Original vs Cover: "Jealous Guy"- John Lennon or Roxy Music?

"Jealous Guy" originated as a Lennon demo in 1968; a song inspired by the Beatles trip to India:

                                                

                              " Child of Nature"

Never one to waste a good melody, John re-wrote it as "Jealous Guy" for the "Imagine" album.

The original:

It's another great confessional from Lennon. He captures the feeling of being jealous and also being vulnerable:

"I was feeling insecure, you might not love me anymore". Not much feels as bad as that....Most guys are afraid to express such honesty..

I love the little "lookout" he throws in on the last chorus

                          John Lennon "Jealous Guy"

The Cover:

 Roxy Music took their version to #1 in the UK in 1981. I would think that sales were spurred on by it being viewed as a tribute to Lennon.

It is a great version. One of my co-workers turned me on to Roxy Music's "High Road" Live EP and I became a fan.

                                               Roxy Music "Jealous Guy"

 

The Winner: I'm going to go with the Roxy Music version if only by a narrow margin. I think because it is the version I was more familiar with as a teen.