"A Change is Gonna Come"

I've heard Sam Cooke's, of course, as well as Aretha's and Otis' and TTD's impressive cover. Leela James even has her own, solid update.

My vote, though, has to go to the Rev. Al Green and his version at the opening of the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame.

My gosh, I'm listening to it right now --

Al is singing a rock song, backed by a great song, and he's taking the thing to CHUCH! ("r" omitted deliberately).

And, to top it off, he hits the high note an octave above the traditional high note!

Even when the man's voice breaks and cracks, here, it's a thing of beauty (think Eric Leed's wailing and splitting between two different notes). Wonderful.

Bless his heart.

Well, that's my fave.

What tune is yours?




(inclusive edit)
[Edited 2/5/06 22:04pm]

I'd have to hear them all first - I'm so lame I've only heard Sam's & TTD's (even got Leela in my ITunes RIGHT NOW... ain't done it )

So for now I'll go w/ Sam

CalhounSq said:

Sam's is regal. The archetype.

ThreadBare said:

I remember this came up a few weeks ago & I was shocked to realize there were so many versions out there. I really have to hear them...

There's another song I love called Since I Fell For You - thought it was Nancy Wilson, turned out to be Dinah Washington. Now I wanna hear everyone's version of that

CalhounSq said:

Yeah, I first heard that by Al Jarreau on "Double Vision" with Joe Sample and David Sanborn. Killer song. Didn't realize, in my youthful naivete, it was a cover.

Nancy and Dinah have versions? Hmmmm.

ThreadBare said:

OH YEA... I clicked on some samples I could find online, I like Dinah's the best so far but I've never heard the full versions of the other folks take on it. It's weird how much Dinah's voice sounds like Nancy Wilson on that tune, but I probably just don't know enough about Dinah (especially since she preceeds Nancy, lol)

CalhounSq said:

Hendrix's "Machine Gun" sure sounds a lot like Prince's "Gamillah."

Damn, I'm SO skimming today - I just realized you want fave covers in general, not just fave versions of "A Change..."

Gotta think on that one... Might be Luther's "Superstar" - he owns that shit

Aretha Franklin`s "A change is gonna come" is THE BEST version of that song...

Other cover versions that i think beats the originals is:

Aretha Franklin: "I say a little prayer" (Dionne Warwick)
"Until you come back to me" (Stevie Wonder)
"Respect" (Otis Redding)

Randy Crawford: "Where there was darkness" (originally by Diana Ross)
"Desperado" (by the Eagles)

Lena Horne: "I got a name" (originally by Jim Croce)

Natalie Cole: "Take a look" (i think it was Aretha Franklin that first sang this)

Ruby Turner: "Nobody but you" (originally by Gladys Knight and the pips)

Diana Ross: "Too shy to say"
"What you gave me" (Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell)

Whitney Houston: "I will always love you (of course...)
"Greatest love of all" (George Benson)
"I believe in you and me" (The four tops)

Oleta Adams: "Don`t let the sun go down on me" (Elton John)
"Get here" (Brenda Russell)

Regina Belle: "Could it be i`m falling in love" (The spinnners)

Harry Connick Jr: "For once in my life"

Stevie Wonder: "We can work it out" (The Beatles)

Cher: "The way of love" (Kathy Kirby)
"Fire and rain" (James Taylor)
"Walking in Memphis (It`s so good i can`t even remember hearing the original)
"The long and winding road" (better than The Beatles)
"The shoop shoop song"

David Bowie: "It`s hard to be a saint in the city" (Bruce Springsteen)

Michael Jackson: "Rockin` Robin"

Icicle said:

Well damn



I always thought Whitney's version was too "show-tune-y". It's like she's singing the words but not believing anything she's saying, it's just a showcase for the voice. I dunno, she was super fake around that time too I just like George's better...



Had no idea "Get Here" was a cover That's what I get for not reading liner notes

CalhounSq said:

Nobody needs to know the original

Just listen to Oleta Adams` version

ThreadBare said:

Get out of here!

When I read the thread title, this is EXACTLY the song that came to mind first.


Although I like Otis' version the best.

Icicle said:

I'll agree that Oleta's version is good, but the original is by the overlooked and underappreciated Brenda Russell. Calhoun, it's from the same album that had the singlePiano in the Dark. I don't share the "nobody needs to know the original" sentiment.

I don't know if I could say I have one definitive favorite cover song, but Donny Hathaways's version of A Song for You is right up there.

I love Oleta Adams' voice and story. She's the bomb.

BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA-'Give A Man A Home' (by Ben Harper)

CYNDI LAUPER-'I Drove All Night' (by Roy Orbison)

KD LANG/ROY ORBISON-'Cryin' (by Roy Orbison)

EMMYLOU HARRIS- 'Orphan Girl' (by Gilliam Welch)

GRAM PARSONS/EMMYLOU HARRIS- 'Love Hurts' (by I forgot who)

LINDA RONSTADT- 'Blue Bayou' (by Roy Orbison)

I'm starting to think I should make a playlist of all Roy Orbison covers...cuz they're my favs...anyone whose done a cover of his made it their own all the while keeping the essence and beauty of the original

peace

Icicle said:

Cher can rock a cover like nobody's business!

Icicle said:

I never was a big Brenda Russell fan either

RipHer2Shreds said:

Aww shit now! How many people have recorded that song?? I can't even imagine HEARING another version of that, his is SO definitive to me!

And my faves... are:

Emmylou Harris- Here, There and Everywhere (The Beatles)

George Michael- I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie)

Whitney Houston- I Will Always Love You (Dolly)
I'm every woman (Chaka)

Sheena Easton- In The Winter (Janis Ian)

Cyndi Lauper- When You Were Mine (Prince)

Brownstone- I Can't Tell You Why (Eagles)

George Benson- Mascarade (Carpenters)

Maxwell- This Woman Works (Kate)

Mariah Carey/Dru Hill- The Beautiful Ones (Prince)
I know you're gonna kill me here, but Prince´s screams and shouts make me nuts)




Cover edit
[Edited 2/7/06 21:28pm]

Mercy. Have mercy.


I have "Change..." by Al on repeat. This has to be spin No. 5... It never gets old...

tritoncin said:

You need to be BANNED w/ that Beautiful Ones shit!!!!

tritoncin said:

Chaka Khan has a much stronger voice than Whitney Houston, so i think it was a mistake to even cover it in the first place. The maxi single had some amazing remixes though

Tori's cover of Eminem's '97 Bonnie & Clyde is, in my opinion, amazing.
Cyndi's version of When U Were Mine (makes it sound like an entirely different song).
Prince's One Of Us (See, in Joan Osborne's version, I got the feeling that Joan was saying something to the effect of 'God ain't that great. And if he was down here, he'd be no different than any one of us.' But in Prince's version, I get the sense he's telling us to do unto others, kind of like he's saying, 'If God was one of us, would we treat him as shittily as we do the rest of the people we come into contact with?'
Jill Jones' With U.
Kevin Max's cover of Queen's Save Me.
Rufus Wainwright's Across The Universe (Has anyone heard Fiona's cover of this? What's it like? Is it any good?)
Eva Cassidy's covers of Fields Of Gold and Songbird. Beautiful.
Stevie Wonder's version of We Can Work It Out.

jillybean said:

Fiona's version plays over the end credits of Pleasantville. It's a decent cover. As I recall, it had a pretty nice video as well, directed by PT Anderson. I love Stevie's version of We Can Work It Out. I don't prefer it to the Beatles' original, but I like it. Punctuating every sentence with "Hey!" worked out real well. Chaka's version is a lot like Stevie's.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Thanks for the info. I love Fiona and "Across The Universe" is my favorite Lennon lyric, barring none. Her version was supposed to be at the end of my "When The Pawn..." CD, but it wasn't. Oh well, that's what I get for buying used CDs off the internet!

I agree - you can't really top The Beatles' version of "We Can Work It Out", but I do like the spin Stevie put on it.

Isley Brothers version of Rundgren's Hello it's Me.


I like it even better than the original.

Icicle said:

I actually prefer the original. was that Brenda Russell that did it? I like her raspy voice.

Chaka Khan - I Feel For U (Prince)

Fiona Apple - Across The Universe (The Beatles)

Luther Vandross - Superstar (The Carpenters)

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)

Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)

UB40 - Red Red Wine (Neil Diamond)

Van Halen - You Really Got Me (The Kinks)

Paul Young - Everytime You Go Away (Daryl Hall and John Oates)

bobby womack's version of "and i love her" so beautiful
van halen "you really got me"
johnny cash "hurt" and "one" (nin,u2)
janet jackson "tonights the night" (rod stewart)
the isley brothers "summer breeze" (seals and croft"
the isley brothers " hello its me" (todd rudgren)
tori amos "losing my religin"(rem)

...

Rufus w/Chaka Khan - Please Pardon Me (Brenda Russell)
Luther Vandross - Anyone Who Had A Heart (Burt Bacharach/Dionne Warwick)
Dionne Warwick - So Amazing (Luther Vandross)
Earth Wind and Fire- Where Have All The Flowers Gone (Burl Ives)
Aretha Franklin - Until You Come Back To Me(Stevie Wonder)
Donny Hathaway - Magdalena (Danny O'Keefe)
James Taylor - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Marvin Gaye)
Three Dog Night - Your Song (Elton John)
Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home(Burt Bacarach)
The Free Design - I Like The Sunrise (Duke Ellington)
Rotary Connection - Tales Of The Brave Ulysses (Rolling Stones)


and by, the way I prefer Brenda Russell's version of Get Here



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[Edited 2/8/06 12:05pm]