Sometimes a cover song is so good, so singular that it completely eclipses the original version. Think Sinéad O'Connor doing The Family's "Nothing Compares 2 U," Jimi Hendrix lighting up Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" or, of course, Whitney Houston's defining take on Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." On this week's All Songs Considered, NPR Music shares some of its picks for cover songs that are better than the originals, talk about why, and what, exactly, a cover song needs to become a classic.
NPR Music's Dora Levite and Lars Gotrich join host Robin Hilton.
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The G.O.A.T.s
Sinéad O'Connor: "Nothing Compares 2 U" by The Family
Johnny Cash: "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails
Jeff Buckley: "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
Jimi Hendrix: "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan
Whitney Houston: "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton
Other contenders:
Al Green: "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles
Björk: "It's Oh So Quiet" popularized by Betty Hutton
Aretha Franklin: "Respect" by Otis Redding
Low: "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" by The Smiths
Andrew Paul Woodworth: "Fight For Your Right to Party" by The Beastie Boys
Yaeji: "Passionfruit" by Drake
Shonen Knife: "Top of the World" by The Carpenters
Wednesday: "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Double)" by Gary Stewart
Low: "Fearless" by Pink Floyd
Harry Nilsson: "Without You" by Badfinger
Beyoncé: "Before I Let Go (Homecoming Live Bonus Track)" by Maze & Frankie Beverly
Gary Jules: "Mad World" by Tears for Fears
Chaka Khan: "I Feel For You" by Prince
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