00:00But it ain't me, baby. No, no, no.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the covers of songs that earned more notoriety
00:10and are often more recognizable than their original versions.
00:14But it ain't me, babe. No, no, no, it ain't me, babe.
00:21Number 10, I Love Rock and Roll. Original, The Arrows. Cover, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
00:27I saw her dancin' there by the record machine.
00:32You'd be forgiven for not remembering Britain's The Arrows, a glam rock group from the 1970s
00:37that first recorded and released I Love Rock and Roll.
00:40Their version, as cool as it is, just isn't widely remembered today,
00:44nor is it considered to be the definitive edition of the song.
00:47Singin', I love rock and roll. So put another dime in the two bucks, baby.
00:52Instead, that honor goes to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who heard The Arrows' original
00:57and decided to cover it a few years after its release.
01:00I saw him dancin' there by the record machine.
01:05This comparatively more hard-rocking cover eventually grew to become something of a career calling card for Jett,
01:10particularly after departing her former group, The Runaways.
01:13It was Joan's one-of-a-kind attitude and swagger that allowed I Love Rock and Roll to hit harder than ever before.
01:20Singin', I love rock and roll. So put another dime in the two bucks, baby.
01:25I love rock and roll.
01:38This song was less than five years old when Cyndi Lauper recorded it for her debut studio album She's So Unusual.
01:44As a result, its New Wave stylings remain relatively intact within both versions.
01:49However, Lauper's decision to play around with Robert Hazard's lyrics allowed Girls Just Wanna Have Fun to progress in a powerful and meaningful manner.
02:04She sings from a switched perspective of empowerment, whereas Hazard's original is a comparatively vapid and face-value approximation of dating and intimacy.
02:12Cause girls just wanna have fun. Yeah, girls just wanna have fun.
02:17Lauper's cover went on to become something of a feminist anthem,
02:20while Hazard's demo has largely been relegated to trivia questions and lists like this one.
02:25Hey, if you wanna have fun.
02:29Hey, if you wanna have fun.
02:44A great song doesn't always achieve chart success via multiple artists.
02:48But then again, Proud Mary wasn't just an average, everyday pop hit.
02:52This boisterous and rockin' tune did well with its originators Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969.
02:59Rollin' boy, rollin' on a real boy.
03:04Solomon Burke's cover that same year was also a hit.
03:07Proud Mary keep on burnin', y'all just rollin', rollin'.
03:14That said, it's the version laid down by Ike and Tina Turner that electrified the song,
03:19adding even more energy and solidifying it within the public consciousness.
03:23And the Proud Mary keep on burnin', say we're rollin'.
03:29Turner's unfettered spark and charisma gave life to the band's upbeat and soulful arrangements.
03:34Proud Mary had entered its final stage,
03:37a defining track for a new music superstar and a new generation.
03:41Rollin' high, rollin', rollin' on a real high.
03:467. The Man Who Sold The World
03:49Original, David Bowie, cover, Nirvana.
03:58Generations of music fans were already well aware of The Man Who Sold The World
04:02prior to Nirvana covering it for MTV Unplugged in 1993.
04:06These were older generations, however.
04:09Folks from the 70s and 80s who were familiar with the David Bowie original,
04:13as well as hit covers from Lulu and Midyar.
04:22Nirvana's take, as a result, was delivered with perfect timing
04:25to keep the song relevant for the grunge-obsessed audiences of the 1990s.
04:38In fact, some say that it's Nirvana's version
04:40that helped retain interest in Bowie's glam rock gem,
04:43allowing The Man Who Sold The World to live on for future generations.
04:47If that isn't musical kismet, we don't know what is.
05:006. Respect
05:01Original, Otis Redding, cover, Aretha Franklin.
05:10There's no denying that both Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin
05:13are legendary soul singers.
05:15That said, Aretha's stolen cover is something special,
05:19like lightning in a bottle that has proven to be a timeless masterpiece.
05:30Her take is smoother and more refined,
05:32although the differences don't necessarily take away
05:35from the value of either version in a major way.
05:40Oh, the respect when I come home!
05:43Instead, Franklin's point of view allows her take on respect
05:46to speak from a point of feminism and civil rights in gripping fashion.
05:50Thus, the song became a career-making anthem
05:53for soul music's first lady, and deservedly so.
05:56R-E-S-P-E-C-T
05:58T-K-F-T-C-E
06:00T-K-F-T-C-E
06:035. Nothing Compares to You
06:05Original, The Family, cover, Sinead O'Connor.
06:13Prince was famous for his work ethic,
06:15a tireless songwriter who seemed like he was always working.
06:18Nothing Compares to You was penned by him,
06:20and given to a group he formed called The Family.
06:23Nothing compares to you
06:28This musical group venture resulted in a single album
06:31that contained the OG Nothing Compares to You.
06:33Fast forward five years to Sinead O'Connor's second studio album,
06:37and it's her version that has captured
06:39the imaginations of listeners for years now.
06:41I went to the doctor and guess what he told me
06:45Guess what he told me
06:47The power of the song's striking music video
06:50likely helped things along in this regard,
06:52but O'Connor's version possesses an intimate
06:54and smolderingly intense power all its own.
06:57Nothing compares
07:01Nothing compares to you
07:054. All Along the Watchtower
07:08Original, Bob Dylan, cover, The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
07:18Masterclass songwriters of Bob Dylan's caliber
07:21have always seen their music covered
07:23by a variety of artists.
07:25Adele's take on Make You Feel My Love
07:27is a great example of this.
07:33So is The Jimi Hendrix Experience's
07:35hard-rocking version of All Along the Watchtower.
07:37It'd go on to become one of the defining
07:39psychedelic rock songs of the 60s,
07:41a precursor to heavy metal
07:43that hinged upon Hendrix's charismatic vocals
07:45and guitar playing.
07:51Meanwhile, the rhythm section
07:53hammers home an urgent groove
07:55that's impossible to resist.
07:57Thus, the group updated
07:59All Along the Watchtower
08:01for a very swinging decade.
08:093. Hallelujah
08:11Original, Leonard Cohen, covers,
08:13John Cale and Jeff Buckley.
08:21There have been quite a few artists
08:23that tried to take a swing at Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
08:25It was John Cale's
08:271991 version that arguably
08:29piqued mainstream interest in Cohen's
08:311984 original after it was
08:33included in Shrek.
08:40That said, few Hallelujah covers
08:42have as much palpable melancholy
08:44and sadness as Jeff Buckley's
08:461994 recording.
08:51The singer-songwriter unfortunately
08:53died when he was only 30,
08:55which lends a fatalistic aura to his Hallelujah
08:57that's echoed in his impossibly resonant
08:59and impassioned vocals.
09:01Cohen's original features a metered, insistent
09:03cadence, while Buckley's
09:05balladry is smoother and more stretched out,
09:07allowing each word to drip down
09:09like honey or molasses.
09:172. Hurt
09:19Original, Nine Inch Nails, cover,
09:21Johnny Cash.
09:27Trent Reznor's original version of
09:29Hurt for his band, Nine Inch Nails, possesses
09:31a unique and impenetrable darkness
09:33all its own.
09:38That said, it's Johnny Cash's
09:40cover from 2002 that has allowed
09:42the song to enter a transformative state,
09:44one that proves how truly great
09:46music can transcend genres.
09:503. Hurt
09:56Cash was in the twilight of his life
09:58when he recorded and released Hurt,
10:00and this feeling of mortality envelops
10:02the end result like a funerary shroud.
10:04It's virtually impossible to
10:06retain our composure as images of
10:08Cash as a young man flash across the
10:10screen in the accompanying video, too.
10:12Thus, Cash gave Reznor's
10:14evocative ballad a new and vulnerable
10:16life all its own.
10:204. Hurt
10:26Before we unveil our top pick,
10:28here are some honorable mentions.
10:30Killing Me Softly with his song
10:32Original, Laurie Lieberman, covers,
10:34Roberta Flack and The Fugees.
10:36Both stunning covers are more widely
10:38known than the original.
10:50Killing Me Softly with his song
10:52Killing Me Softly
10:56Knockin' on Heaven's Door
10:58Original, Bob Dylan, cover, Guns N' Roses.
11:00Bringing forth the rock.
11:13It's My Life
11:15Original, Talk Talk, cover, No Doubt.
11:17Perfect cover at a perfect time.
11:31Tainted Love
11:33Original, Gloria Jones, cover, Soft Cell.
11:35Updating an obscure soul cut
11:37for the modern day.
11:48Higher Ground
11:50Original, Stevie Wonder, cover,
11:52Red Hot Chili Peppers.
11:54Somehow making the funk, funkier.
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12:25I Will Always Love You
12:27Original, Dolly Parton, cover,
12:29Whitney Houston.
12:34It's a musical Sophie's choice of sorts.
12:36Which version of I Will Always Love You
12:38do you prefer?
12:40Both are sung by generational talents.
12:42The originator and songwriter Dolly Parton
12:45and the artist covering it, Whitney Houston.
12:47Country purists or diehard Dolly fans
12:49may swing her way.
12:57However, the public at large
12:59is probably more familiar with
13:01Houston's cover, taken from the soundtrack
13:03to 1992's The Bodyguard.
13:10Houston more than put her stamp on the song.
13:12Creating a mesmerizing listening experience
13:14that's indescribable.
13:16Thus, she allowed I Will Always Love You
13:18to cross over into the pop world
13:20and charts from its heartfelt country roots.
13:30Did you not know any of these were covers?
13:32Let us know in the comments.
13:38Did you enjoy this video?
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