WHETHER it's Elton John's version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds or Sheryl Crow's take on Cat Stevens' First Cut Is The Deepest, cover songs provoke widespread discussion.
But are they ever as good as the original?
It's a dispute which can get any music fan going. And it was cover songs that drew many people to the city's Music Exchange shop, in Hockley, on Saturday.
The shop holds monthly sessions where music fans swap playlists downloaded on to CDs.
The latest asked people to compile a selection of cover songs and drop them into a box. Those who did so were able to take a CD recorded by another customer.
Steve Larder, 28, of Mapperley, was one of those who made a CD. He said some cover songs could be a success.
He added: "If the artist who does the cover does a good job, then I don't see anything wrong with it. Sometimes there are some bad versions but there have been some really good examples too."
Many a hit song has been re-released by another artist, sometimes a matter of months later and on other occasions decades down the line.
Gary Morgan, 38, of the city centre, also put together a compilation of covers.
He said: "There have been some good cover versions done over the years. A group called St Etienne did a version of Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart. That was a fantastic example.
"But there have been some bad ones as well. There have been some covers of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? which haven't been very good."
Steve Rogers, 32, of Bulwell, is a fan of covers. He said: "There are some great examples. Nirvana did a good one of The Man Who Sold The World, by David Bowie. So did Stevie Wonder with the Beatles' We Can Work It Out.
"As long as they do a good job, I don't mind. But there have been some really bad ones, too."
