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All that will remain is that people will nod sagely and talk about how his version of Hurt is far better than the original when they never would have heard the cover if he hadn't died...

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I heard it quite by accident by being in the right place at the right (or perhaps the wrong) time. At first I thought it was a joke but then once it got out I was baffled by the amount of praise being heaped upon it. While I agree with your cyncism, might there not be a simpler explanation? Perhaps it's simply a symptom of First Exposure Syndrome, whereby the version of a song which the listener first becomes acquainted with is generally held as the definitive, particularly in the case of covers. But, of course, I could be wrong since NIN fans seem to be rushing to its defence as well as more casual listeners.

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NIN's video kicks Johnny's one's arse, also.

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I haven't seen it but I don't doubt it.

I was also going to address the content of your sentence-paragraph but I think that's deserving of its own thread.

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