I’ve had a mixed relationship with cover versions over the years for a number of reasons, mostly because I’ve found the original version to be the better one. But sometimes the cover version can get a lot more attention than the original version does. As popular as Hallelujah is from Leonard Cohen at this point, the bulk of its initial popularity came from cover versions in the 90s that spread it more.

For me, it’s not the best of the best of the best probably, but it’s the one that introduced me to this artist which in turn became one of my absolute favorite who has a lot of covers on their channel. Marie Digby with Rihanna’s Umbrella. It’s just so utterly simple and without big production values but it hooked me on her voice completely.

Bonus Question: Which cover version missed the mark entirely?

The worst for me has to be the Jessica Simpson cover of These Boots are Made for Walking. Never mind that it’s just a terrible performance, the whole video that introduced me to it is just awful. The distinctiveness of Nancy Sinatra is something that Simpson can’t capture.