The 50 Best Cover Songs of 2025

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10. Sam Amidon — Big Sky (Lou Reed cover)

Sam Amidon’s “Big Sky” strips back Lou Reed’s expansive blues-rock and reshapes it into a lovely folk melody. The cover leans against the backdrop of rustic instrumentation and the quieter spaces that are typical of Amidon’s music. His tender vocals make the song feel far more vulnerable. This rendition carries none of the imposing energy a musical giant such as Reed can pack behind just a mention of his name. This is certainly a cover that takes the creative interpretation to new heights and reimagines the emotional terrain of the song. It is transformed from a rock-era anthem to a delicate and introspective folk tune. — Ally McAlpine

9. Lee Lewis — Maneater (Nelly Furtado cover)

A simple drum beat and bass line set a languid pace to start this sultry cover. The accompanying instruments increase in number with both brass and strings making an appearance, making the song feel more dramatic as it goes on. Lewis plays with the rhythms of the lyrics in his enunciation to give more swing and continue to make the song his own throughout. — Sara Stoudt

8. Chris Pierce — Southern Man (Neil Young cover)

Growing up in a mixed-race family, Pierce had a cross burned on his lawn when he was five. So when you hear his take on Neil Young’s “Southern Man,” the pain and angst in his voice is a testament to what he has gone through. Pierce also got permission to change a few of the lyrics. When he sings “when are you going to cut me down,” it is chilling. The song has gone from a study in culture and racism to a first-hand account of terrible events that cannot be ignored any longer. Is it any surprise that Pierce said of the recording session, “I felt like my ancestors were speaking through me.” This has to be one of the most important covers of the year. — Luke Poling

7. Hinds — Girl, So Confusing featuring Lorde (Charli XCX cover)

This cover brings a less “Dancing on My Own” sad-pop approach and more of a grungy, riot grrrl sound to the song, putting a more reflective perspective on the song’s story. The lyrics are spread out across the band members and delivered with that same almost monotone delivery of the original, but here they come out more poignant and raw, without the autotune reverb. Instead of being driven by electronic elements, the drums and guitar strums are often more muted to highlight the lyrics, although occasionally the instruments break out into the spotlight. — Sara Stoudt

6. Mavis Staples — Hard Times (Gillian Welch cover)

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ “Hard Times” is not a cover of the Stephen Foster song, but one of the best originals from the duo’s 2011 album The Harrow & the Harvest. Its timeless fusion of country, bluegrass and Appalachian music lends its story of a determined man and his mule a memorable dignity. Mavis Staples, now 86, and with seven decades in the music business, personifies dignity, and her take on “Hard Times,” on her Sad and Beautiful World album, filters the Americana roots of the song through her own Chicago-influenced gospel, soul and protest music biography. While both versions are languid and stately, Staples’ is more produced, with slide guitar from Derek Trucks (and bass and drums from Jeff and Spencer Tweedy, among other musicians), and not surprisingly, more soulful. — Jordan Becker

5. Lankum — Ghost Town (The Specials cover)

There wouldn’t, on the surface, seem to be many similarities between Dublin and Coventry, Dublin being where the Irish doomcore folkies Lankum hail from and Coventry the home of the Specials, who first had a hit with this spooky song. Lankum suggest otherwise, ramping up the spooky and amplifying the dread inherent in the original. If originally pitched somewhere between ska and reggae, this time there is no genre discernible. Or, at least none yet described. Yes, there are drones, that being stock in trade for the Irish band, but, in the first half, there is a ghastly sense of Balkan menace, thinking, broadly and loosely, Transylvania. A second section applies a distant sense of Hibernian tradition to it, with lyrics near chanted. As it all progressively builds, and the cauldron bubbles, you just know it can’t end happily ever after. The sound is progressively muddier, a momentum building of what sounds like helicopter blades, yet is probably a bodhran, with an end as abrupt as it is shocking. — Seuras Og

4. Eric Church — Clap Hands (Tom Waits cover)

Eric Church may be one of country music’s biggest stars, having sold millions of records over the past ten years with his seven studio albums, but that doesn’t stop him making music that challenges – and often irritates the hell out of – hardcore country fans. That’s evident from his confusingly titled Evangeline vs. The Machine album, released in May, with its tracks that flow into each other, its bassoons, and its Tom Waits cover. Yes, that’s Church growling about the fireman being blind and the conductor being lame, and nobody being sure where Mr Knickerbocker’s at (are you?). He seems perfectly at home, too, on the mighty “Clap Hands” from Waits’ 1985 classic Rain Dogs, even if he is signifying a world gone mad in allusion to an abundance of crazy New York down-and-outs. Yes, he brings us a massively over-the-top take on Waits, with his gravelly and soulful effusions, snarls of electric guitar, orchestral sweeps, brass interjections, and gospel singers. But, really, the more outlandish and unpredictable the better for such a song of insanity for our times. — Adam Mason

3. Ball Park Music — Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap cover)

Imogen Heap described her song “Hide and Seek” as a song that “doesn’t connect to a genre,” and while that is true, it is hearing what Ball Park Music does with their version of the song that helps the listener understand that, regardless of the genre, emotions remain the same.

The original is essentially an acapella track with some neat computer work assisting the vocals. Ball Park Music combines the voices of lead singer Sam Cromack and bassist Jennifer Boyce and grows from a whisper to a full band performance. “Where are we? What the hell is going on?” Cromack sings at the song’s opening. And the confusion grows until the band comes in full, not clearing anything up, only making it louder. And to wrap up, the song goes back to just the two voices, but here, acting in counterpoint, two thoughts racing through your head at the same time. Still not connected to a genre, but incredibly moving. — Luke Poling

2. Loren Kramar — hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it (Lana Del Rey cover)

The queer artist Loren Kramar covers nothing but Lana Del Rey songs on his Living Legend EP released this year. In the way he so faithfully mirrors Del Rey’s recordings, he seems to be exploring identity, gender, and the porous boundary between homage and embodiment. (Performance artist John Kelly’ uncanny portrayal of Joni Mitchell in the 1990s comes to mind.)

On “hope is a dangerous thing…” Kramar doubles Del Rey in a particularly riveting fashion. The singer is self-expressing by vibing to (or hiding behind) Del Rey’s own fixation on Sylvia Plath, the influential confessional poet who took her own life at 30. The cover is moving not just because the original itself is deep and dark and emotional, but because the song was already commenting on the danger of over-identifying with an idol (“24/7 Sylvia Plath”) and now Kramar openly flirts with that same danger zone as he goes all-in on Lana Del Rey. — Tom McDonald

1. Iron & Wine & Ben Bridwell — I Want to Know What Love Is (Foreigner cover)

Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and Ben Bridwell (of Band of Horses) combined forces on a covers album 10 years ago. The title song from the album, Sing Into My Mouth, made its way onto our best Talking Heads covers of all time. The album saw Beam and Bridwell taking turns with the lead vocals, with some songs featuring Beam’s well-known bedroom folk style and others highlighting Bridwell’s slightly heavier indie rock sound. It was a great pairing of their styles and fun to see two artists who have produced great covers with their separate projects.

This year they reunited for an EP of more covers, with the standout being their adaptation of Foreigner’s ’80s epic “I Want To Know What Love Is.” The first thing that stands out is that, although this song gets the Iron & Wine treatment, the tempo and vibes aren’t too far off from the original material. While there’s an absence of synths and the dynamics between verse and chorus are far less pronounced, Beam and Bridwell are reverent of the source song. It’s a toned-down take, as one expects from Beam, but this isn’t a full reinvention as much as it’s a polishing up of certain elements from the original.

The next item of note is how darn good these guys’ voices are together. They fit together like an alternate universe Simon and Garfunkel. Beam’s half-whisper gets such a beautiful lift from Bridwell’s strong backing harmonies. Beam really stretches out the words on this track, most noticeable on the first line of the second verse: “I’m gonna take a little time” turns into a hum that runs fully into the next line. Once you notice it, it’s hard to miss, as he’s really making a meal of these lyrics. It would almost sound silly except that 1) he’s got a stellar voice and 2) Bridwell only sings about half as long on these parts. That results in two very different sounds, first where Beam is accompanied and then where he’s solo; it almost seems like he has to stretch out his vocals to balance those two sounds. Because of this stylistic choice, there’s a wonderful warmness to the vocals.

Similar to the pairing of the voices, the fingerpicked guitar melds with the piano and bass, all fitting together like puzzle pieces. As far as the accompaniment goes, there’s not a ton of instruments here but each is doing something interesting, especially the surprise trumpet outro. Yeah, there’s a soft, unexpected and understated trumpet outro, and yeah, it’s the perfect ending to the song. This cover captured the ’80s excess without actually being excessive. It’s a great cover that does the commendable job of standing on its own and simultaneously prompting you to listen to the original again. — Mike Misch

Don’t miss The Best Cover and Tribute Albums of 2025.

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