Here are a few to get things started:
Don Henley’s The Boys of Summer as an 80s synth tune
Bossa nova version of Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over
Reggae-ish version of Aretha Franklin’s Respect
A capella men’s ensemble version of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance
Did anyone already mention Johnny Cash’s version of Hurt, original by Nine Inch Nails? A marvelous reimagined version, maybe, the best cover ever.
Cake - I will survive
They have other great covers tooDub Side of the Moon, a reggae cover of Dark Side of the Moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dub_Side_of_the_Moon
Joke answer: Disturbed’s “The Sound of Science” cover because it’s fucking horrid and ruins the point of the original’s meaning.
Two very different examples:
Modest Mussorsky’s “Pictures at an exhibition” was originally written for piano (that was all the poor guy had available), and it took Maurice Ravel to turn it into an orchestral version and make it popular world wide. Both versions are great and have their own qualities, but I far prefer Ravel’s version (Although Khatia Buniatishvili’s rendition here is so really really good).
Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay”. The original is… well… it’s a Bob Dylan song. There is a really good cover version by Ministry that, althought technically is the same song, takes it to a whole other level. Love it.
My first exposure to Pictures At An Exhibition was my parents had the Emerson Lake & Palmer version. I like the classical versions you posted better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWQct6D6HsM
I normally go for parodies, but this would be the place to post the Devil Went Down to Georgia (Washing Machine Cover)
More seriously, 2CELLOS’ rendition of Thunderstruck is incredible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3SBzmDxGk
They have a ton of really good ones on their channel, but that one will always be my favorite for how into it they get
That is my favorite version of Thunderstruck, even more than the original.
(There was a really cool article I read ages ago that discussed how similar metal and classical music structures are. Have no idea where I found it.)
Polysics covering My Sharona by The Knack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXHEVcYTZYQ
Goddamn it why am I just learning about Japanese DEVO today? Why has no one told me? Thanks for sharing, this cover is a banger and I must listen to Polysics’ entire discography now!
You’re welcome! And have you heard of Servotron? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gS4nzSWmCs
I hadn’t but I’m adding to my playlists! I first got really into music via prog rock so this type of high-concept silliness is well-aligned with my preferences :P
Jazz Sabbath. I had no idea this existed. It was just suggested to me because the algorithms are good at their job. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qcr708w1HY
I don’t really know Black Sabbath music but this is great.
Bantamweight’s haunting cover of Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box is sorely underrated in my opinion.
ERRA’s versions of Audioslave’s Light My Way and Muse’s Stockholm Syndrome.
Art vs Science’s psychedelic-funk cover of Enter Sandman featuring a sweet as keytar solo.
Sleep Token’s heartwrenching unplugged version of Hey Ya!.
And finally, Denzel Curry’s supercharged version of Bulls on Parade. I didn’t think the track could sound angrier but he’s gone and done it.
Bonus: Andrew Hulshult’s Hell March, featuring chainguns as percussion, Master Boot Record’s Doom E1M1 metal chiptune remix, and GeoffPlaysGuitar’s argent-metalized Halo Overture.
I like the Enter Sandman cover better than the original.
And finally, Denzel Curry’s supercharged version of Bulls on Parade. I didn’t think the track could sound angrier but he’s gone and done it.
Holy christ, this is magnificent.
I’m surprised nobody’s put up The Wiggles cover of Tame Impala’s Elephant
Yes, those Wiggles. It’s good.
Thanks. I never heard of this band before. Their cover of Ashes To Ashes sent me down a rabbit hole.
Holding Out for a Hero - Frou Frou.
Those first couple of Shrek soundtracks were full on bangers. Pete Yorn’s cover of Every Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have) is a masterpiece.
Yes – America (original by Simon and Garfunkel)
Anthony Vincent – Chop Suey in the style of Ghost (original by System of a Down)
Dr Pez & Marc Papeghin – The soundtrack of Ocarina of Time, but its a prog rock concept album (not sure it technically counts as a cover)
Brass Against – The Pot (Original by Tool)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – All Along the Watchtower (Original by Bob Dylan)
Also, not sure how widely known this is, but Arethra Franklin’s Respect is itself a cover (and certainly one of the best covers of all time, up there with All Along the Watchtower and Johnny Cash’s rendition of Hurt)
Aretha’s version of Respect is so good that it’s essentially the de facto original, to the point that Otis commented “that a girl took away from me, a friend of mine, this girl she just took this song”.
To be fair, it makes so much more sense from a woman’s perspective.
Aretha Franklin’s cover of the Stones’ Satisfaction is also fantastic.
Disturbed’s cover of The Sound Of Silence is so much better than the original.
and the Conan performance is the best performance of it (that can be easily found), the studio version doesn’t have quite the same vibe.
Thank you for mentioning this! I just listened to it and it gave me goosebumps. It’s a brilliant cover.
A band on TikTok did an emo cover of Rascal Flatts’ What Hurts the Most that is pretty good.
It ended up on a compilation album Country Goes Hardcore that has some interesting ones. I like Ever Since Eve’s emo cover of Take Me Home, Country Roads.
