"Pride" is perhaps the most dangerous U2 song to cover. The original has Bono belting out the song at the top of his vocal range. You have classic Edge delay effect and really brings the song to life. This song introduced U2 to many people around the world as it was their first big international hit. To try to bring that energy and passion the band had for that song to any cover is almost impossible - and as a result, a cover may fail by comparison.
I appreciated Legend's cover as he brought it to another place. However, the Archuleta cover sounded like a guy who wanted to prove he could also hit the notes Bono did. It didn't have any passion. I don't care if a cover is a note for note copy - one has to bring soul to it. Mary J. Blige may have over-sang "One", which is why I'm not fond of her cover, but I will say this - she brought everything (maybe a bit TOO much, though) to the song. The Archuleta cover lacks any hint of that. I recall his time on AI - all of his songs lacked that passion. He was more worried about vocal technique.
