33 Cover Songs People Like Unapologetically Better Than The Original

"Oh, and Rufus Wainwright’s cover of 'Hallelujah' is better than Jeff Buckley’s. Fight me."

Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community to share a song cover they like more than the original. The results had my eyebrows raised from beginning to end:

1. "'Africa' by Weezer, I like the original by Toto, too, but I was alive when Weezer came out with the cover, so I think that’s why I like it more."

Broadcast Music Inc.

—emarshall12346

Broadcast Music Inc. / Via youtube.com

2. "The Glee version of 'Valerie' by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse is superior."

—rosepiper28

Fox / Via youtube.com

3. "Lauryn Hill’s version of 'Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.' Her version really speaks to my soul and grabs me, making me weak in the knees every time I hear it. It’s the most perfect version of the song!"

—gigimomster

Ruffhouse / Via youtube.com

4. "'Landslide' by The Chicks, fight me."

SME

—jaquelinemade1

SME / Via youtube.com

5. "I love Dolly Parton, but Whitney Houston’s 'I Will Always Love You' is ICONIC!!!"

—notdoinganythingsus

Arista / Via youtube.com

6. "'The Man Who Sold The World.' I ADORE David Bowie's music, but something about the Nirvana MTV Unplugged version of that song makes me like it more."

—toast2002

MTV / Via youtube.com

7. "Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen’s 'Hallelujah.' Cohen’s is beautiful on its own, but Buckley's version is so haunting and hypnotizing, and so much more emotional, especially with the knowledge of Buckley's untimely death."

Legacy Recordings

—vegematee

Legacy Recordings / Via youtube.com

8. "Oh, and Rufus Wainwright’s cover of 'Hallelujah' is better than Jeff Buckley’s. Fight me."

—eleanorh44bb646f7

Geffan Records / Via youtube.com

9. Never have I ever wanted to add a comment before now. 'Sail' by AWOLNATION is good. 'Sail' by Devil Driver is on a whole other level above the original."

—dappelman82

Napalm Records / Via youtube.com

10. "The Moulin Rouge version of 'Lady Marmalade!' Hands down."

Sony Music Publishing

—k402e21627

Interscope / Via youtube.com

11. "I might get hate for this but 'Cancer' covered by Twenty One Pilots (originally performed by My Chemical Romance). Twenty One Pilots's version is at least on the same level as the original. The original feels like a cancer patient at the beginning of treatment, raging at the diagnosis. Twenty One Pilots's version feels like a cancer patient towards the end of treatment, just absolutely exhausted and done with the pain. It manages to respect the original while being different, and I love it."

—cristiandelgado

YouTube: twenty one pilots / Via youtube.com

12. "I (probably) am the only one who thinks this, but I prefer The Corrs’ more energetic version of 'Dreams' to the original by Fleetwood Mac."

—littlebee80

East West Records UK Ltd / Via youtube.com

13. "'Proud Mary' by Tina Turner. I love me some Creedence Clearwater Revival, but Tina brings so much energy to that song and makes it so much better."

RCA, Hollywood

—childrenofthecornbread

Broadcast Music Inc. / Via youtube.com

14. "'Under My Thumb' by Streetheart. Way better than The Rolling Stones's version!"

—kimr4ac3db893

Broadcast Music Inc. / Via youtube.com

15. "Anything from Pitch Perfect."

—jamestheflames20

Universal / Via youtube.com

16. "'Smooth Criminal' by Alien Ant Farm, original by Michael Jackson."

Geffen Records

—gallifreyengoddess

DreamWorks / Via youtube.com

17. "There’s an a cappella group called Straight No Chaser that does a phenomenal cover of 'Creep,' originally by Radiohead. Their harmonies are hauntingly beautiful!"

—betherick85

Atlantic Records / Via youtube.com

18. "Conor Maynard's cover of 'Someone You Loved' by Lewis Capaldi."

—alysaurus688

Create Music Group, Inc. / Via youtube.com

19. "'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)' by Placebo. I love Stranger Things, and I do enjoy Kate Bush’s voice. I’m very happy for her that Stranger Things made it so popular again. But honestly, Placebo’s version is so much better. It’s a bit almost grittier and smoother, and overall I would rather listen to their cover a million times than Kate Bush’s."

YouTube: Placebo

—wyldeviolet

YouTube: Placebo / Via youtube.com

20. "Bette Midler's version of 'Do You Wanna Dance' beats the Beach Boys's original. She takes it from a party song to a romantic ballad, and it's amazing."

—moncynnes

Rhino Atlantic / Via youtube.com

21. "'Tennessee Whiskey,' the Chris Stapleton version. Nothing against George Jones or David Allan Coke, but no one can sing that song like Stapleton. He does it so well that most people don’t even realize it’s a cover!"

—erinpatterson1

Mercury Records / Via youtube.com

22. "Aerosmith's version of 'Come Together' is better than The Beatles."

Columbia Records

—doofenshmirtzevilinc

Columbia Records / Via youtube.com

23. "Don't hate, but...'FIRST LOVE' cover by Boyz II Men is better than the original by Utada Hikaru.

—bekiballs

Avex Inc. / Via youtube.com

24. "Kelly Clarkson's version of 'Happier Than Ever.' Billie Eilish did a great job on it, but Kelly's version cuts deep, and it feels so good to scream along when you need an outlet."

—buttercupbailey

Kelly Clarkson / Via youtube.com

25. "'It's My Life' by No Doubt. To me, this song is better than the original by Talk Talk. I like the female vocals of it and how to me, it seems slightly more dramatic than the original."

Interscope Records

—skipnees

Introscope / Via youtube.com

26. "Kate Bush's sweet (yet haunting) take on Elton John's 'Rocket Man.'"

—perenti

KateBushMusic / Via youtube.com

27. "Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails song 'Hurt.' Even Trent Reznor said Cash’s version was better."

—lisanovotny

American Recording Company, LLC / Via youtube.com

28. "'Sound of Silence' by Disturbed. When I heard the original by Simon and Garfunkel, I was shocked, to say the least."

Reprise

—flubber7777

Reprise / Via youtube.com

29. "'Emotion' by Destiny's Child. Samantha Sang did an okay job in the '70s, but when Destiny's Child did their version, it was like it was always made for them."

—bellameghanf

Columbia / Via youtube.com

30. "Stand Atlantic's cover of 'MakeDamnSure' by Taking Back Sunday. I adore the original, but the guitars' texture, the clarity of Bonnie's voice, and the added two beats at the end of the bridge??? The cover wins all-day."

—ssketchator1

Hopeless Records Inc. / Via youtube.com

31. "Definitely an unpopular opinion, but I'll always prefer Geri Halliwell's version of 'It's Raining Men' over the original The Weather Girls version. (Sorry, Weather Girls!) It's just more fun to me. And this is coming from someone who grew up in the '80s and the original version of this song."

EMI Records

—bennyy2

EMI Records / Via youtube.com

32. "Chris Cornell’s version of 'Billie Jean.'"

—jbethkelly29

Bruno F.M. / Via youtube.com

33. "'Respect' by Aretha Franklin! The song was originally written and recorded by Otis Redding basically to complain about his wife, and Aretha took the song and completely reclaimed it."

Atlantic Records

—shaunaaaaa

Atlantic Records / Via youtube.com

Are there any covers that you think don't get enough love? Comment below!