"Sing It Your Way" Do it like Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash or Cyndi Lauper

Cover versions are to the music business as the tower is to the church. And often a new version even surpasses the original. Or would you have known that a man wrote "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"?

From January 2023, it's "Sing It Your Way" again on blue Zoom. Swiss newcomers can win the top prize of CHF 10,000 with cover versions of songs by judges Lo & Leduc, Stress and Naomi Lareine.

The artists can draw inspiration from music history. Many a cover has become a worldwide hit - and often even overshadowed the original version. We have picked out five of the most legendary cover versions for you.

Cyndi Lauper: "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"

Cyndi Lauper's pop hit from 1983 has a strong feminist message: girls want the same action as boys in their lives. However, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" was originally written from the perspective of a man. The US musician Robert Hazard released the original as a demo in 1979 - which nobody was interested in. It was Lauper's version that cracked the charts worldwide and is still considered one of the best songs of the 80s.

Jeff Buckley: "Hallelujah"

Leonard Cohen is one of the most complex songwriters of all time. Hardly any of his songs sums this up more than his 80s anthem "Hallelujah". In 1994, Jeff Buckley broke the song down to its core and gave us goosebumps with just his guitar and voice. However, the cover only became a hit after the singer-songwriter's unexpected death. Buckley drowned in 1997 - without ever knowing that his covers would find worldwide acclaim.

Johnny Cash: "Hurt"

No cover list would be complete without mentioning this song. Country legend Johnny Cash took a song by alternative rockers Nine Inch Nails - and crowned his entire career with it. Thanks in part to its emotional music video, "Hurt" is considered one of Cash's best works. Even Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor had to admit that the country legend's version was better received than his own. In an interview with "Alternative Press", he said: "The song is no longer mine."

Jimi Hendrix: "All Along The Watchtower"

Bob Dylan is probably used to his songs being turned into hits by other artists. "Blowing in the Wind" (Peter, Paul & Mary), "Mighty Quinn" (Manfred Mann Earth Band) or "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (Guns N' Roses): Dylan has helped many a career break through. However, Jimi Hendrix's version of "All Along The Watchtower" was particularly successful. The legendary musician's characteristic riffs made Hendrix's cover so special that even Dylan himself now plays the song on stage in the style of the guitar god.

Sinéad O'Connor: "Nothing Compares 2 U"

Few artists have written more songs than Prince. Although the pop legend tragically died at the age of 57, he released a total of 39 (!) albums and also wrote numerous hits for other artists. He originally wrote "Nothing Compares 2 U" for his funk project "The Family". When Sinéad O'Connor then put her own heartache into the song, it became a worldwide hit in 1990. Incidentally, after the song took off, Prince also released his own version - covering himself.

Do you want to give your music career a boost with a cover of "Sing It Your Way"? Then register here now.