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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2075 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 7, 2025

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What are your favorite versions of classic songs/folk tunes/jingoistic drivel/any song or piece that's been covered many times over the years? I find some versions of these songs nigh unlistenable, but one inevitably ends up being 'the' authoritative version. In particular, prompted by the fact that I hate the Sinatra version of Moon River, but I've been subjecting my family to the Melody Gadot version for weeks now.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic (although the version by Jon Batiste is also interesting).

Will the circle be unbroken (shoutout to the Bioshock version).

Unchained Melody.

This version of La Marseillaise.

Hit me with anything you got that's even broadly related, I'm curious what I've been missing.

The Foggy Dew - The Dubliners

Some personal best versions, though I think both from the early 70s so not modern remixes:

Oh My Darling Clementine - The Nashville Ramblers
My Way - Honolulu Elvis

And a bit different: Down in the river to pray - Colorado All State Treble Choir (this goes semi-viral every few years since 2019 I think)

And a bit different: Down in the river to pray - Colorado All State Treble Choir (this goes semi-viral every few years since 2019 I think)

Love it! Thanks so much. My family has never been religious, but I've always been sucker for a good choir.

Laura Wright's Last Rose of Summer(https://youtube.com/watch?v=LqtSmj7zxmw), and also her version of Drink To Me.

I've been obsessed with the Unleash the Archers cover of Northwest Passage for years.

There’s a whole genre of Irish Republican songs from the War of Independence and the Troubles. History and politics aside, a lot of it is really good folk music, and it’s all free on YouTube. For any single song you can probably find dozens of covers from the 1960s to the present.

Not a rebel song, but Parting Glass by Luke Kelly. Luke Kelly is going to show up a lot on lists on best versions of trad/rebel songs, as likely will Ronnie Drew.

If you're into soul at all, check out the Isaac Hayes versions of Joy and The Look of Love.

The Johnny Cash version of you are my sunshine comes to mind.

This is probably the link you meant to send. Yours is for a YoYo Ma recording of Bach.

Thanks :)

If we're counting historic songs that I like that have gone through a lot of versions before ending up in its current form then i would point you towards Björneborgarnas marsch. The melody was probably written in France, the melody was then popularised in Sweden by the famous Swedish troubadour Carl Michael Bellman and was subsequently adopted as a marsch by the Swedish army. 70 years later, and post Sweden losing Finland to Russia, a Swede living in (and naturalised citizen of) Finland wrote a poem that became the lyrics to the song of called Björneborgarnas marsch. This was eventually translated to Finnish and became the anthem of not only the Finnish armed forces but also their president and Estonia's armed forces.

For me, it's the instrumental version published by Naxos in the album Swedish March Favorites, which was included in the soundtrack of Victoria 1.

But then you're missing out on the wonderfully jingoistic lyrics!

For me it would have to be the Loudon Wainwright III version of Carrickfergus, from Boardwalk Empire.

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