SECTION THREE: THE 1970s — WHEN COVERS BECAME MASSIVE ROCK AND POP EVENTS

21. “Love Hurts” — Nazareth

Original: The Everly Brothers, 1960
Cover: Nazareth, 1975

The Everly Brothers made “Love Hurts” a gentle, aching ballad.

Nazareth turned it into a power ballad before the term had become standard.

Dan McCafferty’s raspy voice makes every line sound wounded.

The guitars make the heartbreak enormous.

Popularity: The Everly Brothers’ original was modest compared with Nazareth’s international success. Nazareth’s version became a major international hit and reached the Top 10 in several countries.

Verdict: Nazareth wins for sheer emotional force.

22. “Me and Bobby McGee” — Janis Joplin

Original: Roger Miller / Kris Kristofferson versions
Cover: Janis Joplin, 1971

Kristofferson wrote it. Roger Miller Played it.

Joplin made it famous.

Her version sounds loose, spontaneous and deeply emotional.

Because it was released shortly after her death, the recording acquired an additional layer of meaning.

It became her only U.S. No. 1 single.

Verdict: Joplin wins the cultural battle.

23. “Without You” — Harry Nilsson

Original: Badfinger, 1970
Cover: Harry Nilsson, 1971

Badfinger’s original is beautiful power pop.

Nilsson heard a dramatic ballad.

His voice and orchestration expand the emotional range enormously.

Popularity: Badfinger’s original was respected but not a major American hit. Nilsson’s version reached No. 1 in several countries and became one of his signature recordings.

Verdict: Nilsson wins.

24. “The First Cut Is the Deepest” — Rod Stewart

Original: P.P. Arnold, 1967
Cover: Rod Stewart, 1977

P.P. Arnold’s version is soulful and delicate.

Stewart’s is rougher and more rock-oriented.

His distinctive voice gives the song an older, weathered quality.

Popularity: Stewart’s version became a major international hit and one of his best-known recordings.

Verdict: Stewart wins for rock identity.

25. “99 Red Balloons” — Goldfinger

Original: Nena, 1983
Cover: Goldfinger, 1997

The Original

Nena’s “99 Luftballons” is one of the most recognizable songs to emerge from the Neue Deutsche Welle movement of the early 1980s.

The original German-language recording is deceptively catchy. It has bright synthesizers, a driving rhythm and an almost playful pop-rock arrangement, but underneath that cheerful sound is a much darker story about Cold War paranoia and the possibility of a harmless event escalating into military conflict.

Nena’s recording became an enormous international success.

In Germany, it became one of the defining songs of the era. It also crossed over into the English-speaking market, where an English-language version titled “99 Red Balloons” became a major hit.

The interesting thing about the original is the contrast.

The music sounds fun.

The subject is anything but.

That contrast was part of what made the song so memorable.

Goldfinger’s Version

Nearly fifteen years later, California punk band Goldfinger took the song in a completely different direction.

Their 1997 version was recorded in English and stripped away much of the bright new-wave character of Nena’s recording.

Goldfinger turned it into punk rock.

The guitars became louder and distorted.

The drums became harder.

The vocal delivery became more aggressive.

The song suddenly sounded less like a quirky European pop hit and more like something that belonged on a late-1990s alternative-rock playlist.

The transformation is particularly interesting because Goldfinger didn’t completely abandon the original melody.

They retained the recognizable hook while changing almost everything surrounding it.

That made the song instantly familiar while also making it feel new.

Original vs. Cover

Nena’s version has a strange innocence to it.

The synthesizers and pop production make the song sound almost cheerful, which makes the subject matter even more effective.

Goldfinger’s version removes much of that innocence.

Their guitars make the song sound more confrontational.

The original feels like a warning disguised as pop music.

Goldfinger’s version feels like a punk band discovering the anger underneath that warning.

Neither interpretation is wrong.

They’re simply emphasizing different aspects of the composition.

Popularity

Nena’s original was vastly more successful commercially.

“99 Luftballons” became a major international hit, reaching No. 1 in several countries, while the English-language “99 Red Balloons” also became a substantial international success.

Goldfinger’s recording did not approach that level of mainstream chart success.

Its importance was different.

The cover introduced the song to a younger alternative-rock and punk audience who may not have been familiar with Nena’s original.

It also became a popular track in the late-1990s punk and ska-adjacent scene and helped demonstrate how effectively an old new-wave song could be transformed into modern punk rock.

Which Version Is Better?

This is one of the tougher calls.

If we’re talking about historical importance and popularity, Nena wins easily.

If we’re talking about reinvention, Goldfinger makes a very strong case.

Goldfinger’s version takes a song that already had a distinctive identity and gives it an entirely different personality without losing the melody that made it memorable.

For this particular list, that makes it a perfect example.

Verdict: Goldfinger wins the reinvention battle; Nena wins the popularity and historical-impact battle.

26. “MacArthur Park” — Donna Summer

Original: Richard Harris, 1968
Cover: Donna Summer, 1978

Harris’ version is eccentric, theatrical and almost impossible to categorize.

Summer understood that the song’s enormous structure could work beautifully as disco.

She turned it into a dance-floor epic.

Popularity: Harris had a major hit with the original. Summer’s version became a No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit and one of her signature recordings.

Verdict: Summer wins.

27. “Red Red Wine” — UB40

Original: Neil Diamond, 1967
Cover: UB40, 1983/1988

Neil Diamond’s original is melancholy pop.

UB40 turned it into reggae.

That completely changed the song’s emotional temperature.

The arrangement is relaxed, rhythmic and tropical.

Popularity: Diamond’s original was a modest hit. UB40’s version eventually became a No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit in the United States.

Verdict: UB40 wins commercially and stylistically.

28. “Cocaine” — Eric Clapton

Original: J.J. Cale, 1976
Cover: Eric Clapton, 1977

Cale’s original is laid-back and understated.

Clapton makes it more muscular.

The guitar becomes more prominent and the rhythm more direct.

Popularity: Cale’s recording became a cult favorite; Clapton’s version became a signature rock song and a staple of his live performances.

Verdict: Clapton wins in mainstream impact.

29. “Because the Night” — Patti Smith Group

Original: Bruce Springsteen composition/demo
Cover: Patti Smith Group, 1978

Springsteen wrote the song, but Patti Smith gave it its public identity.

Her performance is passionate, poetic and slightly dangerous.

She makes the song sound like punk poetry rather than conventional rock.

Popularity: Smith’s version reached the Top 20 in the United States and became one of her signature songs.

Verdict: Smith wins the identity battle.

30. “The Tide Is High” — Blondie

Original: The Paragons, 1967
Cover: Blondie, 1980

The Paragons’ version is Jamaican rocksteady.

Blondie brought it into the world of new wave and pop.

Debbie Harry’s vocal gives it an entirely different personality.

Popularity: Blondie’s version reached No. 1 in both the United States and United Kingdom.

Verdict: Blondie wins by a huge margin in mainstream impact.