Elvis' Suspicious Mind
"We’re caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see
What you’re doing to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?"
It was only
last night that I learned that my favorite Elvis Presley song, “Suspicious
Minds,” is just a cover. The original was sung by Mark James, who also wrote
the song. He released it in 1968 while Elvis released his cover in 1969, which
quickly went to number one, with critics hailing it as one of Elvis’ best
works. Rolling Stone ranked it 91st
in their 2003 list of best songs of all time. Needless to say, Elvis’ version
is miles better than Mark’s.
Elvis
performed “Suspicious Minds” in his 1969 Las Vegas concert, showing him still in top form, and I probably have watched that video 1,485 times on You
Tube. It's perfection: Elvis, the drums, the bassline, and the background singers.
Here are
other famous covers that are considered better than the original.
Whitney
Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” (Dolly Parton)
Smashing
Pumpkin’s “Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac)
Nirvana’s
“The Man Who Sold The World” (David Bowie)
Adele’s “Make
You Feel My Love” (Bob Dylan)
Sinead O’
Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince)
The
original is always better but there would always be an exception.
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