Cover songs, done correctly, are meant to pay homage to the original artists that created them. A truely, great cover song appreciates the original. And like with most art, once the research has been done (i.e.; usually listened to a bajillion times due to pure enjoyment), the artist is allowed to break the rules and add their own interpretation into the world.

Here are 13 covers that turned the idea of covering a song upside down and made a new version of a song so classic (that, dare I say it...), it became better than the original.

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13. Running Up That Hill - Placebo vs. Kate Bush

While both versions feature electronic elements, Placebo tones down the galloping drum beat to a gentle heartbeat and exchanges the synth for a simple piano, choosing to focus on the emotive vocals and production.

12. Thoughtless (Live from Le Zénith, France) - Evanescence vs. Korn

<p>I'm a huge fan of this band and I remember when I first looked at the back of their live DVD, "Anywhere But Home," I noticed that there was a track that I had never heard of before. This was back before the internet took over the world, so I didn't understand that it was a cover at first. Much to my demise, while watching the DVD, Amy decided to not introduce who the cover was originally by either, stating that "I'm not even going to announce it, you oughta know what this." Regardless, I eventually found out that it was a cover of Korn's song "Thoughtless" and it made me fall in love with both bands even more. Highlights include the ambient guitar during the bridge and hearing Amy Lee scream ( You think it's funny/ What the f--k you think it's doing to me?). </p> <h2>11. The Sound of Silence - Disturbed vs. Simon and Garfunkel</h2> <iframe width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/u9Dg-g7t2l4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="line-height: 1.6em;">

Being a huge fan of the original, I was a bit skeptical at first when I learned that Disturbed covered this song. Although, hearing David Draiman's voice range from devilish to heavenly quickly changed my mind. While it may be weird hearing a Disturbed song feature mostly piano and strings, it doesn't take away the power that Draiman's vocals possess. It just gets better and better as you listen.

10. Since I've Been Loving You - Corinne Bailey Rae vs. Led Zeppelin

Corinne's cover of this Led Zeppelin blues track takes away the somewhat relentless guitar solos and keeps everything that's important; resorting to only a piano and an upright bass to tell a simple story about unrequited love.

9. Sour Times - The Civil Wars vs. Portishead

Sometimes the reason covers end up being so great is because of the simplicity a rendition can create; whether of intended purpose or the accessibility of a guitar. The Civil Wars prove this with an equally creepy acoustic cover of Portishead's "Sour Times," a song which normally features mysterious James Bond guitar stylings and trip-hop beats. The Civil Wars keep the mystery alive by stripping it all down and focusing on the guitar hooks, vocal stylings and low-fi recording techniques.

8. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) - Marilyn Manson vs. The Eurythmics

Is it even legal to have a listicle of covers without including this one? Marilyn Manson dragged this song through the dirt, tortured it's soul, put it in a body bag, hung it on a wall and then released it into the wild for all of us to endlessly torture it over and over again... in a good way? Another reason cover songs can end up being so great is because of the obscurity of the artist even knowing who the other artist is. Manson naturally replaced the synths with a guitar; turning everyone's sweet dreams into nightmares.

7. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Tori Amos vs. Nirvana

Much like the Marilyn Manson cover, Tori Amos turned this alternative hit inside out, found it's heart and revealed that the angry boy inside was actually a sad, little boy lost in his career.

6. Caught A Lite Sneeze - Evans Blue vs. Tori Amos

Speaking of Tori Amos... it takes some balls to cover a Tori Amos song, let alone, completely revamp it. What better way to do this than to make a hard rock version of Caught A Lite Sneeze? Evans Blue emphasizes on the anger of this song and turns it into a real headbanger.

5. Make You Feel My Love - Adele vs. Bob Dylan

Remember what I said about simplicity? Adele is practically known for it. In this cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel Me Love," Adele does what Adele does best and makes you reach for the tissue box. I'm not crying... you're crying...

4. Hurt - Johnny Cash vs. Nine Inch Nails

Again... how the hell does Johnny Cash know who Nine Inch Nails is... and vice-versa? However they ended up being introduced, they broke the internet by releasing this cover and the backlash of which version was better consumed the world. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of listeners don't understand that this is a cover. However, religious or not, you can still appreciate Johnny Cash changing the lyrics from "crown of shit" to "crown of thorns" due to his background in music. And, obviously, he got permission.

3. Going to California - Amy Lee vs. Led Zeppelin

If you haven't been keeping tabs on what the Evanescence singer has been doing lately, Amy Lee has been taking a break from Evanescence to work on various solo projects that usually involve electronic beats and moog synths. She recently released an E.P. full of covers entitled Recover, Vol. 1 which features a Portishead cover, a U2 cover, a Chris Isaak cover and this beautiful rendition that received a lot of popularity by trending on Facebook and getting a feature in Rolling Stone. That high note though at 1:11...

2. Simple Man - Shinedown vs. Lynard Skynard

Simplicity. is. key. Shinedown takes it home in this cover of Lynard Skynard's "Simple Man" with just a man, his guitar and killer vocals.

1. Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better) - Felix Jaehn ft. Jasmine Thompson vs. Chaka Khan

If you know who Jasmine Thompson is, you'll know that she's a YouTube artist that received her fame from doing what YouTube artists do best - cover songs. Thompson's covers, however, have received so much popularity that you'll even hear her covers on Pandora radio while listening to artists like Ellie Goulding. Thompson's airy and ethereal voice naturally attracted the attention of music producer D.J. Felix Jaehn and they bravely and expertly resurrected Chaka Khan's 1982 hit "Aint Nobody."

If you're a musician getting caught up in the covers, remember that a lot of artists are known for their ability to resurrect someone else's song.

As Amanda Palmer recently wrote in a guest blog on NME about cover songs, "One could argue that covering a song, any song, is a political act in itself. It's like being a gravedigger, a historian, and a medium all at once. You're making sure the dead don't stay dead, and you're making sure the living get their due. And for sure: better to sing a cover song than no song at all. In these dark times, we need all we can get."

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