10 Cover Songs that are Better than the Originals

While some cover songs are a total travesty, others actually enhance the original tune. There are some songs that you don’t truly appreciate until another artist takes it on and makes it their own. Oftentimes the newer version draws out the original’s complexities in a way you never would have noticed before. Or maybe the first version is equally compelling, but the cover artist re-imagined it with such grandeur that many don’t even realize that it’s a new take on an old song. If you want to know more about them, there is an article on Insidermonkey on the covers of popular songs that are better than the originals. Take a look, if you are interested.

Cover songs have been popular in the world of rock ‘n’ roll since, well, the beginning of the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Originally, cover songs often carried a negative connotation — they were seen as a less talented and successful act “stealing” the superior work of the composer to make a quick buck — but these days, they are typically recognized as one artist paying homage to another in a show of admiration. Either way, cover versions occasionally turn out to be more popular than and/or artistically superior to the originals. It’s not common, but the following are 10 songs that, despite great original versions, work better as covers.

However, there are many good songs that could never make it, it might have been because of their political, religious or even social content. Many of them have been banned for that, and if you’re interested in this subject, you can go ahead and read our list of The 10 Most Controversial Songs Of All Time to Hit (and get Banned from) the Airwaves.