We’ve had many past threads about the best, worst, better than the original, bigger hit than the original, and so forth. But what about the artist or band who’s had the most covers recorded by other artists or bands? (They don’t have to have written the songs, just recorded the original version.)
Seems like just about everybody has a Chuck Berry song somewhere in their catalog, so I think he’s a strong contender.
Lots of folks have gone to the CCR well, as well. I’ve heard versions of Lodi, Who’ll Stop The Rain, Have You Ever Seen The Rain, Fortunate Son, and of course Proud Mary, among several others.
I don’t know if a definitive answer can even be determined There are hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of little-known artists out there with albums none of us have ever heard, which surely contain plenty of covers.
Well, if “recorded by others” is the criterion, I nominate Francis Scott Key. His “Star Spangled Banner” is performed regularly by numerous artists every day and recorded, though retransmission without the express written consent of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League or the National Basketball Association is prohibited.
Leonard Cohen? Seems like nearly everyone and their brother has done Hallelujah. Or maybe it just feels that way because of American Idol and the other shows of that genre.
There are a lot of great Dylan covers, but there’s no way I could imagine that Dylan is more covered than the Beatles. I don’t even see how it’s possible, given the ubiquity of “Yesterday” covers.
From what I can glean from classical music business media (yes, there is such a category), popularity bounces between Beethoven and Bach, with Mozart and Handel right behind.
Allegedly, Beethoven’s Fifth is the world’s most recognized melody. And it has a 150 year head start on Chuck Berry.
