10 Rock Cover Songs Better Than The Original
7. Nirvana: The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)
When Bowie dropped 'The Man Who Sold The World' in 1970, he was still several years away from becoming an internationally appreciated icon. By this time he had worked as a producer and a stage performer, and had released several (mostly) unnoticed albums. To those in the industry he was something of an oddity, but not one who was like to bring in the big bucks.
It was only after he debuted his Ziggy character in '72 that people began to take real notice of him and his back catalogue. Eventually his earlier albums became almost as loved as the material that brought him success.
Fast forward two decades and the new icon of rock, Kurt Cobain, was hold up in an MTV studio performing uncharacteristically toned down versions of his raucous grunge numbers. Nirvana's 1994 unplugged performance solidified Cobain as one of the great musicians of the last 40 years. Up until then he was considered a wild and erratic character, delivering an aggressive and raw interoperation of punk and garage rock. Afterwards, it was clear he was a highly sensitive and considered performer. Among the Nirvana hits, the group also performed Bowie's 1970 classic.
Even Bowie himself thought Cobain's take propelled the song into another realm.