Song Covers You Need to Listen To

When I originally came up with the idea to create a list of song covers you need to listen to I initially thought I’d stop at 10. Then when I actually started compiling a list of tunes it quickly grew to 12 and then 15.

Satisfied with 15 I thought that I had a healthy dose of different sounds, artists, and inspirations but then I stumbled upon another song, remembered another that I meant to include, and then added more. 

Before I knew it the number of song covers shot up to 20. At that point, I had to put a stop to the madness so I closed the rest of my browser tabs and began writing. 

In an effort to prevent this list from becoming absurdly long I’m employing olympian levels of restraint.

More writing and less music library browsing. Even now I’m tempted to see if there is a song I may have overlooked or forgotten to add. #Thestruggleisreal

 

The Beauty of a Song Cover

Song covers can be pretty tricky. The person performing the cover is already starting at a disadvantage. If they’re creating their cover for public consumption every note they hit, every rhythm they tweak will be critiqued and compared to the original work. 

Most of the songs on this list feature a cover of a song that still has a popular original. A few of them, like the one by The Fugees, The Clash or Natalie Imbruglia were covers that arguably surpassed the popularity of the originals. 

I personally love covers. Each one is full of surprises and when an artist truly makes a song their own it’s incredibly impressive.

We can also learn a creative lesson from it. For instance, you must have a lot of creative confidence to even attempt to cover a Whitney Houston song. Sam Smith does a wonderful job of holding his own while still paying homage to the original and offering something new. 

It boils down to creativity. Ten people can cover the same song and you’ll get ten different outcomes.

 

The Covers

Keep in mind that some of the songs featured are relatively new, some are old and from varying music styles. This week scroll on down and give your ears a bit of bliss in the form of Gallant, Daughter, Maroon 5, John Mayer, Jeff Buckley, No doubt and more! You can listen to more playlists and all featured artists on Spotify!

 


 

Covering Foo Fighters || GALLANT FEATURE

 

Covering Aaliyah || Song Starts @ 0:22

 

Covering Daft Punk

 

Covering Britney Spears || See Concert Features @ Terminal 5 & LPR

 

Covering The Weeknd || See Concert Feature

 

Covering Marcy Playground

 

Covering David Bowie || PAST FEATURE

 

Covering Rihanna || ED SHEERAN FEATURE

 

Covering Beyoncé || PAST FEATURE

 

Covering Leonard Cohen

 

 

Covering Whitney Houston

 

Covering Elton John || SEE CONCERT FEATURE

 

Covering Ednaswap

 

Covering Backstreet Boys || Song Starts @ 1:07

 

Covering Talk Talk

 

 

Covering Corona

 

Covering The Crickets

 

Covering Bob Dylan

 

Covering The Zutons || Song Starts 0:55

 

Covering Lori Lieberman

 

What do you think of these 20 song covers you need to listen to? Did I miss your favorite?

Want more content like this?

Design a fulfilling creative lifestyle that's enriching, and colorfully yours! Get exclusive digital artwork, discounts, magazines & more free goodies in the vault!

P.S. New Reader? Start Here!