The best covers you ever heard

In the spirit of the worst covers, how about the best? I’ll submit:

“Baby I want you back” Graham Parker
“Another Girl, Another Planet” The Replacements
“It’s My Party” Bryan Ferry (great because he doen’t change the gender refs, a [straight] guy singing about another guy)
“Like a Virgin” Teenage Fanclub
“Rocketman” Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
“Mrs. Robinson” The Lemonheads
“The Spiderman Theme” The Ramones

I could go on and on and on…

‘Underdog Theme’ Butthole Surfers
‘Heard It Through The Grapevine’ Credence Clearwater Revival

Eight Miles High - Husker Du

Ian Dury’s “If I Was With A Woman” sung by Cerys Matthews of Catatonia. I positively melt when I hear her sing that song, which was already one of my favorite Ian Dury tunes.

Anything by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

Dammit, Purd, you and Snooooopy better stop coming in here and beating me to the punch!
OK, number two, I guess, would be “Superman” by R.E.M.. I’ve heard the original by the Clique, and it doesn’t even come close.
And I’ll agree with Demo’s assessment of MF&tGG’s.

The Jonny Quest Theme by The Reverend Horton Heat
White Room by The Bobs (but only when Janie used to do it live, the studio version isn’t quite as good)
New York City by They Might Be Giants
SenSurround by Blue Peter Schnitzel

Swans-Love Will Tear Us Apart(Joy Division)
Hate Dept-Spin me Around(Dead or Alive)
Bigod20-Like a Prayer(Madonna)
Rammstein-Stripped(Depeche Mode)
Cut Rate Box-Behind the Wheel(Depeche Mode)

I can’t believe somebody mentioned the Swans before me. But I was going to say - “Can’t Find My Way Home”.

The Butthole Surfers- “American Woman”
Bryan Ferry- “The In-Crowd”
The Dickies- “Knights In White Satin”
The Residents- “Blue Suede Shoes”
Patti Smith- “Gloria”
Bauhaus- “Telegram Sam”…and “Third Uncle” too.
Sid Vicious- “My Way”

Save it for later - Pete Townsend
Heard it through the grapevine - The Slits
Strange weather - Marianne Faithfull
You make me feel (like a natural woman) - Aretha Franklin
The Hunter gets captured by the game - Grace Jones
Money - Flying Lizards
Smoke gets in your eyes - Bryan Ferry

Anything by Riders In The Sky
Joe Cocker - “Unchain My Heart”, “The Letter” and “Feelin’ Alright”
Beatles - “Roll Over Beethoven”

best cover band of all time, bar none, is the isley brothers. ever heard them do ‘summer breeze’? yeah, summer breeze by seals and crofts. they are friggin miracle workers, im tellin ya. they do a bitchin ‘lay lady lay’, too. and a ton of others. ‘ohio’ comes to mind.

‘girl from the north country’ by joe cocker and my hero leon russell, offa ‘mad dogs and englishmen.’

but, and i am personally astonished by this, the best cover song of ALL TIME is hendrix’s ‘all along the watchtower’.

sheesh.

d’oh! i am personally astonished, of course, cuz no one mentioned it before me.

One of my favorites is U2’s cover of Helter Skelter by the Beatles.

“Light of Day” - Joan Jett

“Landslide” - Smashing Pumpkins

and I’ll second “The Spiderman Theme” by the Ramones

Another vote for Spiderman, by the Ramones. Actually almost any one of their covers is great.

“I got you babe” - Joey Ramone & Holly Beth Vincent

“All Along the Watchtower”.

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s version of “Voodoo Chile” (hendrix)

Most any cover by George Thorogood, but especially “Move It On Over” (hank williams sr.)

“Rock and Roll, Part II” by D.I. (I know I’m probably the only one who’s even heard of the band, let alone the song…sigh)

Jimi Hendrix, All Along the Watchtower.

DOA’s version of “Takin’ Care Of Business”

Song to the siren - This Mortal Coil
This masquerade - Carpenters
Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
Suzanne - Peter Gabriel
The first time ever I saw your face - Roberta Flack
Blinded by the light - MMEB
Nothing compares 2U - Sinnead O’Connor

and last but by no means least:
The whole “As time goes by” CD - Bryan Ferry. Awesome.

A mighty nod to This Mortal Coil’s version of Song to the Siren.

Also:

Dancing Barefoot - U2
Shake the Disease - Hooverphonic
Thank You - Tori Amos
Tangled Up in Blue - Indigo Girls
There’s A Light That Never Goes Out - Divine Comedy
(It’s lovely in a depressing kind of way. They managed to out-Morrissey Morrissey.)