LISTS: Cover songs BETTER than the original

• Straight Outta Compton - Nina Gordon. It's easy to dismiss this as just pretty-white-girl-sings-violent-ghetto-rap-song. 'Cause that's what this is. But it's nice to be able to hear the lyrics.


• Take Me to the River - Talking Heads. More of a recontextualization than a cover, really. Intentional or not, you can't help hearing this in the context of Byrne's early repressed-white-preppy-Norman-Bates persona, making you wonder what the singer plans to do once the object of his obsession has, indeed, taken him to the river.


• My Favorite Things - John Coltrane. I'd rather hear metal shards dragged across a chalk board than hear the Julie Andrews version ever again, so it doesn't take much to eke out a victory here. But JC really sewed a silk purse out of a sow's ear with this one.


• Tainted Love - Soft Cell


• I Fought the Law - the Clash


• Time is On My Side - Rolling Stones


• Twist and Shout - los Beatles. The previous four entries are so perfect, I think many people may not be aware that they are covers.


• Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor. She should have fixed the spelling while she was at it, but the distaff Lex Luthor wrenches every ounce of emotion out of this song.


• All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix. Jimi wasn't a great crooner, but his competition on this one is only old Bobby Z. And Stratocaster es mas macho than harmonica.


• Smells Like Teen Spirit - Ragnar Bjarnason. I'm not fooling around, this version is one of the few songs that always brings me joy, no matter what. The other? The Commodore's Brick House.


• Jump - Aztec Camera. I seem to remember reading that the lead singer of Aztec Camera did their slowed-down tribute of this song because he thought Van Heplin was making some sort of stand against a corrupt industry with the line "Can't you see me standing here, I've got my back against the record machine," not realizing that Diamond Dave was simply referring to a juke box.


• Dear God - Sarah McLaughlin. This one's iffy, only because both versions of this song are so good -- Ms. M. actually gives a more impassioned vocal performance, but maybe has a bit too much polish; and it's hard to compete with the chilling kid singer on the open and close of XTC's version. A push.