The 50 Greatest Cover Songs: 10-1
Inside Spin
Devo Meets David Bowie Meets The Rolling Stones / Arwork By: Dylan Boelte
Our countdown of the 50 best covers continues! Check out entries No. 20-11 from our list -- and weigh in with your own favorites in the comments section below. To check out 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, and 20-11, click here.
- Posted By James G. Leventhal
10.03.09 10:22 PM
would love to see a series of comparative lists, but all things being equal this is a pretty interesting stab at it...
- Posted By Tin Whistle
10.05.09 7:00 AM
Fun list. Of the zillion Dylan covers, one that always holds up is the Pogues' "When the Ship Comes In." Also, Elvis Costello, at Live Aid, Wembley, 1985, wrecked the place with Lennon's: "All You Need is Love."
- Posted By Colin Blades
10.07.09 10:11 AM
Great to see a Mick Ronson riff top the chart, (in fact, essentially Mick and Tony Visconti wrote the music, David adding his vocals over the track later on) Now lets Ronno inducted into the Hall of Fame and give the man his due recognition, www.ipetitions.com/petition/Ronno
Cheers
Colin
- Posted By Fo' Sho
10.10.09 12:06 PM
On the Sinead entry, is that a cover? Prince wrote it for The Family and recorded it himself, but the former didn't release it as a single and the album faded, and Prince didn't record it until after O'Connor's became a hit.
Thought "Hounds Of Love" would be higher. Would like to see Aretha's "People Get Ready," "Blinded By The Light," Thorogood's "One Bourbon . . . ", Cat Power's "Satisfaction," Bangles' "Hazy Shade Of Winter," Soul Asylum's "Sexual Healing," James Carr's "Dark End Of The Street," Cash's "I See A Darkness" . . . there's an assload of country songs missing from this list, and to go with The White Stripes? Brown nosers! And of all the Dylan (where's the Byrds?!) you go with GNR? Yeeech.
Jawbox's "Cornflake Girl," one of Quiet Riot's Slade hits, RHCP's "Higher Ground," Yo La Tengo's "By The Time It Gets Dark," Rage's "Renegades Of Funk," TVOTR's "Mr. Grieves," Beachwood Sparks' "By Your Side," Afghan Whigs' "Band Of Gold," Arlo Guthrie's "City Of New Orleans," NIna Simone's "Feelin' Good" . . . so many.
- Posted By The Heck You Say
10.11.09 3:51 AM
Rogue Wave "Everyday" (Buddy Holly) - Gorgeous.
Pearl Jam "Last Kiss" (Wayne Cochran) - Proof they didn't take themselves as seriously as everyone thought.
Boo Radleys "There She Goes" (The La's) - Can't ever decide which version I like better.
Korn "Word Up" (Cameo) - Proof they didn't take themselves as seriously as everyone thought.
The Samples "Rocky Mountain High" (John Denver) - They turn the folk-rock anthem into a hymn.
Depeche Mode "Route 66" (Nat King Cole) - Rocks. Plain and simple.
UB40 "Red Red Wine" (Neil Diamond) - Takes me back to junior high! Good times!
Mike Doughty "Real Love/It's Only Life" (Mary J. Blige/The Feelies) - Real good!
Everclear "Brown Eyed Girl" (Van Morrison) - I know it's sacrilegious, but I think I like this version better than Van the Man's...
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" (Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong) - Timeless.
INXS "The Loved One" (The Loved Ones)
Cake "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor)
Beck "True Love Will Find You in the End" (Daniel Johnston) - First introduced me to D. Johnston. I am forever grateful.
Dynamite Hack "Boyz-n-the-Hood" (Eazy-E) - Genius!
Iron & Wine "Such Great Heights" (The Postal Service) - Stunning.
R.E.M. "Superman" (The Clique)
Creedence Clearwater Revival "Cotton Fields" (Lead Belly)
Mary Chapin Carpenter "Grow Old With Me" (John Lennon) - The wedding song to end all wedding songs.
- Posted By Sierra Hurtt
10.15.09 7:09 AM
In my humble opinion, I think it's an absolute crime that none of the critics have picked up on David Fonseca's unbelievable version of Elton John's "Rocket Man". It is, by far, my favourite cover of all time.
And so many other definitive covers were missed on this list - Cake, "I WIll Survive", Killers, "Shadowplay", Maxwell, "This Woman's Work", The Damned, "Alone Again, Or...", etc, etc - but not a bad effort.
- Posted By Matthew David Berg
10.15.09 12:32 PM
You lost me at the Pumpkins "Landslide"? I was suprised you didn't add Courtney Love's "Gold Dust Woman". Now for a few gross oversights...
Cold War Kids "Electioneering" (Radiohead) is haunting.
Wakey Wakey "Say It Ain't So" (Weezer) or "Two Headed Boy" (Nuetral Milk Hotel).
Scott Lucas of Local H has a great acoustic version of TVoR "Wolf Like Me".
Sonic Youth 'Superstar" (Carpenters).
Tef Leo "Since You've Been Gone" (Kelly Clarkson/Butch Walker)
Marylin Manson "5 2 1" (Doors) "Sweet Dreams" (Eurthymics) proof that Brian's band is a glorified cover band actually how about all of "Anti-Christ Superstar" (Trent Reznor).
Sinead was a good choice but I prefer her rendition of "All Apologies" (Nirvana).
Pearl Jam has a ton of choices but I'll take their live version of "Baba O'Reilly" (Who) and to a lesser degree because 2/5 of the band was in the band but Mother Lovebone's "Crown of Thorns".
- Posted By Matthew David Berg
10.15.09 12:47 PM
Also if you can find Ryan Adams acoustic "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" (White Stripes) with his ad lib love for Meg.
Jack White has a cool cover of "Cold Brains" (Beck) off the terminally underrated "Mutations" Album.
A Perfect Circle "The Nurse Who Loved Me" (Failure).
The entire "Dub Side of the Moon".
Jeff Tweety has a slew of great acoustic covers.
Plenty of Beatles covers out there but I'll take Sarah McLachlan's "Blackbird".
- Posted By Matthew David Berg
10.15.09 12:51 PM
One more and don't laugh but John Mayer "Kid A" (Radiohead)...
- Posted By Anonymous
10.24.09 1:45 PM
Joe Strummer-Redemption Song (Bob Marley)
Crosby, Stills & Nash-In My Life (The Beatles) (Live)
The Grateful Dead-Johnny B Goode (Live)
Jason & The Scorchers-Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver)
The LA’s-There She Goes (Sixpence None The Richer)
Young Guns-Crazy Love (Van Morrison)
Mott The Hoople-Sweet Jane (Velvet Underground)
Sean Costello-Simple Twist Of Fate (Bob Dylan)
Stone Temple Pilots-Revolution (The Beatles)
Xavier Rudd-No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley)
- Posted By Nirvana and Kurt Rock
11.07.09 11:25 AM
1-Half The Man I Used To Be-Original version: Nirvana
2-Where did you sleep last night:Nirvana
3-Lake Of Fire:Nirvana
4-Molly's Lips:Nirvana
These are the best cover by Nirvana,
- Posted By Ann Onymous
11.24.09 5:50 PM
I think the most glaring error is the Top 10 omission of Johnny Cash's cover of NIN's "Hurt". Johnny stole Trent's girlfriend and then kicked dirt in his face!
Other cool covers:
Nothing But A Good Time- Reel Big Fish
Are Friends Electric?- The Dead Weather
Mexican Radio- Kinky
Any Way You Want It- Rise Against
Blue Monday- Flunk
Because The Night- Natalie Merchant
That's Entertainment- Morrissey
Everyday Is Like Sunday- Pretenders
- Posted By BowieWonderworld.com
11.24.09 7:02 PM
Good choice.
10.02.09 5:35 PM
Interesting list. I would probably have put All Along the Watchtower at number one--Hendrix has never been better than he is on this track. So good you can practically feel the Napalm...
Some interesting omissions:
Respect--originally by Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin's cover has no business not being on this list.
Oye Como Va--originally by Tito Puente, Santana's version is amazing.
No Led Zeppelin-- A number of the band's more iconic songs, including 'When the Levee Breaks, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, and Gallows Pole' were covers of blues or folk songs. Also going back to Hendrix there's a Zeppelin cover of 'Hey Joe' floating around that's mind blowing.
Keep on Rockin' in the Free World--Pearl Jam's take on Neil Young's original is rock at it's finest.
Reckoner--Gnarls Barkley's version of the Radiohead song hasn't wound up on an album yet, but if you haven't heard it go immediately to youtube...