Covers or Original songs?

[tkallab]

When you're browsing youtube, there are of course people (like myself) who upload videos of themselves singing songs or playing them on an instrument. Is there anyone who watches that kind of videos? And my question to those: Do you prefer to hear covers of songs, or original songs written by the person who plays it?

I like covers of songs I know. I don't know that much music, and the songs I know is relatively unpopular. So when I see someone playing a song I know and like, it makes me feel not alone when it comes to music style.

Discuss.

 

[Gabri]

Original. Most of the covered songs don't have that typical feel of the band who originally wrote them.

 

[institutions]

I like seeing peoples take on the songs, but I prefer the originals.

Whenever I find a new song that i'm in love with or want to learn to play myself, I look up covers on youtube. Some covers are laugh out loud bad, but most are at least decent.

 

[Sweet Candace]

Original, you can't beat the original song, no matter what genre it was. Some people create a cover that dims the mystique the original song had.

 

[Saryka]

I like to hear covers because I'm always interested in how artists interpret and choose to perform songs by other people. Sometimes, I enjoy the cover version, if it's something really different that the cover artist pulled of well. Rarely will I ever say that I like covers over the original though, because, hey, you can't beat the original in most cases. But sometimes I'll like covers as much or almost as much as the original.

tl;dr Original songs are better, but sometimes people can pull of some pretty good covers.

 

[Amore]

You can't really beat the originals, overall. However, I saw Muse play "Feeling Good" on Glastonbury (I was watching it on TV xD and sadly, I missed a couple of songs) and thought it was brilliant. I don't know who did the original, but that must be one of the greatest covers of all time. I also like The King Blues' cover of Dizzee Rascal's "Bonkers". Dizzee's version is good enough, but I like the more guitar-centric TKB cover.

But apart from a few good covers, I'm generally a one for the originals.

 

[Alice]

I like some of the nico nico singers' vocaloid covers... but on youtube, every cover I've ever heard was horrible. (No offense to anyone here, as odds are, I've never heard yours.) It's incredibly annoying trying to weed out all of the covers on youtube while looking for a song. I wouldn't mind so much if people actually put cover in the video title, but they never do. They make it seem like it's the real song, which is really annoying.

A professional band doing a cover, on the other hand, is fine. Assuming they don't completely ruin the song. :P


/totally wasn't just being pissed off by the millions of covers of a song I was looking for 2 seconds ago.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

For the most part I prefer the originals - the songs the way the original artist interpreted them to be. With that said, there have been a few cover songs that have impressed me over the years, but most sound... strange because you're expecting the original vocals and instruments and you don't usually get that with a cover version.

 

[Binary]

Original Songs. Nothing can surpass the feeling you get when you listen to the original song, in my opinion. But, I like listening to covers, and how artists interpret a song by the original artist. I'll generally browse youtube for covers if I'm trying to learn the song, or if I'm just bored curious.

 

[Spherical Ice]

I prefer the originals though I can't say that as a strict rule, as, for example, I prefer The Bangles' version of Hazy Shade of Winter, though Westlife's You Raise Me Up is just terrible compared to Josh Groban's, so I can't really say. Generally though, covers usually aren't as good as the original.

 

[Skip Class]

Do you prefer to hear covers of songs, or original songs written by the person who plays it?

It kinda depends who is the person in the first place for me. I go on youtube for music such as covers and originals more than anything else. Don't say I have a preference I just love them all XD

 

[Sydian]

It depends. Sometimes, I find covers I like more than the originals (A Perfect Ciricle's version of Imagine I actually like more than John Lennon's) but for the most part, I'm gunna like the original better. Unless Kings of Leon did a cover, then I'd like that better...because it's Kings of Leon.

I rarely like any covers by random people on YouTube though...sorry. lol

 

[Meganium]

I guess it depends on how the cover was done and how a great job the person or artist did. If the cover sucks, then I'd prefer the original.

 

[Tyrantrum]

I'll listen to both. Mainly the original song, but if I can find some great covers, I'll watch them. :) One of my favorite cover artists is above92. His covers are amazing. :D WesWess, slickdan619, andrewroom409, and Grich26 are some other sick cover artists, as well. ;3

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I don't really care either way, as long as it sounds good.

Which is usually the original, but still.

 

[Legobricks]

I have no predisposed preference — whatever sounds nicer.
Being the original creator doesn't really make one special to the point of overshadowing derivative works.

 

[jab2033]

I definetly prefer the original. Slightly off topic...Did anyone see Fergie in the Superbowl halftime show? Her version of "Sweet Child of Mine" was so terrible compared to the original. And she even had Slash helping her out!

 

[Esper]

I don't mind covers. Sometimes they're much better than the original (like Alanis Morissette singing My Humps), sometimes they're a lot worse, and sometimes they're just different. Although I'll probably always have a favorite version of any particular song as long as it sounds fine I'll listen to it.

Unfortunately this generally means no youtube covers for me. Not that I've seen many of those, but what I have seen makes me not want to see any more.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I like the original songs better because I can feel the song's general theme better when the person who originally wrote it sings it.

 

[Drekin]

I prefer originals but I know there are some covers that I've heard before that are pretty good compared to the original (I can't think of any at the moment).