I love covers. First thing I do when I like a classic song is instantly look for covers to see what artists were able to do with the original. Sometimes its hard to create a song cover that tops the original, other times covers work way better than the original.

But in these examples I chose songs that work great side by side. Its the artists really taking the song and making it their own.

KT Tunstall – I Want You (Jackson 5)

We all know this song and we all know how amazing the original was. KT plays the song in the same light but with a feminine twist, and it works great.

Natasha Bedingfield – The Scientist (Coldplay)

I’ve been looking for this version for a while after losing it years ago. To my surprise while browsing Youtube yesterday, the song simply pops up! Natasha sang many versions of this song live and they were all subpar. But this one, she brought her ‘A’ game. Especially when she starts hitting high notes around 2:10.

Broken Social Scene – World At Large (Modest Mouse)

Modest Mouse has a very distinctive sound and his songs are in a genre of their own, so when I heard this version from the amazing Broken Social Scene I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Mustard – Creep (Radiohead)

If you don’t get goosebumps listening to this rendition of Creep there is something wrong with you.

James Blake – Limit To Your Love (Feist)

The original song was a beautiful melancholy ballad, this one just takes it up a notch.

Something About Us – Balance and the Traveling Sounds (Daft Punk)

This is a favorite of mine. I love jazz and I love this. Not so crazy about the rapping or the singing, but their version certainly works beautifully.

Grant Lee Phillips – Love My Way (Psychedelic Furs)

Search as hard as I could and I could not find this beautiful cover from Grant Lee. The video above is of the original, which is an amazing song in its own right. If you liked the original search for the Grant Lee version and you will not be disappointed.