Music Covers I Love

What are your thoughts on covers? No, not the warm, cozy kind one might curl up under on a cold winter’s night… I think we probably all share a similar viewpoint on those! The covers I’m talking about are of the music variety, defined by Wikipedia as follows:

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a previously recorded, commercially released (or unreleased) song, by someone other than the original artist.

Whether in general terms or in reference to a specific song, a conversation among music lovers about covers is pretty much guaranteed to be jammed with fervent emotions and strong opinions. While there may be a few (very few!) covers whereby a yea or nay opinion is pretty much universal, for the most part I think it’s highly personal… and what speaks to one person may actually be a musical travesty to someone else.

So let’s share! I’ve come up with a selection of music covers I love – songs that reach in and tug at my heart, songs that make me want to jump up and dance, songs that bring a smile to my face – and I’d love to hear some of yours.

Music Covers I Love

♫ “Battle of Evermore” by The Lovemongers
♫ “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Ugly Kid Joe

♫ “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan
♫ “Hallelujah” by k.d. lang (I adore this live version)

♫ “Hazy Shade of Winter” by The Bangles
♫ “Hurt” by Johnny Cash

♫ “I Can See Clearly Now” by Holly Cole Trio AND
♫ “I Can See Clearly Now” by Hothouse Flowers

♫ “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Guns N’ Roses
♫ “Superstar” by Sonic Youth

♫ “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” by Barenaked Ladies

♫ “Mrs. Robinson” by The Lemonheads
♫ “You’re So Vain” by Faster Pussycat

So, where do you stand on my selections?
And what are some covers YOU love?
Please share!