Top 10 Song Covers That Changed the Meaning

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Some cover songs do more than change the sound — they change the words 🎵 In this video, we count down the Top 10 cover songs that totally changed the lyrics, giving famous tracks a completely new meaning and vibe.  From surprising lyric rewrites to bold creative twists, these covers prove how powerful reinterpretation can be.  🎶 Full Top 10 Countdown  👉 Subscribe to watchmojo.world for more music lists, song breakdowns, and viral Top 10 videos.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be counting down our picks for those

00:10instances where artists tinkered around with the lyrical content of a cover tune.

00:15Number 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.

00:53It'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

01:46when 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.

01:58This wasn't the only change made to this cut from Old Blue Eyes' 1969 LP My Way, however,

02:07since 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,

02:17so Frank decided to add in lyrics that specifically reference the character portrayed by Anne Bancroft

02:23in the movie.

02:24Does it add anything to the final product, however?

02:27You decide.

02:28Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?

02:35Number 8, Jolene by Beyonce, originally by Dolly Parton.

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

03:14as a victim, but rather one that's going to stand up against Jolene's wiles.

03:19This is in stark contrast to Parton's original, which laments both the beauty of Jolene, the

03:33seductive strength she possesses, and her narrator's pleas for romantic mercy.

03:38Jolene, please don't take it even though you care.

03:46Number 7, Womanizer by The All-American Rejects, originally by Britney Spears.

03:53We're sure that this idea might have seemed like a good one back in 2008, when both Womanizer

04:06by 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

04:16almost 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, and the band even break

04:27into an impromptu round of Happy Together by the Turtles.

04:31They also change some of the lyrics, bringing up prenuptial agreements for some reason within

04:44a cover that is, overall, barely faithful to the OG.

04:48Yeah, you shouldn't sign a prenup, faking like a good one, but I call him like I see

04:54him, I know what you are.

04:56Number 6 – These Boots and These Boots Are Made For Walkin' by Megadeth, originally

05:03by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra.

05:05Here's a question, how long do you think songwriter Lee Hazelwood cashed his royalty

05:18checks from Megadeth's cover of These Boots Are Made For Walkin' before he noticed these

05:22thrash metal titans had played around with his lyrics?

05:25The latter's Dave Mustaine maintained it was close to a decade, but what is certain is

05:30that Hazelwood eventually sued, petitioning for future editions of Megadeth's 1985 debut

05:35album to omit their tongue-in-cheek cover.

05:37Megadeth eventually did take these boots off their record, but not before recording yet another

05:50version in 1987 of the same cover, complete with the same old profane lyrics of their

05:55O.G.

05:56Number 5 – I Fought The Law by Dead Kennedys, originally by The Crickets.

06:10The fiery political lyricism of the Dead Kennedys, Jello Biafra, was set on full display within

06:24cover tunes like Viva Las Vegas or I Fought The Law.

06:28The latter was originally composed by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets and notably covered

06:33by The Bobby Fuller Four.

06:34Biafra, however, took this chance to change the subject matter, I Fought The Law, into a

06:47piece that referenced the murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone by San Francisco politician

06:51Dan White.

06:53The DK version here complains about White's diminished prison sentence as well as the supposed

06:58Twinkie defense utilized by his defense team.

07:01Biafra also defiantly changes each chorus to I Fought The Law, culminating in a switch

07:07to I Am The Law for the finale.

07:10I am the law, so I will...

07:17Number 4 – Into The Void Stealth by Soundgarden, originally by Black Sabbath.

07:24The sound of Prime-era Soundgarden was often compared to Black Sabbath by contemporary critics

07:36of their day, and this influence was set on clear display here with their cover of Into

07:47The Void.

07:48Chris Cornell completely changes the lyrics here, however, replacing Ozzy Osbourne's original

07:53Riff Fest.

07:54Not too bad for a recording session that took place around the time of Soundgarden's landmark

07:55Bad Motor Finger LP.

07:56Bad Motor Finger

07:57Bad Motor Finger

08:28Number 3 My Way by Sid Vicious

08:34Originally by Claude Francois and popularized by Frank Sinatra.

08:47Casual music fans may not know that My Way was first recorded by French singer Claude

08:52Francois in 1967, but they're almost certainly more familiar with either the Elvis Presley

08:58version or the take popularized by Frank Sinatra.

09:07Punk 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, which perhaps explains why his

09:23My Way briefly did some numbers on the pop charts.

09:27Today, however, Sid Vicious' My Way is seen as something of a coda for the man's life

09:31and career.

09:32An example of a troubled life and a career burning out before it can ever really begin.

09:41Number 2 We Didn't Start the Fire by Fall Out Boy, originally by Billy Joel.

09:58We'll probably never know whether or not Fall Out Boy's take on Billy Joel's We Didn't Start

10:03the Fire would've worked better if, you know, the band had actually bothered to place their

10:08events 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.

10:34So, we don't think that Fall Out Boy's decision to simply rattle off events from 1989 to 2023

10:40made this song any better, after all was said and done.

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11:04Number 1 Respect by Aretha Franklin, originally by Otis Redding.

11:11You know you've won the cover song game, when the originator offers up congratulations and

11:23basically 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.

11:35The 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.

11:58Then 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.

12:16R-E-S-B-E-C-T, burn out what it means to me, R-E-S-B-E-C-T, take care of T-C-T.

12:25What are your favorite or most unique cover songs?

12:28Let us know in the comments.

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