I agree. As an example, Dolly Parton's bluegrass cover of "Shine" is IMO even better than the original grungy rock version by Collective Soul. Dolly: ua-cam.com/video/8e-Ip9RagkU/v-deo.html Collective Soul: ua-cam.com/video/_m0bI82Rz_k/v-deo.html
@@jalabi99 Woah, man! Thanks for that. I'm a huge fan of the original, and yet was pleasantly surprised by Dolly's take. Her vocal performance is absolutely beautiful on that one.
The Lennon, Mc cartney, and then later Harrison are largely known for thier song writting but if you listen to there live at the BBC album you can hear that they were fantastic at covering other artists and making there songs there own, not as drastically as the examples in this video but all pretty much all the covers could be considered equals if not better than the originals
first of all, it would be fucking stupid not to add that line to this videos script because it allows the creator to make other points that all bounce off of that statement and second of all the happiest person in the world can make the saddest song In the world if he's skilled enough.
The way Jack White covers Bob Dylan (One More Cup of Coffee and Isis for example) and Dolly Parton (Jolene, which is simply astonishing) is on a whole other level.
his Jolene cover is fucking horrible I love Jack White and his style and everything, but the way he sings Jolene is so bad imo. The original or Miley Cyrus' cover is way better, has a better and more despreate energy. White is overdoing it.
Yeah, not a fan of his take on Jolene, but he does a good job with Patti Page's "Conquest". The Oak Ridge Boys do an interesting cover of Seven Nation Army.
guns n roses - knockin on heaven door elvis - hound dog led zeppelin - dazed and confused the clash - i fought the law the fugees - killing me softly nirvana - the man who sold the world joan jett - i love rock n roll eric clapton - i shot the sherrif amy winehouse - valerie run dmc- walk this way nina simone - i put a spell on you Edit - i just wrote the first covers that came to my mind but thanks for the likes
Ram Jam "Black Betty" (old blues song) Trio "After the Gold Rush" (Neil Young) Van Halen "You Really Got Me" (The Kinks) Sinead O'Conner "Nothing Compares to You" (Prince) Janis Joplin "Me & Bobby McGee" (Kris Kristoferson) Pearl Jam "Last Kiss" (??) Soft Cell "Tainted Love" (??)
Not to be overly reductive but blues is basically the foundation of the majority of modern popular music, and House of the Rising Sun is one of the quintessential blues songs.
house of the rising sun is one of my all time favourites, and you're right it has seen so much coverage and adaptation, I'd love to see an episode on it.
My favorite is Otis' version at the Monterey Pop Festival, but dang! Aretha has *SASS.* R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Otis loved it so much that he incorporated that bit(R.E.S.P.E.C.T find out what it means to me) in his performances!
Me: *Sees it's a video about covers.* Me: "It better mention All Along the Watchtower." Polyphonic: *Puts All Along the Watchtower first.* Me: "Respect."
One of my favorite covers is Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The original by Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie sounds like a personal tragedy. The LZ cover sounds like an epic disaster, very different but both appropriate.
Let's see...Resnor: Lucifer upon being expelled from Heaven. Cash: Leathery hillbilly finally getting Undiluted taste of hard livin's repercussions upon running out of whiskey (pretty solemn, though.) I gotta say, though, for my money the undisputable king of covers is who ? Of course,JOE COCKER!
One of my favorites of all time is Goldfinger 99 Red Balloons which is a cover of the English version of the originally German 99 Luftballons by Nena. They turn a dance pop war song classic into a punk fueled politically driven cover and payed homage to the original by having one verse from the German version in German. That’s what a good cover song should be, taking a song and making it your own with your influences while still respecting the original.
Iodine Cerium me too cause they add that punk rock sound to the message of the war tension lyrics of the song. I still think the German version of the original is still the best but Goldfinger did such a great job with that cover.
The entire soundtrack to Not Another Teen Movie has great covers on it, like Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson, Blue Monday by Orgy, and my favourite: Never let me down again by the Smashing Pumpkins. I like it way better than Depeche Mode's original version.
@@bernardsuits Yeah Dylan and Cohen can both be hard to listen to sometimes but they were both amazing songwriters. Take their songs and have them performed by a really great band and you can get some real magic. Buckley's Hallelujah is right up there with Hendrix' All Along the Watchtower as all time great covers. Throw in stuff like the various covers of Jolene, Don't Think Twice (I like Susan Tudeschi's cover), Knockin on Heaven's Door, etc. and the hits just keep coming.
Absolutely agree. where the Beatles version is just a happy song, the Joe Cocker version, feels like genuine emotion, it had doubt and fear. Someone who really needs a little help from heir friends. It literally and figuratively has more soul.
The Beatles never had time to have complete dedication to an album until sgt peppers because Please Please Me was rushed to cash while they had singles on the charts and they were busy touring after. That’s why their early albums have a lot of covers
@@fbicappuccino An abuse of the term. Being that the song is so old that its origins are unclear, and no original/first performer or rendition of the song is known, it's odd to call a performance of it a "cover". It makes it seem like a rock band somehow has less of a right to perform traditional cultural music. As though their rendition is somehow not authentic. It's an irksome turn of phrase in this instance.
I think one of my favorite covers was in 2012 when Led Zeppelin were being honored at the Kennedy Center and Ann & Nancy Wilson with Jason Bonham on drums covered Stairway to Heaven. They had had tears in his eyes and I don't blame them. They were amazing and not to be goofy but they really sounded like valkyries singing the tale of a hero, it was just a really great cover.
Which makes sense since they pretty much do a LZ cover at all their concerts... Much less known cover is by Far Corporation which is longer and employs 3 different lead singer hence making it even more epic... But of course the purists hate it...
Jimi’s All Along The Watchtower is not only the greatest cover of all time, but one of the best songs ever recorded, hard to find a song that brings more emotion and feelings, at least to me. Great video, as always.
Cash's hurt has to be a perfect cover. NIN original is amazing, showing a mentally broken person singing about their pain. Then cash comes in and twists it and adds this experience, this gravitas. I love both equally.
People like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles teach us that there's no point in making a cover unless you're going to do such a good job of it that people completely forget the original. All three artists did that multiple times across multiple genres, and that is why we consider them all to be geniuses.
Some amazing covers I found along the way (of originals I already liked btw): - Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah of course - Placebo's Running Up That Hill - Walk Off The Earth's Somebody I Used To Know - Postmodern Jukebox's Here - Nina Simone's Mr Bojangles - Cab Calloway's self-cover of Minnie The Moocher with the Blues Brothers Band
Anything on Patti Smith's "Twelve". She also has done one of my favorite Buddy Holly covers, in "Not Fade Away". By the way, an entire bit can be done on Holly covers.....
I dropped acid for the first time at age 14. Stayed high for days and Jimi sang All Along The Watchtower in my head the whole time. Still get a flashback when I hear it ...
I used to think Nirvana's Sold the World cover was better than the original. But then I heard Midge Ure's take (thanks to MGSV), I felt like his cover is closer in a way because of its cold and ghastly and ethereal production (closer to Bowie's take about talking to another version of you) but distinctly Midge's.
Nirvana sucked and they do absolutely nothing for the Bowie penned The Man Who Sold the World. That's really the only thing I can be thankful for. I'm doing such a nondescript faithful traditional rendition, they deprive themselves of the temptation to "create" or "add" anything to it, and fuck it all up. Lol As it is, the question, other than a simple tribute to an artist they admire, why? Why? Lol
when you put a twist in the song that makes it unique in some way, when you make it so good that people start to think you wrote the song or when you spark the debate of whose version is better, that's when you know your cover is good
Other great covers imo include: ▪︎"Little Wing" - The Corrs (Jimi Hendrix cover) ▪︎"We've Only Just Begun" - The Carpenters (Paul Williams cover) ▪︎"I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston (Dolly Parton)
It's a shame no one mentioned "With a little help from my friends" cover by Joe Cocker. It transformed a shallow and kinda childish Beatles song into one of the strongest hymns to true friendship ever composed.
Some of my favourites.. Hurt - Johnny Cash Where Did You Sleep Last Night? -Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World - Nirvana Planet Caravan - Pantera The Headmaster Ritual - Radiohead Running Up That Hill - Placebo The Sound of Silence - Disturbed One - Korn All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley Teardrop - AURORA Mad World - Gary Jules
To me, the most surprisingly great cover is The Bangles’ “Hazy Shade of Winter”. Not that The Bangles aren’t a fine band, but that they did such a better version than Simon & Garfunkel’s original.
A m65 The guitar is indeed great, so is the energy, the production value, the harmonies and the bass line. (And I’m a much bigger fan overall of Simon and Garfunkel)
Totally agree. I can't listen to S&G's version now without hearing the Bangles version in my head. Bangles were a solid band for their day, but they knocked that one out of the park.
My favorite covers Peter Gabriel - The Book of Love (Magnetic Fields) The Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song (Roberta Fleck) Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie) Sarah Jarosz - When Doves Cry (Prince) Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All (George Duke) Cee Lo Green - No One's Gonna Love You (Band of Horses) My Chemical Romance - Desolation Row (Bob Dylan) Dinosaur Jr - Just Like Heaven (The Cure) Arcade Fire - The Guns of Brixton (The Clash) Kishi Bashi - This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads) Screaming Females - Shake It Off (Taylor Swift)
Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough Mary J Blige - I'm Goin Down Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You Aretha Franklin - Respect TLC - If I Was Your Girlfriend Ike and Tina - Proud Mary Phyllis Hyman - Betcha By Golly Wow
Some great covers there for sure. Here's a few more: Johnny Cash - The Mercy Seat (Nick Cave) Red Hot Chili Peppers - If You Want Me to Stay (Sly & the Family Stone) Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares to You (Prince) Melvins - The Ballad of Dwight Fry (Alice Cooper) Harvey Milk - One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (Leonard Cohen) Crippled Black Phoenix - Of a Lifetime (Journey) Gone is Gone - Roads (Portishead) Gary Jules - Mad World (Tears for Fears) Tool - No Quarter (Led Zeppelin) Big Black - The Model (Kraftwerk)
Patti Smith's version of Because The Night is not really a cover, she actually cowrote an unfinished Springsteen composition and was the first one to have it on record (and indeed, it's a great version!). Some years later 10,000 Maniacs did have a cover... of Patti's version
I’d love for you to do more videos about covers, like Bobby McGee and Proud Mary. What do you think of Ike and Tina Turners proud Mary? I love when the original singers/writers like the covers. Fogarty loved the turner’s version.
Your editing and video style is amazing. I’ve been watching you for like 2 years now but something about this video and you showing how much you understand music, it gave me one of those “oh damn” feelings like 5 minutes in. Just an incredible video all around.
Trent Reznor said he at first thought the Cash cover was a nice gimmick. Then after seeing the Music video, he broke down. When said "That song isn't mine anymore" he didnt mean that the Cash version was superior, he meant that no one would think of his when someone mentions "Hurt".
"Turn The Page" from Metallica is a great example of refashioning a song to make it sound like your own. They changed it to fit their hard rock style of Garage, Inc., made it fit Hetfield's vocals which added a bluesy feel, added the slide guitar to replace the saxophone, and made a Bob Seger classic sound like a Metallica hit. They even commented on how they were surprised that they hadn't written these lyrics themselves at some point because they had seen it all on the road, and probably have endless stories to support that sentiment.
Reznor singing 'Hurt' with NIN - it's okay bro, you're young, you'll get over it eventually Cash singing 'Hurt' at 70 - I'm old, I haven't gotten over it.
Great editing, a real solid renaissance stylization in visuals, and a great video essay with emotion and direction. An under appreciated example of what youtube video essays could be all over the site, and I hope it inspires more like it.
Dylan's All Along the Watchtower is actually very good. Hendrix's version is bombastic and huge,but Dylan's version is quiet,timid,and that harmonica is beeeeautiful
Bernardo Carneiro Yeah, it’s got those typical confusing stories interlaced in the lyrics, that you feel you understand, but at the same time can’t quite grasp what’s going on, typical of most Dylan songs like ‘My Back Pages’, ‘The Mighty Quinn’, ‘Ballad of A Thin Man’ to name a few..
Sean Morris exactly. The way I see it is like this: Dylan's version is the book,and Jimi's version is the film adaptation. A very good film adaptation,but you understand what Im saying
Bernardo Carneiro Yeah I do. It’s great with covers that try not to replicate, or to improve upon, but expand the meanings and feelings. I could listen to a cover of a song, for example ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’. Both the Supremes and Vanilla Fudge have two fantastic versions, that it’d be unfair to name a definitive. A great cover really changes things up, and allows for a song to be interpreted through fresh expression, a similar melody, but an entirely different beat, without trying to cancel out the original, but serve as an extension to the song..
Sean Morris agreed. I love this in covers,and I love it in samples as well. When producers take a sample from a song and tinker with it to the point it becomes its own thing,is something that really fascinates me
I was wondering that, also. I actually prefer the original, but Buckley's is often considered the gold standard for covers. I mean, he still used three very excellent examples.
Got To Get You Into My Life by Earth, Wind & Fire is one of the best covers of any song let alone a Beatle's song. Completely transformed the original for the better.
A Perfect Circle - Imagine Does everything you talked about in this video. It transforms the cheesy hopeful lyrics of Lennon to a dark and hopeless lament, and paints everything in a different light. It's one of the best covers ever IMO.
In Australia, we have a radio station with a segment called "Like a Version" where whichever band that's in the studio that day prepares a cover. The best ones by far are always the covers where the covering artist is able to maintain the core essence of the original, but reinterpret it with from a new context or perspective. They're all available on UA-cam; some of my personal favourites are Meg Mac's cover of "Let it Happen" by Tame Impala, CHVRCHES cover of "Do I wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys, #1 Dads' cover of "Two Weeks" by FKA Twigs, and DMA's cover of "Believe" by Cher.
My personal favorite cover is the Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros version of "Silver and Gold." Much like Cash (who Strummer actually recorded a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" with) it serves as a swan song of the life of a punk rock, reggae, dub, rockabilly (and pretty much any other genre you can think of) legend. Unfortunately unlike Cash, it wasn't released until after Joe's passing. The whole final album of "Streetcore" is a masterpiece and is a worthy goodbye to a legend.
I love Bauhaus' cover of Brian Eno's Third Uncle. Eno's song is minimal and whimsical, but Bauhaus take that and kick it up a notch. Bauhaus' version oozes with energy, which I quite like personally.
0:43 Pamplemousse. I guess that's what happens when you only hear the word, and never see it written. It is written as "pomplamoose", when referring to the band.
Covers in the early days were all the rage I’d say. From the ragtime era like “Alexander’s ragtime band” or some less know like “Peggy Oniell” but during the 1950s covers were even more prevalent with the worst cover groups like The CrewCuts, or Pat Boone. The black groups and artists were screwed over by the white groups and artists, even Elvis first songs on Sun record were covers. Blues suede shoes, hound dog, mystery train, that’s all right. For doo wop groups all of the cover groups got all the glory instead of the blacks groups like the moonglows “sincerely” which was covered by the Mcquire sisters which went to number 1 on the pop charts.
I have to give some love to CAKE and their cover of I will Survive. Their lead singer completely changes the pacing of the lyrics. Frequently putting them well behind the beat. That off kilter guitar at the end is also a work of genius.
It really is amazing what Johnny Cash did with Hurt. The song is completely changed and incredibly emotional. Such a difference in message with the same lyrics.
@@natsuccubus It's Bulls On Parade, I've only seen a live version recorded for Triple J or Pitchfork or something, and he adds a verse instead of the guitar solo, so whoever recorded it may have retitled it.
Damn, my eyes just flood with tears when hearing about Hurt. It is such a powerful storytelling, but the video does such a good job to describe all of it. Thank you for the super well-crafted content.
Some of my favorite covers: Downpressor Man by Sinead O'Connor Where Did You Sleep Last Night? Nirvana on MTV Unplugged The Whole Of the Moon by The Small Hours I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down by Paul Young Spiritual High (State of independence) by Moodswings (feat. Chrissie Hynde) Can't Find My Way Home both the Torch Song and live Bonnie Raitt covers Never Let Me Down by Pat MacDonald (and his album of DM covers) Step On by Happy Mondays Blackbird by Bobby McFerrin With a Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker Mad World by Gary Jules Lean On Me by Club Nouveau I Will Survive by Cake Take Me To The River by Talking Heads
Here's a review yesterday on Bette Davis Eyes which before Kim Carnes made it huge was originally a non-hit for Jackie DeShannon in 1974. The original is a country/blues type song that is so different from what we all know now. The last thing you would imagine for a cover/remake is glossy new wave synths and drum machines. www.stereogum.com/2083227/the-number-ones-kim-carnes-bette-davis-eyes/franchises/the-number-ones/
My phone: Polyphonic just released a new video
Me: Let´s take closer look
Otto Miesenberger me exactly
Good one
Papapapapaaaaan-
Otto Miesenberger true
Why on earth haven’t you made a video on Gershwin!
My personal covers rules:
1. Don't just copy it.
2. Give it a new twist.
3. Pay your respect with your new take.
My personal covers rules:
1. Be any of the artists in the video.
I agree. As an example, Dolly Parton's bluegrass cover of "Shine" is IMO even better than the original grungy rock version by Collective Soul.
Dolly: ua-cam.com/video/8e-Ip9RagkU/v-deo.html
Collective Soul: ua-cam.com/video/_m0bI82Rz_k/v-deo.html
I don't think respect is necessary, if it's better it's better.
@@jalabi99 Woah, man! Thanks for that. I'm a huge fan of the original, and yet was pleasantly surprised by Dolly's take.
Her vocal performance is absolutely beautiful on that one.
I think 2000 man by kiss is a great cover.
Jimi Hendrix: You’re breathtaking. Bob Dylan: No you’re breathtaking This continues for some time
Undertale 2: The Bobby Hendrix Story
Cringe
1971: *I’m going to destroy this guitarist career*
It only goes on for 4 years tops
Keep a wearing a mask
The Beatles made me think Twist and Shout was written by them. A great cover makes you think it’s their song.
The Lennon, Mc cartney, and then later Harrison are largely known for thier song writting but if you listen to there live at the BBC album you can hear that they were fantastic at covering other artists and making there songs there own, not as drastically as the examples in this video but all pretty much all the covers could be considered equals if not better than the originals
@Comic Sans there's also "Chains" and "Shout"
@@matthewloughran73 their Live at BBC is amazing. an important Beatles album as any other
And speaking of the Beatles. There’s a cover of Help by John Farnham that I’ve always loved. Takes a poppy song and turns it into a heartfelt ballad.
@@katherinemorelle7115 The Carpenters did that with Help too.
"Trent Reznor was in a dark place when he wrote Hurt"
Man, I never wouldve guessed that by listening to the song. Its so cheery!
rage bot is that you
RiDiculous2Ks yes
first of all, it would be fucking stupid not to add that line to this videos script because it allows the creator to make other points that all bounce off of that statement and second of all the happiest person in the world can make the saddest song In the world if he's skilled enough.
Hey hal9000
@@karol_w-cc6zq dude it’s a fuckin joke
*Gets a notification from polyphonic*
“Nice”
*sees it’s Jimi Hendrix and Johnny cash*
“These chores can wait”
Hail Helix same for me with homework
johnny cash was the first actual songwriter i liked and respected
@@julianstraubel1395 I haven't met anyone that doesn't like Johnny Cash
The way Jack White covers Bob Dylan (One More Cup of Coffee and Isis for example) and Dolly Parton (Jolene, which is simply astonishing) is on a whole other level.
The way Jack White does covers, in general, is amazing, I never even thought they were covers at first
Yeeeessss, was gonna comment white stripes/Bob Dylan One More Cup of Coffee!!!
his Jolene cover is fucking horrible
I love Jack White and his style and everything, but the way he sings Jolene is so bad imo. The original or Miley Cyrus' cover is way better, has a better and more despreate energy. White is overdoing it.
Yeah, not a fan of his take on Jolene, but he does a good job with Patti Page's "Conquest".
The Oak Ridge Boys do an interesting cover of Seven Nation Army.
His version of "Death Letter" is INCREDIBLE, especially live.
I don't know why, but the new way this videos are made and how they look is just beautiful
agreed
definitely soothing
I think hes finding his voice and it's great to see his transition from his earlier works.
@that one again i don't know, It was great but i like this way better. But i respect your view
Next time, he's gonna use this comment to segue into the sponsored part...
When Clapton in Cream brought Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” back in an electric play, that was just pure genius. Brought blues back.
EC blues covers are all great, he always makes them his own and in the process, educates fans on the original artists.
tondefdom yes
Link to Cream: ua-cam.com/video/PE9HvSdcaL4/v-deo.html
Yes but not all their covers were so great and grand....looking at I'm so Glad...that cover sucks
that and Born Under A Bad Sign, which I honestly prefer to the King version, and I love Albert King!
guns n roses - knockin on heaven door
elvis - hound dog
led zeppelin - dazed and confused
the clash - i fought the law
the fugees - killing me softly
nirvana - the man who sold the world
joan jett - i love rock n roll
eric clapton - i shot the sherrif
amy winehouse - valerie
run dmc- walk this way
nina simone - i put a spell on you
Edit - i just wrote the first covers that came to my mind but thanks for the likes
I prefer the crickets version of I fought the law but thats because music form the 50's and 60's is my cup of tea
I wouldnt say Walk This Way is a cover, its more of a sample
Ram Jam "Black Betty" (old blues song)
Trio "After the Gold Rush" (Neil Young)
Van Halen "You Really Got Me" (The Kinks)
Sinead O'Conner "Nothing Compares to You" (Prince)
Janis Joplin "Me & Bobby McGee" (Kris Kristoferson)
Pearl Jam "Last Kiss" (??)
Soft Cell "Tainted Love" (??)
Green Day - Working Class Hero
matthew loughran I prefer the Dead Kennedys version
I’d love to see a video about House of the Rising Sun, and why it’s been adapted by so many musicians from so many different genres
That chord progression is absolutely primal. I don't think people can really not like it.
Not to be overly reductive but blues is basically the foundation of the majority of modern popular music, and House of the Rising Sun is one of the quintessential blues songs.
house of the rising sun is one of my all time favourites, and you're right it has seen so much coverage and adaptation, I'd love to see an episode on it.
Congrats homie, you got it
There is, in this UA-cam channel actually. Just go to the videos tab and go down a bit.
To be honest, I didn't know "Respect" was a cover.
Most people don't.
To be fair, and even as an Otis fan, Aretha's version is so much better. And the definitive version.
@@HiSummerWasHere even Otis knew that.
My favorite is Otis' version at the Monterey Pop Festival, but dang! Aretha has *SASS.* R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Otis loved it so much that he incorporated that bit(R.E.S.P.E.C.T find out what it means to me) in his performances!
Cake’s covers are criminally underrated. War Pigs and I Will Survive are masterpieces
hell, you cant forget "Hallelujah" originally by the late great Leonard Cohen. Beautifully renditioned by Jeff Buckley
Me: *Sees it's a video about covers.*
Me: "It better mention All Along the Watchtower."
Polyphonic: *Puts All Along the Watchtower first.*
Me: "Respect."
That's the first thing I thought 2
RESPECT
THANKS POLY
Otherwise, I would be so Disturbed it would all just be "The Sound of Silence"... ;-)
One of my favorite covers is Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The original by Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie sounds like a personal tragedy. The LZ cover sounds like an epic disaster, very different but both appropriate.
Yes brilliant, but Led Zep weren’t very good at acknowledging they were covering anything....
Let's see...Resnor: Lucifer upon being expelled from Heaven. Cash: Leathery hillbilly finally getting
Undiluted taste of hard livin's repercussions upon running out of whiskey (pretty solemn, though.) I gotta say, though, for my money the undisputable king of covers is who ? Of course,JOE COCKER!
Led Zeppelin wrote like 30 of the greatest covers and never credited lmao
One of my favorites of all time is Goldfinger 99 Red Balloons which is a cover of the English version of the originally German 99 Luftballons by Nena. They turn a dance pop war song classic into a punk fueled politically driven cover and payed homage to the original by having one verse from the German version in German.
That’s what a good cover song should be, taking a song and making it your own with your influences while still respecting the original.
Yes! I personally prefer Goldfinger's version than the original. I think the punk style elevated the real essence of the song
Iodine Cerium me too cause they add that punk rock sound to the message of the war tension lyrics of the song. I still think the German version of the original is still the best but Goldfinger did such a great job with that cover.
Pery 💯
The entire soundtrack to Not Another Teen Movie has great covers on it, like Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson, Blue Monday by Orgy, and my favourite: Never let me down again by the Smashing Pumpkins. I like it way better than Depeche Mode's original version.
Jeff Buckley his take on hallelujah will always be one of the best covers ever imo
Si it better than the original? Nope
@@brunilda12 yes
Cohen himself admitted he's not a great singer. "Only in Canada can someone who sounds like me win Male Vocalist of the Year."
Gavin Millar to be fair, Bob Dylan also says he's not the greatest vocalist
@@bernardsuits Yeah Dylan and Cohen can both be hard to listen to sometimes but they were both amazing songwriters. Take their songs and have them performed by a really great band and you can get some real magic. Buckley's Hallelujah is right up there with Hendrix' All Along the Watchtower as all time great covers. Throw in stuff like the various covers of Jolene, Don't Think Twice (I like Susan Tudeschi's cover), Knockin on Heaven's Door, etc. and the hits just keep coming.
A great cover in my opinion is one that can stand on it's own merits and doesn't have to relie to heavily on the original. That's just me though.
With a Little Help from my Friends by Joe Cooker is the ultimate cover
His "Come Together" is fantastic too
Absolutely agree. where the Beatles version is just a happy song, the Joe Cocker version, feels like genuine emotion, it had doubt and fear. Someone who really needs a little help from heir friends.
It literally and figuratively has more soul.
The album “With The Beatles” is essentially a bunch of covers with a handful of originals, but I prefer all of the covers to the original songs.
“Till there was you“ is a phenomenonal cover
It’s more originals than covers though same amount as Please Please Me
The Beatles never had time to have complete dedication to an album until sgt peppers because Please Please Me was rushed to cash while they had singles on the charts and they were busy touring after. That’s why their early albums have a lot of covers
@@leoaguilar8684 and it was the done thing anyway to feature a some covers on an album
rubber soul...the start
I've always loved where did you sleep last night by Nirvana. One of the best covers ever imo.
Yessss so much better than man who sold the world
That's not a cover, it's a traditional folk song.
@@namor3607 it's a cover of a traditional folk song
@@fbicappuccino An abuse of the term. Being that the song is so old that its origins are unclear, and no original/first performer or rendition of the song is known, it's odd to call a performance of it a "cover". It makes it seem like a rock band somehow has less of a right to perform traditional cultural music. As though their rendition is somehow not authentic. It's an irksome turn of phrase in this instance.
@@namor3607 huh? it's a cover, bro, chill, being a cover is not something bad at all, nirvana didn't wrote it
Jeff Buckley’s cover of Hallelujah is a personal favorite. Immortalized by the cinematic masterpiece; Shrek.
Cakes cover of “i will survive” is my all time favorite covers, actually fashion nugget is one of my all time favorite albums.
I would’ve thrown in Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you” as well but still another awesome vid nonetheless!
I think you could do a whole video on just the two good versions
OK, I cry even with just a 3 second clip of Hurt.
same
Frank Oceans' and Jacob Collier's covers of Moon River are genuinely some of the greatest pieces of music I've ever heard.
Amy Winehouse does a solid version. Afghan Whigs cover of Ocean's "Love Crimes" is good.
I think one of my favorite covers was in 2012 when Led Zeppelin were being honored at the Kennedy Center and Ann & Nancy Wilson with Jason Bonham on drums covered Stairway to Heaven. They had had tears in his eyes and I don't blame them. They were amazing and not to be goofy but they really sounded like valkyries singing the tale of a hero, it was just a really great cover.
Ann Wilson had mad respect for Zep and it showed.
Which makes sense since they pretty much do a LZ cover at all their concerts...
Much less known cover is by Far Corporation which is longer and employs 3 different lead singer hence making it even more epic... But of course the purists hate it...
@@MrDslacker Thank you for sharing with me something I didn't know :D I can't wait to give their cover a listen now.
Devo's rendition of satisfaction by the rolling stones is pretty neat
"neat." I wouldn't have thought about that word, but you are absolutely right! It's not great, it's not terrible... It's Neat.
Jimi’s All Along The Watchtower is not only the greatest cover of all time, but one of the best songs ever recorded, hard to find a song that brings more emotion and feelings, at least to me. Great video, as always.
Cash's hurt has to be a perfect cover. NIN original is amazing, showing a mentally broken person singing about their pain. Then cash comes in and twists it and adds this experience, this gravitas. I love both equally.
People like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles teach us that there's no point in making a cover unless you're going to do such a good job of it that people completely forget the original. All three artists did that multiple times across multiple genres, and that is why we consider them all to be geniuses.
This is basically three separate videos in one and I love it!
A good cover shows a band's identity while respecting the original song. Led Zeppelin's No Quarter covered by Tool is a good example of that.
Tool also covered Imagine and changed the whole meaning of the song
crowbar also covered no quarter and i feel it shows their identity perfectly
I would put Man who sold the world up there as well. A lot of people dont even know that was a cover
Some amazing covers I found along the way (of originals I already liked btw):
- Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah of course
- Placebo's Running Up That Hill
- Walk Off The Earth's Somebody I Used To Know
- Postmodern Jukebox's Here
- Nina Simone's Mr Bojangles
- Cab Calloway's self-cover of Minnie The Moocher with the Blues Brothers Band
Anything on Patti Smith's "Twelve". She also has done one of my favorite Buddy Holly covers, in "Not Fade Away".
By the way, an entire bit can be done on Holly covers.....
One cover i oddly love is post malone's old clip of a cover he did of bob dylans "don't think twice it's alright"
I dropped acid for the first time at age 14. Stayed high for days and Jimi sang All Along The Watchtower in my head the whole time. Still get a flashback when I hear it ...
Otis redding could write songs like no one else could
He also did great covers. Keith Richards said "Our Satisfaction was a demo for Otis Redding's".
The beatles : twist and shout
Nirvana: man who sold the world
I used to think Nirvana's Sold the World cover was better than the original. But then I heard Midge Ure's take (thanks to MGSV), I felt like his cover is closer in a way because of its cold and ghastly and ethereal production (closer to Bowie's take about talking to another version of you) but distinctly Midge's.
Nirvana: where did you sleep last night
Nirvana: Lake of Fire
@@azertyvh Nirvana - Love Buzz
@@mainsmain plus you are forgetting their cover of More Than A Feeling :)
Nirvana sucked and they do absolutely nothing for the Bowie penned The Man Who Sold the World.
That's really the only thing I can be thankful for. I'm doing such a nondescript faithful traditional rendition, they deprive themselves of the temptation to "create" or "add" anything to it, and fuck it all up. Lol
As it is, the question, other than a simple tribute to an artist they admire, why?
Why? Lol
when you put a twist in the song that makes it unique in some way, when you make it so good that people start to think you wrote the song or when you spark the debate of whose version is better, that's when you know your cover is good
Other great covers imo include:
▪︎"Little Wing" - The Corrs (Jimi Hendrix cover)
▪︎"We've Only Just Begun" - The Carpenters (Paul Williams cover)
▪︎"I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston (Dolly Parton)
It's a shame no one mentioned "With a little help from my friends" cover by Joe Cocker. It transformed a shallow and kinda childish Beatles song into one of the strongest hymns to true friendship ever composed.
Exactly my thoughts.
Some of my favourites..
Hurt - Johnny Cash
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? -Nirvana
The Man Who Sold The World - Nirvana
Planet Caravan - Pantera
The Headmaster Ritual - Radiohead
Running Up That Hill - Placebo
The Sound of Silence - Disturbed
One - Korn
All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Teardrop - AURORA
Mad World - Gary Jules
Gary Jules took that Tears for Fears song to a whole other level.
To me, the most surprisingly great cover is The Bangles’ “Hazy Shade of Winter”. Not that The Bangles aren’t a fine band, but that they did such a better version than Simon & Garfunkel’s original.
I think the electric guitar makes that version more powerful. Totally agree and i love simon and Garfunkel
A m65 The guitar is indeed great, so is the energy, the production value, the harmonies and the bass line. (And I’m a much bigger fan overall of Simon and Garfunkel)
Totally agree. I can't listen to S&G's version now without hearing the Bangles version in my head. Bangles were a solid band for their day, but they knocked that one out of the park.
Gerard Way's version of Hazy Shade of Winter is great as well. As well as My Chemical Romance's cover of Desolation Row by Bob Dylan.
My favorite covers
Peter Gabriel - The Book of Love (Magnetic Fields)
The Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song (Roberta Fleck)
Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)
Sarah Jarosz - When Doves Cry (Prince)
Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All (George Duke)
Cee Lo Green - No One's Gonna Love You (Band of Horses)
My Chemical Romance - Desolation Row (Bob Dylan)
Dinosaur Jr - Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
Arcade Fire - The Guns of Brixton (The Clash)
Kishi Bashi - This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads)
Screaming Females - Shake It Off (Taylor Swift)
Yes, I too mentioned Peter Gabriel's fabulous cover
Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Mary J Blige - I'm Goin Down
Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Aretha Franklin - Respect
TLC - If I Was Your Girlfriend
Ike and Tina - Proud Mary
Phyllis Hyman - Betcha By Golly Wow
YES!
Afro Sensei, I like your name.
@@ayemiksenoj5254 Thank you
Some great covers there for sure. Here's a few more:
Johnny Cash - The Mercy Seat (Nick Cave)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - If You Want Me to Stay (Sly & the Family Stone)
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares to You (Prince)
Melvins - The Ballad of Dwight Fry (Alice Cooper)
Harvey Milk - One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (Leonard Cohen)
Crippled Black Phoenix - Of a Lifetime (Journey)
Gone is Gone - Roads (Portishead)
Gary Jules - Mad World (Tears for Fears)
Tool - No Quarter (Led Zeppelin)
Big Black - The Model (Kraftwerk)
rhcp - fire (hendrix)
Yes!!! Cash's cover of The Mercy Seat is one of my all time favourites!!
Since you listed Leonard Cohen, I will offer Concrete Blonde’s version of “Everybody Knows”.
@peacefrog0521 First we take Manhattan by R.E.M is also a must!
I'm a fan of Thin Lizzy's covers of Whiskey In The Jar and Rosalie, also Patti Smith's version of Because The Night
Patti Smith's version of Because The Night is not really a cover, she actually cowrote an unfinished Springsteen composition and was the first one to have it on record (and indeed, it's a great version!). Some years later 10,000 Maniacs did have a cover... of Patti's version
Whiskey in the jar is a traditional song, so it's more of an arrangement than a cover. Fun fact I knew the guy who did that arrangement in my teens.
Your animation style reminds me of Monty Python, and that's frickin awesome!
“I Fought the Law” is in my opinion, the most famous cover.
The editing in this video is absolutely incredible. World class. Amazing work!
One of my favorite is Her’s cover of Loving You. Stylistically it just feels so right
I’d love for you to do more videos about covers, like Bobby McGee and Proud Mary. What do you think of Ike and Tina Turners proud Mary? I love when the original singers/writers like the covers. Fogarty loved the turner’s version.
Your editing and video style is amazing. I’ve been watching you for like 2 years now but something about this video and you showing how much you understand music, it gave me one of those “oh damn” feelings like 5 minutes in. Just an incredible video all around.
Nirvana's cover of Where Did You Sleep Last Night. A chilling cover on the level of Hurt for me, gives me goosebumps every time.
Trent Reznor said he at first thought the Cash cover was a nice gimmick. Then after seeing the Music video, he broke down.
When said "That song isn't mine anymore" he didnt mean that the Cash version was superior, he meant that no one would think of his when someone mentions "Hurt".
Personally, Ill always prefer the original, it's so powerful live the way trent performs it every time
"Turn The Page" from Metallica is a great example of refashioning a song to make it sound like your own. They changed it to fit their hard rock style of Garage, Inc., made it fit Hetfield's vocals which added a bluesy feel, added the slide guitar to replace the saxophone, and made a Bob Seger classic sound like a Metallica hit. They even commented on how they were surprised that they hadn't written these lyrics themselves at some point because they had seen it all on the road, and probably have endless stories to support that sentiment.
Another nice cover of that era of Metallica is "Whiskey in the Jar" (which has many versions itself)
And it worked, even though they hardly changed anything.
Reznor singing 'Hurt' with NIN - it's okay bro, you're young, you'll get over it eventually
Cash singing 'Hurt' at 70 - I'm old, I haven't gotten over it.
I think that if you cover a song but put your own twist in it that makes it a good cover song
The 'Hurt' segment for this video... I'm not crying your crying...
I notice that you left out Madonna’s version of “American Pie”. Thank you for that!
Aristocob lol!
Didnt know that existed. Soo thanks for that.
@@andrewwagner9901 Take it as a warning, not an endorsement.
Also hating on ALL of Pat Boone's "In a Metal Mood" covers, including American Pie.
However, Weird Al never did a bad rewrite.
Pff...why would anyone bring that up? We're still all trying to forget it..
Great editing, a real solid renaissance stylization in visuals, and a great video essay with emotion and direction. An under appreciated example of what youtube video essays could be all over the site, and I hope it inspires more like it.
Fiona Apple’s cover of “Everyday” is just lovely.
same with her cover of across the universe
Probably a unpopular opinion, but I’d say it’s better than The Beatles version.
Respect is so much more amazing when you realize it's a cover.
Truly beautiful Mr Polyphonic, your most gorgeous work yet.
Dylan's All Along the Watchtower is actually very good. Hendrix's version is bombastic and huge,but Dylan's version is quiet,timid,and that harmonica is beeeeautiful
Bernardo Carneiro Yeah, it’s got those typical confusing stories interlaced in the lyrics, that you feel you understand, but at the same time can’t quite grasp what’s going on, typical of most Dylan songs like ‘My Back Pages’, ‘The Mighty Quinn’, ‘Ballad of A Thin Man’ to name a few..
Sean Morris exactly. The way I see it is like this: Dylan's version is the book,and Jimi's version is the film adaptation. A very good film adaptation,but you understand what Im saying
Bernardo Carneiro Yeah I do. It’s great with covers that try not to replicate, or to improve upon, but expand the meanings and feelings. I could listen to a cover of a song, for example ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’. Both the Supremes and Vanilla Fudge have two fantastic versions, that it’d be unfair to name a definitive. A great cover really changes things up, and allows for a song to be interpreted through fresh expression, a similar melody, but an entirely different beat, without trying to cancel out the original, but serve as an extension to the song..
Sean Morris agreed. I love this in covers,and I love it in samples as well. When producers take a sample from a song and tinker with it to the point it becomes its own thing,is something that really fascinates me
The production value of these videos are insane!!
I think Cage The Elephant’s Cigarette Daydreams is good to look into. It’s a great song with a message I can’t pin down.
Whenever Johnny Cash covers a song, it becomes his song.
I prefer the Nine Inch Nails orginal. But I have to admit that Cashs version is beautiful and a amazing cover. One of the best of all time.
Same with Joe Cocker
Jones na cuz. Did you even know he covered big iron or u2’s one 😂
@@AnthonyDavis-kh7zd yeah i did and he covered a shit ton more. i honestly prefer his version of One more than U2's
Jones they all goated bro
Minor correction - Downward Spiral was Trent Reznor's 3rd studio album. 1) Pretty Hate Machine 2) Broken and then 3) Downward Spiral
Wondering why there was no mention of Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah cover.
I was wondering that, also. I actually prefer the original, but Buckley's is often considered the gold standard for covers. I mean, he still used three very excellent examples.
Got To Get You Into My Life by Earth, Wind & Fire is one of the best covers of any song let alone a Beatle's song. Completely transformed the original for the better.
A Perfect Circle - Imagine
Does everything you talked about in this video. It transforms the cheesy hopeful lyrics of Lennon to a dark and hopeless lament, and paints everything in a different light. It's one of the best covers ever IMO.
In Australia, we have a radio station with a segment called "Like a Version" where whichever band that's in the studio that day prepares a cover. The best ones by far are always the covers where the covering artist is able to maintain the core essence of the original, but reinterpret it with from a new context or perspective. They're all available on UA-cam; some of my personal favourites are Meg Mac's cover of "Let it Happen" by Tame Impala, CHVRCHES cover of "Do I wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys, #1 Dads' cover of "Two Weeks" by FKA Twigs, and DMA's cover of "Believe" by Cher.
I’m a huge fan of Pillar’s cover of “Shine” from Collective Soul
Believe it or not, Dolly Parton did a killer version of Shine as well.
Link to Dolly’s Shine: ua-cam.com/video/8e-Ip9RagkU/v-deo.html
Listen to Dolly Partons versions. Blow. Out. Of. Water
Ghost - Here Comes the Sun
Turns a happy-go-lucky song creepy and foreboding.
Joshua McClellan Will check that out. In the meantime, the effect that you described reminded me of Type O Negative’s cover of “Summer Breeze.”
Thats why weezers cover of africa is so mediocre, it sounds almost the same to the original
EXACTLY.
Same with their take on me cover
Their entire covers album is quite useless really.
Nirvanas cover of The Man Who Sold the World is great but sounds like the original.
@@bremCZ It doesn't sound that much like the original, plus the uniqueness of Kurt Cobain's voice is enough
The best 2 covers out there is vanilla fudge on "keep me hangin on" and alt-j's take on "a lovely day"
White Stripes- Jolene. One of the best covers ever
triple j's Like A version has entered the chat.
bryce arell yeah. Like Polish Club’s version of Flume’s ‘Never going to be like you ‘ comes to mind
DMAs completely changing the meaning and expression of Believe, beautiful
My personal favorite cover is the Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros version of "Silver and Gold." Much like Cash (who Strummer actually recorded a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" with) it serves as a swan song of the life of a punk rock, reggae, dub, rockabilly (and pretty much any other genre you can think of) legend. Unfortunately unlike Cash, it wasn't released until after Joe's passing. The whole final album of "Streetcore" is a masterpiece and is a worthy goodbye to a legend.
I challenge you to talk about remixes
I love Bauhaus' cover of Brian Eno's Third Uncle. Eno's song is minimal and whimsical, but Bauhaus take that and kick it up a notch. Bauhaus' version oozes with energy, which I quite like personally.
0:43 Pamplemousse. I guess that's what happens when you only hear the word, and never see it written. It is written as "pomplamoose", when referring to the band.
Considering Jack Conte, the founder of Patreon, is one part of Pomplamoose, you should've gotten that right.
This is probably the best advertisement for skill Share ever because you can really see your progress!
Take Me to the River by Talking Heads is a great example of this, they’ve managed to make it sound better than the original Al Green version.
Annie Lennox did a fine cover of it as well.
@@jennycraigadventures3314 speaking of Annie, her version of Whiter Shade of Pale is amazing
Iron and Whites cover of Such Great Heights is absolutely phenomenal yet simple
Covers in the early days were all the rage I’d say. From the ragtime era like “Alexander’s ragtime band” or some less know like “Peggy Oniell” but during the 1950s covers were even more prevalent with the worst cover groups like The CrewCuts, or Pat Boone. The black groups and artists were screwed over by the white groups and artists, even Elvis first songs on Sun record were covers. Blues suede shoes, hound dog, mystery train, that’s all right. For doo wop groups all of the cover groups got all the glory instead of the blacks groups like the moonglows “sincerely” which was covered by the Mcquire sisters which went to number 1 on the pop charts.
You are the best analytical music channel that exists on you tube. my old soul leaves each video 20 millennia older. Love your work.
I have to give some love to CAKE and their cover of I will Survive. Their lead singer completely changes the pacing of the lyrics. Frequently putting them well behind the beat. That off kilter guitar at the end is also a work of genius.
One of my favorite covers is Turn The Page by Metallica.
It really is amazing what Johnny Cash did with Hurt. The song is completely changed and incredibly emotional. Such a difference in message with the same lyrics.
Marvin Gaye - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
The Weeknd - "Drunk in Love"
Denzel Curry - "Rage Against the Machine"
rage against the machine is a band
@@natsuccubus It's Bulls On Parade, I've only seen a live version recorded for Triple J or Pitchfork or something, and he adds a verse instead of the guitar solo, so whoever recorded it may have retitled it.
Damn, my eyes just flood with tears when hearing about Hurt. It is such a powerful storytelling, but the video does such a good job to describe all of it. Thank you for the super well-crafted content.
Me: oh cool new Polyphonic video
*sees its 20 minutes long*
Me: Oh shit its a Polyphonic episode :)
Some of my favorite covers:
Downpressor Man by Sinead O'Connor
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? Nirvana on MTV Unplugged
The Whole Of the Moon by The Small Hours
I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down by Paul Young
Spiritual High (State of independence) by Moodswings (feat. Chrissie Hynde)
Can't Find My Way Home both the Torch Song and live Bonnie Raitt covers
Never Let Me Down by Pat MacDonald (and his album of DM covers)
Step On by Happy Mondays
Blackbird by Bobby McFerrin
With a Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker
Mad World by Gary Jules
Lean On Me by Club Nouveau
I Will Survive by Cake
Take Me To The River by Talking Heads
Here's a review yesterday on Bette Davis Eyes which before Kim Carnes made it huge was originally a non-hit for Jackie DeShannon in 1974. The original is a country/blues type song that is so different from what we all know now. The last thing you would imagine for a cover/remake is glossy new wave synths and drum machines. www.stereogum.com/2083227/the-number-ones-kim-carnes-bette-davis-eyes/franchises/the-number-ones/
Redding's cover of satisfaction is pretty amazing