Cover or Original?

Have you ever discovered that a song that you knew and loved was actually a cover? It has happened to me many times. Actually, I love when it happens. It is a shock at first but it also generates a type of excitement, like you have just stumbled on a mystery and you are about to get to the bottom of it.

My most recent experience like this was with a song called Jump Into The Fire. The version I knew was by LCD Soundsystem. I remember seeing them live in the early 2000's in Montreal and they did a great version of it. I really like the energy of the song and it's driving groove. Here is their version:

A few weeks ago, I saw a movie and I really liked the song that was playing during the credits at the end. I discovered it was by Harry Nilsson. I had heard of Harry Nilsson before but I was not at all familiar with his music. I went to YouTube and did some digging and discovered that he had a song called Jump Into The Fire as well. At first I thought it could not be the same song. His version was from 1971! I listened to it and was completely blown away. I liked it better than the LCD Soundsystem version. In fact, I discovered that the LCD Soundsystem version was a pretty faithful cover. They didn't change much. The Harry Nilsson version had even more energy and the groove was even more killer. I find it is rawer as well, which I like. Also, the bass in this version is amazing. There is a part where the bass player is detuning his bass as he is playing it- for effect! Check it out: