DAILY DIRT: Is 'Twist and Shout' the best cover song of them all?

DAILY DIRT for Sept. 6, 2026 Or might it be 'I Will Always Love You' or 'First Cut Is The Deepest'? … Welcome to today's three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,754 of The Daily Dirt. 1. Many times, the cover of a song is better than the original, and today we have some cases in point. I tried to select some of my personal favorites from this particular category. See what you think of what I feel are medal-worthy selections: Gold medal: 'Twist And Shout' by the Beatles. Original hit by the Isley Brothers. John Lennon's rather hoarse voice was particularly noticeable, but, rather ironically, it was that sound that led to one critic labeling the song 'the most stunning rock and roll vocal and instrumental performance of all time'. I can't argue. Silver medal: 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston. Original by Dolly Parton. Interestingly, Houston's cover of the memorable Dolly classic was inspired by a version from Linda Ronstadt. Houston's version was an all-time classic, reaching No. 1 in 34 countries. Bronze medal: 'First Cut Is The Deepest' by Rod Stewart. Original was by Cat Stevens. What many forget is that Sheryl Crow also covered this song and even earned a Grammy nomination for her effort. Stevens wrote the song when he was a teenager. Some honorable mentions 'You Really Got Me' by Van Halen. Original by The Kinks Original by The Kinks 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' by Guns N' Roses. Original by Bob Dylan. Original by Bob Dylan. 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin. Original by Otis Redding. Original by Otis Redding. 'This Old Heart Of Mine' by Rod Stewart, with Ron Isley. Fittingly, the Isley Brothers recorded the original. Fittingly, the Isley Brothers recorded the original. 'Love Hurts' by Nazareth. Original by The Everly Brothers. Original by The Everly Brothers. 'Feelin' Alright' by Joe Cocker. Original by Traffic. Original by Traffic. 'With A Little Help From My Friends' by Joe Cocker. Original was by The Beatles. Original was by The Beatles. 'Me And Bobby McGee' by Janis Joplin . Original by Kris Kristofferson. . Original by Kris Kristofferson. 'This Magic Moment' by Jay and the Americans. Original was by The Drifters. 2. Did you know (Part 853) — That singing backup vocals on the Beatles' 'All You Need Is Love' were Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones, Keith Moon from The Who and Eric Clapton — That playing the guitar in the Joe Cocker classic 'With A Little from My Friends' was Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. — That the person doing backup vocals on the Bob Seger hit 'Ramblin' Gamblin' Man' was Glenn Frey of the Eagles. — That playing the harmonica on the Elton John Song 'I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues' was Stevie Wonder. — That providing backup vocal for the Billy Joel song 'My Life' was Peter Cetera of Chicago. 3. A few days ago, we had a few laughs over some of the funniest names among this season's college football players. Here's a few more I came up with Saturday while wading through all of the games on television: — Sirr Bible is a linebacker at San Jose State. is a linebacker at San Jose State. — Tommy Running Rabbit is a running back at Montana. is a running back at Montana. — One of the linebackers at Duke is Memorable Factor . . — Kent State never has much of a football team, but it does have a player named Da'Realyst Clark , a wide receiver. , a wide receiver. — Louisiana Tech features a wide receiver named DeColdest Crawford . . — D-Icey Hopkins is a safety at Liberty. (Did you notice kind of a theme among the last three?) is a safety at Liberty. (Did you notice kind of a theme among the last three?) — General Booty is one of the quarterbacks at ULM. is one of the quarterbacks at ULM. — We discovered that Prayer Young-Blackgoat of Arizona State (featured in our first list) has a brother, Noble Young-Blackgoat, who is a linebacker at Northern Arizona. — UTEP has a tight end named Cash Cheeks . . — Boobie Feaster is a wide receiver at USC. is a wide receiver at USC. — Georgia Southern has a defensive back whose name is Chance Gamble . . — In the defensive backfield at Central Arkansas is Dude Person . . — Panda Askew is an offensive lineman at East Carolina. is an offensive lineman at East Carolina. — Closing out today's list another player at Arizona State, defensive lineman Blazen Lono-Wong. Steve Thought O' The Day – If you're mad about something, don't talk to anyone about it. Just punch a hole in the wall. Be a man. Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Kris Kristofferson also wrote 'Me and Bobby McGee'.