00:07Welcome to WatchMojo. And today, we're counting down our picks for the most underrated or simply
00:13less popular covers that deserve more recognition.
00:17I know I'll be alive. I've got all my life to live. I've got all my love to give.
00:2610. Lose Yourself. Robin Adele Anderson. Who knew one of the most famous hip-hop songs
00:33of all time would sound great as a jazz band solo? It really must be heard to be believed,
00:41but Robin Adele Anderson transforms Eminem's chart-topping hip-hop anthem into something
00:46remarkably fresh. With impressive breath control and nimble phrasing, Anderson does justice to the
01:00stream-of-consciousness narrative compulsion of the original, an epic of ambition and desperation.
01:06You better lose yourself in the music the moment you own it. You better never let it go.
01:12Even Eminem's nimble wordplay and storytelling come out much clearer here. Transformative genre-bending
01:18arrangements like these really need more love, and this cover is too good for you too.
01:309. I Will Survive. Cake. At first, we were afraid, we were petrified,
01:38to hear a version of this heartening 1978 disco hit by Gloria Gaynor.
01:43Oh no, not I. I will survive. Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll feel
01:51alive.
01:51But this American rock band's transformation of the brassy self-empowerment of Gaynor's song
01:56is worth a listen.
01:58Walk out the door. Just turn around. Now you're not welcome anymore.
02:06Cake's slower and more emphatic rock version is the opposite of Defiance.
02:11It's a song by one who is trying to convince themselves their breakup is a good thing,
02:17and barely keeping it together. Honestly, we've all been there.
02:22Cake's I Will Survive is certified gold in the US, so it definitely has its lovers,
02:28but it's still very much underrated. Give this one a listen.
02:398. Elephant. The Wiggles. This psychedelic rock number makes for a good children's song.
02:47Tame Impala's 2012 track received a more tame, but still jaunty cover by the Australian children's
02:53music band in 2021.
03:01The cover still retains the rock propulsion of the original, even the retro 60s-style vocals.
03:07But the arrangement is tighter, and the addition of the Wiggles' original song,
03:11Fruit Salad, was also an inspired choice.
03:21In any case, the elephant metaphor works perfectly in a children's song.
03:26A modest hit in Australia, this version of Elephant is a good one for all ages, and
03:32one should get more kudos.
03:407. Bohemian Rhapsody. Jake Shimabukuro. Is this the real life? Or just fantasy?
03:49Queen's classic 1975 hit is a hard one to cover in all respects. Queen delivered a surreal mock
03:57aria with three segments and a load of operatic and comedia buffer references.
04:10So it's a treat to hear these dynamic melodic parts played by just one instrument.
04:21With good articulation and expression, Jake Shimabukuro's minimalistic ukulele arrangement makes playing
04:28this six-minute epic look easy, even though it clearly isn't. Sometimes all we need is just one
04:35master of the instruments doing what he does best.
04:466. Heart It Races.
04:49Dr. Dog. Indie rock band Architecture in Helsinki first released Heart It Races in 2007.
04:56A rock song with a fun reggae beat and kid-friendly vocals.
05:08American rock band Dr. Dog followed suit in the same year, releasing a toned-down but heartfelt
05:13acoustic cover. The strength of this cover accentuates the song's life-affirming lyrics,
05:18and the three-part harmony is on point.
05:21We go back to where we moved out to the places, Heart It Races.
05:29Some people even prefer this version to Architecture in Helsinki's version.
05:34Your mileage may vary, but for an indie song that is light and heart-warming,
05:39this version is definitely worth a listen.
05:42Heart It Races in Love, Heart It Races in Love, Heart It Races in Love, Heart It Races in Love,
05:48At The World.
05:49Number 5. Bad. Billy Eilish.
05:52Michael Jackson's legendary 1987 hit with an iconic music video is a hard one to match,
05:58much less compete with.
06:07One cover we recommend is Billy Eilish's From 2018.
06:11Eilish's mumblecore delivery accentuates the darkness of the lyrics,
06:15about a private school student who returns to his old neighborhood and is jumped by a street gang.
06:30Eilish brings out the sadness of the song's backstory.
06:33She transforms the song from a West Side Story-inspired rumble into an indie elegy of class mobility.
06:40For a new take on an oldie, this bad ain't bad at all.
06:45Cause I'm bad, I'm bad, come on, you know I'm bad.
06:53Number 4. God Save the Queen, Motorhead.
06:57This controversial song by English punk rock band Sex Pistols was penned in 1977
07:03about Queen Elizabeth II around the time of her Silver Jubilee.
07:07It was quickly banned by the BBC for its scathing lyrics,
07:11critical of the English monarchy and calling it the Fascist Regime.
07:22In 2000, English heavy metal band Motorhead cranked up the rock outrage with their own version.
07:28Motorhead matched even the Sex Pistols' satiric energy in this heavy cover.
07:38For those who long to headbang to a diss track against the British Empire,
07:44Motorhead delivers high-voltage rage and then some.
07:48No future, no future for me.
07:55Number 3. The Joker.
07:57Fat Boy Slim featuring Bootsy Collins.
08:00The Steve Miller Band released this easy-going rock song in 1973 about a lover and a sinner.
08:06Cause I'm a picker, I'm a grinner, I'm a lover and I'm a sinner.
08:11In 2005, English musician Fat Boy Slim released his cover with additional vocals by Bootsy Collins.
08:18Slim amps up the grooviness with this danceable version, with clear, harmonious vocals.
08:24Cause I'm a picker, I'm a grinner, I'm a lover and I'm a sinner.
08:29The 2010 music video featuring a whole cat city makes for hilarious, adorable addition.
08:36Slim's version did well on the UK and Irish charts.
08:39For Steve Miller Band fans and rock fans in general,
08:42this Joker cover is something to take seriously.
08:53Number 2. Jolene. The White Stripes.
08:58Jolene is at it again with her man stealing ways.
09:02Composed and sung by Dolly Parton in 1973,
09:06Jolene is a heartfelt plea to the beautiful redhead not to steal the singer's man.
09:10Smile is like a breath of spring, your voice is soft like summer rain,
09:14and I cannot compete with you, Jolene.
09:18But once this American Garage rock band covered it in the early 2000s,
09:23the song took on a darker rock edge.
09:25Parton's Jolene is both a warning and a jealous complaint.
09:29Smile is like a breath of spring, your voice is soft like summer rain,
09:34and I cannot compete with you, Jolene.
09:38The White Stripes' Jolene is less a warning to a rival than resigned despondency,
09:44almost as if Jolene has stolen the singer's man already.
09:48The falsetto rock scream sells the pain of the trespass very well.
09:52So if you want your Jolene with more angst, this version is it.
09:59Jolene, Jolene.
10:02Please don't take him, just make us your kind.
10:05Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:09What a Wonderful World, The Flaming Lips.
10:13Hopeful indie rock is apropos for this sweet Louis Armstrong hit.
10:19What a Wonderful World.
10:26Surfing USA, the Jesus and Mary chain.
10:30This rock-heavy cover captures that Beach Boys vibe.
10:35Everybody's gonna surf, surfing U.S.E.
10:40Driver's License, David Byrne.
10:44This quirky pop cover of Olivia Rodrigo is worth a listen.
10:47Today I drove through the suburbs, and I pictured I was driving home to you.
10:55Tainted Love, Sepultura.
10:58Gloria Jones gets a heavy metal cover worth screaming about.
11:02Big pop, tears, and that's not really how.
11:06Tainted Love.
11:08Blitzkrieg Bob, Rob Zombie.
11:11This Ramones hit got an energy boost with this cover.
11:14Going to a Taiwan, kids are losing their minds.
11:20Blitzkrieg Bob.
11:30Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia, Songs from Iran,
11:35reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
11:39Check out the full track and album below.
11:41A cradle of hearts where stars align.
11:46Together we stand in your sacred light.
11:51Against all darkness we rise and fight.
11:56Number 1.
11:57Rolling in the Deep, Linkin Park.
12:00Songwriter Adele's original 2010 track is an epic breakup song with soaring vocals.
12:14So, naturally, it got a great cover by rock band Linkin Park.
12:19It's not every day a rock band delivers a good cover of a ballad, so this is a plot twist
12:25indeed.
12:25But Chester Bennington's strong vocals capture the soulfulness of the lyrics,
12:30hitting those high notes as effortlessly as Adele's.
12:32I can't help feeling we could have had it all.
12:40Paired with Mike Shinoda's chord-heavy piano accompaniment, this cover does justice to the original while standing on its own.
12:47It's one of Linkin Park's underrated tracks, to be sure.
12:50Rolling in the Deep, you have my heart inside of your head.
13:00Which other underappreciated cover do you feel deserves more love?
13:04Let us know in the comments down below.
13:06Tell us what we're doing next time.
13:06Take care.
13:06See you tomorrow.
13:06Cheers.
13:07Peace.
13:09или is it?
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