Covers and Originals: Can You Beat the Classics?

Covers and Originals: Can You Beat the Classics?

by Izzy Morris

design by Alfie Johnson

There are so many excellent cover versions of songs, but should we, as listeners, be faithful to the originals? Impact’s Izzy Morris explores this idea and comments on cover songs that have gained more popularity than the originals, mentions some of her personal favourite covers and considers the inspired differences between ‘the cover’ versus ‘the original.’

Many indie boys in the bar at Bodega have shared with me an incredibly top-secret special fun fact…

“Did you know that Valerie was originally made by The Zutons, and not Amy Winehouse?”

And I imagine you’ve been told at some point in your life by a relative…

“Bet you didn’t know that I Will Always Love You was actually written by Dolly Parton, and not Whitney Houston!”

These covers have gone on to soar in popularity beyond their original, though still well-liked versions. Many of these incredibly popular covers also end up sparking vast pop culture debates on whether certain covers beat their originals or not. For example, there is a whole cohort of people that adore Michael Bublé’s cover of Feeling Good, originally performed by Cy Grant, and then popularised by Nina Simone – my personal fa-

There’s no right answer. So much time is spent slamming covers that are perceived to be bad or not as good as the original, but here are a few reinterpretations that I think are worth a listen. They fit across a few different categories of cover versions, as each cover brings something different to the party, from a different voice to different genres and influences.

Homage Covers

Musicians aren’t always out to better their inspirations – there have been a number of occasions where artists have nodded towards their icons in the form of song. For example, Miley Cyrus recently covered Blondie’s Heart of Glass, which both showed her reverence for the inimitable Debbie Harry and also introduced a whole new generation to some incredible 80s pop rock. Looking at Spotify’s singles cover series, you can find some great examples of newer artists respecting their elders; some notable ones include The Japanese House’s version of Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide, Carly Rae Jepsen’s version of No Doubt’s Don’t Speak and Vance Joy’s version of Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al.

Some of the most powerful covers are performed in memory of artists that have left us. Lady Gaga’s 2016 medley of David Bowie is magical, accompanied by Bowie-collaborator, Nile Rogers, as is Bruce Springsteen’s cover of the rock classic, Rebel Rebel. After the death of Olivia Newton-John in 2022, The Chicks honoured her musical memory with a live cover of Hopelessly Devoted to You, which she famously performed in the hit musical, Grease.

Genre-bending covers

AKA the best kind (in my humble opinion). My favourite, and only, Christmas tradition is enjoying Alice Cooper’s interpretation of Santa Claus is Coming To Town, except Claus is now Claws. It strikes the balance of being heavy whilst still being allowed in the car on the way to visit relatives. Fall Out Boy’s version of Michael Jackson’s Beat It emo-fies the old pop hit, and Alien Ant Farm similarly transform Smooth Criminal into a cover version that many prefer to the original. Pendulum’s cover of Metallica’s Master of Puppets gives the track a techno edge while poppunk band The Offspring added their own unique skater sound with their take on the track Barbie Girl by euro-pop duo Aqua. YouTube musicians, Postmodern Jukebox have made waves with their jazz, swing and blues covers of modern tracks. Their most popular covers on their channel have amassed over 100 million views; Creep by Radiohead and All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor.

Covers that Popularised Original Songs

As previously mentioned, Valerie and I Will Always Love You both fall into this category. But there are others! Karaoke favourite, Torn by Natalie Imbruglia was originally written by Danish singer Lis Sørenson. Nirvana’s version of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World is now more popular than the original, as is Sinead O’Connor’s version of Nothing Compares 2 U, which was actually first performed by Prince. Even The Beatles have a track that not many realise is actually a cover; Twist and Shout was actually written by Phil Medley and Burt Russel and performed by The Isley Brothers. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

Unexpected worlds colliding

Arctic Monkeys and Girls Aloud don’t exactly lead to each other in a game of musical Word Association. However, the Sheffield-indie icons have a stellar cover of the pop classic Love Machine, which so many Monkey’s fans love. Japanese hardcore band Crystal Lake blew fans away by covering nu-metal Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’ in an unexpected merging of worlds. Paramore’s version of Drake’s Passionfruit for the Radio 1 Live Lounge isn’t a crossover I would have ever had on my list of predictions, but the payoff is incredible, as is rapper Dave’s version of Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die.

breaking the internet

Some covers get fanbases going wild with excitement. Perhaps the best example in recent years is Harry Styles’ version of Lizzo’s Juice, which was shared on Twitter, sorry X, by everyone and their Nan. Lizzo even reciprocated with her version of Adore You, uniting their fan bases with a mutual love of their music. K-Pop idols, BTS have also broken the internet with some of their covers a few times – Jimin and Jungkook’s cover of Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez’s We Don’t Talk Anymore is widely loved by fans, as is the group’s cover of Coldplay’s Fix You. TikTok has also allowed some covers to grow exponentially in popularity, with examples including Mitt Romney’s take on Corinne Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On, and Måneskin’s version of The Four Seasons’ Beggin’.

Hearing an amazing cover can sometimes feel like you’re listening to the original all over again, and sometimes covers can introduce you to tracks that you’ve never even heard of before. There are still plenty of ways to inject originality and a new lease of life into an old favourite, and some of the songs we’ve explored are perfect examples of that. Sometimes, it’s not about trying to beat a classic, it’s about taking inspiration and following where it leads.