Covering a song can be a way for artists to branch out and show appreciation for other types of music. Sometimes the cover even becomes far more famous than the original. “Twist and Shout” was originally recorded by the Isley Brothers, but is popularly associated with The Beatles. Robert Hazard wrote and first performed “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” but Cyndi Lauper’s cover version became a massive hit and helped launch her career. Her version evolved into a feminist anthem and led to significantly more artists covering it.
Often, musicians will add their own unique spin to songs they cover, in a way making them their own. Of course, not everyone sees it this way. Singer-songwriter Jake Holmes wrote “Dazed and Confused” for an album he released in 1967. The British group The Yardbirds subsequently recorded a different arrangement of the song, and then Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page brought it to his new band, Led Zeppelin – who added new lyrics and added it to their regular repertoire without crediting Holmes. He sued, and the two parties eventually reached a settlement.
The early Rolling Stones anthem “[I Can’t Get No] Satisfaction” was reworked with significant changes by numerous other artists without incurring legal action. Otis Redding’s version was described by music critic Robert Christgau as an “anarchic reading” of the song (Redding claimed not to know the words, so improvised). The new wave band Devo played with the song’s basic rhythm for what has been called their “robo-rock” interpretation. Chan Marshall, who records as Cat Power, elided some of the lyrics and turned it into something dreamy, almost soporific. (Check out the most covered songs in music history.)
When 24/7 Tempo compiled a list of the 50 best cover songs of all time, neither “Dazed and Confused” nor “Satisfaction” made the cut. We determined which songs did by developing an index measuring audience rating and radio and streaming popularity. Data on average audience ratings of various versions of a song’s performance came from SecondHandSongs, a database tracking originals and cover songs. (These are the most covered artists.)
In addition, an inverted ranking of a song’s performances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – wherein a week at position No. 100 is worth one point, a week at position No. 99 two points, and so on, up to a week at position No. 1 worth 100 points – was calculated using data from Billboard. Both measures were given equal weight. Christmas songs and covers of instrumental songs with added lyrics were not included. (Information on the original artist and songwriters came from SecondHandSongs and other sources.)
Click here to see the best cover songs of all time
The songs on this list are masterpieces of music and proof that artists don’t have to start from scratch to make something unique and special.
50. “Lady Marmalade” by Labelle (1974)
> Original artist: The Eleventh Hour (1974)
> Writer(s): Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.97 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 1 week (18 weeks total)
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49. “Take Me To The River” by Talking Heads (1978)
> Original artist: Al Green (1974)
> Writer(s): Al Green and Mabon “Teenie” Hodges
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.12 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 26 for 1 week (17 weeks total)
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48. “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” by Gladys Knight and The Pips (1973)
> Original artist: Steve Lawrence (1973)
> Writer(s): Jim Weatherly
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 3 for 1 week (17 weeks total)
47. “Giving It Up for Your Love” by Delbert McClinton (1980)
> Original artist: Jerry Williams (1979)
> Writer(s): Jerry Williams
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 8 for 3 weeks (19 weeks total)
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46. “No More ‘I Love You’s'” by Annie Lennox (1995)
> Original artist: The Lover Speaks (1986)
> Writer(s): David Freeman and Joe Hughes
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 23 for 3 weeks (21 weeks total)
45. “Proud Mary” by Ike & Tina Turner (1971)
> Original artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
> Writer(s): John Fogerty
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.12 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 4 for 1 week (13 weeks total)
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44. “I Swear” by All-4-One (1994)
> Original artist: John Michael Montgomery (1993)
> Writer(s): Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.46 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 11 weeks (30 weeks total)
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43. “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye (1968)
> Original artist: Gladys Knight & the Pips (1967)
> Writer(s): Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.97 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 7 weeks (15 weeks total)
42. “Wild Thing” by The Troggs (1966)
> Original artist: The Wild Ones (1965)
> Writer(s): Chip Taylor
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 2 weeks (11 weeks total)
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41. “Mony Mony” by Billy Idol (1981)
> Original artist: Tommy James and the Shondells (1968)
> Writer(s): Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, Bo Gentry, and Tommy James
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 1 week (22 weeks total)
40. “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray (1973)
> Original artist: John Henry Kurtz (1972)
> Writer(s): Mentor Williams
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.97 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 5 for 1 week (21 weeks total)
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39. “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones (2002)
> Original artist: Jesse Harris (1999)
> Writer(s): Jesse Harris
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.97 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 30 for 1 week (31 weeks total)
38. “Go Now!” by The Moody Blues (1964)
> Original artist: Bessie Banks (1964)
> Writer(s): Larry Banks and Milton Bennett
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.23 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 10 for 1 week (14 weeks total)
37. “Hurt” by Johnny Cash (2002)
> Original artist: Nine Inch Nails (1994)
> Writer(s): Trent Reznor
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.59 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: N/A
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36. “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and The Pips (1973)
> Original artist: Jim Weatherly (1972)
> Writer(s): Jim Weatherly
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 2 weeks (19 weeks total)
35. “Never Can Say Goodbye” by Gloria Gaynor (1974)
> Original artist: The Jackson 5 (1971)
> Writer(s): Clifton Davis
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 9 for 1 week (17 weeks total)
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34. “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (1981)
> Original artist: Arrows (1975)
> Writer(s): Jake Hooker and Alan Merrill
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.98 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 7 weeks (20 weeks total)
33. “Hello Mary Lou” by Ricky Nelson (1961)
> Original artist: Johnny Duncan (1960)
> Writer(s): Gene Pitney
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.14 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 9 for 1 week (15 weeks total)
32. “Burning Love” by Elvis Presley (1972)
> Original artist: Arthur Alexander (1972)
> Writer(s): Dennis Linde
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 1 week (15 weeks total)
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31. “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by Roberta Flack (1972)
> Original artist: Lori Lieberman (1972)
> Writer(s): Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.09 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 5 weeks (16 weeks total)
30. “Red Red Wine” by UB40 (1983)
> Original artist: Neil Diamond (1967)
> Writer(s): Neil Diamond
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.77 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 1 week (40 weeks total)
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29. “I Say a Little Prayer” by Aretha Franklin (1968)
> Original artist: Dionne Warwick (1967)
> Writer(s): Burt Bacharach and Hal David
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.32 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 10 for 1 week (11 weeks total)
28. “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles (1963)
> Original artist: The Top Notes (1961)
> Writer(s): Phil Medley and Bert Berns
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 4 weeks (26 weeks total)
27. “I Feel for You” by Chaka Khan (1984)
> Original artist: Prince (1979)
> Writer(s): Prince
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 3 for 3 weeks (26 weeks total)
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26. “The Tide Is High” by Blondie (1980)
> Original artist: The Paragons (1967)
> Writer(s): John Holt
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.98 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 1 week (26 weeks total)
25. “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” by Dionne Warwick (1979)
> Original artist: Cheryl Ladd (1978)
> Writer(s): Richard Kerr and Will Jennings
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 5 for 2 weeks (24 weeks total)
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24. “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen (1963)
> Original artist: Richard Berry (1957)
> Writer(s): Richard Berry
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.14 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 6 weeks (18 weeks total)
23. “One Night” by Elvis Presley (1957)
> Original artist: Smiley Lewis (1956)
> Writer(s): Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, and Anita Steinman
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 4 for 2 weeks (17 weeks total)
22. “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes” by Dinah Washington (1959)
> Original artist: Jimmy Ague (1934)
> Writer(s): Stanley Adams
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.14 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 8 for 2 weeks (20 weeks total)
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21. “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers (1978)
> Original artist: Bobby Bare (1978)
> Writer(s): Don Schlitz
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 16 for 1 week (22 weeks total)
20. “We’re All Alone” by Rita Coolidge (1977)
> Original artist: Frankie Valli (1976)
> Writer(s): Boz Scaggs
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 7 for 4 weeks (20 weeks total)
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19. “Fever” by Peggy Lee (1958)
> Original artist: Little Willie John (1956)
> Writer(s): Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 8 for 1 week (11 weeks total)
18. “We’ve Only Just Begun” by Carpenters (1970)
> Original artist: Smokey Roberds (1970)
> Writer(s): Roger Nichols and Paul Williams
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 4 weeks (17 weeks total)
17. “Queen of Hearts” by Juice Newton (1981)
> Original artist: Dave Edmunds (1979)
> Writer(s): Hank DeVito
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.97 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 2 weeks (27 weeks total)
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16. “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes (1981)
> Original artist: Jackie DeShannon (1974)
> Writer(s): Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 9 weeks (26 weeks total)
15. “All the Man That I Need” by Whitney Houston (1990)
> Original artist: Linda Clifford (1982)
> Writer(s): Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 2 weeks (23 weeks total)
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14. “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” by Simply Red (1989)
> Original artist: Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (1972)
> Writer(s): Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 1 week (22 weeks total)
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13. “Angel of the Morning” by Juice Newton (1981)
> Original artist: Evie Sands (1967)
> Writer(s): Chip Taylor
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.14 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 4 for 4 weeks (22 weeks total)
12. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack (1972)
> Original artist: Peggy Seeger (1957)
> Writer(s): Ewan MacColl
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 6 weeks (18 weeks total)
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11. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper (1983)
> Original artist: Robert Hazard (1979)
> Writer(s): Robert Hazard
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.14 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 2 weeks (25 weeks total)
10. “The First Cut Is The Deepest” by Sheryl Crow (2003)
> Original artist: P.P. Arnold (1967)
> Writer(s): Cat Stevens
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.77 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 14 for 2 weeks (36 weeks total)
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9. “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O’Connor (1990)
> Original artist: The Family (1985)
> Writer(s): Prince
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.19 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 4 weeks (21 weeks total)
8. “Walk, Don’t Run” by The Ventures (1960)
> Original artist: Johnny Smith (1954)
> Writer(s): Johnny Smith
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.27 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 1 week (18 weeks total)
7. “Got My Mind Set on You” by George Harrison (1987)
> Original artist: James Ray (1962)
> Writer(s): Rudy Clark
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.27 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 1 week (22 weeks total)
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6. “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin (1971)
> Original artist: Roger Miller (1969)
> Writer(s): Kris Kristofferson
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.48 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 2 weeks (15 weeks total)
5. “(They Long to Be) Close to You” by Carpenters (1970)
> Original artist: Richard Chamberlain (1963)
> Writer(s): Burt Bacharach and Hal David
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for 4 weeks (17 weeks total)
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4. “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion (1996)
> Original artist: Pandora’s Box (1989)
> Writer(s): Jim Steinman
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for 5 weeks (30 weeks total)
3. “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell (1981)
> Original artist: Gloria Jones (1964)
> Writer(s): Ed Cobb
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.32 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 8 for 2 weeks (43 weeks total)
2. “Change the World” by Eric Clapton (1996)
> Original artist: Wynonna Judd (1996)
> Writer(s): Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, and Wayne Kirkpatrick
> SecondHandSongs rating: 3.96 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 5 for 2 weeks (43 weeks total)
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1. “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers (1965)
> Original artist: Todd Duncan (1955)
> Writer(s): Alex North and Hy Zaret
> SecondHandSongs rating: 4.27 out of 5 stars
> Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 4 for 2 weeks (57 weeks total)
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