The 50 Best Cover Songs of 2025

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20. Folk Bitch Trio — Sex on Fire (Kings of Leon)

This cover opens with the same standout guitar line as the original, but here the acoustic guitar draws us closer; we really need to lean in to catch each note. This softer approach continues; no percussion kicks in. The layered vocals of the trio are airy but no less powerful, expressing a quieter, yet earnest, yearning. — Sara Stoudt

19. Satan Takes A Holiday — You’re the One That I Want (Grease cover)

A teenage fantasy movie based on a hit musical, with a cast too old to reasonably be seen as teenagers, with some banging songs but with some occasionally problematic themes. Something sets apart Grease, still thought of fondly nearly 50 years after its release.

Perhaps the generally good-natured tone buys it some goodwill. Olivia Newton-John thinks she has to change herself to get the man of her dreams, and he does little to reciprocate her sacrifices. He does not pressure her himself; he lets societal norms do that for him. She is an apparently willing accomplice, but that does not change the message that a woman should change for a man.

Swedish rockers Satan Takes A Holiday construct something entirely different with their cover, but accomplished and thoughtful in its own way. There is no call and response, just the male voice. The music has suppressed hopes, but the offer is made of fulfilling them. The video tells a fuller story, and it is a wonderful piece of art to accompany the sounds. Perhaps we can all take a risk — Mike Tobyn

18. Photo Ops — The Waiting (Tom Petty cover)

This year Photo Ops created a truly beautiful cover of Tom Petty’s “The Waiting.” It is a gentle sunlit version of the Americana rock original. This quiet contemplative gem captures a gentle poignancy of the yearning in the lyrics. There’s a good reason why the song is one of Petty’s most enduring songs, and Photo Ops retains the warm, uplifting energy that makes the song so popular; however, Photo Ops’ sparkling instrument brings out more of the bittersweet longing many of us have experienced in the waiting of our own lives. — Ally McAlpine

17. Wisp — Yellow (Coldplay cover)

Something about the affecting sound of the viral shoegaze artist is both blissful and exhilarating. The solo artist’s version of this Coldplay hit about unconditional love and devotion feels so very fresh. And can we talk about the scenic lyric video for a second, too? As the calming acoustic strums begin, the covers lift off, we’re treated to a nostalgic film feature wavering thistles, a sunset, and graceful birds flying against the lake. Vocally, Wisp’s understated “wisp-pered” delivery lures us in (but then) blossoms into full bloom by the final chorus. — Aleah Fitzwater

16. Thea Gilmore — Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus cover)

Back in 2004, 20-something rising star Thea Gilmore released an all-covers tribute to the songwriters that inspired her. Her new covers project These Quiet Friends nods to the artists who’ve inspired her since. It’s a bit surprising to find Miley Cyrus among them–she was still a child in 2004, and her explosive hit “Wrecking Ball” doesn’t seem like Gilmore’s cup of…anything.

Gilmore’s cover comes in more like a cotton ball than a wrecking ball–gentle, pared down, vulnerable. In a word, mature, the expression of a poetic songwriter now in her late forties. Kudos to Gilmore for staying open to younger voices while remaining authentically herself in her music. — Tom McDonald

15. Masha Qrella — I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Whitney Houston cover)

When I took a singing class last year, the teacher told us that under no circumstances were we to attempt a Whitney Houston song, as her vocals were too difficult for anyone, let alone a bunch of newbies. Such an explicit warning might explain why so many of Houston’s performances end up on lists of the best covers of all time. This year, Masha Qrella flipped the narrative, earning a spot on our countdown with a cover of a Houston original. Qrella did not even try to capture Houston’s vocal fireworks. Instead, she reworked the dance floor classic into a slower, more bittersweet song of longing. You can still tap your fingers and perhaps even dance and sing along, but more likely you would be swaying by yourself in the corner, hoping a future love would notice you. — Curtis Zimmermann

14. Ella Langley — Wish I Didn’t Know Now (Toby Keith cover)

I always like to think there are two very different sides of Toby Keith. There’s Toby Keith who was outspoken about his right-wing political views, earning him praise in some circles, damnation in others. Then there was Keith as I remember him from the ’90s, a mulleted balladeer who could easily turn the emotional corkscrews with his deep voice. “Wish I Didn’t Know Now,” falls squarely into this category. Released in 1993, the narrator tells the story about how they learned a bit too late about their paramore’s indiscretions. Being on the business end of a cheating country song still stings in 2025, as Ella Langley showed with her cover. It’s a gorgeous, soft-spoken ballad, with the feel of an early Taylor Swift tune. A solid tribute to Keith’s musical legacy as a fantastic ballad singer. — Curtis Zimmermann

13. Stephen Wilson Jr. — Clark Gable (The Postal Service cover)

Words you could use to describe the Postal Service: glitchy, ethereal, electronic, indie. Words you’re less likely to use: dark, twangy, foreboding, rebel, outlaw. Stephen Wilson Jr. does the formidable job, however, of translating The Postal Service’s “Clark Gable” into a countrified rock song that, while quite different from the source material, retains a great deal from the original.

First, it’s the driving guitar, replicating the pulsating electronics of a Postal Service song. The riff feels simple, but the insistent repetition and dark tone of the guitar give it a twisted, almost EDM sound. The next are the vocals, which are wildly different in many ways: Wilson’s backwoods growl is as threatening as it is compelling. But Wilson smartly backs his vocals with an ethereal female voice, singer Leigh Nash in place of Jenny Lewis’s famous backing in the original. It’s a barely-there addition that cuts the menace. Finally, it’s worth mentioning the steel guitar licks and short but excellent solo. If you’re going to change a Postal Service song to a rock song, you better bring the rock, and on this song guitarist Scotty Murray did just that. The Postal Service’s Give Up was the soundtrack to many a late night road trip; this song would be a great companion for a darker set of highways. — Mike Misch

12. Bonnie “Prince” Billy — Cortez The Killer (Neil Young cover)

There have been many versions of Shakey’s swashbuckling epic, with most, even when acoustic, retaining a certain vibrancy. You’d think it a song incapable of fragility, yet that is exactly what Will Oldham, a.k.a. Bonnie “Prince” Billy achieves here, disconcertingly so. He sings “Cortez the Killer” with a voice that quavers so tremulously that any comparison renders Young’s own faltering delivery robust. Even the backing is avoidant, with almost a solitary guitar, cherry-picking only a tiny percentage of the notes available, dispensing almost with the melody altogether. While that sounds as if it shouldn’t have the strength to go out alone, paradoxically it does, and is a triumph, against any conceivable odds. OK, I dare say many won’t get it. Those who find the canon of Neil Young altogether too wispy will certainly balk at this. And those die-hard fans of all the many Neils he has been, I guess they may raise at least one eyebrow. But they are wrong, as it could be the best rendition yet. — Seuras Og

11. Karen Dió — Casual (Chappell Roan cover)

There’s nothing soft about where Karen Dió takes Chappell Roan’s “Casual.” The cover crackles with a raw, sugar-rush energy that makes the song feel brand new. No borrowed lyrics here. Dió cranks up the angst and turns the soft, bitter anthem into a cathartic burst of rebellion. It’s a version that honors the heart of the original, but it’s also a version that throws the swagger and adrenaline of early-2000s punk for a truly fun blending of styles. — Ally McAlpine

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