We live in an era where people such as Justin Bieber, SoMo and Greyson Chance have become famous in no small part due to their Youtube covers.
Cover songs have been around for decades and sometimes the remake trumps the original track. This is where this blog comes in. It is here that we will stack these covers against their predecessors to determine which rendition of the song is truly better.
These covers will be judged according to the following: how well or badly the cover deviates from the original song, replay value and the cover’s ability to connect with the listener.
Today, we begin the cochlear collision by pitting the original song “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails against a cover by one of the most well known American artists, Johnny Cash.


Round 1: Deviation? Good or Bad?
Listening to both versions of “Hurt” will absolutely haunt you. The original is slower and almost silent including lead singer of Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor’s vocals. Clocking in at a little over five minutes, this version may include a little too much whispering for some, but it is the way that Reznor decided to perform the song and for good reason. The silence causes the listener to think about what they’ve just heard and once they understand, the song comes into perspective.
I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t like Johnny Cash. I have never heard a Johnny Cash song that I don’t like. My bias aside, Cash’s “Hurt” is driven by a progressing melody and a faster pace which cuts the song by about a minute. After hearing this rendition, its clear that Cash had seen his fair share of problems in his career but that pain doesn’t seem to be there as it was for NIN.
Once, removing my headphones from these two songs, I had a thought. The cover is great to listen to but the original provoked thought and a little soul searching of my own. The changes to the song weren’t bad but they weren’t better either.
Point to the original song. Score 1-0
Round 2: Replay Value
I’ll make this quick. The original version is not something you listen to on repeat. I could go months not hearing the NIN style of “Hurt” because its almost too dark. I can’t sing, er whisper, that song with friends.
Now Cash’s cover has guaranteed replay value. It’s faster, catchier and still holds enough weight to be carry the message of the song.
Point to the cover song. Score 1-1
Round 3: Ability to connect with the listener
Since this is my blog I’ll say this; round three will always be the most subjective. I’m not a person who likes a cup of sadness with my music. That cup overflows with sadness when listening to the NIN version of the song. I use music to escape sadness, not fall deeper into it.
I find myself tapping my foot and bobbing my head to Cash’s hurt while still understanding the magnitude of the song. I enjoy the combination of guitar and piano accompanying Cash’s voice. It simply resonates with what I look for in my music.
Point to the cover song. Final score 2-1. Winner Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt.”
Don’t get me wrong, I like NIN but Cash’s hurt appealed to what I would like in a cover.
Feel free to listen to both versions of the song below. Leave some comments telling me what covers you like more than the original. Join me next Monday for another showdown between an original song and its cover.