Ronson and Winehouse’s rendition is a marvel, offering a perfect union of his punchy production and her cracked, smoky vocals. Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse were struggling to come up with ideas for Ronson’s second album, Version – a collection of Motown-inspired covers of contemporary pop and rock tunes – when Winehouse suggested that they have a go at “Valerie,” a recent single from a British indie rock band the Zutons that she was obsessed with. 52: Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse: Valerie (The Zutons) Whatever the meaning, Lenny Kravitz tapped into the song’s magnetism and room for guitar theatrics in his 1999 cover that has since become a cover version that stands alongside the original. But the songwriter Burton Cummings has since said, in a 2013 interview, that it was simply a way of saying that he preferred Canadian girls. One of the biggest hits for the Canadian group The Guess Who was a song that seemingly warned against getting involved with American women. 53: Lenny Kravitz: American Woman (The Guess Who) Muse have an incredible ear for a great pop melody, so it’s no surprise that they took the song and made it their own in 2001 on Origin of Symmetry. But the original song was written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for a musical a year before Simone made it famous on her album I Put a Spell On You. “Feeling Good”’s most famous rendition is, of course, by Nina Simone. But it was the Flashcats, a Pennsylvania bar band, whose raucous live performances of “Big Ten Inch Record” convinced Jackson to resume his musical career in the 80s after a two-decade hiatus.Ĭlick to load video 54: Muse: Feeling Good (Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse) Its bluesy shuffle and suggestive humor made it a natural fit for Aerosmith, who covered it on their 1975 album Toys in the Attic. “Big Ten Inch Record” was not a hit for Bull Moose Jackson when it was released as a single in 1952, with most radio stations (understandably) hesitant to play such a risqué song. (And one year later, Quiet Riot would score another hit with another Slade cover song, “Mama Weer All Crazee Now.”) 55: Aerosmith: Big Ten Inch Record (Bull Moose Jackson) It wasn’t until the mid-80s that they finally found a foothold in the American market thanks to Quiet Riot’s faithful cover version (right down to the unusual spelling) of “Cum on Feel the Noize,” which helped usher in the trend of hair metal. Slade were glam-rock godheads in their native England, but they struggled to replicate their success across the Atlantic. 56: Quiet Riot: Cum on Feel the Noize (Slade) Raitt was one of many artists who enjoyed more commercial success by covering John Prine than Prine ever did singing his own songs, but that’s to take nothing away from his original recording of “Angel from Montgomery,” which ranks as one of his very best compositions. “I think ‘Angel from Montgomery’ probably has meant more to my fans and my body of work than any other song,” Bonnie Raitt once said, so it might come as a surprise to learn that Raitt did not compose it. 57: Bonnie Raitt: Angel from Montgomery (John Prine) What if post-army Elvis had stuck to covering songsworthy of his talents? For five minutes, we had the answer. First, The Coasters’ rollicking “Down In The Alley”, and then this Bob Dylan cover, performed with great tenderness.

Just when nobody was looking, Elvissnuck two triumphs on the otherwise forgettable soundtrack album for the 1966 film Spinout. 58: Elvis Presley: Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Bob Dylan) (Parton had kind words for Jack White in a 2016 interview with The Guardian.) It’s one of the most “rock” cover versions you’ll hear, of course, but for those looking for other types of takes on the song, you could check out Cake, Ray LaMontagne, Strawberry Switchblade, Olivia Newton-John, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Lingua Ignota, and many more.

There have been numerous covers of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” over the years, but few have been singled out for praise by Parton herself. 59: The White Stripes: Jolene (Dolly Parton) It remains far and away the musical highlight of the splashy We Are The World benefit album. You could make an extensive box set out of Bruce Springsteen’s live cover songs, but this Jimmy Cliff cover was special, The Boss turning it into an arena anthem without losing the desperation. 60: Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band: Trapped (Jimmy Cliff) While you’re reading, listen to our Best Cover Songs playlist here.

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