The Top 100 Cover Songs

80. The Doors, “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” (1967)

Originally released by Lotta Lenya, 1930

A few years ago, a recording in my music history class caught my attention, sounding an awful lot like lyrics I remembered Jim Morrison singing. Sure enough, “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” was taken from Kurt Weill’s music for the play Little Mahagonny. The Doors’ version is much grittier, holding a darker quality than the famous recording of Weill’s wife, Lotte Lenya. – Virginia Croft

79. The Jackson 5. “Who’s Lovin’ You” (1969)

Originally released by The Miracles, 1960

Michael Jackson’s all-time best vocal performance came before he ever went solo. On this, a smoky, theatrical cover of a 1960 Smokey Robinson deep cut, Michael trills and groans and executes range-spanning runs with inhuman, preternatural smoothness. Utterly irrepressible; a career highlight. – Ben Dickerson

78. Cap’n Jazz, “Take on Me” (1998)

Originally released by a-ha, 1984

Midwest emo pioneers Cap’n Jazz were a fidgety and curious bunch during their brief existence, a scrambled sort accidentally destined for widespread cult appeal over the next 20 years. Shroom-fueled wordplay about bottles of Boone’s, happy accidents and a ring-walled haze complement the band’s more accessible stylistic choices, yielding restless tunes that pinpoint an adolescent agitation yet to be matched. “When we walk the path alone, I think of this song,” frontman Tim Kinsella mentions before launching into an uneasy live rendition of a-ha’s classic “Take on Me.” The cover sounds jokey, but it’s incredibly sincere, and a perfect rendering of Cap’n Jazz’s unlikely combination. – Patrick Pilch

77. The Raincoats, “Lola” (1979)

Originally released by The Kinks, 1970

Before being effectively banned in Australia for its controversial lyrical content and at the BBC for the station’s policy against product placement, The Kinks’ 1970 hit “Lola” underwent months of construction and rearrangement—a process potentially as fluid as the track’s subject. Nine years later, “Lola” would be flipped by post-punk spearheads The Raincoats into a deliriously off-kilter arrangement. The cover reinvigorates the track with the band’s dissonant intentions, simultaneously repelling and intriguing in an utmost charming fashion. – Patrick Pilch

76. Sturgill Simpson, “In Bloom” (2016)

Originally released by Nirvana, 1991

Covers often stick to their genres—e.g., punk is covered by punk—which is why it’s easy to not even realize Sturgill Simpson is singing the same lyrics Kurt Cobain wrote. Simpson’s version of “In Bloom” juxtaposes the haunting lyrics and subject matter with pedal steel guitars and his bellowing country voice. – Virginia Croft

75. The Animals, “House of the Rising Sun” (1964)

Originally released by Clarence “Tom” Ashley and Gwen Foster, 1933

Since the original has disputed ownership, this song belongs to the Vox Continental organ that propels it even more so than Eric Burdon’s vocal that appropriately sounds like it hit on 16 at the blackjack table years ago and has been paying for it ever since. – Butch Rosser

74. Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You” (1992)

Originally released by Dolly Parton, 1974

Dolly freakin’ Parton got this song to number one. Twice! And it still doesn’t really matter, because Whitney took this thing to church. Most people don’t even have the chutzpah to try to cover D.P. because they know it’s a game for suckers. There’s only one cover that ever put the shameless country queen to shame, and this is it. – Butch Rosser

73. Jay Som, “White Flag” (2017)

Originally released by Dido, 2003

Part of the 11-track compilation Group Effort Vol. 1, a collection of 11 Bay Area artists covering various pop songs, Jay Som’s version of Dido’s 2003 hit is an easy reminder that we’re not alone in our alone-ness. Melina Duterte’s soothing vocals bring a new kind of understanding to the ballad, approaching it from a place of “been there, I get that.” – Virginia Croft

72. The Postal Service, “Against All Odds” (2004)

Originally released by Phil Collins, 1984

I’ve always found it interesting that The Postal Service have such a distinctive sound, despite releasing only one album and having more inactivity than activity. “Against All Odds” doesn’t sound like a Phil Collins cover—it sounds like The Postal Service, experimenting post-Give Up. The cover was released as a standalone single in 2004, and perhaps in an alternate timeline kicked off an interesting acoustic-electronic-R&B hybrid era for the band. But in this one, there’s just an empty space. – Paula Chew

71. The Fugees, “Killing Me Softly” (1996)

Originally released by Lori Lieberman, 1972

If you don’t know this song from when Roberta Flack popularized Lori Lieberman’s original in 1973, hopefully you know it from Lauryn Hill’s star vocal turn on The Fugees’ The Score album 23 years later. It didn’t eschew the North Jersey crew’s subtle stomp and island-inflected flow, but it did replace their rap bars with the purest uncut New Jill Swing. It’s a beautiful, powerful makeover. – Adam Blyweiss