From soulful reimaginings to complete transformations, some covers manage to eclipse their originals. Join us as we explore legendary musical reinventions that became cultural phenomena. These artists didn't just cover songs - they redefined them, often earning praise from the original performers themselves.
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00:00What have I become?
00:05Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most famous covers of original songs.
00:11This doesn't mean the original version is bad, only that the cover surpassed it in terms of success or cultural impact.
00:18I must have died alone a long, long time ago.
00:26It's hard to believe Prince wrote this song, releasing the version with his band The Family in 1985.
00:47Because by far the most successful version of this song was by Sinead O'Connor.
00:53Her version became a hit in 1990, and nowadays is better known than Prince's version.
01:09It's easy to see why.
01:11Prince expresses the lyrics with vulnerable hurt, which is suitable for a Torch song.
01:17But it's hard to beat O'Connor's more polished vocals, which deliver the longing better.
01:22O'Connor's music video is even more impactful, winning Video of the Year at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.
01:39Number 9. Tainted Love
01:41Original, Gloria Jones
01:43Cover, Soft Cell
01:45Sometimes I feel I've got truth
01:50Run away, I've got truth
01:534PREPS band member Ed Cobb's song about a toxic relationship received two captivating versions.
02:00The first one was in 1965 by Gloria Jones, a Motown cover that has its own briskly upbeat appeal.
02:07The love we share seems to go nowhere
02:12But the song was given new life with synth pop group Soft Cell's cover in 1981.
02:18This version reached number one on the UK singles chart and the top 10 in the US, with more than a million copies of the singles sold in the UK alone.
02:28Take my tears and that's not me
02:31While the arrangement in Jones' version is more attractive, Soft Cell's slower tempo allows the lyrics to come across better.
02:43The addition of backing vocals was also a very nice touch.
02:48Touch me baby
02:49Touch me
02:50Touch me
02:51Touch me
02:52Touch me
02:53Touch me
02:54Touch me
02:55Touch me
02:56Touch me
02:57Touch me
02:58Love
02:59Bob Dylan
02:59Cover
03:00The Jimi Hendrix Experience
03:02It's not unusual for Bob Dylan's songs to be interpreted in more popular versions by other artists.
03:16This song, first recorded in 1967, is no exception.
03:21There must be some way out of here
03:23Say the joker to the thief
03:27The storytelling of Dylan's version, a conversation between a thief and a joker, is still good.
03:34But it was Jimi Hendrix's version, months later, that catapulted the song onto the charts, hitting number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and even going platinum in the UK.
03:44Hendrix's more rock heavy version even impacted Dylan, who expressed admiration for the cover.
03:58In fact, he even performed the song closer to Hendrix's arrangement live.
04:03Talk about an endorsement.
04:05This seemingly typical Miller song was actually written by Kris Kristofferson, sharing writing credit with Fred Foster.
04:33Miller's vocals keep this quirky country song about two drifters in love grounded and evocative.
04:39Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose
04:44Nothing ain't worth nothing, but it's free
04:48It was the most popular version of the song, until Janis Joplin came along.
04:53Joplin's version gives a more light-hearted expression of the lyric, capturing its breeziness with her own folkish flair.
05:06Released posthumously in 1971, Joplin's version topped the charts and became an instant classic.
05:13It was so successful, in fact, that the single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
05:28The Bee Gees
05:30Cover, Al Green
05:33This 1971 song, written by Barry and Robin Gibb, has an unforgettable melody and touching
05:46lyrics about heartbreak.
05:55It's been interpreted by numerous artists throughout the years.
05:59The Gibb brothers even originally offered it to Andy Williams, who eventually recorded
06:04it after turning it down.
06:12By far the most successful cover, however, is by Al Green.
06:17This arrangement slows down the song, with Green opting for a more conversational phrasing
06:22of the lyrics.
06:29This soft-spoken delivery expresses its own fragile heartbreak, ultimately putting it
06:37at more of an advantage over the Bee Gees.
06:40It's a lovely song either way.
06:48Number 5, The Man Who Sold the World, original David Bowie, cover Nirvana.
06:55It's hard to beat Ziggy on his own composition, but somehow, Nirvana managed it.
07:09Bowie's version is undoubtedly iconic, but the song itself was little known until it
07:14was covered in 1974 by Lulu.
07:25Nirvana's acoustic arrangement, paired with Kurt Cobain's vocals, however, changed the game
07:30even further.
07:32Cobain's haunting delivery expressed the darkness of Bowie's cryptic lyrics.
07:36This version proved so popular, that Bowie had to contend with younger audiences, believing
07:49he was covering a Nirvana song.
07:51You know you've done something right musically if people believe your cover is the original.
07:55Number 4, Respect, original Otis Redding, cover Aretha Franklin.
08:14Sometimes, even the most famous and iconic songs turn out to be covers.
08:19This song was originally written by Otis Redding in 1965.
08:22Two years later, Franklin covered the song with her signature soul flair, and the rest was
08:34history.
08:35To this day, her version of the song is by far the most recognizable.
08:39All I want you to do for me, is give it to me once you get home, yeah, baby, with me, tell me, hey.
08:48Why is it?
08:49Redding's vocals are much weaker than Franklin's powerful voice and assertive delivery, to be
08:54sure.
08:54But it's Franklin's slight change in emphasis from human dignity to feminist commentary on
09:00gender roles that proved the winner.
09:02R-E-S-B-E-C-T, but not what it means to me.
09:06In any case, Franklin's version was so iconic, it was included in the National Recording
09:12Registry by the Library of Congress.
09:14Franklin did indeed get the respect she deserved.
09:18I'll get tired, get a little bit, keep on trying, just a little bit.
09:22Number 3, Twist and Shout, original The Isley Brothers, cover The Beatles.
09:28Of course, just about any performance by The Beatles is bound to get more attention than
09:41the original.
09:42The group, in fact, began performing covers.
09:45But perhaps the most famous and successful of their interpretations is this 1961 song,
09:51Written by Phil Medley and Burt Burns.
10:01Originally performed by the Top Notes with Latin-flavored wholesomeness, the Isley Brothers'
10:07more fiery gospel cover gained more popularity.
10:11But nothing beats the infectious rock energy of The Beatles, with John Lennon almost tearing
10:16his throat with his lead vocals.
10:26It's no surprise this version became the one we know and love.
10:31Number 2, Hurt, original Nine Inch Nails, cover Johnny Cash.
10:36Nine Inch Nails delivered a hauntingly dark performance of their song that definitely struck
10:51a chord.
10:52Even its music video is filled with dark imagery depicting war atrocities and disasters.
10:57So it's amazing that Johnny Cash delivered a country version even more devastating.
11:14Cash's vocal clarity and acoustic arrangement, Reimagine, is a song about youthful self-destruction
11:21as the depression of an old man at the end of his life looking back.
11:24Cash's 2003 cover was instantly successful, and its music video was deemed the best video
11:41of the year by the Grammy Awards.
11:43Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails even admitted Cash even owned their song with his powerful
11:48version.
11:49What great praise!
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12:14This is arguably the most famous instance of a cover becoming more well-known than the original.
12:35Written and first performed by Leonard Cohen, his version features a talk singing delivery
12:40and a sprightly chorus.
12:50Many covers followed, with the first successful one being John Cale's elegant piano interpretation
12:56in 1991.
12:58Cale's version was even featured in Shrek.
13:01But by far, the most acclaimed version of the song is Jeff Buckley's version, released
13:18posthumously in 2007.
13:21Inspired by Cale's version, Buckley's minimalist version leans into the somber desolation of
13:27the song.
13:27And every breath we drew is hallelujah.
13:34It was undoubtedly the most successful interpretation, landing on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest
13:41songs of all time.
13:43Hallelujah.
13:44Hallelujah.
13:45Hallelujah.
13:45Hallelujah.
13:45Hallelujah.
13:46Hallelujah.
13:46Hallelujah.
13:47Hallelujah.
13:48Hallelujah.
13:49Hallelujah.
13:50Hallelujah.
13:51Hallelujah.
13:52Hallelujah.
13:53Hallelujah.
13:54Hallelujah.
13:55Hallelujah.
13:58How do you feel deserve to be better known than the original?
14:00Let us know in the comments down below.