Cover songs that are better than the originals

Sometimes a cover song is so good, so singular that it completely eclipses the original version.  Think Sinéad O'Connor doing Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Jimmy 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 show, we share some of our 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. Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts.  Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org (00:00) Intro and the top five G.O.A.T.s  (06:06) Al Green: “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” (09:58) Björk: “It’s Oh So Quiet” (12:28) Aretha Franklin: “Respect” (16:22) Low: “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (19:45) Andrew Paul Woodworth: “Fight For Your Right to Party” (25:10) Yaeji: “Passionfruit” (28:13) Shonen Knife: “Top of the World” (32:06) Wednesday: “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Double)” (34:54) Low: “Fearless” (36:37) Harry Nilsson: “Without You” (39:57) Beyonce: “Before I Let Go (Homecoming Live Bonus Track)” (42:35) Gary Jules: “Mad World” (49:19) Chaka Khan: “I Feel For You” Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy