Comments on: Remixed for the better

Question: Remixed for the better

MuffinMan — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:18:56 -0800

I'm looking for examples of remixes that are better than the original songs from which they are remixed.

I'm thinking of examples like Brimful of Asha, or Missing where the remix was more commercially more successful or just subjective suggestions for interesting remixes. For example, the remix of Two Door Cinema Club's Something Good Can Work used in Nathan Barnatt's Obama video is better than the original, IMHO.

I'd also be interested in cover versions of songs that are better than the originals, but in both covers and remixes I'm really looking for examples where the treatment of the song is substantially different from the original.

Previously: Danceable remixes of songs your dad probably likes

By: xicana63

xicana63 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:24:03 -0800

I hated Lady Gaga's original Love Game, but LMFAO made that song amazing!

Waka Flocka Flame's Hard in the Paint was meh, but boy do I love the parody Baraka Flaka Flame's Head of the State.

Hope this was useful!

By: empath

empath — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:31:34 -0800

The Mousse T Remix of Sing It Back was better than the Moloko original.

By: John Cohen

John Cohen — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:33:24 -0800

These are all covers that were better and/or more commercially successful than the originals:

Frente — Bizarre Love Triangle (originally by New Order)

George Harrison — Got my Mind Set on You (originally by James Ray)

Nirvana — Love Buzz (originally by Shocking Blue)

Marvin Gaye — I Heard it Through the Grapevine (originally by Gladys Knight and the Pips) (bonus: Gaye's own live performance was significantly different)

The Rolling Stones — Time is on my Side (originally by Kai Winding)

By: burnmp3s

burnmp3s — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:34:32 -0800

The Fixed remix EP is considered by a lot of people to be substantially better than the source material on Nine Inch Nail's Broken.

By: Cold Lurkey

Cold Lurkey — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:34:55 -0800

I find both Devo's and Otis Redding's version of Satisfaction far more compelling than the Rolling Stones version.

By: mean square error

mean square error — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:35:45 -0800

I prefer The xx's remix-cover of Florence + the Machine's "You Got the Love".

I prefer the Alias remix of The Delta Mirror's "He Was Worse Than the Needle He Gave You".

By: Jairus

Jairus — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:40:17 -0800

Suzanne Vega thought that DNA's bootleg remix of Tom's Diner was so much better than her original that she bought the rights to it and used it as the official video version.

By: LSK

LSK — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:40:58 -0800

The absolutely classic in this category is R. Kelly's Ignition (Remix), to the point that the Youtube video just calls it by the name Ignition.

By: artifarce

artifarce — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:43:20 -0800

Richard Thompson's cover of "Oops, I Did It Again."

By: jmd82

jmd82 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:47:50 -0800

Johnny Cash's cover of NiN's Hurt brought the song mainstream attention. Both songs rock in their own regard.

By: cashman

cashman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:55:17 -0800

Shook Ones part II is a hip hop classic. I know lots of hip hop fans who wouldn't be able to identify the original version (part I)

By: FAMOUS MONSTER

FAMOUS MONSTER — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:56:10 -0800

Here's France Gall's Cet Air-La.

April March, many years later, covered it and did a very different take on it.

I like the original just fine and all, but I've known people who've heard April's version and who don't speak a word of French but were brought to tears by it anyway.

By: cashman

cashman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:03:25 -0800

This Kidz in the Hall song was decent little song. And then El-P got a hold of it.

Mad World is probably a great example of a cover that took the original and jumped off a cliff.

By: MuffinMan

MuffinMan — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:13:21 -0800

Mad World. I had forgotten that. And Ane Brun's low fi covers of True Colors and Big in Japan.

By: cashman

cashman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:17:01 -0800

Boss had a song on the Mi Vida Loca soundtrack and the video got popular. So you wanted to own this bouncy, clear almost futuristic song with her ridiculous flow, but when you went to the store to buy the soundtrack you got stuck with the messy original version.

By: reptile

reptile — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:25:33 -0800

The main hook from the quite heavily played pop song Like a G6 is sampled/remixed from the original Booty Bounce which was nowhere as popular.

By: cashman

cashman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:25:49 -0800

Plod along to Santigold's I'm a lady, then get it supercharged by Benny Blanco.

By: cazoo

cazoo — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:31:04 -0800

DJ Tiesto had a popular remix of Sarah McLachlan's Silence.

By: sektah

sektah — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:31:26 -0800

Strictly a cover, but Stevie Wonder's take on The Beatles We Can Work It Out is far better than the original.

Like the above, this opinion is likely to be controversial, but Schneider TM's cover of The Smiths "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" adds a certain cold clinical aspect that renders the song better. My opinion, of course.

By: cali59

cali59 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:35:48 -0800

LMFAO's Sexy and I Know it covered by some guy named Noah

By: cashman

cashman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:43:01 -0800

Strictly a cover, but Stevie Wonder's take

That reminded me that I didn't know until about a month ago that Earth Wind and Fire's "Got to Get You Into My Life" is a cover of a Beatles song. I know a lot of people that probably still don't know.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:12:17 -0800

Inserting three obligatory covers:

* Jimi Hendrix's cover of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower." Dylan's response when he first heard it: "oh, so THAT'S what it's supposed to sound like."

* Aretha Franklin's cover of Otis Redding's "Respect". Redding's response: "That girl just stole my song."

* Johnny Cash's cover of NIN's "Hurt." Trent Reznor: "I felt like I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore."

By: insectosaurus

insectosaurus — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:20:38 -0800

Poe's Hey Pretty remix (with her brother reading over it) was much more successful than her original song - to the extent I didn't realize it was a remix for quite a while. I think it's called the Drive By remix.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:18:32 -0800

Junkie XL's remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation."

By: chillmost

chillmost — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:42:41 -0800

I find the "Lucy Mix" version of Björk's Possibly Maybe from the album Telegram better than the original.

By: foxhat10

foxhat10 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:56:00 -0800

I love both, but I'd have to take Emmylou Harris' cover of The Boxer over Simon & Garfunkel. (I believe her version also features Linda Ronstadt and Alison Krauss..?)

I like the groove added to the remake of 32 Flavors by Alana Davis (originally by Ani DiFranco).

Eva Cassidy's Fields of Gold (originally by Sting).

By: fshgrl

fshgrl — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:50:57 -0800

The Mark Ronson/ Amy Winehouse cover of Valerie by The Zutons is better known in the US, and just generally better imho.

Also the remix of South Side with Gwen Stefani is better known than Mobys original version.

By: meronym

meronym — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:12:01 -0800

Armand van Helden's remix of Professional Widow by Tori Amos was a much bigger hit than the original version of that song from her album Boys for Pele.

By: Grangousier

Grangousier — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:01:31 -0800

Ooh, thank you for reminding me to seek out Soundhog's wonderful mashup of Goldfrapp and Edwyn Collins (with authentic framing material).

By: cashman

cashman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:09:29 -0800

Heartbeats - The Knife, and then Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez.

By: colfax

colfax — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:23:21 -0800

It doesn't count as better, because I love both versions equally, but Social Distortion's version of Ring of Fire is definitely different than Johnny Cash's.

Further on a Johnny Cash theme, his cover of the U2 song,"One," is beautiful, but somewhat hard to find.

Jose Gonzalez's acoustic cover of Heartbeats is really beautiful. It used to be an electronica dance tune by The Knife.

By: oryelle

oryelle — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:13:08 -0800

Notorious B.I.G. PLUS Miley Cyrus

By: comealongpole

comealongpole — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:46:21 -0800

The Pet Shop Boys remix of David Bowie's Hallo Spaceboy was released as a single and did respectably. Better than his equally great industrial metal original would have done, I'm guessing.

By: arha

arha — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:42:16 -0800

Blue Monday by New Order. An example of a band re-mixing their own song. The 1988 remix and re-release was more successful in most markets than the 1983 original (which was still very successful). Remixed in 1995 again, but I think the 1988 version is still the one most likely to be played.

And seriously, the Frente version of Bizarre Love Triangle was horrible, and hardly heard outside Australia (I would hope).

By: hellojed

hellojed — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:15:55 -0800

Thomas Bangalter is really good at this, two examples.

Alan Braxe's Vertigo vs Thomas Bangalter's Remix

DJ Mehdi's Signatune vs Thomas Bangalter's Remix

By: John Cohen

John Cohen — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:32:30 -0800

the Frente version of Bizarre Love Triangle was . . . hardly heard outside Australia

Wrong, it was a "buzz clip" on MTV in the United States, meaning it was on heavy rotation.

By: Capt.DooDooFace

Capt.DooDooFace — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:27:08 -0800

"Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service was taken to greater heights (see what I did there?) by Iron and Wine. That's an AMAZING live version of it. The studio version is just as amazing and almost totally different from the other two.

By: Lexica

Lexica — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:54:40 -0800

Let My Love Open the Door (E. Cola mix) from the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack is more effective than Pete Townsend's original album version, IMO.

Likely heresy: I think the Shatner/Folds/Jackson version of Common People is better than Pulp's original.

Joe Jackson's version of Oh Well is much snarlier than the original (just the way I like it).

By: sigmagalator

sigmagalator — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:39:15 -0800

I think the Switch & Sinden remix of Santigold's "You'll Find a Way" is way better than the original, although they did appear on the same album together.

By: hgws

hgws — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:54:21 -0800

Beck's Broken Drum remixed by Boards of Canada seems to capture the mood of the lyrics more effectively than Beck's original version, which is a memorial to Elliott Smith.

By: bongo_x

bongo_x — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:31:02 -0800

LOTS of songs have "single mixes" and the line between a single mix and a remix is pretty blurry. If you've ever listened to an album and thought the song didn't sound like you remembered, that's one reason. Many single versions are much more well known than the album versions. Like The Reflex

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:32:59 -0800

Metronomy's Thing For Me is pretty bland, but the Breakbot remix is fantastic.

By: C^3

C^3 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 22:23:17 -0800

This far down and I'm a little surprised nobody's mentioned TVTropes' Covered Up page.

By: bitterkitten

bitterkitten — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:58:16 -0800

Erg, I think there's a difference between whether a remix was more comercially succesful vs. 'better'. Nobody is going to convince me that that precious Frente cover of Bizarre Love Triangle is better than the New Order version. Strangely I think the one I hear most often is a remix of their own, with a mildly longer extended cut. Same thing with Iron and Wine. Yeeg.

Also: really? the Fixed NIN ep is better than Broken? Can't agree there. ALLso - until Year Zero (where Remixed was way way way better than Year Zero itself) I would argue that there were almost no NIN remixes that were better than the originals in his catalogue.

Speaking of versions that are better than the originals... Trent's cover of Queen's Get Down Make Love blows the holy hell out of the original. I've always wondered if he specifically picked that song because he knew it was a pretty boring Queen song (as performed by Queen), compared to the bulk of their stuff. I'd even go so far as to say Queen's version sounds like a demo.

What is curious to me, and which I think hardly ever happens, is where a remix AND the original are both really interesting. My fave example of that is A Perfect Circle's "Judith" - which is probably the best written of the APC songs - and I think it's the Danny Lohner remix.

By: PuppetMcSockerson

PuppetMcSockerson — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:21:28 -0800

There is a remix of Pink's "Get the party started" that is mixed with Sweet Dreams. Infinitely better than the original Get the party started.

By: Dismantled King

Dismantled King — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:18:13 -0800

I like the Avalanches remix of So Why So Sad by Manic Street Preachers much more than the original.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:56:10 -0800

I allow for the possibility that mine is a controversial opinion. But The Gourds' cover of Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice kicks righteous ass.

By: sidi hamet

sidi hamet — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:30:49 -0800

2nd the Jamie xx remix of "You Got the Love." It is astonishing.

By: angels in the architecture

angels in the architecture — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:39:48 -0800

Late to the thread, but Skream's remix of La Roux's "In for the Kill" is a pretty great.

By: The Minotaur

The Minotaur — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:04:00 -0800

I probably won't be winning any converts here, but I personally love Face to Face covering INXS's "Don't Change" and prefer it to the original.

Ted Leo does a great mashup cover of Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" which is very different from the source material though not better.

My girlfriend just chimed in to suggest the Weird Tapes remix of Peter Bjorn & John's "It Don't Move Me" (here's the original). Definitely more on-topic than my suggestions.

By: MuffinMan

MuffinMan — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 02:12:55 -0800

Apologies in advance, folks. It turned out to be an impossibly subjective exercise in marking up best answers. Thank you to everyone though. Some great listening material right the way through.

By: Grangousier

Grangousier — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:11:55 -0800

By the way - Clive Langer and Elvis Costello wrote the song Shipbuilding specifically for Robert Wyatt, though later Costello recorded his version, which some people considers the "original" (because he wrote it). I'm not any of those people - I think Wyatt's version is a perfect record, not a note out of place - but still: version fight!