Best (So Far) finds the finest first-round covers of the latest pop hits.
Launched back in February 2008, the New York-based indie band fun. — comprised of Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff, and Nate Ruess (formerly of The Format) — has been hovering quietly under the mainstream radar for quite some time. It really wasn’t until “We Are Young” (featuring R&B singer Janelle Monae) was covered on Glee back in December and featured in a Chevrolet Super Bowl commercial this past February that the three-man band began commanding a lot more attention.
In fact, their extremely addictive track is now so popular that it’s become the first one ever to score more than 300,000 digital sales for six straight weeks — just one of the song’s many accomplishments since its release in September 2011. To celebrate its success, we’ve scoured the web to find the five best “We Are Young” covers…at least so far. Enjoy them all below!
1. Jake Coco, Corey Gray, and Caitlin Hart
YouTube-famous singer-songwriters Jake Coco, Corey Gray, and Caitlin Hart teamed up to transform “We Are Young” into a pop-rock track, complete with three-part harmonies, heavy drumming, and an energetic rhythm guitar.
2. PJ Simas and Drew Tabor
Hip-hop artist PJ Simas spun his cover of “We Are Young” in a completely different way with the help of singer Drew Tabor — the former highlighted his hip-hop talent by rapping rewritten verses, while the latter crooned the song’s catchy chorus with her super-smooth voice.
3. AJR
AJR, a New York-based trio of brothers, went completely acoustic with their cover of “We Are Young,” remaking the track into a fast-paced, lighthearted song that successfully meshes with Train’s “Hey Soul Sister.”
4. Alex G and Jon D
A couple more YouTube-famous singers, Alex G and Jon D, softened up “We Are Young” a bit with acoustic guitar arpeggios and simple, yet sweet-sounding two-part harmonies.
5. Ipo Pharr
A gently played guitar was all that Hawaiian singer-songwriter Ipo Pharr needed to support her unique and soulful voice in her beautiful, stripped-down version of “We Are Young.”
Check out more from fun. on the band’s website.
