Here are a few to get things started:
Don Henley’s The Boys of Summer as an 80s synth tune
Bossa nova version of Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over
Reggae-ish version of Aretha Franklin’s Respect
A capella men’s ensemble version of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance
Did anyone already mention Johnny Cash’s version of Hurt, original by Nine Inch Nails? A marvelous reimagined version, maybe, the best cover ever.
Florence + The Machine - Just A Girl, for the TV show, Yellowjackets. Makes it so much more haunting. Alternatively.
I’ve always found Faith No More do absolutely spot on cover versions.
I made a playlist of Nina Hagen’s covers of religious songs, and the originals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdiTFj0WDWc&list=PLgy7PolPvs21T7VgK9vUviZGZrZknVadp
Goddamn Jerboa won’t let me copy the link. I don’t want to open the shit YouTube app, i want to open it in vimusic!
I do all my youtube viewing via yt-dlp.
Postmodern Jukebox ft. Haley Reinhart - Creep (original by Radiohead), jazz/big band style
Novena - Bury a Friend, progressive metal Billie Eilish. Starts out like the original and gets progressively heavier.
So many of the Postmodern Jukebox covers are fantastic.
The Hu playing “Sad but True” by Metallica (in Mongolian) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpxA_ZxGX_M
I’m sorry, why has nobody mentioned the Jeff Buckley cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah yet? Bunch of heathens 🙂
I’m surprised nobody’s put up The Wiggles cover of Tame Impala’s Elephant
Yes, those Wiggles. It’s good.
Dub Side of the Moon, a reggae cover of Dark Side of the Moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dub_Side_of_the_Moon
Joke answer: Disturbed’s “The Sound of Science” cover because it’s fucking horrid and ruins the point of the original’s meaning.
Jazz Sabbath. I had no idea this existed. It was just suggested to me because the algorithms are good at their job. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qcr708w1HY
Disturbed’s cover of The Sound Of Silence is so much better than the original.
Oh I absolutely love covers. My favorite weird cover is probably Tiny Tim’s cover of The Doors song People Are Strange https://youtu.be/kzoH88GFqK0
I’m currently re-ripping my entire CD collection, and when I came to Revelations by Fields of the Nephilim, I realized that one of the tracks is their cover of “In the Year 2525” 🤣 It’s not even that bad, either!
I just started the rip of Dimmu Borgir’s Enthrone Darkness Triumphant… And the next disk in the stack is Hanson. Yes, that Hanson. I’m not entirely sure if the correct term for my taste is “eclectic” or “insane” 😅
That’s a good reason to alphabetize by artist (chronological by release).
i’m going to suggest john cale’s terrifying cover of heartbreak hotel
Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights feels like an entire different song when sung by Cécile McLorin Salvant
I’m also very fond of Oingo Boingo’s version of I’m the Walrus, I like how they do the laughs with the guitars.
