My whole life, I’ve never been able to decide which version of this song I prefer. I should default to The Supremes, because it’s the original, but I actually heard Mr. Collins’s cover (which is pretty faithful) first, back in the 80s, so I have an attachment to it.
I dunno, I guess I don’t really have to pick a favorite, do I? My world is big enough for both versions.
Here is “You Can’t Hurry Love”.
And, here is “You Can’t Hurry Love”.
Well, for me, the problem with the Collins version is that it’s too similar to the Supremes’. i LOVE a good cover, and this one is pleasant but inessential. cf You Keep Me Hanging On (Supremes/Vanilla Fudge), I Heard It Through The Grapevine (G Knight ad the Pips/Marvin Gaye), et al.
That’s actually why I like it as much as I do! Collins didn’t feel the need to dress it up or update it with 80s goofiness, he just brings his own considerable vocal talents to a cover that plays it straight. His cover is more tribute than an attempt to put his own stamp on something. (I also wonder if his cover was actually conceived with this particular music video in mind, in which instead of three distinct voices, it was all Phil.)
I agree. I like both the Bruce Springsteen and Manfred Mann versions of Blinded By The Light equally. But they are dramatically different, and as Roger noted above, I have a deep appreciation for cover versions that change the conversation, as it were. See: Whole Lotta Love, by Ike and Tina Turner, or All Along The Watchtower, by Richie Havens, or Whipping Post, by Della Mae. And I never really understood Dancing In The Dark until I heard the Scott McWatt version of it. Here’s an example of a cover version I like of a song I otherwise have no use for whatsoever: Hotline Bling by William Singe. Do you guys have any covers you like of songs you don’t like the original version of?