From Boygenius to Billie Eilish, here are our top ten cover songs
Alright so all this End of the Year business got my brain locked on list-making mode. And while I’m dangerously close to entering Buzzfeed territory, I felt like I needed to get this one out to the world. For years now, one of my favorite rabbit holes to tumble down is the wild world of YouTube cover songs. It usually begins with me watching a live performance and that pesky YouTube algorithm tricks me into watching some pretty girl with an acoustic guitar doing a cover of some other song I like.
However, after you’ve spent enough time clicking through the hordes of literally-unoriginal content, you’re bound to discover a few gems. And I feel uniquely qualified to cultivate a Top Ten list for all of the readers out there.
10) Julien Baker – Photobooth (Death Cab For Cutie)
Alright I put this one in the ten spot because I’m willing to acknowledge that it’s super niche. It’s a dream combination for my personal taste. I’m a huge fan of Julien Baker and I’m a huge fan of Death Cab; specifically Ben Gibbard’s songwriting. Well as it turns out, Julien Baker is a huge fan as well and she beautifully covers one of their more underrated songs.
P.S. I’m always blown away by JB’s YouTube ratios. Nearly 1000 thumbs up and only 10 thumbs down. There’s too many trolls out there for that kind of endorsement. But I love it.
9) Chester Bennington – Rolling In The Deep (Adele)
I turn 30 this year which means Hybrid Theory came out when I was 10 years old. It was the first CD I ever owned and I cherished it. While most ‘serious music people’ tossed Linkin Park aside, there’s no denying their talent. Even I’ll admit, I eventually outgrew them. When you so strongly associate a band with a bunch of hair-gelled pre-teens at a middle school dance, it’s hard to relate to them later in life. But one thing I’ve always respected was their live performances. Say what you want about the validity of rap-rock as a genre, but Chester Bennington can sing.
Again, if Linkin Park isn’t your cup of tea, I fully get it. I haven’t really listened to them since I was a little kid. But bottom line, Chester has one of the best voices rock has ever seen. Fully on display here.
8) Weezer – Brain Stew (Green Day)
Speaking of nostalgia from my childhood, what’s better than a little Weezer v Green Day crossover? Feeling angsty yet? In all seriousness, this was one of the most unique renditions on this list. And I’m not talking about Rivers Cuomo’s headband and onesie combo. I just can’t remember hearing such a prominent baseline being played on a piano before. Even the guitar solo was perfectly recreated on the keys. Rivers is always fun to watch but what really sold me on this cover was the creative approach to the song itself.
7) Mikaela Astel – Electric Love (Børns)
So despite all my talk in the intro, most of these songs were deliberately sought-out. I either heard about them through a friend or on a blog or wherever it is that people discover new music. But this is the purest example of YouTube rabbit holing. I don’t watch The Voice. I think I might have caught bits of the first season – look up Dia Frampton’s “Heartless”, another interesting cover of Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreaks single. But as anyone who’s spent time in the cover song corner of the internet would know, The Voice is a prominent feature. And that’s where I first heard Mikaela Astel’s rendition of “Electric Love”. Such a cool tone to her voice. Just a really pleasant song, overall. If you prefer to watch famous singers turn their chairs, you can watch the television version as well.
6) Kina Grannis – Sweater Weather (The Neighbourhood)
Kina Grannis is one of those cover song superstars. They’re all over the internet. People with highly produced videos and entire channels populated with stripped down acoustic covers of popular songs. You’ll notice those people aren’t very prominent on this list, though I suppose you could count Mikaela Astel in that category. You’ll also notice that acapella performances didn’t make the cut… just not for me, sorry. With that said, Kina Grannis is fantastic. There were a number of options here. Her cover of “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” is unbelievable but nobody can touch Mama Cass. I really enjoyed her rendition of “Kiss Me” and “Fast Car” with Boyce Avenue. But for me, the #1 pick is Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood. Great song, great cover. Plain and simple.
5) Boygenius – Cowboy Take Me Away (Dixie Chicks)
I’ve got no connection to the Dixie Chicks or this song, in particular. But I am a huge fan of Boygenius and they knock this out of the park. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus are indie-folk royalty of their own accord. Combined, they become of the greatest Super Bands the genre has ever seen. Each individual performance, the beautiful harmonies, the amazing Camille Faulkner on the violin in the back. This was one of my favorite covers on this list and it only makes me wish Boygenius did more of them. Or I guess I just want Boygenius to make more music in general.
4) Childish Gambino – So Into You (Tamia)
Like A Version is cover-song heaven. Seriously, if this series has somehow fallen through the cracks for you, I highly recommend checking it out. There are a bunch of really odd pairings. Like A$AP Rocky covering “The Dock of the Bay” and Denzel Curry covering “Bulls on Parade,” there are a lot of interesting things happening here and some really fascinating genre-blending. In fact, as you’ll soon discover, Like A Version will make another appearance on this list. But first, the song that introduced me to the series. We’ve come to learn that Donald Glover can do anything. But at the time, we hadn’t heard Awaken, My Love! And nobody really knew Donald Glover could sing like this. It was an early look into what was to come from him, musically, and it stands alone as one of the best covers I’ve ever heard.
3) Miley Cyrus – Jolene (Dolly Parton)
Similar to the previous selection, I didn’t know Miley Cyrus could sing like this prior to this cover. Now I know that’s probably ignorant on my part, but you have to put it in context. The year was 2012. Miley was this girl from the Disney Channel who wasn’t far removed from Party In The USA – not exactly an artistic masterpiece. This was also around the time she was sticking her tongue out and grinding on Robin Thicke at the VMAs. So to see this beautiful rendition of the Dolly Parton classic… well it was jarring, to say the least. There’s been many Miley Cyrus performances since then that showcase her talent but this is still the best one.
2) Chris Cornell – Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)
The summer of 2017 was a rough one for music lovers. The world lost Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington to suicide roughly two months apart. The connection between the two as both contemporaries and friends made it all the more sad, somehow. And the truth is, you’d be hard-pressed to find two better voices in the industry. There are plenty of classically trained singers. But to have all that range and control while maintaining the patented grittiness… that’s far less common. Something about a great cover song makes both the singer and the song stand out in new ways. You hear the words differently, sometimes for the first time. The singer gets a chance to showcase something that they may not have the chance to do with originals. It’s a beautiful thing.
1) Billie Eilish – Bad (Michael Jackson)
I told you we’d be revisiting Like A Version. Now if you’re one of those music snobs that’s overlooked Billie Eilish because she’s the pop-flavor of the year, get over yourself. She’s talented as hell. From what I understand, her brother Finneas has a huge hand in the songwriting and production that make her albums so interesting and complex, but there’s no denying her raw ability as a singer. Too often, especially in the Top 40 world, live performances will be detrimental to a singer’s success. It’s way too easy for a huge label to market an artist based on image, produce the shit out of their albums and basically manufacture them as a star, without necessarily requiring them to have a great voice. I won’t name names. But Billie is the opposite. Her live performances elevate her popularity and her cover of “Bad” is a great example of that.
