Mark Pukalo
Our latest project had us picking the top 20 cover songs of all time. Once again, there were a wide variety of picks from the 15 voters. Here's my try:
Best Cover Songs
Top 20
1. Ol' 55 - The Eagles (Tom Waits) - One of many great songs on their under-rated album "On the Border"
2. You've Got a Friend - James Taylor (Carole King) - JT released the No. 1 hit the same year (1971) as Carole put it on her standout album "Tapestry"
3. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor (Prince, The Family) - One of the greatest vocal performances in the history of music
4. Don't Let Me be Misunderstood - Santa Esmeralda (Nina Simone, The Animals, The Kinks) - Nina was the first to release the song, but I loved the latin version that featured Leroy Gomez. It was used as intro and outro music for NBC sports and in the movie "Kill Bill"
5. Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Bruce Springsteen) - Included on the Boss' first album "Greetings from Asbury Park"
6. Heat Wave - Linda Ronstadt (Martha and the Vandellas) - As with many, many of the songs Linda covered, she made this her own
7. You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins (The Supremes) - From Phil's best solo album "Hello, I Must Be Going"
8. Respect - Aretha Franklin (Otis Redding) - Never knew this was a cover until recently, but the Queen of Soul makes it one of the best R&B songs of all time
9. Twist and Shout - The Beatles (The Isley Brothers, The Top Notes) - The Top Notes were the first to record this tune in 1961, the Isley Brothers took it to No. 17 and the Beatles to No. 2 on the US Billboard chart
10. Always on my Mind - Willie Nelson (Brenda Lee) - As Will McAvoy said on "The Newsroom," "A hundred covers of this song and no one sings it like him"
11. I want you to want me - Letters to Cleo (Cheap Trick) - Kay Hanley and the band kill it at the end of the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" on the roof of a school
12. Return of the Grievous Angel - Counting Crows (Gram Parsons) - From "Underwater Sunshine," which has several great covers
13. Tumbling Dice - Linda Ronstadt (The Rolling Stones) - Apparently Mick said he and Keith wrote the song, but "Linda owned it"
14. You Really Got Me - Van Halen (The Kinks) - Eddie, David and the boys covered the song on their amazing debut album
15. For Once in my Life - Stevie Wonder (Frank Sinatra) - Stevie's upbeat version made it all the way to No. 2.
16. Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon - Urge Overkill (Neil Diamond) - Uma dances to it in "Pulp Fiction"
17. All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan) - Prince also covered the song in his sublime Super Bowl halftime show
18. Always Something There to Remind Me - Naked Eyes (Dionne Warwick) - The video was in full rotation on MTV
19. All Mixed Up - Red House Painters (The Cars) - Very unique version of the final song on The Cars' first album from the now-defunct San Francisco band
20. Wild World - Maxi Priest (Cat Stevens) - Love the song and really enjoyed the reggae version from Maxi
Joe Lunardi's first 12 out
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello (Nick Lowe, Brinsley Schwarz)
Little Wing - Sting (Jimi Hendrix)
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz (The Guess Who)
Venus - Bananarama (The Shocking Blue)
It's my Life - No Doubt (Talk Talk)
Turning Japanese - Liz Phair (The Vapours)
Jolene - The White Stripes (Dolly Parton)
Tainted Love - Soft Cell (Gloria Jones)
Trapped - Bruce Springsteen (Jimmy Cliff)
I Love Rock'n Roll - Joan Jett (The Arrows)
Take Me to the River - Talking Heads (Al Green)
Get Ready - Rare Earth (The Temptations)
