Songs where the remake is better than the original

So I participate in a couple coaching forums and then lurk (mostly–I post at a rate of once/month or so as jimdietz on it) in the volleyball equivalent of the Mos Eisley Cantina:Volleytalk.  Volleytalk has a ton of good stuff, but enough other commentary to make the Mos Eisley comparison reasonable.  There’s a section there that has nothing to do with volleyball and I’ll skim it (mainly the threads on movies and video games).  One caught my eye today while I was procrastinating–great covers of songs.

I didn’t read the thread–just the thread title.  It became an excuse to avoid work.  I seem to write that a lot while blogging.  Don’t worry, I actually get stuff done.  The ability to delay work to the last possible minute is a skill I honed long, long ago.  So I was thinking–and thinking causes blogging: Can I come up with a significant number of cover songs better than the original? Well, Jim, I  accept your challenge, sir!  And off we go…:

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“Respect” by Aretha Franklin: If there’s a singer that represents Motown, it’s going to be Franklin or Diana Ross.  Franklin takes a song done by Otis Redding and turns it in to one of empowerment for women and black women specifically.  More than 50 years old, it remains easy-to-listen-to, something you can sing with, and its message is just as valid.

“I Heard It through the Grapevine”: The funny thing is, this was ‘coopted’ by a male artist (Marvin Gaye) from a female-led group (Gladys Knight and the Pips).  It also winds up being done by Creedence Clearwater Revival in a great version–but Gaye’s is the best (even though I love CCR).

“I Love Rock ‘n Roll”:  Joan Jett takes a mid-70s song and turns it on its ear, making the woman the aggressive partner in starting a relationship and ogling a guy.  Way better.  The other thing–there are few female voices who have been consistently great in rock and roll–Jett is one of them.  Think about it–how many great female rock vocalists can you name?  If you get past 10, you’re stretching credibility.

“Me and Bobby McGee”: You likely didn’t realize this was a remake.  The weird thing is the original was done by Roger Miller, Mr. King of the Road.  I get his is the original, but it’s just…off.  It’s below since everyone knows the wailing classic version with Janis Joplin’s vocals.

“Hurt”: This is the best remake ever and I’m glad other people realize this.  A comment I saw observed that the original band, Nine Inch Nails, doesn’t play this any more–the NIN lead singer apparently says Johnny Cash’s version is too good and is the way the song should have been made.  For me, I’ve loved the song since I had a former student (Dallas Schumacher) point it out to me several years ago.  I think you can make a good argument that Johnny Cash is a more lasting and iconic voice of American music than Elvis Presley.

“Sea of Love”: Led Zepplin picked up a bad reputation for ripping off other peoples’ songs, but then Robert Plant and a one-off band put together a cover-album including “Rockin’ at Midnight” and this.

“Just a Gigolo”: Big Band guy Louis Primo did this originally along with another that became popular as a remake (“Jump, Jive, and Wail”), but D.L. Roth, well, he pushes this to the limit–right where this song belongs.

VAN HALEN:  Well, if we’re going to talk great remakes, it’s time to bring in Van Halen.  They hit the mark with multiple songs in their early days: “Dancing in the Streets,” “Pretty Woman,” “You Really Got Me Now,” and then messed around with “Won’t Get Fooled Again”

And just think–the “Pretty Woman” video was banned from TV for being too risqué….there are days I wonder if the 80s were too prudish and others where I wonder if those weren’t the good old days of decency.

“Love Hurts”:  Honestly, I had had no idea the Nazareth version was a remake.  Then I had no idea it was an Everly Brothers song.  That set the bar pretty low for being better, but Nazareth knocks it out of the park–let’s you know that now you’re messin’ with a sonofabitch, too.

I wanted to list this, but then listening to the Gloria Jones version over and over, I decided the Soft Cell remake is simply different, not better.  I think that’s because when I hear Jones’ version, I’m hearing the “Beta-version” of what Tina Turner does with “Proud Mary” later on in the decade.

“Tainted Love”

Also close were the remakes of  “Killing Me Softly”.  Roberta Flack’s is well known, but the Fugees’ version is better still, but I just couldn’t put it in the list above since both versions are so much better than the original.  The Fugees’ version:

“Got My Mind Set on You”: George Harrison did this as part of an effort to pay back taxes.  It’s not that his remake is far superior, it’s that I get a chance to put in a link to a great parody video, Weird Al’s “This Song is Just Six Words Long”:

And since I’ve got videos for odd reasons, this Gary Jules version is better than the Tears for Fears original, but it always reminds me of my favorite video game, the Gears of War series.