Top 10 Genre-Crossing Cover Songs of All-Time
Making a list of just top cover songs of all time would be boring. It’d be the same songs you’ve seen on other sites and TV Shows. Probably would be lead off with “All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix. While that is a great song, that’s not how we do business here at TSF.
Each of these songs have taken the original and flawlessly transformed it into a completely different genre. My hope is that many of you haven’t heard a lot of these versions OR you didn’t know that “Blinded By The Light” was a cover. Every single song on this list was put through rigorous tests and hand picked by the TSF staff (a.k.a. me).
The songs were ranked by the following criteria:
Difficulty to remake
Execution of the cross-genre remake
Likability
How much better it is than the original (if at all)
Enjoy the:
TOP 10 GENRE-CROSSING
COVER SONGS OF ALL TIME:
10. Fountains of Wayne – “Baby One More Time“
(Britney Spears, 1998)
9. Alien Ant Farm – “Smooth Criminal”
(Michael Jackson, 1987)
8. The Gourds – “Gin & Juice”
(Snoop Dogg, 1994)
7. Santana – “Black Magic Woman”
(Fleetwood Mac, 1968)
6. Cake – “I Will Survive”
(Gloria Gaynor, 1978)
5. Ryan Adams – “Wonderwall”
(Oasis, 1995)
4. Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – “Over The Rainbow”
(Judy Garland, 1939)
3. Ben Folds – “Bitches Ain’t Shit”
(Dr. Dre, 1992)
2. Johnny Cash – “Hurt”
(Nine Inch Nails, 1995)
1. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – “Blinded By The Light”
(Bruce Springsteen, 1976)
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Comprehensive, but I feel like a few of the covers on this list are overrated versions of “underground” or indie artists trying to be ironic (specifically – Ben Folds, Ryan Adams, & Fountains of Wayne).
In the strictest sense of the term “genre-crossing,” and the four pieces of criteria list for judging, my list would have included Limp Bizkit’s “Faith” around #9 or #10, Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower” somewhere near the upper-middle, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” and Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” in the Top 5. Also, without a doubt, I would have placed Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” at #1, as perhaps the only instance in history where both original (Dolly Parton, 1974) and cover reached #1 on the charts.
Honorable mentions should include Sinead O’Connor’s version of “Nothign Compares 2 U.” Also, Trisha Yearwood vs. LeAnn Rimes in: “How Do I Live Without You,” mostly for being released in the same week.
You’ve got to consider Bowling for Soup’s cover of Fergie’s London Bridge!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXbgSMT-0j4
How about “Walk this Way” by Run DMC, originally by Aerosmith. Using Steven Tyler in the song was genius!
Funny that that was the number one requested song and number on trashed song in Boston (where Aerosmith was is from) when it was released.
I’d add Tori Amos’ version of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana, which is actually haunting, as well as 2nd the nomination of ‘Walk This Way’ by Run-DMC, which literally introduced rock to rap back in the day and changed many white kids perceptions of rap (props go out to visionary Rick Rubin for that)
also, Alanis Morrisette’s piano ballad take on Fergie’s ‘My Humps’ is brilliant…
(and Whitney Houston deserves the electric chair for desecrating Dolly’s song…er, or maybe marriage to Bobby Brown was punishment enough)
“Higher Ground” by the Chili Peppers is a necessity