Last Updated on September 4, 2025 by Christian Adams
I’m a sucker for a good cover song, whether sincere or satirical. I’ve spent entire weeks listening to nothing but Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine, the Mike Flowers Pops, and Pat Boone’s In a Metal Mood (2007). I’d be a bigger fan of Weird Al if he didn’t have that damn accordion.
These are obvious selections. If you haven’t heard a swing version of “Gin and Juice”, I suppose you’ll survive. But if you do a little digging, you’ll find some golden nuggets just waiting to be discovered. And some of these jams will fit quite nicely on any playlist, in some cases, replacing the original version.
“Shock the Monkey” (Peter Gabriel) by Don Ho
This is real, and really good, but I don’t know why Don Ho would agree to do this jam, except somebody asked him. That somebody is a dude named Cevin Soling from The Neanderthal Spongecake. He produced the 2002 compilation, When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You’d Hear. It’s got a couple of bangers like “Call Me” (Blondie) by the Box Tops with Alex Chilton, and “Ohio” (CSN&Y) by Devo.
“Girls on Film” (Duran Duran) by Wesley Willis Fiasco
This is from The Duran Duran Tribute Album (1997), and a personal favorite because Wesley was a friend. His version of “Girls on Film” appeared on the original compilation, but was swapped out with a version by Bjorn Again.
“After the Goldrush” (Neil Young) by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt
Fucking scary good.
“In the Court of the Crimson King” (King Crimson) by Doc Severinsen
I searched high and low for a good story about how King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King” wound up on Doc Severinsen’s Closet (1970). Sorry. It’s still a fun jam, but you aren’t gonna find it on Spotify.
“Oops! I Did It Again” (Britney Spears) by Children of Bodom
This is awful. I feel embarrassed for these clowns.
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (The Tokens) by Brian Eno
I’ve known about this one for a long time, and it’s still a total head-scratcher. I mean, it’s great—it’s Brian Eno!—but I dunno. Could I live without knowing this exists? Yes.
“Mr. Grieves” (Pixies) by TV On The Radio
One of my favorite Pixies’ songs covered by one of my favorite bands of the last decade.
“Train in Vain” (The Clash) by Annie Lennox
Considering Lennox’s pre-Eurythmics stint as lead vocalist of new wave should-have-beens, The Tourists, I can totally see where Lennox is going with this song; it’s just that I don’t want to go there. In full disclosure, I have yet to make it through the first minute.
“Jolene” (Dolly Parton) by The Sisters of Mercy
Not a great version, but it prompts a discussion about the Sisters of Mercy and their impossibly thin sound. To this day, it boggles my mind that people thought they were anything but shit. Everything they’ve released sounds like it was recorded inside a sock.
“Maps” (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) by Macy Gray
CRAZY tempo changes in this version, man. It’s exhilarating. This cut appears on Macy’s 2012 album, Covered. It seems like a good idea until we get to the Metallica cover.
| Macy Gray – Covered (2012) |
|---|
| “Here Comes the Rain Again” – 3:44 (Eurythmics song) “Creep” – 4:18 (Radiohead song) “You Want Them Nervous (Skit)” [feat. J.B. Smoove] – 1:12 “Smoke 2 Joints” – 2:48 (The Toyes/Sublime song) “La La La (Teaching the Kids)” [feat. Layann Al Saud, Avery Albert, Happy Hinds, & Sienna Steiber] – 0:25 “Teenagers” – 2:56 (My Chemical Romance song) “The Power of Love” [feat. Hugh Salk] – 0:41 “Nothing Else Matters” (Metallica song) -5:42 “Sail” – 4:27 (Awolnation song) “I Try Is Cool and All, But (Skit)” [feat. Nicole Scherzinger] – 1:29 “Maps” – 2:51 (Yeah Yeah Yeahs song) “Love Lockdown/Buck” – 3:59 (Kanye West/Nina Simone song) “Mel Rap [feat. Mel Hinds]” – 0:33 “Bubbly” [feat. Idris Elba] – 3:11 (Colbie Caillat song) “Wake Up” (Arcade Fire song) – 3:52 “Really (Skit)” [feat. MC Lyte] – 2:21 “Here Comes The Rain Again (Dirty Plastic Hits Remix)” (iTunes Bonus Track)– 3:44 “Sail (Dirty Plastic Hits Remix)” (iTunes Bonus Track) – 4:46 |
“Across the Universe” (The Beatles) by Scorpions
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
“The End” (The Doors) by Nico
Well, there you have it, Jim Morrison.
“I’m a Believer” (Neil Diamond) by Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt was a founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band, Soft Machine.
“Sweet Emotion” (Aerosmith) by Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon
This one takes a while to get moving, but hang in there.
“Master of Puppets” (Metallica) by Van Canto
I played this for my friend the other night, and he said, “Oh, they’re just shouting over a drum machine. It’s almost like karaoke, but worse.”
“Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden) by Paul Anka
Paul Anka’s attempt to stay relevant included an album of covers called Rock Swings. He does a cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, too. Hey, Pat Boone did this shit like a decade ago, Paul [See: Pat Boone, In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, 1997]. You missed the boat, bubbala.
“Lay Lady Lay” (Bob Dylan) by Ministry
Bob Dylan is rolling over in his grave, and he’s not even dead yet. But I think I’d rather hear this than the original.
“These Boots Are Made For Walking” (Nancy Sinatra) by Crispin Glover
Every listicle of “quirky” or “obscure” cover songs has one version of “These Boots Were Made for Walking”, which is an insufferable song to start. Add Crispin Glover to the mix, and you get one of the more unpleasant listening experiences of your lifetime.
“Hello It’s Me” (Todd Rundgren) by the Isley Brothers (1974)
Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure this was the Todd Rundgren song, and I’m still not sure these guys were sold on the idea in the first place. Nice effort, though.
“Common People” (Pulp) by William Shatner
Couldn’t do this without something from The Shat.
Do you have any favorite obscure covers? Drop me a note in the comments!
2 Comments
what about hallelujah by Jeff Buckley?
It’s a phenomenal cover version, but it doesn’t fit the weird, quirky, or obscure vibe, for one reason, it’s too well known. It’s probably Jeff Buckley’s greatest hit.