Covers of songs can be items of wonder. They can also be lazy ways of securing a big hit for a band. Your audience are already aware of it, even subconsciously - someone else has done the hard work. However, get it right and it can be a marvel. Some improve on the original; some just try and do something a little bit different; some might just be a bit of a rehash - that's not necessarily wrong. It depends if you do it well or not. A lot might depend upon whether or not you have heard the original or not. I remember years ago buying Paul Young's debut album and on it he covers Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division. Being a young naive whippersnapper at the time, I didn't know any better and thought it was a cool song. And vaguely wondered by lots of people writing in the "serious music press" (which I was just beginning to flirt with) were appalled and aghast at his cover. Fast forward a couple of years and I soon got what they meant. Not saying that some songs are sacrosanct, but yeah some are.
One of my favourite covers is Sonic Youth's version of Superstar by the Carpenters. (OK technically not true, since the Carpenters didn't do the original, but I think theirs is the definitive version). I love the Carpenters version, even though, given the right (or perhaps wrong) amount of alcohol it can make me cry. However, the Sonic Youth version blows me away. I bought the Juno soundtrack purely to get my hands on it (yes, I know I could have bought a download, but sometimes you just want to hold something in your hot little hands). I don't know whether it's the fact that it's a male vocal, which subverts it slightly, or whether it is because although there is undoubtedly lots of noisy swirly (technical music term) and it builds up nicely, they resist the urge to do the obvious and turn it into a full on noisefest. Whatever it is, it is awesome.
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