Covers that are better than the original

Vocal runs? Not sure what that means. I mean the present day R&B chart toppers sung by overly earnest (and perhaps constipated ... at least they sound extremely constipated) teeny-boppers/20 somethings that dominate the pop charts like Rihanna. Insanely repetitive and lazy songwriting where one or two lines of lyrics make up of well over 95% of a given song.

Sadly, much of the present day female empowerment songs hitting the pop chart and pop radio these days (regardless of whether they're R&B) really annoy me.
Especially if it comes packaged by committee with a dubstep remix.

Here is a vocal coach on vocal runs or vocal riffs:
http://www.jeanniedeva.com/singing-riffs

But I like Maya Rudolf's satires on vocal runs/riffs best. I had trouble finding an example. This is the closest to what I mean but it isn't one in which she adds silly "grace notes," that is, the running up and down of extra notes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Ow55HzOKE

My kids will not listen to "neo-soul" because of the repulsive vocal runs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDKuHSJEBrc&list=PL0FAC5371A7E0F928&index=26

His version may or may not be better than Screamin' Jays but what a setta pipes.

Jennifer Warnes does a fabu job on one of my fav Leonard Cohen songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uy7Zb5C-XU&list=PL066766157C419284&index=14

Here's Eric who always seems to have a good time on stage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONTVgVt8g14

Here's Nina Simone, who seems to have returned the song to Hawkins' original intent. No pyrotechnics, just heart-felt singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONTVgVt8g14

This girl is breathtaking.

I'm gonna steal that for my Singy Girls thread . . . thanks Boss.

Ahem......<adopts serious expression> .........sniff.....<straightens tie, takes a deep breath>....

Now, here's a little medley that shows how songs such as these shouod be sung.

Enjoy!

Here's an exception to the rule, where, in my opinion, the relatively unknown original is better than the world famous cover.


Always thought that the cover was a bit weird, somehow.....

OK, this is just a cover of the melody, but interesting just the same.

Oh, and I think they rank about as good as one another.

The original......



And the "cover"......


Extract from Brian Matthews Radio 2 (UK) blurb......

"Having been so happy with the success of 'It’s Now Or Never' adapted from 'O Sole Mio', Elvis requested his publisher to commission a new lyric for another classic Italian tune from 1902, 'Torna A Surriento' (Come Back To Sorrento) with the task being handed to songwriters Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Shuman was less than enthusiastic about the project and told Pomus to get on with the task on his own claiming "why should I want to write for some redneck idiot who thinks it a good career move to sound like Mario Lanza". Despite his rant, the pair ended up writing twenty-one songs for the king......

Lord you should post that in uncovered http://able2know.org/topic/171829-1 the thread about obscure originals, that's an awesome find.

Dean Ray - Budapest

Still, nobody does "Money For Nothin" better than that onetime pickup band with Mark Knopfler, STing, Phil Collins and Eric Clapton. I wonder if anyone has that in cache??

A truly amazing cover of Alicia Key's "Fallin" by a teenage boy on China's The Voice.

Tina's version of River Deep Mountain High is magnificent 40 years after the first version. She covered herself, magnificent.

I hope this isn't repetitious, but this tune was first introduced by the Shirelles in 1962, according to google, it was written by Burt Bacharach. Wowsa

That was completely off my radar, but I loved it.