# Really good cover songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537 "2012-03-02T12:03:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/61 "2012-03-08T16:13:34Z")
Pearl Jam does a great cover of Dylan’s [Masters of War](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG443N7lo4Q) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/62 "2012-03-08T17:45:08Z")
Beatles “Twist And Shout” ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/63 "2012-03-08T21:06:24Z")
Annie Lennox - a lush version of ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ Eva Cassidy - ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ Bonnie Raitt - ‘Runaway’ (RIP Norton Buffalo)☹ ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/64 "2012-03-10T04:13:08Z")
Sinead Lohan’s cover of Dylan’s [To Ramona](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nHwILs8bdo) is fantastic. I also like Stevie Nicks’ version of [Free Fallin’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sprbKBkTj0w). Lots of good ones if you scrounge around YouTube for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Ricky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/48db29/32.png) [@Ensign\_Ricky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Ricky)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/65 "2012-03-10T19:47:49Z")
This probably won’t go over well, seeing as I’m also a fan of Orgy’s take on Blue Monday, but I love the Ataris’ version of [Boys of Summer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwpjAQPirE0). I see nobody has mentioned Goldfinger’s version of [99 Red Balloons](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X5_q4a9HQs) yet. Pure awesomeness. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/66 "2012-03-11T02:12:31Z")
Niyaz’s version of the Cure’s [Lovesong](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STznwQtZstI). ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/67 "2012-03-11T15:43:24Z")
> [@Ensign\_Ricky](#): > > I see nobody has mentioned Goldfinger’s version of [99 Red Balloons](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X5_q4a9HQs) yet. Pure awesomeness. I have that in my collection. It is indeed awesome. By an extraordinary coincidence (or perhaps not, **Ensign Ricky**?), it is on the soundtrack to _Not Another Teen Movie_, which also includes the much-maligned Orgy cover of Blue Monday being so bandied about elsewhere in this thread. Along those same lines (covers of songs by one-hit wonders that have dropped off the face of the Earth - or at least gone back to Germany), I can’t believe I forgot to mention [Save Ferris’s cover of Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCzWPBR30Nk). I guess I scrolled right past it while going through my playlist. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/68 "2012-03-11T16:30:41Z")
Ted Leo (of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists) does a great _tongue-in-cheek_ cover of Kelly Clarkson’s [Since U Been Gone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBr5FPIL8UU) ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/69 "2012-03-11T16:45:44Z")
> [@Ensign\_Ricky](#): > > This probably won’t go over well, seeing as I’m also a fan of Orgy’s take on Blue Monday, but I love the Ataris’ version of [Boys of Summer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwpjAQPirE0). > > I see nobody has mentioned Goldfinger’s version of [99 Red Balloons](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X5_q4a9HQs) yet. Pure awesomeness. I love both of those! How about some Dance Hall Crashers? [DHC - American Girl](http://youtu.be/nKROLMyeVB4) ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/70 "2012-03-11T17:04:51Z")
[Milow’s Ayo Technology](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE9IchvpOPk), originally done by 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake. I was a little metalhead when I was younger and Metallica’s [Stone Cold Crazy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3IrqmsC2rY) will always have a special place in my heart over Queen’s version. The White Stripes cranked the insanity to 11 with [I just don’t know what to do with myself](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snyxh8PtYkQ), a take Dusty Springfield would have approved of. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/71 "2012-03-11T17:15:51Z")
James Taylor was a singer-songwriter, but most of his hits were cover songs. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/72 "2012-03-11T18:33:49Z")
I love Holly Cole’s [I Can See Clearly Now](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f68uFGwLd84) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/73 "2012-03-11T22:28:44Z")
Gotye’s [Somebody That I Used To Know](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzGOq42zLk), with Kimbra, is great. But [Walk Off The Earth’s cover](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtl8K0kO4P4) of it is pretty damn good, especially the five people playing one guitar trick. Somebody actually made a video of the two versions (Gotye’s music video version) side by side - [this was really neat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhDz8RF28gk). ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/74 "2012-03-12T01:31:52Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > But [Walk Off The Earth’s cover](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtl8K0kO4P4) of it is pretty damn good, especially the five people playing one guitar trick. That is freaking brilliant! Thanks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/75 "2012-03-12T09:29:14Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Gotye’s [Somebody That I Used To Know](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzGOq42zLk), with Kimbra, is great. But [Walk Off The Earth’s cover](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtl8K0kO4P4) of it is pretty damn good, especially the five people playing one guitar trick.. It’s staged. We had a dedicated thread on that song last week, and they admit they’re not live in that vid.. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/76 "2012-03-12T12:48:32Z")
Here’s another Comfortably Numb cover - bluegrass style! Luthor Wright and the Wrongs - [Comfortably Numb](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEvznepdGDI) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/77 "2012-03-12T13:53:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Can a version of a song written **by that person** \*be \*a cover? Good question, and I think the votes would be divided on it. > [@GreenElf](#): > > James Taylor was a singer-songwriter, but most of his hits were cover songs. > [@wikipedia](#): > > • 1970 – “Fire and Rain” (#3) > • 1971 – “You’ve Got a Friend” (#1) > • 1974 – “Mockingbird” (with Carly Simon) (#5) > • 1975 – “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” (#5) > • 1977 – “Handy Man” (#4) The above are Taylor’s hits. He wrpte the first two, but the other three are ciovers. Mockingbird is the most unusal, and best, cover to hit the top 5. ---
**Author:** ![Yaxche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8dc957/32.png) [@Yaxche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yaxche)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/78 "2012-03-12T15:52:24Z")
I’m sure I’ve posted this in one of these threads before, although Oasis wrote this song, Ryan Adams _owns_ it: [Wonderwall](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gVxRvNfFLg) ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/79 "2012-03-12T17:49:39Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > It’s staged. We had a dedicated thread on that song last week, and they admit they’re not live in that vid.. [How about this one](http://youtu.be/SvviLGNydeg)? ---
**Author:** ![Bohomite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bohomite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bohomite)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537/80 "2012-03-12T18:11:15Z")
I’ll add The Civil Wars doing Leonard Cohen’s _Dance me to the end of love_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-cover-songs/614537.md?page=5)