20 Cover Songs I Prefer Over The Originals

Great music to delight your ears — and other body parts too!

At the end of this post, I’ve included a Spotify playlist that includes 20 cover songs that I prefer over the original versions of the songs.

Note that I did not say these covers are better than the originals. These are just my own personal preferences here.

Before getting to my playlist of all 20 songs, I’m going to briefly talk about 10 of the songs on the list and compare them to the original versions:

Give A Little Bit — Written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson Original — Supertramp (1977) Cover — Goo Goo Dolls (2004)

I love Supertramp and I love the original “Give A Little Bit,” but Goo Goo Dolls are one of my favorite groups, so I have a slight preference for this version. I think singer Johnny Rzeznik sounds exceptional on this one.

There She Goes — Written by Lee Mavers Original — The La’s (1988) Cover — Sixpence None The Richer (1999)

I’ve gone back and forth over the years as to which version of this song I prefer. I’ll probably keep changing my mind about it over the next hundred years or so, but today my preferred version is the cover by Sixpence None The Richer. My main reason for this is because I love the lead vocals by Leigh Nash.

Crimson And Clover — Written by Tommy James and Peter Lucia Original — Tommy James And The Shondells (1968) Cover — Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (1981)

I’ve never been much of a fan of the original version of the song. It’s fine, I suppose, but I don’t care for the “psychedelic” sound of it. I much more prefer the traditional rock sound of Joan’s version.

A Hazy Shade of Winter — Written by Paul Simon Original — Simon & Garfunkel (1966) Cover — The Bangles (1987)

I love a lot of songs by Simon & Garfunkel, but I kind of hate their version of “A Hazy Shade Of Winter.” Sorry, Paul and Artie — but I prefer The Bangles’ version of your song.

Maybe I feel this way because I knew and loved “Hazy Shade of Winter” by The Bangles before I’d ever even heard the original. Their cover is one of my favorite songs ever by anyone.

It totally rocks. If you don’t know it, I suggest you give it a listen.

When you do, make sure you turn up the volume. I repeat — it rocks!

Come Together — Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney Original — The Beatles (1969) Cover — Aerosmith (1978)

To some people, especially Beatles’ fans, it may seem sort of sacrilegious that I prefer Aerosmith’s version of “Come Together,” but…well…sorry, I do. Steven Tyler’s powerful vocals fit this song perfectly.

American Woman — Written by Burton Cummings, Garry Peterson, Jim Kale, and Randy Bachman Original — The Guess Who (1970) Cover — Lenny Kravitz (1999)

I don’t have a single negative thing to say about the original. It’s great. However, there’s something extra-special about Lenny’s version. He took the song and made it his own. It’s fantastic.

Mony Mony — Written by Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom Original — Tommy James And The Shondells (1968) Cover — Billy Idol (1987)

This is the second Tommy James song I’ve included here. Tommy, if you’re somewhere reading this right now, please know I have nothing against you. I think you’re awesome and I love your original version of “Mony Mony.”

However, I’m a big, big fan of Billy Idol, so I prefer Billy’s rockin’ version of the song.

Have You Seen Her — Written by Barbara Acklin and Eugene Record Original — The Chi-Lites (1971) Cover — Patrick Simmons (1983)

Most fans of music from the early 1970s are probably familiar with the popular original version of this song by The Chi-Lites.

However, I would guess that most people probably haven’t heard the cover version by Patrick Simmons — not unless they’ve heard his 1983 album Arcade, from which this version came.

In case you don’t know who Patrick is, he’s one of the founding members of The Doobie Brothers. When Patrick recorded “Have You Seen Her,” he enlisted his fellow Doobie Brother Michael McDonald to sing background and harmony on it.

If you’re a fan of the Michael McDonald-era of The Doobie Brothers, I especially think you’ll like this version of “Have You Seen Her.” It sounds like a great lost Doobie Brothers’ recording.

California Dreamin’ — Written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips Original — The Mamas and the Papas (1965) Cover — The Beach Boys (1986)

The original is one of my favorite songs ever, but I still prefer the version by The Beach Boys.

I’m sure most people would disagree with me on this one, but The Beach Boys have been one of my favorite bands since I was a little kid, so I love their version a little bit more. Their legendary harmonies are particularly exceptional on this one, in my opinion.

Torn — Written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley Original — Ednaswap (1995) Cover — Natalie Imbruglia (1997)

What’s kind of interesting here is that although “Torn” was written by members of the band Ednaswap and recorded by them in 1995, it was actually first recorded in 1993 in Danish by singer Lis Sorensen.

Ednaswap’s version of the song is fine, but I don’t love it. On the other hand, I’ve been in love with Natalie Imbruglia’s version of “Torn” since it was first released.

The music and vocals in it are fantastic. I not only think it’s one of the best pop songs of the 1990s, but I think it’s one of the best pop songs of the last 40 years.

And here’s my complete playlist of 20 Cover Songs I Prefer Over The Originals. In addition to the artists I mentioned above, this playlist also contains covers by Pet Shop Boys, Van Halen, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The Lemonheads, Robert Palmer, Phil Collins, Michael McDonald, Ike & Tina Turner, Counting Crows, and Tracey Ullman.

Enjoy!

So, what are some cover songs that YOU prefer over the original versions? Please let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading the above. If you enjoyed it, you may also enjoy these other music-related stories from me: