25 Best Cover Songs of 2008
Wrapping up the year-that-was would seem incomplete without taking a look back at the year’s best cover songs. (After all, 2008 seemed to be a particularly ace year for cover-lovers…)
If you’re as busy as I am swilling eggnog and trying to organize for the travel home, you’ll understand why the commentaries on each song selection are incomplete. I just wanted to get this post up ASAP so you could fill up your iPod with cover goodness for the journey home. Anyhoo, happy holidays everyone and here’s to a GREAT 2009!!!
I know what you’re thinking - Conan O’Brien ain’t a musician. However, in the midst of the ‘08 writer’s strike, The Cone Zone performed a raucous cover of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” and once again proved that he’s more than just “low-concept nonsense” - he’s one of late night’s finest.
MP3s:
Conan O’Brien - “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (Bill Monroe cover)
Bill Monroe - “Blue Moon of Kentucky”
MP3s:
Boyce Avenue - “4 Minutes”
Madonna Ft Justin Timberlake - “4 Minutes”
MP3s:
Pete Yorn & Kinky - “Use Me” (Bill Withers cover)
Bill Withers - “Use Me”
MP3s:
The Flaming Lips - “Tommy Medley” (The Who cover)
The Who - “Pinball Wizard”
MP3s:
Adam Green & Lissy Trullie - “Just A Friend” (Biz Markie cover)
Biz Markie - “Just A Friend”
MP3s:
Calico Horse - “Idioteque” (Radiohead cover)
Radiohead - “Idioteque”
MP3s:
Lightspeed Champion - “Thriller” (Michael Jackson cover)
Michael Jackson - “Thriller”
Big thanks to Matt @ The Music Slut for recommending this song!
MP3s:
Bat For Lashes - “A Forest” (The Cure cover)
The Cure - “A Forest”
MP3s:
The Flying Change - “All My Friends” (LCD Soundsystem cover)
LCD Soundsystem - “All My Friends”
MP3s:
The Honorary Title - “No One” (Alicia Keys cover)
Alicia Keys - “No One”
MP3s:
Radiohead - “Tell Me Why” (Neil Young cover)
Neil Young - “Tell Me Why”
BONUS MP3s:
Radiohead - “The Rip (Portishead cover)”
Portishead - “The Rip”
MP3s:
Of Montreal - “Jimmy” (M.I.A. cover)
M.I.A. - “Jimmy”
Parvati Khan - “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja”
MP3s:
The Kooks - “Kids” (MGMT cover)
MGMT - “Kids”
BONUS MP3s:
The Kooks - “Violet Hill (Coldplay cover)”
Coldplay - “Violet Hill”
MP3s:
Miniature Tigers - “Mamma Mia (ABBA Cover)”
ABBA - “Mamma Mia”
MP3s:
The Last Shadow Puppets - “S.O.S (Rihanna cover)”
Rihanna - “S.O.S.”
BONUS MP3s:
Pun Lovin’ Criminals (Alex Turner & Lightspeed Champion) - “Reptilia (The Strokes cover)”
The Strokes - “Reptilia”
MP3s:
Max Vernon - “I Kissed A Girl” (Katy Perry cover)
Katy Perry - “I Kissed A Girl”
MP3s:
Gnarls Barkley - “Reckoner” (Radiohead cover)
Radiohead - “Reckoner”
MP3s:
First Aid Kit - “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” (Fleet Foxes Cover)
Fleet Foxes - “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”
MP3s:
The Morning Benders - “He’s A Rebel” (The Crystals cover)
Maureen McGovern - “He’s a Rebel”
MP3s:
Her Space Holiday - “I’ll Believe In Anything (Wolf Parade cover)”
Wolf Parade - “I’ll Believe In Anything”
MP3s:
Willie Nelson - “Gravedigger” (Dave Matthews cover)
Dave Matthews - “Gravedigger”
MP3s:
Spoon - “Panic” (The Smiths cover)
The Smiths - “Panic”
MP3s:
Timid Tiger - “Womanizer” (Britney Spears cover)
Britney Spears - “Womanizer”
BONUS MP3:
All-American Rejects - “Womanizer (Britney Spears cover)
MP3s:
Prince - “Creep” (Radiohead Cover)
Radiohead - “Creep”
Covering a song entitled “Everywhere” makes perfect sense for a band as ubiquitous as Vampire Weekend in 2008. Thankfully, the “A-Punk” preps brought their A-game to the Fleetwood Mac tune and delivered the year’s best cover. (As further evidence of Vampire Weekend’s omnipresence, just check out the bonus MP3s!)
MP3s:
Vampire Weekend - “Everywhere” (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Fleetwood Mac - “Everywhere”
BONUS MP3s:
Banjo or Freakout - “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” (Vampire Weekend cover)
Ben Povey - “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance” (Vampire Weekend cover)
dublinStu - Oxford Comma (Vampire Weekend cover)
Hot Chip & Peter Gabriel - “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” (Vampire Weekend cover)
Lykke Li - “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” (Vampire Weekend cover)
The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit) - “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”
- Vampire Weekend Covers Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere”
- The Kooks Cover MGMT’s “Kids”
- New Vampire Weekend - “Little Giant” & “White Sky”
[...] Hypeful selected the live version of ‘All My Friends’ that we did in September as the 17th best cover of the entire year for 2008. Also on the list were bands like Vampire Weekend, Spoon, Prince, Radiohead, and others. So [...]
I’ve heard the Fleetwood Mac cover and it is still with the vibe and general feel of the original with a few electronic twistas!
Aww, what about Lily Allen’s Womanizer cover?
The Honorary Title one is so good. Thank you!
[...] You should also head on over to Hypeful to check out their 25 Best Cover Songs of 2008. [...]
thanks for the Spoon and Honorary Title tracks
also, I greatly enjoyed Panic at the Disco covering the Weight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpWaIl2C4bY
Wow, this blog has done wonders for us. I’m seeing the cover of Oxford Comma that you posted here popping up all over different music blogs, and have to say I’m really excited and grateful that you decided to include it on this page. Thank you so much, it’s really helped us out.
-Will, from dublinStu
[...] put up a list of the best cover songs of 2008, and while there’s a fair amount of crap on there1, and a couple degraded by dubious bootleg [...]
Katy Perry covering MGMT’s Electric Feel?
Some more awesome covers from 2008:
http://audiomuffin.com/cover-meim-going-in/
Fiona Apple also covered “Use Me” (item 23). Look for a live concert recording of it somewhere on the net.
what about Vilolent Femmes cover of Crazy?
local h’s cover of Brit’s TOXIC was the best for me this year. http://www.videosurf.com/video/local-h-toxic-britney-spears-cover-9616718
[...] can’t believe I missed this, Prince covering Radiohead. What rock was I under, right? Anyway, click here for a great list of covers you might have missed in [...]
THANKS FOR THE COMPLEMENT!
for the record, #23 is MY version of Bill Withers’ “Use Me” and it features Pete Yorn and Kinky, who i had a blast doing it with!
happy new year!
[...] Perry - “I Kissed A Girl” Seguí la lista acá. Foto apertura@FFFFound! Vía Hypefull. 22 Jan 09 | Flowmi | Música, Audios | 0 comentarios | [...]
Jeff Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is by far one of the best covers of all time.
thanks for briney spears “womenizer” i really enjoyed!! I also check the other song its Great!! give thumbs up on SU!!
Did you hear Jonna Lee’s cover of the Killer’s “Human”.. I think it’s amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEsqH1pWErQ&feature=related
you forgot to put on Yngwie Malmstein’s cover of Gimme Gimme by ABBA. its fucking awesome.
That sorry excuse for music is not a cover of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. You’ve made a mistake.
eww. I didn’t enjoy any that I sampled.
really interesting!! wonder who’s hard for radiohead. thumbs up!!
[...] Click here to go to Hypeful to check the Flaming Lips cover The Who’s “Tommy Medley” [...]
Wow, people must really like Vampire Weekend. They didn’t seem like all that much to me.
Flaming Lips suck dick, they are a terrible band and should never have covered a song by one of the greatest bands alive.
Ra Ra Riot covering Kate Bush, “suspended in gaffa”?
Johnny Cash covering ‘Hurt’ by NIN?
Or was that earlier?
Cause if not how the hell has it not been mentioned? lol!
Cake’s “I will Survive”?
RockBooth.com is really a ‘pretty’ website for cover songs contest. Upload your cover song video to youtube and start the contest! It is fun!
you should add the Local Natives’ cover of Warning Sing, by the talking heads. here, take a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dCho9Lb0w8
i swear to god, you’ll like that
Conans cover of Blue Moon of Kentucky is actualy a cover of Elvis Presleys cover of the Bill Monroe classic.
Still fuckin awesome,though.
Spoon does a good cover of “panic” but Pete Yorn’s cover of that song is much better. Also props for the THT Cover, its great
How about Opeth’s cover of Alice in Chains song “Would?”
tyler hilton - cover of ‘Kings of leon’ - “use somebody”
and not sure which yr but Ray Lamontagne’s cover of ‘Gnarlz Barkley’ - “Crazy” - amazing cover!!
You missed my favorite cover of 2008, I know this is pretty indie but, ‘Clare and the Reason’s cover of ‘Everybody wants to rule the world’ by ‘Tears for Fears’ was the best reimagining of any song. Everybody Wants to Rule The World can be found here
thanks everyone for these suggestions! this kicks ass!
is there a list or discussion out there any where else with rad covers like these?
also… check out Keep the Car Running (arcade fire) done by foo fighters
Great list but I’d also include”
Lilly Allen’s “Womanizer”
Arrica Rose’s ” I Hope I Don’t Fall in Love with You”
of montreal is by far the best in my opinion.
also, i’ll take snowden’s cover of “dreams” by fleetwood mac, over vampire weekend anytime.
I know dublinstu!
like literally…. I know him.
Even though i like most of these artists a lot of these covers suck balls.
Nothingmore did a bad ass cover of “I kissed a girl and I liked it”
Check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeTVHTMdvxA
Prince’s cover of Radiohead is perhaps the worst cover ever.
He’s so vain it is rediculous.
“You’re a creep. You’re a weirdo.”
Really, Prince? Really?
I have lost all respect for your list
in my opinion A cover song is a how another artist interprets a song and transforms it into the song it should have been. this is clearly done in john mayer’s cover for tom petty the song is called free fallin’ it was performed acoustic and live in los angeles (where the light is)
[...] post que mais me chamou atenção foi uma seleção chamada de “25 Best Covers Songs of 2008“, onde encontrei coisas inesperadas e [...]
Check out theBEAUTYfire’s cover of Fine Young Cannibals, “She Drives me Crazy”! Complete bad-assery. Even better if you catch it live.
[...] As much as I don’t really “get” MGMT, I like “Kids”. But I LOVE this cover of it much much more. You’ve probably heard it, but why not have another listen? (via Hypeful) [...]
I like a lot of these artists. The covers for the most part are really well done.
Watch Gavin Castleton’s cover of Nothing Compares 2 U, Sledgehammer, or anything else on his Youtube and ask yourself why you hadn’t heard of him before. Don’t worry, we all do.