20. Simple Plan — Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Lion King cover)
Surrender to this perfect mix of nostalgia for Disney and 2000s pop-punk emo lovers alike. Simple Plan is at its best with this earnest delivery of a Lion King classic. The song starts and ends without much instrumental background, mimicking how the song appears with dialogue in the film. The band kicks in with the combination of peppy percussion and steady electric guitar we expect from this band. It’s not overdone, it’s not making fun, it’s appropriately paying homage to a classic. — Sara Stoudt
19. Beyoncé — Blackbiird (The Beatles cover)
Covering the Beatles, and especially a song as popular as “Blackbird,” is always going to be threading the needle between “too similar” and “too different.” It’s no surprise that Beyoncé passes this test with flying colors on her luscious-sounding version of the classic song. Ignoring for the moment the historical context of the song, the beauty of Beyoncé’s voice backed by the symphony of voices will have you unconsciously humming the tune hours later. Musically, it’s quite similar to the original, but has a lovely new softness and depth thanks to the harmonies and new backing melodies. Add to all of this that the song was written as a Civil Rights anthem in support of the Little Rock Nine and that Beyoncé’s backing singers are all up-and-coming Black female country singers; the message behind the music and the song choice becomes a bit clearer and makes the song that much more powerful. — Mike Misch
18. The War on Drugs — Dry Lightning (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Earlier this year, Bruce Springsteen became the first non-Brit to be awarded a prestigious Ivor Novello Academy fellowship. In honor of the award, The War on Drugs released covers of Springsteen’s “Dry Lightning” and “Highway 29,” both from 1995’s acoustic album The Ghost Of Tom Joad. The band’s Adam Granduciel said that he chose songs from that album because he is the age that Springsteen was when he made Tom Joad, and that it was the album that began to expose him to Springsteen’s music beyond what was on classic rock radio. Unlike the original, stripped-down version, the cover of “Dry Lightning” is awash in dreamy synths, and Massachusetts native Granduciel adds a little extra twang to his vocals, to match the one employed by Jerseyite Springsteen. If anything, the cover is more accessible than the original, without diluting its power. — Jordan Becker
17. Waxahatchee — Wrecking Ball (Gillian Welch cover)
[Not streaming; listen at Bandcamp]
The journey of Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee, from lo-fi indie songstress to new-country icon has been gratifying to watch and hear. Part of her live set for some time, her version of the Gillian Welch song “Wrecking Ball” owes perhaps a little more to Laurel Canyon than to Appalachia, reeking of an Emmylou Harris/Linda Ronstadt hybrid, circa 1972, all true sweetheart of the rodeo. Part of a mammoth download-only charity release, Cardinals At The Window, it is track 19 of 136, and is worth the minimum 10 bucks alone. — Seuras Og
16. Aloe Blacc — When I Come Around (Green Day cover)
“When I Come Around” sounded absolutely perfect as an alt-rock song by Green Day in 1994. Those crunching guitars and that punk attitude, framing a sordid tale about a guy on tour who doesn’t have the healthiest of relationships with his girlfriend back home and brazenly informs her, “You can’t go forcing something if it’s just not right.” So how come it also sounds perfect in the hands of US soul singer Aloe Blacc, as a smooth and jazzy soul number with horn blasts and sax riffs? Maybe it’s because the vocalist, famed for his work on Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” is on absolutely top form here, as a serial coverer who’s had no trouble transforming songs by everybody from the White Stripes to REM to Oasis. He’s drawn to “the emotional depth and powerful messages in these songs,” he says of his new EP, Rock My Soul, where his version of the Green Day classic proves the undoubted highlight. — Adam Mason
15. ’68 — Intergalactic (Beastie Boys cover)
“Intergalactic” is one of those songs so tied to its original artist it’s hard to imagine a cover that doesn’t sound like a pale imitation of the Beastie Boys. But noise rock duo ’68 have found a way, mostly eschewing the iconic hook – it takes 90 seconds before they play it. (And yes, that means the skip, like, the first 40 seconds of the original.) Lead singer Josh Scogin shouts and speaks the lyrics, barely ever rapping. The music behind him constantly shifts and, as the cover goes on, so does the tempo. It’s a bold take on a song very tied up in its original production, which only really nods to the original the two times they do play the hook. — Riley Haas
14. James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg — Buffalo Stance (Neneh Cherry cover)
Who could hear the rap/dance sass of Neneh Cherry’s sample-rich concoction, then come up with the idea of it being a perfect acoustic instrumental showcase for two virtuoso guitarists? It was a stroke of genius. Elkington and Salzburg imbue it with delicate charm, more butterfly than buffalo. Both wistful and reverential, it is the best calm after the storm of the original, a balm for the night before, where all is well with any world. Truly transformational. — Seuras Og
13. Reb Fountain — How Bizarre (OMC cover)
How do you successfully cover one of the ’90s’ most unique one-hit-wonders? You drop everything that made the song stand out from the crowd – the brass, the backing vocals, the fau-flamenco guitar, all of it. It also helps to have a more conventional voice. Fountain just speak-sings the verses and sings the chorus over a simple arrangement of a couple instruments. The lyrics are front and center and a song that is more known for the weird flourishes in its mix is more fully revealed to us, a song about trying to escape unwanted attention from the authorities and the press. — Riley Haas
12. Kaleah Lee — Apple (Charli XCX cover)
This absolutely freakin’ beautiful cover by whispery-voiced singer-songwriter Kaleah Lee requires a little preface.
In 2024, pop star Charli xcx released her lime-green-monster-of-a-mission-statement album, Brat. Brat was not merely a pithy title for her latest bunch of electro-pop anthems; it was, according to Charli, “an attitude, a vibe, (about) keeping it real, being vulnerable. Brat is that girl who’s a little messy and likes to party, (who) maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but maybe has a breakdown but kind of parties through it, who is very honest, blunt and volatile, does dumb things…it’s brat, you’re brat, that’s brat.” Brat the album/state of being took flight via a viral TikTok dance for the song “Apple” and exploded into a full-blown cultural phenomenon, thanks to who else but the Gen Z’ers.
Which brings us to Kaleah Lee’s cover of the aforementioned “Apple.” The song, describing Charli’s self-described “sticky relationship” with her parents, is completely undressed by Lee. She gracefully melts the cartoonish synth-pop bounce of the original, into a staggeringly lovely, delicate, wistful acoustic ballad. “Drive, drive, drive” indeed. — Hope Silverman
11. Eddie Vedder — Save It for Later (The English Beat cover)
Eddie Vedder took “Save It for Later,” one of the best and best-loved songs of the English Beat, and turned into a slow builder, moving from near-demo to great release. Permeating the song with rough soul, he dispatches the tension of the original by just continuing to lift the song higher and higher. Really, what he does is embrace the song, and fans of Vedder will feel his love for it just as surely as fans of the original will. — Patrick Robbins
Wow so many great versions Terrific work
Thanks for a fascinating year, gang!
Thanks for this incredible collection.
I would put Ethel Cain’s cover near the top of the list but otherwise great work! This is a wonderful site with fantastic writers. Thank you!