Over the years there have been thousands of cover versions of songs recorded and released. I wanted to ask you all: what is your favourite cover of a song and what original song do you think cannot ever be beaten?
I’ve listed my top three choices below:
Favourite cover
- Sam Cooke – Blowin’ in the Wind (original: Bob Dylan)
- Will Smith – Just the Two of Us (sampled from the original by Grover Washington Jr)
- All-4-One – I Swear (original: John Michael Montgomery)
Original is best:
- Otis Redding – Respect (cover: Aretha Franklin)
- Dean Martin – Ain’t That a Kick in the Head (cover: Westlife)
- Ben E King – Stand By Me (cover: over 400 recorded versions (!) including: John Lennon, Cassius Clay and Otis Redding)
Other suggestions for you to listen to and enjoy. Feel free to send me any other good originals vs covers to add:
| Song | Original recording | Cover versions |
| Greatest Love of All | George Benson | Whitney Houston |
| Father and Son | Cat Stevens | Boyzone |
| I Will Always Love You | Dolly Parton | Whitney Houston |
| Killing Me Softly | Roberta Flack | The Fugees |
| Free Fallin’ | Tom Petty | John Mayer |
| Close to You | Richard Chamberlain | The Carpenters |
| When the Going Gets Tough | Billy Ocean | Boyzone |
| Make You Feel My Love | Bob Dylan | Adele |
| Against All Odds | Phil Collins | Mariah Carey |
| I Hope You Dance | Lee Ann Womack | Ronan Keating |