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When artists cover a song, sometimes they don't just change the arrangement - they completely transform the lyrics! Join us as we explore iconic covers that reinvented the original's meaning. Our countdown includes Aretha Franklin's "Respect," Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog," Beyoncé's "Jolene," and more! Which lyrical reinvention was your favorite?

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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we'll be counting down our picks for those instances
00:11where artists tinkered around with the lyrical content of a cover tune.
00:21Number 10, Hound Dog, by Elvis Presley, originally by Big Mama Thornton.
00:30The arrangements present within Elvis Presley's version of Hound Dog are actually indebted
00:38more towards those of the Freddie and the Bellboys cuts from their early 50s lounge days
00:42than of the original by Big Mama Thornton.
00:52It's here where Thornton's sexually suggestive lyrics concerning a male admirer are replaced
00:57with, well, a song that's basically talking about a real dog.
01:02This contextual explanation makes Presley's appearance on The Steve Allen Show, where
01:06he performs Hound Dog alongside a literal Basset Hound, make a bit more sense.
01:11It also makes the iconic Ed Sullivan performances feel all the more electric when viewed in comparison.
01:16Number 9, Mrs. Robinson, by Frank Sinatra, originally by Simon and Garfunkel.
01:31And you'll get yours, Mrs. Robinson, fooling with that young stuff like you do.
01:39Concerns over blasphemy likely influenced the decision to change the word Jesus to Jilly
01:45when it came to Frank Sinatra's cover version of Simon and Garfunkel's classic folk tune,
01:50Mrs. Robinson.
01:51Jilly loves you more than you will know.
01:56Whoa, whoa, whoa.
01:58This wasn't the only change made to this cut from Old Blue Eyes' 1969 LP, My Way, however,
02:06since the chairman of the board also decided to reference a little slice of cinema.
02:12The Graduate was still very much a talking point around the time Sinatra's cover was released,
02:16so Frank decided to add in lyrics that specifically referenced the character portrayed by Anne Bancroft
02:23in the movie.
02:24Does it add anything to the final product, however?
02:26You decide.
02:28Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me.
02:33Aren't you?
02:35Number 8, Jolene, by Beyonce, originally by Dolly Parton.
02:40Jolene, I'm a woman too.
02:42The games you play are nothing new, so you don't want no heat with me, Jolene.
02:48The decision to change the lyrics of a cover song can occasionally have some serious repercussions
02:53when it comes to the message of the original.
02:55This definitely feels valid when it comes to Beyonce's take on Jolene by Dolly Parton.
03:01The protagonist present within this version feels a lot less helpless and distraught over
03:06Jolene's supposed power over her lover.
03:09This is specifically referenced within the lyrics that don't portray Beyonce's narrator as a victim,
03:14but rather one that's going to stand up against Jolene's wiles.
03:18I can easily understand why you're attracted to my man, but you don't want this small, so shoot your chef with someone else.
03:27This is in stark contrast to Parton's original, which laments both the beauty of Jolene,
03:33the seductive strength she possesses, and her narrator's pleas for romantic mercy.
03:39Jolene, please don't take it even though you care.
03:45We're sure that this idea might have seemed like a good one back in 2008,
04:05when both Womanizer by Britney Spears and the All-American Rejects were hot on the charts.
04:10Then again, the latter's exclamation that they're going to do the song better than Spears is almost certainly up for debate.
04:18The All-American Rejects' take on Womanizer is, well, it's unique to be sure.
04:23The backing vocals are fun, the alternative percussion is quirky,
04:26and the band even break into an impromptu round of Happy Together by the Turtles.
04:30The only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together.
04:39They also change some of the lyrics, bringing up prenuptial agreements for some reason
04:44within a cover that is, overall, fairly faithful to the OG.
04:48Yeah, you shouldn't sign a prenup, faking like a good one, but I call him like I see him, I know what you are.
04:56Number 6. These Boots and These Boots Are Made For Walkin' by Megadeth,
05:02originally by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra.
05:13Here's a question.
05:15How long do you think songwriter Lee Hazelwood cashed his royalty checks
05:19from Megadeth's cover of These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
05:21before he noticed these thrash metal titans had played around with his lyrics?
05:25The latter's Dave Mustaine maintained it was close to a decade,
05:29but what is certain is that Hazelwood eventually sued,
05:32petitioning for future editions of Megadeth's 1985 debut album
05:36to omit their tongue-in-cheek cover.
05:38But it's right, it's right when you ain't been right yet.
05:41These boots are made to wonder.
05:43That's just another...
05:44Megadeth eventually did take These Boots off their record,
05:47but not before recording yet another version in 1987 of the same cover,
05:52complete with the same old profane lyrics of their OG.
06:03Number 5. I Fought the Law by Dead Kennedys,
06:08originally by The Crickets.
06:10The fiery political lyricism of the Dead Kennedys,
06:21Jello Biafra, was set on full display
06:24within cover tunes like Viva Las Vegas or I Fought the Law.
06:28The latter was originally composed by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets
06:31and notably covered by the Bobby Fuller Four.
06:34I Fought the Law and the Law One
06:37I Fought the Law and the Law One
06:41Biafra, however, took this chance to change the subject matter
06:45I Fought the Law into a piece that referenced
06:48the murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone
06:50by San Francisco politician Dan White.
06:52The DK version here complains about White's diminished prison sentence
06:56as well as the supposed Twinkie defense utilized by his defense team.
07:00Biafra also defiantly changes each chorus to
07:04I Fought the Law, culminating in a switch to
07:07I Am the Law for the finale.
07:10I Am the Law
07:11I Am the Law
07:15Number 4. Into the Void, Stealth by Soundgarden,
07:21originally by Black Sabbath.
07:23We don't know the precious of
07:26and the sparkle of the water
07:29The sound of Prime-era Soundgarden
07:32was often compared to Black Sabbath
07:34by contemporary critics of their day.
07:36I can let the flame of light burn slow
07:39Everywhere is misery and woe
07:42And this influence was set on clear display here
07:45with their cover of Into the Void.
07:48Chris Cornell completely changes the lyrics here, however,
07:51replacing Ozzy Osbourne's original
07:52with words from a protest speech
07:54delivered by the famed Native American political figure
07:57Chief Seattle.
07:58The end results feel pretty seamless
08:08as Soundgarden keep the musical arrangements
08:11almost completely intact
08:12and aligned with Tony Iommi's original riff fest.
08:15Not too bad for a recording session
08:17that took place around the time of Soundgarden's
08:19landmark Bad Motor Finger LP.
08:21Number 3. My Way by Sid Vicious
08:33Originally by Claude Francois
08:36and popularized by Frank Sinatra.
08:38Casual music fans may not know that My Way was first recorded by French singer
08:51Claude Francois in 1967, but they're almost certainly more familiar with either the Elvis
08:57Presley version or the take popularized by Frank Sinatra.
09:01Punk rock icon Sid Vicious also recorded a version of My Way back in the late 70s, however,
09:13one that was laden with lyrical profanity.
09:16The Sid Sings album was released after Vicious' death in 1979,
09:21which perhaps explains why his My Way briefly did some numbers on the pop charts.
09:26Today, however, Sid Vicious' My Way is seen as something of a coda for the man's life and career.
09:32An example of a troubled life and a career burning out before it can ever really begin.
09:45Number 2. We Didn't Start the Fire by Fall Out Boy
09:49Originally by Billy Joel
09:51Captain Planet, Arab Spring, L.A. riots, Rodney King, deep fakes, earthquakes
09:56Iceland volcano
09:57We'll probably never know whether or not Fall Out Boy's take on Billy Joel's
10:03We Didn't Start the Fire would have worked better if, you know,
10:06the band had actually bothered to place their events in chronological order.
10:10Then again, critics and fans still debate how much validity Joel's original tune has
10:14outside of lazy substitute teacher syllabus planning on a rainy day.
10:18Heck, the piano man himself famously tried to distance himself from We Didn't Start the Fire
10:32as his career progressed. So we don't think that Fall Out Boy's decision to simply rattle off events
10:38from 1989 to 2023 made this song any better after all was said and done.
10:43Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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11:03Number 1. Respect by Aretha Franklin
11:09Originally by Otis Redding
11:11You know you've won the cover song game
11:20when the originator offers up congratulations and basically admits defeat.
11:25Soul legend Otis Redding effectively did as much on stage at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
11:31referencing how Aretha Franklin's stolen version was something special.
11:36This is our song. It's a song that a girl took away from me. Good friend of mine.
11:44The kicker here isn't only about how Franklin switches up genders, but also how her lyrical
11:50changes reflect fidelity while her lover is away, as opposed to Redding's resignation to
11:56potentially being cuckolded while he's not at home.
11:59Then there's that thunderclap of an R-E-S-B-E-C-T that the Queen of Soul adds to the proceedings,
12:13taking a great song and turning it into a classic.
12:16What are your favorite or most unique cover songs? Let us know in the comments.
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