It’s a strange circumstance: What has been awful for humanity at large has been pretty good for the world of cover songs. Even we would say that’s a terrible trade-off!
Nevertheless, we’ve been grateful that so many musicians have taken to Facebook, Instagram, etc to share their music and, in many cases, cover favorite songs that are helping get them through. So, for the fourth time and certainly not the last, we’re rounding up some of the best we’ve seen recently and encouraging you to add your own below.
One note: There are some obvious names you won’t see here. John Prine. Bill Withers. Adam Schlesinger. Kenny Rogers. So many wonderful covers are emerging to pay tribute to artists no longer with them that we’ll be rounding them up separately. We did the first set for Prine here.
Alex Skolnick (Testament), Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Ra Díaz (Suicidal Tendencies) – YYZ (Rush cover)
Angel Olsen – Winter (Tori Amos cover)
Best Coast – I’m on Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Billie Joe Armstrong – You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory (Johnny Thunders cover)
Chris Martin – Shelter from the Storm (Bob Dylan cover)
Courtney Marie Andrews – Unravel (Björk cover)
David Gilmour – Bird on a Wire, So Long Marianne (Leonard Cohen covers)
Hayley Williams (Paramore) – Smokey Signals (Phoebe Bridgers cover)
James Blake – Georgia on My Mind (Ray Charles), Atmosphere (Joy Division), The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Ewan MacColl)
Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires – Unknown Legend (Neil Young cover)
Jeff, Spencer, and Sammy Tweedy – Ripple (Grateful Dead cover)
Julien Baker – Thirteen (Big Star cover)
Local H – Rock and Roll, What Is and What Should Never Be, Tangerine (Led Zeppelin), It’s the End of the World, Begin the Begin (R.E.M.), Smothered in Hugs (Guided by Voices), Toxic (Britney Spears), (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Blue Öyster Cult), Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin), Sick of Myself (Matthew Sweet), Touch Me I’m Sick (Mudhoney), Surrender (Cheap Trick), Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones), That’s What They All Say (original), (We Are) The Road Crew (Motorhead), Woe (Mark Lanegan), All the Kids Are Right (original)
Neil Finn – Heroes (David Bowie cover)
Paul Simon and Edie Brickell – I Wonder If I Care As Much (The Everly Brothers cover)
The Pauses – Flagpole Sitta (Harvey Danger cover)
Spin Adrift + High on Fire + Mutoid Man – Reelin’ In The Years (Steely Dan cover)
The Struts – Stop (Spice Girls cover)
Tony Hawk x Urian Hackney – Smash It Up (The Damned cover)
Waxahatchee – Where Will I Be (Emmylou Harris cover)
Check out more Quarantine Covers here.
