60 Cover Versions That You Should Hear

The best cover versions can truly reinvent a song – sometimes so much so that they become the definitive recordings. For our list of the best cover songs, we’re not just looking at non-original songs penned for artists to sing (like, say, much of Frank Sinatra’s work), but a song that already existed as a hit or a notable recorded version for someone else. So, you won’t find great records like Mott The Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes” or Linda Ronstadt And The Stone Poneys’ “Different Drum” here, since they were the first artists to record those songs, written by David Bowie Michael Nesmith and Michael Nesmith respectively. To our ears, the best cover songs go beyond an artist performing a faithful rendition of someone’s else’s work to make the song their own with a complete re-imagining.

Do you have any favorite covers? Please let us know your favorite cover versions in the comments below.

While you’re reading, listen to our Top Cover Songs Playlist here.

60: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Trapped (Jimmy Cliff).

You could create a large box set. Bruce Springsteen’s live cover songs, but this Jimmy Cliff cover was special, The Boss turning it into an arena anthem without losing the desperation. It is still the most memorable musical moment of the splashy. We are the World benefit album.

59: Jolene (Dolly Parton), The White Stripes

There have been numerous covers of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” over the years, but few have been singled out for praise by Parton herself. In a 2016 interview, Parton spoke kind words to Jack White. The Guardian.) It’s one of the most “rock” cover versions you’ll hear, of course, but for those looking for other types of takes on the song, you could check out Cake, Ray LaMontagne, Strawberry Switchblade, Olivia Newton-John, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Lingua Ignota, and many more.

58: Elvis Presley – Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Bob Dylan).

Just when no one was looking, Elvis There were two wins on the otherwise meager soundtrack album of the 1966 film. Spinout. First, The Coasters’ rollicking “Down In The Alley”, and then this Bob Dylan cover performed with great tenderness. Imagine if Elvis had remained post-army. covering songs Is he worthy of his talent? We had the answer for five minutes.

57: Bonnie Raitt (Angel from Montgomery) (John Prine).

“I think ‘Angel from Montgomery’ probably has meant more to my fans and my body of work than any other song,” Bonnie Raitt once said, so it might come as a surprise to learn that Raitt did not compose it. Raitt was one of many artists who enjoyed more commercial success by covering John Prine than Prine ever did singing his own songs, but that’s to take nothing away from his original recording of “Angel from Montgomery,” which ranks as one of his very best compositions.

56: Quiet Riot, Cum on Feeling the Noize (Slade).

Slade were glam-rock icons in England but struggled to make it big across the Atlantic. It wasn’t until the mid-80s that they finally found a foothold in the American market thanks to Quiet Riot’s faithful cover version (right down to the unusual spelling) of “Cum on Feel the Noize,” which helped usher in the trend of hair metal. (And one year later, Quiet Riot would score another hit with another Slade cover song, “Mama Weer All Crazee Now.”)

55: Aerosmith Big Ten Inch Record – Bull Moose Jackson

“Big Ten Inch Record” was not a hit for Bull Moose Jackson when it was released as a single in 1952, with most radio stations (understandably) hesitant to play such a risqué song. Its bluesy shuffle, suggestive humor and sly lyrics made it an ideal fit. AerosmithIt was covered by, who also recorded it on their 1975 album Toys in your Attic. But it was the Flashcats, a Pennsylvania bar band, whose raucous live performances of “Big Ten Inch Record” convinced Jackson to resume his musical career in the 80s after a two-decade hiatus.

54: Muse – Feeling Good (Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse).

“Feeling Good”’s most famous rendition is, of course, by Nina Simone. The original song was composed by Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse and recorded for a musical one year before Simone made it popular on her album. I’m putting a spell on You. Muse have an incredible ear for a great pop melody, so it’s no surprise that they took the song and made it their own in 2001 on Origin of Symmetry.

53: Lenny Kravitz – American Woman (The Guess Who).

The Guess Who’s most popular song was one that warned against interacting with American women. In a 2013 interview, Burton Cummings stated that the song was a way for him to express his preference for Canadian girls. Whatever the meaning, Lenny Kravitz tapped into the song’s magnetism and room for guitar theatrics in his 1999 cover that has since become a cover version that stands alongside the original.

52: Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse: Valerie (The Zutons)

Mark Ronson Amy Winehouse were struggling to come up with ideas for Ronson’s second album, Version – a collection of Motown-inspired covers of contemporary pop and rock tunes – when Winehouse suggested that they have a go at “Valerie,” a recent single from a British indie rock band the Zutons that she was obsessed with. Ronson and Winehouse’s rendition is a marvel, offering a perfect union of his punchy production and her cracked, smoky vocals. But the Zutons’ original is a fizzy, addictive shot of guitar pop that’s lots of fun in its own right.

51: Bananarama: Venus, (Shocking blue)

“Venus” is one of only a handful of songs that multiple artists have taken to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. You’re probably familiar with Bananarama’s slick dance-pop cover version from 1986, but it was first a hit for Dutch rock band Shocking Blue back in 1969. (Fun fact: Nirvana’s debut single was a cover of a different Shocking Blue song, “Love Buzz.”)

50: Linda Ronstadt: You’re No Good (Dee Dee Warwick)

“You’re No Good” was several years old by the time Linda Ronstadt The song was first performed in concert. It was first recorded by Dee Dee Warwick in 1963, and though her version wasn’t a hit, the tune got around, being covered by several artists until Ronstadt – always a skilled interpreter of other people’s songs – added it to her live repertoire. Ronstadt recorded it as the lead single in 1974. Heart like a wheelThe album that elevated her to a level of rock iconography she was not able to reach was titled.

49: Charles Bradley: The Changes (Black Sabbath).

One of the greatest modern-day soul ballads, as written by… Black Sabbath? The Ozzy ballad was the perfect vehicle for Charles Bradley, the soul singer to pay tribute to his mother and share his feelings. It was later used in an animated TV series about puberty to communicate a different kind. Big Mouth.

48: Pretenders, Stop Sobbing (The Kinks).

Chrissie Hynde, Nick Lowe and producer Nick Lowe gave their 1980 debut album, self-titled, the Spector-type treatment that it deserved. Many people fell in love both with the cover and Hynde, including Ray Davies.

47: Gregg Allman – These Days (Jackson Browne).

Gregg Allman’s 1973 solo album was more expressive than anyone else when he sang this Jackson Browne song. Laid Back. Browne, in turn, gave Allman all the worldweariness he needed from a song. Nico’s early cover is a gem as well, just ask Wes Anderson.

46: Harry Nilsson, Without You (Badfinger).

… On the other hand, Harry Nilsson’s cover stands as one of pop’s greatest solo vocal performances, wringing every bit of passion from the 1970 Badfinger tune. It’s ironic that master songwriter Nilsson had his two biggest hits (this and “Everybody’s Talkin’”) with cover versions. And for those who came of age during the 90s diva heyday, Mariah Carey’s take didn’t do too shabby on the charts either.

45: Todd Rundgren – Ten Years ago (The Yardbirds).

His 1976 cover songs were not soundalikes, unlike many others. Faithful album, Todd Rundgren performs the lead track in his own voice, absolutely blazing through The Yardbirds’ proto-metal tune. In the context of the album, it meant, “Before we take this trip, here’s what it’s all about.”

44: Humble Pie: I Don’t Need No Doctor (Ray Charles)

The final rave-up Performance: Rockin’ The Fillmore is among one of the greatest hard-rock cover songs of an R&B tune (in this case, a Ray Charles original) and certainly one of the most fun. Got to love Steve Marriott’s little vocal improv: “I sho’ feel good… therefore, therefore, I don’t need no doctor!”

43: Rod Stewart: I Don’t Want to Talk About It (Crazy Horse)

Rod Stewart possesses one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most distinctive voices – an inimitable rasp that lends gravity to even the most simple material. But even his take on “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” can’t quite convey the weariness that Danny Whitten, Neil Young’s doomed collaborator, brings to Crazy Horse’s original, which can go toe-to-toe with Young’s most affecting songs.

42: The Tourists: All I Want is to Be with You (Dusty Springfield).

The Tourists’ 1979 cover accomplishes the near-impossible task of making the Dusty Springfield It was more joyous and wide-eyed that it was before. It was also the first sign Annie Lennox would be something special. The Springfield original’s No. 4 peak was also achieved by their version.

41: The Continental Drifters: Some Of Shelly’s Blues (Linda Ronstadt And The Stone Poneys)

This wonderful, unheard-of roots-pop track was recorded by a group of top-class singers, including Linda Ronstadt and The Nitty Gritty Dirty Band. But it’s The Bangles’ Vicki Peterson doing the honors on this perfect New Orleans-meets Laurel Canyon’s version of the Michael Nesmith-penned gem.

40: Van Halen – You Really Got Me (The Kinks).

The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” has a killer riff, so it only made sense that guitar genius Eddie Van Halen would take the tune and make a whoscase for his brand of guitar pyrotechnics. Singer David Lee Roth, meanwhile, is the perfect conduit to lay bare each and every emotion that may have been buried beneath a previous generation’s propriety.

39: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Woodstock (Joni Mitchell)

Depending on whose version you’re listening to, “Woodstock” doesn’t just sound different, but feels different. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released their rendition in March 1970, but the song was written by Joni Mitchell, whose take wouldn’t be heard for another month. Mitchell’s is slower and more wistful, tapping into a bittersweetness that gets lost in CSNY’s more rollicking spin.

38: Michael Andrews & Gary Jules: Mad World (Tears For Fears)

When Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly asked Michael Andrews to compose the film’s score, Andrews roped in his longtime friend Gary Jules to sing a stripped-down cover version of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.” If you’re only familiar with Andrews and Jules’s version, it can be hard to believe that it was first recorded by the same group that made “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” but Tears for Fears’ original sounds much gloomier than you might expect it to, almost as much goth-pop as it is synth-pop.

37: Pearl Jam: Last Kiss (J Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers).

They may have meant it as a goof, but Pearl Jam made a solid rock ballad out of J Frank Wilson And The Cavaliers’ early-60s teen weeper “Last Kiss.” After Eddie Vedder got the band on board, the group recorded it on the cheap and offered it to their fan club members as a Christmas gift. It is still amazing to see that this song remains their biggest hit and is a well-known cover.

36: Johnny Cash: Solitary Man, Neil Diamond

While Johnny Cash’s cover of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt” gets all the press, this Neil Diamond The tune is equally good. The 1966 Diamond version was about young-adult heartbreak, while Cash’s rendition is about going through life and never getting over it. It remains not only one of Cash’s best cover songs, but one of his finest moments on the American Recordings albums.

35: Bob Marley & the Wailers: Sugar Sugar [The Archies]

Yes, it’s true: One of the many Jamaican singles the early Bob Marley and The Wailers released was a cover of the 60s novelty bubble-gum hit “Sugar Sugar,” by the fictional band The Archies. The unlikely nature of this song makes it absurd, but The Wailers manage to make a very good groove out of it.

34: Glen Campbell, Hold on to Hope (Guided By Voices).

This surprising cover of the indie power-pop heroes’ “Hold On Hope” was one of the many powerful moments on Glen Campbell’s 2011 album, Ghost On The Canvas. While it was intended to be the country icon’s “farewell album”, he was able to release his 64th and final album, Adiós, in 2017. Who better to sing “There rides the cowboy…” than the Rhinestone Cowboy himself?

33: The Dickies Nights In White Satin (The Moody Blues).

It started purely as a joke, with L.A. punk pranksters The Dickies thrashing through the least appropriate cover songs there were (up to and including “Silent Night”). The problem is: The Moody Blues’ hit worked great as a punk-pop number delivered in a Buzzcocks style. Even the Moodies’ frontman Justin Hayward gave it a thumbs-up.

32: James Taylor: You’ve Got a Friend (Carole King)

We should all hope to have a friend as supportive as Carole King, who wrote “You’ve Got a Friend” after James Taylor sang “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend” on his own “Fire and Rain.” Though King intended to keep the song for herself and her landmark album TapestryTaylor was able to cover the song, which became Taylor’s biggest hit.

31: Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie).

Nirvana’s take on “The Man Who Sold the World” became so closely associated with the band that, for years afterward, younger fans would compliment David Bowie for “doing a Nirvana song” whenever he sang it in concert. Bowie was not yet a household name when he wrote “The Man Who Sold the World,” and his recording, while playfully sinister, feels like it’s sung from the perspective of an outsider. Kurt Cobain was, however, able to portray the character of the title character. MTV Unplugged Their story is even more tragic because of his fate.

30: Bryan Ferry: The ‘In’ Crowd (Dobie Gray)

Solo or with a partner Roxy MusicThis Bryan Ferry track is one of few that makes Bryan Ferry smile wide, displaying his jet-set image and celebrating it. Originally recorded by soul singer Dobie Gray, “The “In” Crowd” often gets confused for a Motown number, thanks to the label’s arranger Gene Page, who gave the single the Motown touch. Before Ferry tackled the tune, Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded a live instrumental version in 1964; later, Cheap Trick performed a cover of Ferry’s cover.

29: The Brothers Johnson Strawberry Letter 23, (Shuggie Obtis)

If life were fair, “Strawberry Letter 23” would have been a breakout moment for teenage guitar prodigy Shuggie Otis. B.B. was attracted to Otis’ bluesy licks, and psychedelic arrangements. King and Sly Stone were praised, but Otis never received mainstream recognition. It wasn’t until 1977 – three years after Otis’ final major-label album – that the Brothers Johnson put their thumbprint on “Strawberry Letter 23,” taking the track to No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

28: Talking Heads – Take Me to the River (Al Green).

What makes Al Green so unique as a soul singer is that he’s not a belter – he sings like he’s holding something back, like he’s trying to get you to come in closer. That’s a key component of his most seductive songs, like “Let’s Stay Together” and “Take Me to the River,” the latter of which became a hit for David Byrne and the Talking Heads. Smartly, the Talking Heads’ cover keeps the original’s light touch, paring away anything that could get in the way of the song’s slinky groove.

27: The Mamas and The Papas: Dedicated to The One I Love (The Shirelles).

We’re willing to nominate this cover for the most gorgeous harmonies ever on a pop single, turning an already-fine Shirelles hit into the very essence of romance. When The Mamas And The Papas deliver that line “… And it’s something that everybody needs,” it still brings shivers… A perfect song for any wedding dance floor.

26: Metallica – Whiskey in A Jar (Thin Lizzy).

Thin Lizzy’s version of “Whiskey in a Jar” is actually a cover itself. It’s just that the Dublin rock band has been so identified with the traditional Irish drinking song that most people don’t realize. Metallica covered the hard-rocking version of the song and turned it up to 11. Garage, Inc.. It’s since become one of their biggest songs, but it still gets a particularly large reaction whenever the group plays in Ireland.

25: Stevie Wonder – We Can Work It Out (The Beatles).

Motown was no stranger to covering. The BeatlesBerry Gordy had it already The Supremes An album called A Bit of Liverpool The British Invasion took place just a few months after the group had spearheaded it. Stevie Wonder’s cover, however, was the first to give the original a run for its money. When he recorded it in 1970, The Beatles’ hit was five years old, and Stevie was just coming off back-to-back masterpiece singles in “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” and “Heaven Help Us All.”

So he had no reason to cover the Beatles unless he could make it something special – which he does by turning it funky, giving a classic vocal performance and changing the mood of the song. The first thing that grabs you in the intro is the then-novel sound of the clavinet, which Wonder would later use to spectacular effect on “Superstition.” Most of all, he gives the song an optimism it had lacked before. While Paul McCartney’s original vocal had a pleading tone, Stevie’s effectively says, “Don’t worry, we got this.”

24: Roberta Flack: I Saw Your Face For the First Time (Peggy Seeger).

The British folk singer Ewan MacColl wrote “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” back in 1957 for Peggy Seeger, with whom he had fallen in love (and would eventually marry). A number of popular folk artists covered the song throughout the 60s, culminating in Roberta Flack’s simmering, soulful take, which became the biggest-selling single of 1972 after its appearance in Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut Play Misty For Me.

23: Led Zeppelin: Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Anne Bredon)

“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” was written by Anne Bredon, but it was likely first heard by Led Zeppelin via Joan Baez. The impressive guitar work of Baez’s version obviously entranced Jimmy Page, while the vocals no doubt pricked Robert Plant’s ears. Their transformation of the song, heard on the rock group’s debut album in 1969, made it clear that the group was on to something big together.

22: Los Lobos: La Bamba (Ritchie Valens)

It was a real kick to hear Ritchie Valens’ hit “La Bamba” The song was revived in the 80s to be used as the soundtrack for Lou Diamond Phillips’ biopic. Los Lobos added a Mexican flair at the end to give it a personal touch. Nowadays they’re likely to do the acoustic version, if they play it live at all.

21: No Doubt: It’s My Life (Talk Talk)

Before they laid the groundwork for post-rock, Talk Talk was a synth-pop band, and scored a worldwide hit in 1984 with “It’s My Life.” Nineteen years later, it became a worldwide hit all over again thanks to No DoubtThe song was covered by, who promoted their first greatest hits album. Maybe when they release another compilation, they can take a crack at “Life’s What You Make It.”

20: Donna Summer: MacArthur Park, Richard Harris

Jimmy Webb is one of America’s finest living songwriters and composers, and “MacArthur Park” ranks among his most enduring compositions, for its campiness as much as its complexity. Donna Summer and producer Giorgio Moroder took the song to the top of the charts with their disco-ready version, but it was actor Richard Harris who first made “MacArthur Park” a hit a decade earlier, with Webb’s lush orchestration only heightening the tune’s sense of melodrama.

19: Joan Jett And the Blackhearts: My Love for Rock and Roll (The Arrows).

A great taste in cover songs has always been a trademark for Joan Jett, who has recorded everything from Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” to Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” and The Rolling Stones’ “Let It Bleed”. Here she took a minor UK hit by The Arrows that most of her fans hadn’t heard, and turned it into her lifelong manifesto.

18: George Harrison: I’ve got my mind set on you (James Ray).

George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set on You” was the last song by a Beatle to top the Billboard Hot 100, but the song itself wasn’t actually written by a Beatle. It was written by Rudy Clark in 1962, and it was James Ray’s jazzy version that Harrison encountered during a (pre-Beatlemania) visit to the US in 1963. More than two decades later, an off-the-cuff remark from “Dream Weaver” singer Gary Wright about “Got My Mind Set on You” recalled the older song to Harrison, who recorded a cover version of it for his comeback album Cloud Nine.

17: Elvis Costello: (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding (Nick Lowe)

The perfect tonic was to add a few shots to this song, originally a country-rock song by Nick Lowe with Brinsley Schreiber. In Elvis Costello’s hands (and Lowe’s again, since he produced it) it became a song for the ages.

16: Eric Clapton: The Sheriff Was Shot (Bob Marley & the Wailers).

Eric Clapton wasn’t much of a fan of reggae, but his backing guitarist George Terry was, and Terry convinced Clapton that he would have a hit on his hands if he covered Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “I Shot the Sheriff.” (Sure enough, it became Clapton’s first – and only – American chart-topper.) Still, Marley’s is the genuine article, with its skanky groove looser and spikier.

15: Cyndi Lauper: Girls Want to Have Fun (Robert Hazard).

You can quickly tell why Cyndi Lauper found such success with “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” when listening to the Robert Hazard original. The elements are all there, even if they’re a little bit more raw. After receiving an 80s pop sheen, the song became Lauper’s mega-hit introduction to the world, and transformed the original into a female empowerment anthem.

14: Janisjoplin: Bobby McGee (Roger Miller).

Kris Kristofferson wrote “Me and Bobby McGee” in 1969, but he was neither the first singer to record the song – Roger Miller, Kenny Rogers, Gordon Lightfoot, and Charley Pride all preceded him – nor was his version the most famous. It was Janis Joplin’s cover, which she finished just three days before her death, that turned it into a standard. Her take on “Me and Bobby McGee” is spirited and upbeat, whereas Kristofferson and his fellow countrymen tended to sing it in a simpler, more somber (but no less affecting) manner.

13: Run-DMC – Walk This Way (Aerosmith).

“Walk This Way” is one of the most groundbreaking party records ever. With the first major rap cover of an arena-rock standard (with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler making a cameo, and the unforgettable use Joe Perry’s iconic guitar riff, Run-DMC brought the two camps together in the same way that MTV and radio were trying to separate.

12: Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen).

Jeff Buckley’s searing rendition ‘Hallelujah’ rendered 25 years of further covers of the same song unnecessary. Buckley’s great performance has all the dark beauty and sensuality that composer Leonard Cohen intended (and it followed a great, if less accessible version by John Cale). As one of the most ubiquitous cover songs of all time, most people mistake Buckley’s version for the original.

11: Joe Cocker – With A Little Help from My Friends (The Beatles).

The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” is a jaunty, little tune with its sadness clearly embedded in the lyrics. Joe Cocker’s version of “With A Little Help From My Friends” is a searing epic that takes that melancholy and turns it into absolute despair. What’s perhaps forgotten, though, when listening to Cocker’s incredible vocal performance is just how much the arrangement is transformed as well. You can hear the songs sound completely different when they are played back-to-back.

10: Gladys Knight And The Pips Marvin Gaye: It Heard Through The Grapevine (Smokey Robinson).

It’s hard to determine which original cover was used. ”I Heard It Through The Grapevine”Sincerely, Gladys Knight’s barnstorming version The charts were topped a year ago Marvin Gaye’s slow-groove take, yet the latter was actually recorded first. Both versions were technically covers songs since the original recording was not made. Miracles album track.

09: The Beatles – Twist and Shout – The Top Notes

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the first to cover Beatles songs. This Top Notes song was made famous by The Isley Brothers’ 1962 hit. The Isley Brothers’ version has an almost ramshackle live feel in places, while The Beatles tightened things up for their cover. Both would become hits.

08: Harry Nilsson: Everybody’s Talkin’ (Fred Neil)

Harry Nilsson won a Grammy Award for his cover version of “Everybody’s Talkin’,” which was used as the theme song in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy. Nilsson’s version no doubt helped the song become a standard, but Fred Neil’s original still feels like the definitive version – not least because, like the song’s narrator, Neil would eventually leave behind the hustle and bustle of celebrity in favor of a quiet life in Florida.

07: Jimi Hendrix Experience All Along the Watchtower – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan was so impressed Jimi Hendrix’s reimagining of “All Along the Watchtower” that whenever he performed the song thereafter, he did so in an arrangement more similar to Hendrix’s than his own. Dylan’s late-60s material exists in the shadow of his incredible trilogy of Bringing it all back home, Highway 61 Revisited?, and Blonde on Blonde, and it would be easy to imagine newcomers to Dylan’s catalog glossing over an album like John Wesley Harding if not for Hendrix’s cover version of “All Along the Watchtower.” Which would’ve been a shame – “All Along the Watchtower” stands as one of Dylan’s most unsettling tunes.

06: Ike & Tina Turner: Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

“We never, ever do nothing nice and easy. We always do it nice and rough,” Tina Turner purrs at the beginning of her first cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” which she recorded with her then-husband Ike. You’re much more likely to associate “Proud Mary” with Tina Turner than John Fogerty – it’s become one of her signature songs, and was a staple of her live performances until her retirement.

05: Johnny Cash – Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)

It seems like an unlikely fit on paper, but once you hear the first few notes of Johnny Cash’s cover version of “Hurt,” it all makes sense. The utterly bleak Nine Inch Nails song was written when Trent Reznor hadn’t even turned 30 years old. Cash’s take, sung near the end of his life, took on new meaning, filled with personal history and a calm defiance. It’s one of the greatest cover songs recorded in the 21st century.

04: Soft Cell – Tainted Love (Gloria Jones).

“Tainted Love” was originally a minor UK hit for T.Rex member and Marc Bolan’s girlfriend Gloria JonesBut in Soft Cell’s cover, the minimal synth backing and Marc Almond’s obsessive vocal makes it both more disturbing and far sexier.

03: Aretha Franklin: Respect – Otis Redding

Aretha Franklin’s version of “Respect” is so definitive that it might make you think Otis Redding wrote the song specifically for her. (It was Franklin’s decision to add the climactic “R-E-S-P-E-C-T/ Find out what it means to me” lines, and it’s hard to imagine the song without them.) Redding’s original version was sung by a man to his romantic partner, pleading for respect in exchange for his hard work. In changing the song’s perspective, Franklin transformed the song into a feminist anthem.

02: Sinead O’Connor: Nothing Compares 2 U (The Family)

“Nothing Compares 2 U” was one of several songs that PrinceFor one reason or another, he decided not to keep the recordings for himself. (His studio recording wasn’t released until 2018, though he included a live version on a 1993 greatest hits compilation.) It was recorded by the Family, one of the bands Prince assembled on his Paisley Park record label, but the group folded shortly after the release of their lone album, and “Nothing Compares 2 U” was quickly forgotten by all but the most faithful Prince fans. You’re almost certainly familiar with Sinead O’Connor’s cover, an unexpected smash hit that, all too briefly, turned her into the most magnetic singer in the world.

01: Whitney Houston: You Will Always Be My Love (Dolly Parton).

Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” isn’t just one of the best covers of all time – it’s a purging kind of heartbreak, the kind of song that makes you want to throw open your windows and risk breaking your heart all over again for the chance of finding a lasting love. It’s a show-stopping performance, and a radical departure from Dolly Parton’s original, which is affecting in its plaintive intimacy. Parton sings it as if Houston were singing it for all of the world. Both versions are perfect.

Are you looking for more? You are looking for more? best Beatles covers with 20 essential versions of Fab Four classics.

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