Laurie Callsen - writer 

With shoulder pads making a comeback and veteran performers Alison Krauss and Robert Plant sweeping the Grammys, the old is new again. In that vein, Intercamp takes a look at musicians who take the old and make it new again, and others who should have left the past in the past. Here’s our list of the best and worst cover songs.

BEST

Wonderwall

Ryan Adams vs. Oasis

That’s right, I said it. Ryan Adams’s version of “Wonderwall” blows the original Oasis version out of the water. Even Noel Gallagher has admitted it. Adams’ version is heart-wrenching and eerie. The cover is haunting in its simplicity—most notably, the lack of percussion in the piece. In the Oasis version, the most memorable aspect of the song is the classic guitar progression that dominates the piece. The Ryan Adams version leaves the accompaniment as an accent, and Adams’ voice takes the forefront. Oasis laid the foundation for Adams, but Adams changed it and made it into his own song.

Hurt

Johnny Cash vs. Nine Inch Nails

Cash’s version of this song lets the listeners interpret the deeper meaning for themselves by focusing on his voice, while the Nine Inch Nail version forces their views of the song on the listener through the distorted guitar, especially in the minute-and-a-half outro. While both the NIN version and the Cash version are mournful and full of regret, Cash’s is enhanced by his weary voice that suggests how much he has seen, heard, and lived. It is also fitting that “Hurt,” a song that seems to sum up so much of his life, was Cash’s last single before he died in 2003.

I Want To Hold Your Hand

T.V. Carpio vs. The Beatles

When you hear T.V. Carpio’s cover of this song in Across the Universe, you can hear the subtext of the lyrics. She doesn’t just want to hold your hand; she wants to be understood and accepted for who she is. The Beatles’ version, however amazing and classic, is slightly superficial. All they want is to hold your hand. The Beatles version maintains this happy-go-lucky feeling throughout the song. The Across the Universe version has more of a dynamic sound. It starts with a slow and steady bassline and crescendos into a pleading culmination. 

WORST

Big Yellow Taxi

The Counting Crows & Vanessa Carlton vs. Joni Mitchell

The “modern” version of this folk hit made me want to hurl. It was taken out of its liberal context and shoved into a commercialized little box. And Vanessa Carlton? Really? That’s about as far from Joni Mitchell as you can get. Listening to this cover of “Big Yellow Taxi” is like eating a can of frosting: it seems like a good idea at first until you want to blow chunks all over the place.

Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

The Ramones vs. Creedence Clearwater Revival

I love the Ramones, but I’ve loved and have known the beauty of CCR for much longer. While the Ramones version is new, edgy and different, it’s just not as good as CCR’s. It’s too fast and too loud. The Ramones were not the right band to cover this song. Their punk style distracts the listener from the lyrics and meaning of the song, and creates noise. 

Under Pressure

The Used & My Chemical Romance vs. Queen & David Bowie

This was a tough call, but Bowie and the boys from Queen won. The cover version is too much like the original. If the boys with the skinny jeans had deviated a little bit from the original, they may have come out on top. Something new to the song would’ve added a new dimension that Bowie and Queen couldn’t grasp, but by doing a straight copy of it, MCR and The Used just bored me. The best thing about their cover? The proceeds went to tsunami relief.