When a cover song is better than the original.

[Hepcat]

Love Potion No. 9 was released by the Clovers in July 1959. It reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:

Love Potion No. 9 - Clovers

The Searchers did it one better though when they released Love Potion Number Nine in November 1964. Their version got to #3 on Billboard:

Love Potion Number Nine - Searchers

 

[Hepcat]

Wait for Me by the Playmates was released in October 1960 and was a minor hit:

Wait for Me - Playmates

Lynn Roberts' version was released in late December 1960:

Johnny, Wait for Me - Lynn Roberts

It's the Playmates' recording I prefer though.

 

[Hepcat]

River Deep - Mountain High by Ike & Tina Turner was released in May of 1966:

Ike & Tina Turner

It got to #3 in the U.K. but didn't do well on the U.S. charts initially. Nonetheless Rolling Stone ranks Ike & Tina Turner's version the #33 song of all time while the New Musical Express has it at #37. Great song, great vocals, but too much orchestration for my taste.

Deep Purple turned it into a hit in 1968 with this cover:

Deep Purple

This prompted Ike & Tina Turner's original to be rereleased and it then got the attention it merited.

My favourite version though is this one by Eric Burden & the Animals from 1969:

Eric Burden & the Animals

This cover by the Supremes and the Four Tops from 1971 then reached #14:

Supremes and the Four Tops

 

[Lunkenstein]

I love Hendrix, but Derek and the Dominos' cover of Little Wing is one of the greatest ever.

[Hepcat]

Mercury Blues was written by K. C. Douglas and Robert Geddins and recorded by Douglas in 1948:

K.C. Douglas

A cover by the Steve Miller Band was released in 1976:

Steve Miller Band

A better cover by David Lindley was released in 1981 and got to #34 on the Billboard chart:

David Lindley

Another popular cover by Alan Jackson was released in 1993:

Alan Jackson

Meatloaf's cover was released in 2003:

Meatloaf

David Lindley I believe recorded the best version.

 

[Hepcat]

If You Don't Know Me by Now by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes was released on 11 September 1972 and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100:

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

A less heavily orchestrated version with fewer vocal theatrics by Simply Red was released on 27 March 1989 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:

Simply Red

 

[Memphremagog]

Different Drum written by Michael Nesmith in 1964

First recorded by the Greenbriar Boys 1966:

http://youtu.be/1eHq7ZUkO1k

The Stone Poneys in 1967(w/Linda Ronstadt on vocals):

http://youtu.be/w9qsDgA1q8Y

Michael Nesmith finally released his version in 1972:

http://youtu.be/jA5scf8RpCI

Susanna Hoffs did a fantastic cover in 2006:

http://youtu.be/DdLl21Wrg9s

It also has been covered by: The Lemonheads, Tanya Donelly, Pete Burns, Skeeter Davis, Carrie Underwood, Sarah White, Mickey Dolenz, PP Arnold, the Jayhawks, the Lennon Sisters, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Victoria Shaw, Paul Westerburg, the Pastels, the Flying Emus. Frog Holler, Sara Watkins, the Poppy Family, Gina Jeffereys and La Sera.

I'll leave it up to you all to decide which version does it for you.

[Hepcat]

Even though I think Susanna Hoffs is super hot, I still have to go with the Stone Poneys' version.