Best Songs Reimagined in Completely Different Genres
In short: The best genre-jumping covers change what a song means: Johnny Cash turned Nine Inch Nails' Hurt into a farewell, Gary Jules turned Tears for Fears' synth-pop Mad World into a lullaby of despair, and Whitney Houston turned Dolly Parton's country goodbye into the best-selling single by a woman of its era. Many listeners know these versions better than the originals.
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The covers below don't just change the instruments. Moving a song to a new genre changes its tempo, its singer's age or voice, and its context, and that can expose a meaning the original only hinted at. Several became more famous than the songs they covered.
Slowed down and stripped back
"Hurt," Johnny Cash (2002). Trent Reznor wrote it for Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral (1994) as a song about addiction and self-harm. Produced by Rick Rubin, Cash recorded it at 70, months before his death, and it became a reckoning with a whole life. The Mark Romanek video, filmed partly in Cash's closed-down museum, is as famous as the song.
"Mad World," Gary Jules (2001). Tears for Fears' 1982 original is jittery synth-pop. Gary Jules and Michael Andrews slowed it to voice and piano for the film Donnie Darko, and it became the UK Christmas number one in 2003.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit," Tori Amos (1992). Amos turned Nirvana's grunge anthem into a quiet, eerie piano piece, which makes the lyrics sound strange and fragile instead of shouted.
Turned up and transformed
"All Along the Watchtower," Jimi Hendrix (1968). Bob Dylan's original, from John Wesley Harding (1967), is a terse acoustic folk song. Hendrix's electric version turned it into one of the great rock recordings, and Dylan has played it closer to Hendrix's arrangement ever since.
"I Will Always Love You," Whitney Houston (1992). Dolly Parton wrote it in 1973 as a gentle country goodbye to her mentor Porter Wagoner. Houston's version, from The Bodyguard, opens a cappella and builds to a huge key change. It spent 14 weeks at number one in the US.
Crossing between soul and pop
"Tainted Love," Soft Cell (1981). Gloria Jones's 1964 version is an upbeat Northern Soul track. Soft Cell's synth-pop cover, cold and minimal, topped the UK charts and became one of the defining songs of the 1980s.
"Valerie," Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse (2007). The Zutons released it in 2006 as an indie-rock single. Ronson rebuilt it as 1960s Motown-style soul with Winehouse's vocal, and it reached number two in the UK.
"Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinéad O'Connor (1990). Prince wrote it for his side project The Family, whose 1985 version went largely unnoticed. O'Connor's stark ballad and its close-up video took it to number one around the world.
Want more?
Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox has made a whole career out of this, rearranging modern pop hits as 1920s jazz, swing and doo-wop. It's a good rabbit hole if you enjoy hearing familiar songs from a new angle.
Our verdict
Start with "Hurt" and play the Nine Inch Nails original straight after. Hearing the same words from a man in his twenties and a man of 70 is the clearest demonstration of what a genre change can do.
Frequently asked questions
What did Trent Reznor think of Johnny Cash's Hurt? He has said that after seeing the video, the song no longer felt like his. He later called it one of the most powerful covers he'd heard.
Is Mad World a cover? Yes. The original is a 1982 synth-pop single by Tears for Fears. Gary Jules and Michael Andrews recorded the slow piano version for the 2001 film Donnie Darko.
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