Better Than the Original: The Joy of the Cover Version

The read

It runs a compact 1h 0m.

Synopsis

Through ten carefully chosen cover versions that whisk us from the British Invasion to a noughties X Factor final, this film journeys over five decades to track how artists as varied as The Moody Blues, Soft Cell, Puff Daddy and Alexandra Burke have scored number 1s with their retake on someone else's song. Each of the ten classic cover versions has its own particular tale, tied not only into its musical and cultural context but also the personal testimony of the artists, producers and songwriters whose lives were changed in the process.

Ratings

Key crew

• David VincentDirector

Cast

• Meera SyalNarrator

Stills

Themes