Cover Songs that are better than the Original

"A Song For You" by The Continental Drifters imo bests the fine original recording by Gram Parsons. The Drifters was an L.A. Super Group consisting of Susan Cowsill, Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), Peter Holsapple (The dB’s), Mark Walton (The Dream Syndicate), Gary Eaton, and a fantastic drummer/singer named Carlo Nuccio (he’s on Tori Amos’ first album).

"Shakin’ All Over" in a killer/definitive version by The (pre-Burton Cummings) Guess Who (1960 original by UK band Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, which in comparison sounds quite tame). The tension & release and kinetic energy The Guess Who create in their recoding of this song is absolutely incredible! Vastly superior imo to the bombastic, hoary version by The Who on Live At Leeds. Their version is all release.

Still about my favorite: Dave Edmunds' reworking of the Smiley Lewis song "I Hear You Knocking" (also done by Fats Domino and a few others).

For the inverse, compare The Beatles version of "Money (That's What I Want)" to the original by Barrett Strong. Barrett's version is much tougher, wickedly cool. Too bad Willie DeVille didn't do the song.