Among pretentious types (you know… all of those “coffee drinking, iPod listening, twee expression using hipsters that are the downfall of society“), remakes are generally thought of as merely derivative and unoriginal at best. This sweeping generalization refers not only to cinematic endeavors but also to the material of that obligatory noise lovingly known as music. Remakes suck… well, most of them do, anyway, but here are ten that certainly aren’t better than the original songs but, in their own respective ways, contribute their own awesomeness to the zeitgeist. So, in no particular order, here we go:

1. “Hurt” - Johnny Cash (originally by Nine Inch Nails)
Trent Reznor famously stated that “Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would write a song that Johnny Cash wanted to sing. I never thought that our paths would intersect.” Reznor’s song of addiction, agony, and alienation was taken to another level by Cash, who performed it as a “stunning meditation on mortality itself.”

(NIN original there. Cash version here.)

2. Ring of Fire - Social Distortion (originally by Johnny Cash)
Believe what you will, but punk musicians aren’t influenced solely by the likes of Sid Vicious. The origins of their three-chorded fury also run through legendary country icons, and Social D.’s tribute to Cash is among the better tunes of the Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell album.

(Cash original here. Social D. remake there.)

3. Lizzie West - “I’m Your Man” (originally by Leonard Cohen)
This is the only Cohen remake of any of his songs, out of the several hundred attempts by various artists, that I will fully accept. While Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” always gets an honorable mention, Buckley’s cover doesn’t hit me nearly as hard as West’s gorgeous voice and bluegrass-infused guitar strumming.

(Cohen original — with scenes from Secretary — here. West remake there.)

4. “Blue Monday” - Orgy (originally by New Order)
The cover version selectively omits the irony and replaces it with a sneering, overt brand of hatred, which varies the manner but not the degree of the song’s impact. In further retrospect, since tripping over the corpse of irony can really ruin one’s day, bluntness may just be a bit healthier than the alternative.

(New Order original here. Orgy remake there.)

5. Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)
For all practical purposes, Nirvana unveiled their cover version of this song during their critically-acclaimed MTV Unplugged set. No one ever expected Kurt Cobain to cease mocking his audience and smashing all available guitars, but, when he did, he was absolutely golden.

(Bowie original here. Nirvana remake there.)

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