They credited Minnie as the writer with their release of "When the Levee Breaks" but some of their other songs were blatantly stolen, lifted without any proper creds. A couple examples are "Nobody's Fault but Mine by Blind Willie Johnson, and You Need Love by Willie Dixon and vocals by Muddy Waters.

That context really sours me to Zep in general, but hey. It doesn't mean their music sucks or that their covers aren't great. It just means they suck as people, for staking a claim to other peoples IP.

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Damn, I'm running low on words.

And more urgently: I'm running out of time because I wanna bang out one more list for this contest before midnight!

So, I'm calling the end of this list.

But I like the subject so well that I think I'm gonna scroll back up and title this part 1.

Part 2 will be sometime in the next few days, just for fun-- not part of the challenge.

BUT

Whaddya think?

Do you agree with anything here, or are you sticking with the OGs?

I'd like to know if I'm on to something here or off the rails.