Over the years, cover versions of many popular songs have been recorded, sometimes with a radically different style, and in other cases the cover version is virtually indistinguishable from the original. For example, Jose Feliciano's version of "Light My Fire" was utterly distinct from the original version by The Doors; but Carl Carlton[?]'s 1974 cover of Robert Knight[?]'s 1967 hit single song "Everlasting Love" sounds almost identical to the original.
Many popular bands have a tribute album, consisting entirely of covers of their songs performed by various other bands, often quite different from the original. The soundtrack to the film I Am Sam was a particularly popular example of this; it consisted of Beatles songs redone by various modern artists.
Some examples of commercially successful or otherwise notable cover versions are:
Song
| Original Artist, link to year in music
| Cover Artist, link to year in music
|
"Across the Universe"
| The Beatles, 1970
| Fiona Apple, 1998 (from Pleasantville[?])
|
"After Midnight"
| J.J. Cale[?], 1965
| Eric Clapton, 1970 Eric Clapton, 1988 (remake)
|
"Ain't That a Shame"
| Fats Domino, 1955
| Pat Boone, 1955
|
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
| The Temptations, 1966
| The Rolling Stones, 1974
|
"All Along The Watchtower"
| Bob Dylan, 1968
| Jimi Hendrix, 1968
|
"Almost Cut My Hair"
| Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1970
| The Dayglo Abortions, 1998
|
"American Pie"
| Don McLean, 1971
| Madonna, 2000
|
"American Woman"
| The Guess Who[?], 1970
| Lenny Kravitz, 2000
|
"Angel in the Morning"
| Merrilee Rush[?], 1968
| Juice Newton[?], 1981
|
"Back in the USA"
| Chuck Berry, 1959
| Linda Ronstadt, 1978
|
"Because the Night"
| Patti Smith, 1978 (cowritten with Bruce Springsteen)
| 10,000 Maniacs, 1994
|
"Black Magic Woman"
| Fleetwood Mac, 1969
| Santana, 1970
|
"Blinded by the Light"
| Bruce Springsteen, 1973
| Manfred Mann, 1976
|
"Blue Bayou"
| Roy Orbison, 1963
| Linda Ronstadt, 1977
|
"Blue Suede Shoes"
| Carl Perkins, 1955
| Elvis Presley, 1956
|
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
| The Andrews Sisters, 1941
| Bette Midler, 1972
|
"Boy From New York City"
| Ad Libs[?], 1965
| Manhattan Transfer[?], 1981
|
"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"
| Klaatu, 1976
| The Carpenters, 1977
|
"Come Together"
| The Beatles, 1969
| Aerosmith, 1978
|
"Da Doo Run Run"
| The Crystals 1963
| Shawn Cassidy[?] 1977
|
"Dancing in the Street"
| Martha & the Vandellas, 1964
| Van Halen, 1982
|
"Daydream Believer"
| The Monkees, 1968
| Anne Murray, 1978 Shonen Knife[?], 1998
|
"Downtown Train"
| Tom Waits, 1985
| Rod Stewart, 1989
|
"Everlasting Love"
| Robert Knight[?], 1967
| Carl Carlton[?], 1974
|
"Everything I Own"
| Bread, 1972
| Ken Boothe[?], 1974 Boy George, 1987
|
"Feelin' Alright"
| Traffic, 1968
| Joe Cocker, 1969
|
"Get Ready"
| The Temptations, 1966
| Rare Earth[?], 1970
|
"Gin and Juice"
| Snoop Doggy Dogg, 1993
| The Gourds[?], 1998
|
"Gloria"
| Them (with Van Morrison), 1965
| Shadows of Knight[?], 1966
|
"A Hard Day's Night"
| The Beatles, 1964
| Goldie Hawn, 1998
|
"A Hazy Shade Of Winter"
| Simon and Garfunkel, 1966
| The Bangles, 1987
|
"Heat Wave"
| Martha & the Vandellas, 1963
| Linda Ronstadt, 1975
|
"Helter Skelter"
| The Beatles, 1968
| U2, 1989
|
"Hey Baby"
| Bruce Channel[?], 1962
| DJ Ötzi, 2000
|
"Hurt"
| Nine Inch Nails, 1994
| Johnny Cash, 2002
|
"I Don't Like Mondays"
| The Boomtown Rats[?], 1982
| Tori Amos, 2001
|
"I Got Rhythm"
| George Gershwin Broadway musical Girl Crazy[?], 1930
| The Happenings[?], 1967
|
"I Got You Babe"
| Sonny & Cher, 1967
| Cher with Beavis and Butthead, 1993
|
"I Hear You Knocking"
| Smiley Lewis[?], 1961
| Dave Edmunds, 1971
|
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
| Gladys Knight & the Pips, 1967
| Marvin Gaye, 1968 Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1970
|
"I Shot the Sheriff"
| Bob Marley & the Wailers, 1973
| Eric Clapton, 1974
|
"If"
| David Gates, 1971
| Telly Savalas[?], 1975
|
"I'm a Believer"
| Neil Diamond, 1966
| The Monkees, 1966 Smashmouth[?], 2001
|
"I'm a Man"
| Spencer Davis Group[?], 1967
| Chicago, 1970
|
"In the Midnight Hour"
| Wilson Pickett, 1965
| The Rascals, 1967
|
"It Ain't Me Babe"
| Bob Dylan, 1964
| The Turtles, 1965
|
"Jealous Guy"
| John Lennon, 1971
| Roxy Music, 1981
|
"Knocking on Heaven's Door"
| Bob Dylan, 1973
| Guns N' Roses, 1991
|
"Last Kiss"
| J. Frank Wilson[?], 1964
| Pearl Jam, 1981
|
"The Letter"
| The Boxtops[?], 1967
| Joe Cocker, 1970
|
"Light My Fire"
| The Doors, 1967
| Jose Feliciano, 1968
|
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
| The Tokens[?], 1961
| Robert John[?], 1971 Tight Fit[?], 1982
|
"Live and Let Die"
| Paul McCartney, 1976
| Guns N' Roses, 1991
|
"The Locomotion"
| Little Eva[?], 1962
| Grand Funk, 1974
|
"Love is All Around"
| The Troggs, 1967
| Wet Wet Wet, 1994
|
"Love is Strange"
| Ian and Sylvia[?], 1958
| Peaches and Herb[?], 1967
|
"Love Potion Number 9"
| The Clovers[?], 1959
| The Searchers, 1964
|
"Lover's Cross"
| Jim Croce, 1972
| Melanie[?], 1974
|
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
| The Beatles, 1967
| Elton John, 1974
|
"MacArthur Park"
| Richard Harris, 1968
| Donna Summer, 1978
|
"Mr. Tambourine Man"
| Bob Dylan, 1965
| The Byrds, 1965
|
"My Way"
| Frank Sinatra, 1969
| Sid Vicious, 1978
|
"No Woman, No Cry"
| Bob Marley & the Wailers, 1974
| Gilberto Gil, 1980
|
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
| The Beatles, 1968
| The Marmalade[?], 1968
|
"Only You"
| Yazoo, 1982
| Flying Pickets[?], 1983
|
"Pinball Wizard"
| The Who, 1969
| The New Seekers, 1973 Elton John, 1976
|
"Proud Mary"
| Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969
| Ike and Tina Turner, 1971
|
"Rock and Roll Music"
| Chuck Berry, 1957
| The Beatles, 1964 The Beach Boys, 1975
|
"Roll Over Beethoven"
| Chuck Berry, 1956
| The Beatles, 1963 Electric Light Orchestra, 1973
|
"Ruby Tuesday"
| The Rolling Stones, 1967
| Melanie[?], 1972
|
"She Came in through the Bathroom Window"
| The Beatles, 1969
| Joe Cocker, 1969
|
"Somethin' Stupid"
| Frank & Nancy Sinatra, 1967
| Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman, 2001
|
"Something in the Air"
| Thunderclap Newman[?], 1969
| Fish, 1991
|
"Spanish Harlem"
| Ben E. King[?], 1961
| Aretha Franklin, 1971
|
"Stay"
| Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs[?], 1960
| Jackson Browne, 1977
|
"Stop Your Sobbing"
| The Kinks, 1964
| The Pretenders, 1979
|
"Summertime"
| George Gershwin, from the opera Porgy and Bess, 1934
| The Shake Spears[?], 1966 Janis Joplin, 1967 [2] (http://members.lycos.nl/summertimeweb/Summertime_covers)
|
"Summertime Blues"
| Eddie Cochran, 1958
| The Who, 1967 Blue Cheer, 1968
|
"Suzie Q"
| Dale Hawkins[?], 1957
| Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1968
|
"Suspicion"
| Elvis Presley, 1962
| Terry Stafford[?], 1964
|
"Take Me To The River"
| Al Green, 1974
| Talking Heads, 1978
|
"That'll Be The Day"
| Buddy Holly, 1957
| Linda Ronstadt, 1976
|
"There She Goes"
| The La's[?], 1989
| Sixpence None The Richer, 1999
|
"This Magic Moment"
| The Drifters, 1960
| Jay and the Americans[?], 1969
|
"Time"
| Tom Waits, 1967
| Rod Stewart, 1970
|
"Top of the World"
| The Carpenters, 1972
| Shonen Knife[?], 1994
|
"The Tracks of My Tears"
| Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, 1965
| Johnny Rivers[?], 1967
Linda Ronstadt, 1976
|
"Twist and Shout"
| The Isley Brothers, 1962
| The Beatles, 1963 (rereleased 1986)
|
"Venus"
| Shocking Blue, 1969
| Bananarama, 1986
|
"Walk This Way"
| Aerosmith, 1975
| Run DMC, 1986
|
"We Can Work It Out"
| The Beatles, 1966
| Stevie Wonder, 1971
|
"Wild Night"
| Van Morrison, 1971
| John Cougar Mellencamp & Me'Shell NdegeOcello[?], 1994
|
"Wild World"
| Cat Stevens, 1970
| Jimmy Cliff, 1970
|
"With a Little Help from My Friends"
| The Beatles, 1967
| Joe Cocker, 1969
|
"Without You"
| Badfinger, 1970
| Harry Nilsson, 1971
|
"Woodstock"
| Joni Mitchell, 1970
| Crosby, Stills, and Nash, 1970
|
"You Keep Me Hanging On"
| The Supremes, 1966
| Vanilla Fudge, 1968
|
"You Really Got Me"
| The Kinks, 1965
| Brian Eno et al 1974, Van Halen, 1978
|
"You've Got a Friend"
| Carole King, 1971
| James Taylor, 1971 [3] (http://www.superseventies.com/sw_youvegotafriend)
|