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Yeah, lots of covers ended up being the definitive version of the song.

"Respect" comes to mind. Otis Redding recorded it in 1965, and in his version, it's pretty clear that respect means sex. Aretha Franklin re-arranged it and released her version two years later. She flipped the song to be from a woman's point of view, and it became one of the anthems of the women's rights movement of the late 60's and beyond.

Even though his version reached a decent #35 on Billboard, Aretha's version completely eclipsed it. Reportedly, Redding conceded that "it's her song now" (paraphrasing).

I've just listened to the original version for the first time. What leads you to the conclusion that it's "pretty clear that respect means sex"?

To me, he could mean she gets used to living without him when he's on the road and treats it like her home when he gets there, instead of theirs. If he's going to give her most of his money, at least she could make nice.

Also Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt , Nirvana's Man who Sold the World, and the Animals' House of the Rising Sun.

I've also seen it claimed that Leonard Cohen thought Pentatonix' cover of Hallelujah was the best he'd ever heard but I can't find any confirmation for that.

One of my favorite examples being "Johnny Cash" with "Hurt". Most people don’t even know the original is by Nine Inch Nails.

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