Original vs Cover: Simple Man

[Dave]

Which performance of this song is better in your opinion? Simple Man is one of my favourite songs ever and it wasn't till a couple of weeks ago that I had even heard of it. Now though, I am completely in love with it. I have lisened to both versions of the song that continually garner attention. I am sure their has been more than one cover but this one seems to be the best of them. The song "Simple Man" has some of the best lyrics I have heard in a song and are inspiring to me. I would love to know what you think is the better performance of the song. Is it:

Lynyrd Skynyrd...

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Shinedown...

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I personally prefer the cover. I think that the vocal performance in the Shindwon cover is brilliant and I think that the emotion that is conveyed throughout and especially in the chorus is exceptional. What do you think though?

 

[X]

I knew this song was going to come up. And I knew it would piss me off.

I hate Shinedown. No, I loathe Shinedown. They anger every single creative fiber of my body and make bashing my head in with a rusty hammer seem a reasonable solution. They are hacks, in the truest sense of the word hack.

Lynyrd Skynyrd wins this, and it's not even close. It's a travesty these two should even be compared in my mind. Skynyrd is so much better than Shinedown, it's just scary. They're on the exact opposite side of the quality music spectrum.

Simple Man is one of the greatest rock and roll songs ever written, and probably my favorite Skynyrd song (Tuesday's Gone is a close contender for that honor). I'll take the emotion in Ronnie Van Zant's voice over Shinedown's entire discography multiplied by a thousand thank you very much.

I cannot describe how very much Lynyrd Skynyrd's version destroys Shinedown's cover. Simply destroys it beyond belief.

Skynyrd. All the fucking way.

 

[Mr. TM]

Quadruple L for me in this one. Simple man is a pretty emotional song, and Shinedown's cover reminds me of a couple jackasses singing around a campfire, and getting recorded. Lynyrd Skynyrd's version is extremely emotional however, and is an anthem for any young man trying to make his way in the world.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

In agreement with xfear on this one. This is such a fantastically wonderful song. The emotion that Ronnie put behind this song was just breathtaking. The way he sang it, to the way he made you believe it. Shinedown's version is good, very good in fact. Brett can really sing like a motherfucker, but it's not about the better voice in this one, it's about the emotion. I used to like Shinedown's version better, then I woke up. Lynyrd Skynyrd all the way on this one.

 

[NSL]

I hate Shinedown. No, I loathe Shinedown. They anger every single creative fiber of my body and make bashing my head in with a rusty hammer seem a reasonable solution. They are hacks, in the truest sense of the word hack.

I'm a pretty big fan of Shinedown's, and I'm still thinking someone shit in your Corn Flakes. While Skynyrd's is definitely better, Shinedown's is by no means shit. Within 2 weeks, I got to see both bands perform this song live, and both times, the crowd was dead silent, lighters/cell phones in the air, most people in tears. It's an incredibly moving song, and both bands pull it off rather well.

Like I said, I like Shinedown's, but I don't think their style fits the mood of the song as well.