Which version of 'Hurt' do you prefer?

[up_the_hampipe]

So I was going through Reddit yesterday and someone posted about Trent Reznor's reaction to Johnny Cash's cover of 'Hurt', saying this:

Reznor said he was "flattered" but worried that "the idea sounded a bit gimmicky." He became a fan of Cash's version, however, once he saw the music video.

"I pop the video in, and wow... Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. [I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore... It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure."

Cash's version is largely considered better than the original, from what I understood. But there was some debating in the comments so I thought it would be nice to discuss here, maybe.

I done a poll up there as well and included the Leona Lewis version I didn't know existed until today. That was met with a mixed reaction, as you'd expect.

[holyzombiejesus]

What about Sevendust's version?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyZkXiaBepQ

It's one of the most vile things I've ever heard.

[Johnny Yesno]

I prefer New Order's version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrA_e7X3nxg

[Old Thrashbarg]

As a standalone song, Cash's version is far superior. A couple of slight changes to the lyrics to add more religious overtones work perfectly for the feeling he was trying to get across and the stage he was at in his life. It's a very straightforward, accessible and emotional song in his hands.

However, I can't imagine a more perfect ending to an album than the original. The bleakness and desolation coming at the end of that journey is almost tangible. It's one of the most affecting things I've ever heard.

[PaulTMA]

If Johnny Cash had lived another five years, he would have ended up coving Feeder's 'Buck Rogers' under the direction of Rubin

[Nowhere Man]

It's Johnny Mother fucking Cash. He sings the alphabet better than anyone else.

[Crabwalk]

Bollocks mate. This is the definitive rendition:

http://youtu.be/G0hYxuDav0g

[Nowhere Man]

Ooh thats good, I like the Stooges, swingin' the alphabet too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgmdnxtz3Bo[nb]the 3 stooges that is nyuk nyuk nyuk[/nb]