Greetings,
Well, Holy Smokes, it has been over three years since I did my Top Ten Worst Cover Songs list! That's quite a lot of time, especially since I meant to do a Best Of list shortly thereafter. Apologies. Clearly, I got distracted. It happens. But, thankfully, I am now ready to tell you what I consider the Top Ten BEST Cover Songs of all time. You'll agree; you'll disagree. Either way is fine. Just enjoy. Now let's get this thing going...finally!
#10. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)?" New Kids On The Block (Originally by The Delfonics) - I know what you're thinking. 'Isn't the song called "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)"? Yes, it is, on the original, but I'm talking about the cover here. Okay, you may also be thinking what the heck I'm thinking putting this on the list. To be fair, that first New Kids on the Block album wasn't exactly groundbreaking. However, if any song on it showed their potential, certainly vocally, it was this one. And I like it. So there.
#9. "I Don't Want To Know" Goo Goo Dolls (Originally by Fleetwood Mac) - Back in 1998, a bunch of musicians got together to make a tribute album to Rumours. Some tracks were good; others, not so much. But this one was my favorite. They really transformed the whole song, while keeping the spirit of it intact. Clearly, that is not an easy thing to do, but it was pulled off here.
#8. "Chances Are" Vonda Shepard and Robert Downey, Jr. (Originally by Bob Seger and Martina McBride) - I'll let this one sink in for a minute. You good? Alright, then. A while back there was a little show on called Ally McBeal, which had a very prominent musical element, hence, the constant presence of Ms. Vonda Shepard. Well, in the fourth season, Robert Downey, Jr shows up and decided to do some singing. This duet was one of the performances. From one soundtrack to another, the original was from the movie Hope Floats, and it is also very good. But, again, we're discussing the covers. Now, run along and write a fan letter to Marvel, asking them for a musical Iron Man movie.
#7. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" Vanilla Fudge (Originally by The Supremes) - What's that? You've never heard of Vanilla Fudge? Well, tsk, tsk. Okay, they're not the most well-known band of the sixties, but they were really good. This rock version of a Motown hit certainly shows it off. I can admit that it might not be to everyone's taste, probably more than anything on this list, but give it a chance. You never know.
#6. "Tonight Will Be Fine" Teddy Thompson (Originally by Leonard Cohen) - About a decade ago, there was a great tribute concert to Mr. Leonard Cohen, which became a documentary calledLeonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, which I reviewed a while back. If you read it, you'll know that I called Teddy Thompson's version of "Tonight Will Be Fine" the highlight. That hasn't changed at all, so naturally, it made the list.
#5. "Crying In the Rain" A-ha (Originally by The Everly Brothers) - See, sometimes "One Hit Wonders" are more than that one hit. Here, we have the "Take On Me" guys taking on a classic sixties tune and doing a fantastic job. As The Everly Brothers were known for some stunning harmonies, it would be difficult to replicate them. But A-ha managed to pull off some impressive ones of their own.
#4. "Free Fallin'" Stevie Nicks (Originally by Tom Petty) - Awww! Because they're friends! Anyway, this Tom Petty song is held in some pretty high regard, so who better to tackle it than one of his equally superb colleagues? I don't think a lot of people know this cover version from Stevie, as it first appeared on the Party Of Five soundtrack and later, on her Enchanted box set. But, what with my being what some may call a "super fan", I know it well, and it is a stellar performance.
#3. "Hurt" Johnny Cash (Originally by Nine Inch Nails) - So, this is the only thing on the list where I do not like the original at all, song or artist. But credit where it's due, Trent Reznor wrote a song that was turned into greatness when a legend got his hands and voice on it. It became poignant and a classic in that case, and when it can be ranked so high within an amazing and lengthy career, that says a lot.
#2. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" Bee Gees (Originally by Carole King) - Yes, yes. I know that this song first performed professionally by The Shirelles, but Carole King wrote it AND this cover version comes from an album that is all covers of songs off of Tapestry. So, there you go. It's no secret that I love the Bee Gees, and they were and are some of the most brilliant songwriters ever. So, to hear them on a song written by another brilliant writer was something special. Especially the part where Robin gets a solo. But what do you expect?
#1. "Hallelujah" Jeff Buckley (Originally by Leonard Cohen) - Well, this is odd. Not to spoil anything from my Worst Of list, but this might be the first time a Number One from that kind of list is the same as the Number One on this kind of list. At least, where the song is concerned. Okay, this is probably not a shock to anyone. I love this version of "Hallelujah". Now I could be vindictive and blame all the sub par covers that followed in the past two decades on the success of this one, but how can I? Jeff Buckley was pure magic, and even all the copycats cannot ruin his legacy.
And there you have it. Like I said, you may agree or disagree with my choices. However, in my opinion, these artist managed to take songs that poured from the hearts of others to make them their own. It's not as easy as it sounds, and if you doubt me on that, check out my Worst Of list. Or just listen to these songs again and let yourself have a good day.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
