Top 10 British Cover Songs That Are Better Than The Original

anything you can do we can do better [Music] welcome to watch mojo uk and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 british cover songs that are better than the original before we begin we publish new content every day so be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos for this list we're looking at cover songs by british acts that were better than the original version we're judging songs based on the success of the cover and its improvements on the original and we're comparing the cover against only the original song not against any other covers of the track [Music] [Applause] number 10 make you feel my love by adele originally by billy joel although written by bob dylan this track was first released by american singer songwriter billy joel joel said the hairs on his arms stood up when he heard dylan's original version and his cover certainly has its admirers [Music] but joel's addition of harmonica and organ do the track no favors to say nothing of the dual goth brooks and trisha yearwood covers whereas adele's piano and violin arrangement is better suited to the song's emotional lyrics [Music] this cover was adele's favorite track from her album 19 and has racked up hundreds of millions of hits on youtube [Music] originally from the musical the raw of the grease paint the smell of the crowd [Music] don't be surprised if you've never heard of the roar of the grease paint before the 60s musical failed to reach the west end due to a lack of audience interest although it did tour and have dates on broadway apparently mews chose to cover feeling good for their 2001 album origin of symmetry because frontman matt bellamy's ex-girlfriend liked it turns out she wasn't alone it's a new day it's a new life for me and i'm feeling good much like nina simone's rendition muse's version of the track received critical acclaim making the top 10 in various polls for the greatest ever cover songs including those in nme and rolling stone magazine [Music] [Laughter] [Music] in the trees number eight hounds of love by the future heads originally by kate bush [Music] this 80s classic and top 20 hit is the title track from bush's most successful album post punk group the future heads put their own stamp on the track in 2005 upping the tempo and adding some quirky vocals and crashing guitars to create something new and distinctive [Music] hounds of love was the future head's first major hit and was named single of the year by enemy in 2005 and kate bush herself is seemingly a fan of the cover once leaving a message on the band's answering machine to say that she loved it [Music] number seven always on my mind by pet shop boys originally by gwen mcrae [Music] this song penned by country writers wayne carson johnny christopher and mark james was reportedly written in just 10 minutes first recorded by gwen mcrae it was soon covered by brenda lee beginning a long series of over 300 covers including elvis willie nelson and of course the pet shop boys [Music] originally performed by the synth pop duo at a bbc elvish tribute show and released as a single because of its popularity the pet shop boys version features synth and increased tempo and even an extra chord to make it sound more like a pop song number six diamonds and rust by judas priest originally by joan byers [Music] this song by folk musician buyers is about the relationship she once had with legendary singer-songwriter bob dylan heavy metal group judas priest apparently decided to cover the track in the hope it would win them more air time on us radio [Applause] they removed personal elements from the lyrics then rocked it up to create a fan favorite song that became a key part of their live performances joan buyers once revealed that she loved the cover admitting to being both stunned and flattered when she first heard it [Music] number five twist and shout by the beatles originally by the top notes you probably know the beatles and the isley brothers version of this song but did you also know it was originally released by r b group the top notes their take featured an impressive sac solo but was otherwise unremarkable with even its producers describing it as horrible the beatles covert on the other hand is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock and roll tracks ever recorded in a single take it became a huge hit for the band and was often used to end their live concerts [Music] after all how do you top that number four babe i'm going to leave you by led zeppelin originally by joan byers [Music] gets her second mention in our list this time for being first to release this folk song written by american and breden led zeppelin are often criticized for originally failing to credit bredon for the track however this was due in part to original pressings of the buyer's version stating the song was traditional and thus had no creditable author i can hear i can hear it calling me the way it used to do band members jimmy page and robert plant liked the track so much they talked about recording it before led zeppelin was even created and ever since it's been one of robert plant's standout performances with the band come on [Music] come on now number three tainted love by softsell originally by gloria jones [Music] sometimes gloria jones once said she thought soft sales cover was better than hair original and who are we to disagree [Music] jones's more upbeat song lacks the emotion of soft cell's version with singer mark almond reportedly nailing the vocals on his first take [Music] since pop duo soft cell changed the song's key slowed its tempo and added synthesizers and drum machines to turn a soul track into an electro pop classic [Music] tainted love brought soft cell left first number one hit and was the best-selling uk single in 1981. number two i fought the law by the clash originally by the crickets [Music] [Applause] [Music] written by country singer sonny curtis this rock rebel anthem tells a story of a man who goes to jail after an unsuccessful robbery spree and there is no doubt that the clash's cover is more compelling than the original in the crickets version the singer sounds remarkably cheerful considering he's supposed to be breaking rocks in the hot sun by contrast the clash's front man joe strummer sings the lyrics like he means them and the group's punk rock style is better suited to the subject of the song number one valerie by mark ronson featuring amy winehouse originally by the zuthons [Music] written by zhutan's frontman dave mccabe on a taxi journey this song is about a friend of mccabe who had been caught drunk driving the original track hit number nine on the singles chart and sold 200 000 units but the sadly departed amy winehouse recorded the track with mark ronson in 2007 and she is now so closely associated with it that most people assume the zoutons version is the cover [Music] [Applause] winehouse helped catapult the song to number two in the uk charts and her unique vocal talent makes the zootown's original sound slow and lackluster in comparison [Music] [Applause] do you agree with our picks check out these other great clips from watch mojo uk and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos

Channel: WatchMojoUK

Views: 323,913

Rating: 4.6345711 out of 5

Keywords: British Cover Songs That Are Better Than The Original, Cover Songs That Are Better Than The Original, Cover songs, Songs that are covers, Best covers, Best cover songs, Songs you didn't know are covers, Valerie, Adele, The Beatles, Mark Ronson, Muse, Futureheads, Pet Shop Boys, Led Zeppelin, Soft Cell, The Clash, Amy Winehouse, Judas Priest, Music, Pop Music, Rock Music, Top 10, Top 5, List, WatchMojo, Watch Mojo, Mojo WMUK, WatchMojo UK

Id: mpUNfkex5Ls

Length: 11min 10sec (670 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 14 2020