The Top 100 Cover Songs

20. Patti Smith, “Gloria” (1975)

Originally released by Them, 1964

“Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine…” I certainly don’t remember those words coming out of Van Morrison’s mouth. No disrespect to the Irish rock icon, but once Patti Smith and her band reshaped “Gloria” with their unfuckwithable swagger and proto-punk energy, they claimed rightful ownership. An exercise in constant tempo escalation and ever growing intensity, Smith’s version is all build and extended release. Nowhere else in the rock canon does the act of spelling out someone’s name feel so cleansing. – Jeff Terich

19. The Clash, “I Fought the Law” (1979)

Originally released by The Crickets, 1960

The Clash’s “I Fought the Law” heard on their The Cost of Living EP and the US release of The Clash is hands-down the most well-known version, and a perfect fit in their multidirectional experimental discography. Other rock and punk bands including Dead Kennedys and Green Day would later follow their example, many versions altered only slightly from a seminal Bobby Fuller cover. Despite not being the first to cover Sonny Curtis’ original, The Clash were the ones to spur the song’s popularity in the late 20th century. – Paula Chew

18. The Beatles, “Twist and Shout” (1963)

Originally released by The Top Notes, 1961

There are a handful of covers on this list that have so completely obliterated the original from the lexicon that the source material seems to be photoshopped, like a three-boobed alien or Kawhi Leonard on the Raptors. At this point, and probably for the rest of time, this song is the Fab Four’s, and only the Fab Four’s. Sorry, Isleys! – Butch Rosser

17. James Blake, “Limit to Your Love” (2010)

Originally released by Feist, 2007

There’s a rumble that sets in midway through James Blake’s cover of Feist’s “Limit to Your Love.” It’s mixed so low that you might not be able to hear it depending on your speakers or headphones, but it gives the song’s creeping, romantic dread a tectonic edge. The result is a track that’s more visceral—and vital—than the original. – Sam Prickett

16. Cake, “I WIll Survive” (1996)

Originally released by Gloria Gaynor, 1978

Sure, disco hits were easy targets in the irony-doused musical commentary of the ’90s. But to their credit, Cake tread the fine line between parody and reframing pretty well on “I Will Survive,” with machine-gun guitar lines and a stand-alone trumpet that remains hilariously true to the original melody. Of course you also have John McCrea’s stammering, purposely insecure lead vocal, punctuated by the most self-conscious use of the word “fucking” in pop history. – Paul Pearson

15. Devo, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1977)

Originally released by The Rolling Stones, 1965

The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” is a fascinating song. For one, very few bad versions of it exist. For another, many of them use its brief lyric sheet as a skeletal template for building something entirely new over it. Though not as radical as Cat Power’s take which removes the chorus entirely, Devo’s mechanistic assembly-line construction of the rock ‘n’ roll standard pulls off the weird trick of sharpening every corner and removing the human soul while maintaining a groove. It’s rock as cubism, with Mark Mothersbaugh’s yelps of “Ican’tGET no…satisFAC tion” an algorithmic interpretation of disillusionment with the modern, commercial world just before his CPU begins to malfunction. “Babybabybabybabybaby…” – Jeff Terich

14. John Coltrane, “My Favorite Things” (1961)

Originally released in The Sound of Music, 1959

In between the splash made by Mary Martin’s 1959 Broadway recording and Julie Andrews’ film soundtrack of 1965, a jazz lion of the day used a centerpiece of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to begin a fertile, furtive two-year transition period. Coltrane was soon to join the Impulse label, form his classic quartet, leave bebop behind and, on this song’s 1961 namesake LP, start playing soprano sax. If there was a moment where one of the genre’s strongest strongmen could show off a feminine side, this butterfly-light epic might have been it. – Adam Blyweiss

13. Ryan Adams, “Wonderwall” (2003)

Originally released by Oasis, 1995

Liam Gallagher was and has been a prick to, hell, probably millions at this point, but even he knew enough to know when he got got. As he said, “I think [Ryan’s] the only person who ever got that song right.” – Butch Rosser

12. The Sundays, “Wild Horses” (1992)

Originally released by The Rolling Stones, 1971

There’s not much of an intersection between fans of The Rolling Stones and fans of the 1990s-era indie-folk pioneers, The Sundays, but that didn’t stop Harriet Wheeler and company from paying tribute to Jagger and the boys on their 1992 sophomore album, Blind. They removed all traces of the troubadour feel of the original and inserted their own blend of introspection and sensitivity. Perhaps predicting their English fans’ disapproval, “Wild Horses” was only included on the American version of Blind. – Chad Gorn

11. Michael Andrews ft. Gary Jules, “Mad World” (2002)

Originally released by Tears for Fears, 1982

There’s a clear modern trend of slowed-down covers coming from film soundtracks, and it can be traced back to this knockout track from Donnie Darko. Jules’ fragile vocal gives a new slant to the lyrics, complementing the tone of the film much better than the original would have. Tears for Fears played a quirky New Wave jaunt with a bouncy beat, so this stripped-down piano version from Jules and Andrews offered more vulnerability. – Wil Lewellyn