Top 16 Favorite Cover Songs
I’ve always been fascinated with cover songs – when one artist does their version of a song another made famous.
For me, seeking out covers has exposed me to new songs and artists, and even new genres of music. A new slant on an old song shows creativity and artistry, and says as much about the coverer as it does about the coveree.
So I present to you, my Top 16 Cover Songs!
[Notes: Some people say that artists can cover their own songs. An example being Eric Clapton's unplugged version of "Layla." While these alternative versions are awesome, they are not covers in my book. You'll notice some bands you may not be familiar with. Feel free to look up their versions! Also, American Idol performances get their own "Honorable Mention" catgory. Glee performances aren't eligible, as are tribute movies, like "I Am Sam" or "Across the Universe." Also, this is my list of my favorites. It's biased. Put your favorites in the comments! And you can look up the original artists...it doesn't matter because these versions are so good!]
American Idol Honorable Mentions
“Straight Up” by Andrew Garcia
“Eleanor Rigby” by David Cook
“Hemorrhage” by Chris Daughtry – In my opinion, THE rockstar making performance of his career.
“Heartless” by Kris Allen – Making a Kanye song sound like your own is no easy feat.
And here we go with the Top 16!
16 – “Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm – Are you OK, Annie????
15 – “Boyz In Tha Hood” by Dynamite Hack – Apologies for the language, but this is pure brilliance.
14 – “Careless Whisper” by Seether
13 – “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
12 – “The Man Who Sold The World” by Nirvana
11 – “Feelin’ Good” by Muse
10 – “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
9 – “Billie Jean” by Chris Cornell – Raw emotion…incredible.
8 – “All Night Long” by Jason Mraz – One of the most fun songs made even more fun!
7 – “Cry Me A River” by Glen Hansard – Sounds like it was written for his voice.
6 – “All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix
5 – “Landslide” by Smashing Pumpkins – I LOVE this song and Corgan’s sad voice makes it even better.
4 – “Hurt” by Johnny Cash – A lifetime of pain comes through in this version.
3 – “Umbrella” by Boyce Avenue – Never heard of them? Jump on the bandwagon! I can’t stress the awesomeness of this group any more. Take a listen!
2 – “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin
1 – “Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – The. Best.
Popularity: 36% [?]
