Best Cover Songs EVER

Molly is one of the best, and funniest, music bloggers in the land. To add insult to injury, the girl hasn't even finished high school! I love her because we both love funk and Britney Spears.

It's always a huge bonus when an artist is a brilliant songwriter. However, sometimes there's just nothing better than a killer cover.

Here's some of my personal favourite covers:

"Blackbird"
Cover by: Crosby, Stills & Nash
Original by: the Beatles
Where to hear it: Live at Woodstock, and on the playlist below
Now Beatles covers are something I'm pretty sensitive about, as I think 99% of them are terrible. But this harmonies are exquisite (what else could you expect from CSN?) and this version is - dare I say it?? - almost better than the original.

"No Sense of Crime"
Cover by: Van Hunt
Original by: Iggy Pop & the Stooges
Where to hear it: On YouTube, on the playlist below and on Van Hunt's ridiculously great album On the Jungle Floor
I've raved about this song before on my own blog. I think it's just gorgeous and brilliant and fascinating, true to the original but adding something new and unique - everything a good cover should be.

"Ain't That Peculiar"
Cover by: George Clinton & his Gangsters of Love
Original by: Marvin Gaye
Where to hear it: On the playlist below and on the rad new George Clinton album (of all covers!)
The original is nice, good vocals, but kind of....plain? Not once George Clinton's through with it! His cover is quirky and unself-conscious and insanely fun - just like the man himself!

"I

Want You (She's So Heavy)"
Cover by: Eddie Hazel
Original by: the Beatles
Where to hear it: On YouTube, on the playlist below and on his amazingly rare solo album Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs
I can't believe I not only found two Beatles covers that I could bear to listen to, but two that I liked enough to put on this list! This song isn't quite as dark as the original (which is what makes the Beatles version so great), but Eddie Hazel can play guitar better than all of the Beatles combined, and the female vocals are a great touch. Produced by (who else?) George Clinton!
(Eddie also does a fantastic cover of the Mamas & Papas song "California Dreamin'", which I've included on the playlist below)

"Erotic City"
Cover by: George Clinton
Original by: Prince
Where to hear it: On the playlist below
It's not as good as the original but it's still a fun, solid cover of one of Prince's best B-sides.

"Ain't No Sunshine"
Cover by: Lyn Collins
Original by: Bill Withers
Where to hear it: On YouTube or on the playlist below
Lyn has probably my favourite female voice and she kills this Bill Withers cover.

"A Case of (Yo)U"
Cover by: Prince
Original by: Joni Mitchell
Where to hear it: On the playlist below and on the Joni Mitchell tribute album
Something you might not know about Prince: he's an enormous Joni Mitchell fan. In fact, he went to go see her show when he was a teenager (before he was famous) and she says she remembers him because there weren't many black teenaged boys that came to her concerts, and he spent the whole concert intently studying the performance. This cover is gorgeous, a fitting tribute to someone who influenced him a lot.

"Gimme Shelter"
Cover by: Ruth Copeland & Funkadelic
Original by: the Rolling Stones
Where to hear it: On YouTube
I'd never seen a picture of Ruth Copeland before researching this post and I'd always thought - from her strong, soulful voice - that she was black. My bad! I think this cover of what I would consider to be the greatest song of all time is absolutely striking. My parents can't stand it, so I guess its an acquired taste.

"Creep"
Cover by: Prince, live at Coachella
Original by: Radiohead
Where to hear it: On the playlist below
I'm not much of a Radiohead fan, but in Prince's hands, I can dig it. Guitar and vocals are insane - and I love the guy screaming "EPIC!!" at the end. Epic, indeed.

"Black Magic Woman"
Cover by: Santana
Original by: Fleetwood Mac
Where to hear it: On the playlist below, on Youtube, on any Santana compilation, probably on one of your local radio stations this very minute
This feels backwards. "Black Magic Woman" is the only song on this list where the cover is more well-known than the original. So, while I included the Santana version on my playlist below, I urge you to check out the (Peter Green) Fleetwood Mac version. It's hard to say which is better because they're pretty similar and pretty different at the same time, but both are great.

What are some of your favourite covers? Are there any songs (or bands) that are simply too sacred to cover?