10 Best Cover Songs

With the discovery of Rdio, I have been steadily rebuilding my music collection, and amoung that, my playlists. Now if you know ANYTHING about me, you have to know that I simply LOVE cover songs, provided they are different enough from the original to be appreciated as a completely separate song. I have been on a hardcore spree with these songs. You can see the outcome here, but if you’re not interested in scrolling through all those songs, here are my top ten favorite cover songs.

1. Got Your Money by Say Anything. Originally by Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

I just cannot with this song. This song is everything I love about Say Anything. Max Bemis truly makes this song his own. You can find it on Punk Goes Crunk, which is actually a pretty great cover album.

2. Heartless by The Fray. Originally by Kanye West.

I love Kanye almost as much as Kanye loves Kanye, so believe me when I say this cover beats the original song a million to one. It’s sung so heartbreakingly and raw. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to get my hands on another copy of this song. I don’t believe it was ever put out on a cd. You know how Kanye is.

3. Whatever You Like by Anya Marina. Originally by T.I.

A soft, innocent voice singing about “stacks on deck” and “Late night sex, so wet, so tight”. What’s not to love about this song? This is another song I’m not sure where you can get a copy of it.

4. Iron Man by The Cardigans. Originally by Black Sabbath.

If you heard this in a coffee shop, you’d pause and go, “Wait a second.” This is not the least bit recognizable, which is what makes cover songs so great! You can find this on First Band On The Moon.

5. 99 Problems by Hugo. Originally by Jay-Z.

I don’t think it gets much more different than this. It’s not the whole song, but it’s certainly enough. Find this on Old Tyme Religion.

6. Hot In Herre by Jenny Owen Youngs. Originally by Nelly.

Have you heard this yet? Have you? You should. Check this out on The Take Off All Your Clothes EP.

7. Black Hole Son by Paul Anka. Originally by Soundgarden.

I love swing music, so take an amazing song and turn it into swing? Pure gold. Check out Rock Swings. There’s a bunch of other good covers on that cd from Paul.

8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Martin Luther McCoy. Originally by The Beatles.

I tried to refrain from popular covers, but if you haven’t watched Across The Universe yet, just listen to this song. I really wish he had more song-time in the movie.

9. Hurt by Johnny Cash. Originally by Nine Inch Nails.

I love NIN, so I was curious when reading Cash’s biography and they mentioned this cover. Color me impressed.

10. Ave Maria by Beyonce. Originally by Luciano Pavarotti.

I definitely had to look up who originally sang this song. It has been remade so many times, but Beyonce just takes the cake on this one, cause she’s Beyonce. If you don’t have her I AM…SASHA FIERCE album yet, what are you waiting for?

So these are my favorites. What are your favorite cover songs? I’ve found that soundtracks are a good place to find some.