Rendition as relevance, creation as soulfulness
for a particular song. Hip-hop samples have also popularized a tune more than its creator ever could have hoped for. Some critics say that hip-hop merely steals melodies, thus making it less of a creative endeavor in music. I would argue that the beauty in the cover and the sample is that it makes the original version of a song relevant again. We might never have discovered the roots to a riff and lyrics if we had not been introduced to the modern and mainstream rendition.
So here’s the podcast and in itunes here:
I Think We’re Alone Now - Tommy James & The Shondells (covered by Tiffany)
Rock And Roll Music - Chuck Berry (covered by The Beatles)
Gloria - Them (covered by Shadows of Night, Patti Smith, Jimi Hendrix, and others)
Express Yourself - Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (sampled by N.W.A.)
What a Man - Linda Lyndell (covered by En Vogue)
Hung Up On My Baby - Isaac Hayes (sampled by Geto Boys)
Blind Alley - The Emotions (sampled by Big Daddy Kane)
Respect - Otis Redding (covered by Aretha Franklin)
As Long As I’ve Got You - The Charmels (sampled by Wu-Tang Clan)
Sweet Little Sixteen - Chuck Berry (covered with new lyrics by The Beach Boys)
Twist and Shout - The Isley Brothers (covered by The Beatles)
You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me - The Miracles (covered by The Beatles and Eddie Money)
Summertime - Sam Cooke (covered by Sublime. The original is actually a 1935 George Gershwin composition)

This is a good one:
Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush covered by Chromatics
I call to witness the great Joe Cocker… the only man who could successfully reimagine Beatles songs, unearthing the genius and soul that lurked within the original compositions. He made a living covering others, and never once came off as a hack. Long live Cocker.