When it comes to music artists covering songs that may already be household favourites, reactions are more often than not given in a black and white context. Folks neither love em' or hate em'. 

However, there are a select few recordings that find themselves in the rare situation of being better than the original. There are truly very few widely-known songs that are recorded covers which connect with its target audience. For example, the rock group Disturbed took a timeless classic in The Sound of Silence, originally by Simon and Garfunkel, and reworked it into more of an operatic- rock experience. And from the initial get-go, fans seemed to love the reworking of a pop classic by a strictly Metal band. It could have went the complete opposite way, but they were fortunate enough to have done it in a fashion that was well-received by their audience. Another great instance would be Shinedown's cover of the classic by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Simple Man. This is a song widely regarded by many to be one of the best rock ballads ever produced. When Shinedown recorded their version, it could have gone two ways- one being a totally negative reaction, scarring a young up-and-coming bands reputation. Or it could have been an instant success, vaulting their band to international star status. It took the latter of the options.

These are just a couple of examples of how covers can either be amazing or terrible. What's your favourite cover gone good? What's your most hated un-original version of a song?