As soon as I hit the submit button on my article from September, “Cover Songs That Are Better Than The Original,” I instantly thought of a ton of songs that I felt bad about leaving off of the list, so I thought of a genius idea: make another list. Here are four more of my favorite cover songs that I believe are undeniably a better listen than the songs they were inspired by.

Mitchell Tenpenny – “Iris” (Originally by The Goo Goo Dolls)

I rarely ventured outside of country music, but I was first introduced to the original “Iris” by my friend Dameon whose taste in music is a genre that many people would identify as “Divorced Dad Rock.” While I loved the Goo Goo Dolls’ version of the song the first time I heard it, I’ll admit that the first thing I did after the song ended was pull up Spotify to see if it had ever been covered by a country artist. I found that one of my favorite artists when I was younger, Mitchell Tenpenny, had a cover of “Iris” on his most recent album. The biggest difference between the two is that Mitchell’s version is about a minute and a half shorter. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the 90 second bridge of the first one, because I felt like it was a bit repetitive and boring, but the bridge on Mitchell’s version is about a third as long, but keeps the signature parts of the originals, while still putting a spin on it, incorporating a string quartet at the end. The biggest difference between the two is the way Mitchell says the most iconic line from the song “I just want you to know who I am.” While he doesn’t say it as many times as the original does, he makes a few subtle changes in melody near the end, which makes the lyrics feel a lot more powerful. Listen to “Iris” by Mitchell Tenpenny on Spotify here.

Riley Green –  “Atlantic City” (Originally by Bruce Springsteen)

I cannot stand Springsteen’s version of Atlantic City. Something about his voice seems very strange, and the harmonies near the end of the song make my ears hurt every time. When I saw that Riley Green had covered it on his 2024 EP, Way Out Here, I wasn’t expecting much. However, Riley’s cover lines up closely with Canadian group The Band’s cover of it from 1993, which completely changes the melody of the original. Riley used that exact same melody for his cover, and it is a huge step up from what it would have sounded like if he had been faithful to Springsteen’s version. The biggest difference between Riley’s and The Band’s covers is that Riley’s song is heavily driven by a harmonica, one of the only parts about Springsteen’s original that I actually enjoyed. Out of the three covers I’ve mentioned, Riley’s song is easily the best because it takes the best aspects from two versions of “Atlantic City” that came before it, and puts them together to create a song that feels both unique and familiar. Listen to “Atlantic City” by Riley Green on Spotify here.

Kameron Marlowe – “Burning House” (Originally by Cam)

The original version of “Burning House” is one of my favorite songs, so when Kameron Marlowe, one of my favorite artists, released his cover of it, I had very high expectations. Kameron’s version is extremely different, although I find that I prefer it to the original. Cam’s original song seems very whispery and restrained, which benefits how haunting the song is supposed to feel. Kameron had a different approach, instead of going for the fragile narrative of the original, he gets rid of the harmonies and belts most of the chorus which makes the song’s message focus more on desperation rather than acceptance. He also changes up the melody quite a bit, especially with the word “sleepwalking” in the chorus, as well as the entire bridge, which is easily the best part of the song. The instrumentals are probably the biggest difference between the two songs, with Kameron attempting a very different tone than the original. The instruments in Cam’s song match her vocals, with strings, acoustic guitar, and extremely subtle bass. Kameron’s version has a completely different style and melody, relying heavily on bass and slow electric guitar swells, which goes very well with his vocals on the song. Stream “Burning House” by Kameron Marlowe on Spotify here.

Morgan Wallen – “Cover Me Up” (Originally by Jason Isbell)

This is an apparently controversial opinion, because Jason Isbell has a very outspoken fanbase that looks for every reason to criticize Morgan’s cover of the song, but if you ask me, Morgan’s version of the song is significantly better. I think Jason Isbell is a very talented songwriter, but when it comes to singing, he’s mediocre at best. If I heard him playing on the street, I’d probably think he was relatively talented, but nowhere near the level that Morgan is at. Morgan’s cover, vocally, is more emotional and raw, which is likely due the subtle changes in the melody from the original. However, the real highlight of Morgan’s cover is the instrumentals. Isbell’s original sounds like it was recorded on an iPhone 7 in a hallway. Morgan’s song has a cinematic build-up that has great use of both an acoustic and steel guitar, which pairs with a reverberating percussion effect, a mix of deep kick drums and cymbal swells. Morgan’s song has some of the best uses of percussion and steel guitar I’ve ever heard, which definitely earns it a spot on this list. Stream “Cover Me Up” by Morgan Wallen on Spotify here.