Thread: Original vs. Cover

There are some songs that I like the originals over the covers, and some that I like the covers over the originals.

For the second part, the covers I like are the two Michiel Jackson covers done by Fall out Boy and Alien Ant Farm, and the many covers that Disturbed has done (Couple Phil Collins songs, one by the Police, and one more that i'm too lazy to look up...)

If the cover is done well, I will most likely like it.

for the songs where you like the covers over the originals, do you recall which version you heard first? I like most covers too, but I have found that if I heard the cover before the original I like that one better, while if I've heard the original first, I prefer that over any cover I hear afterward. Do you feel the same way, or are you just indifferent?

I found that people often think that the first version they ever heard was better. Be it a cover or the original. It must be something inside our brains telling us that which we heard first is 'correct'.

In my opinion, the original version of the song is better more often than vice versa.

It depends which one I like the sound of more.

Some examples:

I heard Green Day's cover of Knowledge by Operation Ivy before the original Operation Ivy version, and I preferred the Operation Ivy version.

I heard the original version of Iron Maidens 'Fear Of The Dark' first, but I preferred the cover that Fightstar did.

I don't like Kelly Clarksons Since U Been Gone, but I like A Day To Remembers cover of that song.

I think that it depends on the different way that the artists put their own feel to it.
Like Justin Timberlakes What Goes Around...Comes Around I seriously hated it, but then I heard Alesana's version of it and I instantly loved it.
As well as some other songs that I have heard that are mostly pop songs that metal, screamo and hardcore bands have done. Some of them sound awesome while some...are worse than the original. :3 So I think for most people it just depends what genre of music that you like to make it appeal to them.

im normally more into the origional artists versions because you get more of the feeling of the song from someone who put alot of thought into it.

but there are some that i side with the cover now especially with american idol who redo the songs in their own way...

i love johnny cash and his version of ring of fire
but latley ive noticed that im more into ring of fire by adam lambert

most of the time like i said i side with the origional but sometimes theres a cover that comes along and moves me more. Because of the feeling im getting from the cover instead of the origional, and ves versa

I can appreciate covers that bands play to pay homage to other artists. However, I believe that the song is covered for a reason--because it's a classic. I think that some covers shouldn't be played and others are just as good as the original song, but never better. Piggy-backing Aceman's example: 'Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson is an AWESOME song and Alien Ant Farm can't compare to MJ. The song was good, don't get me wrong. They just can't do it like Michael did. Another example would be TLC's 'Creep', which was covered by Afghan Wigs. Awesome cover! That one, in my opinion, is just as good as the original. Johnny Cash has some pretty kick-ass covers too! I think anything he covers is GOLD. I'd even go as far to say that he was the only one capable of making cover songs better than the original. He's been around for a while. But, I really can't say that the cover will be better than the orignal in most cases. The original usually holds a place in my ears and in my heart that can't just be replaced by a copy. Even if that copy is just as good. The original remains classic.