Original v. Cover: Personal Jesus

[NSL]

Depeche Mode was a great band, and wrote a lot of cult classics, with this song perhaps being the biggest. The lyrics are genius, and the music is catchy.

The Original:

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The Cover:

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While I like the original, it makes me think of synth-country almost, and that's not a very pretty picture, so I can listen to it on occasion, but not every day. Manson, however, made it his own as well as anyone could, and "rocked" it up a bit. With all of the controversy surrounding Manson, it also sounds a bit more like a song he would sing, instead of Depeche Mode. I'd have to give my vote to the cover, but that's not to say the original is garbage...

 

[Goo Punch]

Whereas in another thread, I chose a Manson cover over the original, I feel the opposite with this one. I love the original and I just don't find anything special about the cover, seemed like he kinda just phoned it in. Newer Manson just doesn't have the same appeal to me as his early stuff, seems too by-the-numbers. Although, I can certainly say the same thing for Depeche but Personal Jesus is when they where at their best.

 

[X]

Oh NSL, you bastard. You've gone and shit in my cereal bowl again!

Manson making Personal Jesus his own?! Never, in a million years. Ever. Marilyn Manson doesn't have 1/100th of the talent that Depeche Mode had in even one of their pinkies. Depeche Mode are, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest musical groups of the last 30 years. The quality and quantity of music they produced in the 80s, and the way they evolved, is simply astounding. Personal Jesus is off what is generally considered their best album, Violator, and is a classic of their catalog.

Manson's version...it's rather shit. Probably because a large portion of Manson's music is shit. His version has absolutely NOTHING on the original. At all. Even slightly!

Depeche Mode's version is so incredibly better it's actually not even worth mentioning Manson's inferior cover. Manson couldn't evoke the emotion that Dave Gahan can in his wildest fucking dreams.

 

[RVDgurl]

Oh man....what a great fucking song! Depeche Mode was such an interesting and revolutionary band- and this song was one of their best works. I know if I put all else aside, Depeche Mode's original version is by far better. However, I'm not ashamed to admit that I prefer Manson's version. Okay, so this is where I tie wrestling into things- Austin Aries used Manson's version of this song as his entrance theme in ROH. We all know I love me some Austin Aries. His entrance was so intense and just plain fun to be a part of. So I will forever associate this song with my friends/ROH/Aries.

Side note: Manson's version of this song is text message alert tone.

 

[D-Man]

This thread has often come up in conversations amongst my musician-friends and starts arguments... covers or originals?!? In most cases, the original song always seems to win. However, I don't believe in this 100%. I think that any way to spice up a song and modernize it in order to give it a current feel is a good idea... that is, if pulled off correctly. How do you do this? There are a few ways...

First of all, if you're going to completely change the structure of the original song and make the cover completely you own, you'd BETTER make it a cutting edge, catchy sound. Most bands just repeat words from previous songs, but they give the cover song a whole new strucure and format that dishonors the original.

Secondly, it can't sound TOO much like the original. Every band that covers a song should make it their own... even if the changes are very subtle. But, it should give people a reason to listen to the orignal and see the similarities.

Now, onto Personal Jesus... I believe Manson took my second point and used it on this song. I really enjoyed his use of synthesized background sounds that took the idea used in the original and made it modern and fresh. If I had to compare the two, I'd say the new version is better. Don't get me wrong, Depeche Mode is a MUUUUCH better band, but Manson just put enough edge on it to really make it his own.

 

[NSL]

Oh NSL, you bastard. You've gone and shit in my cereal bowl again!

Manson making Personal Jesus his own?! Never, in a million years. Ever. Marilyn Manson doesn't have 1/100th of the talent that Depeche Mode had in even one of their pinkies. Depeche Mode are, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest musical groups of the last 30 years. The quality and quantity of music they produced in the 80s, and the way they evolved, is simply astounding. Personal Jesus is off what is generally considered their best album, Violator, and is a classic of their catalog.

Manson's version...it's rather shit. Probably because a large portion of Manson's music is shit. His version has absolutely NOTHING on the original. At all. Even slightly!

Depeche Mode's version is so incredibly better it's actually not even worth mentioning Manson's inferior cover. Manson couldn't evoke the emotion that Dave Gahan can in his wildest fucking dreams.

*sighs*

Now, onto Personal Jesus... I believe Manson took my second point and used it on this song. I really enjoyed his use of synthesized background sounds that took the idea used in the original and made it modern and fresh. If I had to compare the two, I'd say the new version is better. Don't get me wrong, Depeche Mode is a MUUUUCH better band, but Manson just put enough edge on it to really make it his own.

Listen to the Jersey-man, X. He makes good sense here. I never said Manson was better than Depeche Mode. I said I liked that he made it his own. He gave it his sound, while staying true to the original. It's possible to do that, without having more talent than the original artist. Happens all the time. Look at Epic. Atreyu isn't in Faith No More's ballpark, but it has their distinct sound.

 

[X]

*sighs*

Listen to the Jersey-man, X. He makes good sense here. I never said Manson was better than Depeche Mode. I said I liked that he made it his own. He gave it his sound, while staying true to the original. It's possible to do that, without having more talent than the original artist. Happens all the time. Look at Epic. Atreyu isn't in Faith No More's ballpark, but it has their distinct sound.

I get what you guys were saying, I just don't really think Manson's version is good. Maybe he makes it his "own", but I think his own is rather terrible and mediocre. Which describes most of his music. He's got a few very good songs, and quite a few very terrible ones. This is one of the terrible ones.

Sorry, but you'll never convince me of Depeche Mode's version not being the best. Alot of that has to do with the fact that one of the only possesions of my fathers that I had after he died was a copy of Depeche Mode's Violator album, and I listened to it nonstop when he died. You'll never convince me of saying Manson's version is better.

Depeche Mode own this song.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

thanks to the damn copywrite both songs cannot be heard on youtube. our band also does a cover of this song as well acoustically if you can imagine that lol so personally its a tie for me

 

[Loveless]

When I saw this song come up I thought "Hey, this could be interesting, Depeche Mode Vs Johnny Cash" but no, you choose Marylin Fuckin' Manson over The Man In Black. Seriously?

Mansons cover is truly abysmal, lacking the subtlety, suggestion and hook of the original, infact it's lacking pretty much everything that makes the original great.
I'd rank it just behind Madonna's version of American Pie (and don't even get me started on that!) Depeche Mode win in a landslide