Okay, so it’s impossible for me to pick ONE song for this prompt. IMPOSSIBLE. I mean, ignoring the fact that I have not picked one song for most of the other prompts, cover songs are just the backbone of most of the music I listen to. Consider the fact that both (both!) of Whitney Houston’s signature songs are covers. And you can’t expect me to choose between “Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You.” Can you?
And that’s not even touching on “I’m Every Woman,” which is an absolute delight.
Anyway, even though I obviously love all of those songs, we also have to consider other artists. You know, like “A House Is Not a Home” by Luther Vandross. Which. When I found out this was a cover, I was–as the young people say–shook. I am still not convinced Burt Bacharach and Hal David didn’t write that song for a future Luther.
And then there’s The Fugees’ (ahem, Lauryn Hill’s) cover of “Killing Me Softly,” which was enough to propel that record to #1 for weeks.
It’s so perfect. I mean.
Anyway, there is more. Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” Aaliyah’s “At Your Best.” Oh, here’s another one I love because it’s so, so different from the original and makes me think about the song a different way: “I Will Survive” by Chantay Savage. I sometimes use this against the original to teach tone/mood.
And I cannot cannot cannot end this post without posting this absolute foolishness from Ma$e and Puffy. The first time I heard this cover of New Edition’s “Jealous Girl,” I laughed so hard. “Jealous Guys” is SO DUMB. And I love it SO MUCH. It makes me angry how dumb this song is and how much I like it. (And, yes, I know it’s dumb on purpose. Still.)
It is the worst. And I am here for it.
The Englishist 
Never heard that cover of I Will Survive…very smooth.
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