00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Cover Versions
00:09that sometimes get forgotten about in the greatest of all time discussions.
00:20Number 10. After the Gold Rush.
00:23Dali Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt.
00:27Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 20th century.
00:35The stripped-down and delicate performance that Neil Young gave on his iconic track,
00:40After the Gold Rush, was part of the reason it has since become a signature song for him.
00:44I was hoping for replacement when the sun burst through the sky.
00:52Country legends Dali Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt don't lose sight of the track's core
00:57identity while letting their three-part harmonies carry the tune. A song like After the Gold Rush
01:03doesn't need a massive string section or huge climax to get its point across, just a piano and an
01:08authentic vocal performance in front of it. These icons certainly succeeded in that regard.
01:13I gave all in a dream. The loading had begun.
01:21Number 9. Jealous Guy, Roxy Music.
01:35John Lennon has rarely sounded as vulnerable as he did on his solo career highlight,
01:41Jealous Guy. All the hallmarks of a Lennon classic are on full display. The strong melody,
01:46the raw vocals, and of course, the simple but poignant lyrics. When Brian Ferry and Roxy Music
01:52covered it in 1981, it ended up becoming their first UK number one hit.
02:01They don't reinvent the wheel when it comes to adapting Lennon's work, but while they keep the
02:06sincere vibe of the source material, they certainly give it a bit more of a new wave punch. Even though
02:12Lennon never released it as a single, it has since gone on to be considered among his most beloved
02:17compositions.
02:25Number 8. Light My Fire, Stevie Wonder.
02:34For most fans, Stevie Wonder could sing the phone book, and it would be worth listening to. For as much
02:39as he is rightly regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, his ability to
02:45interpret and cover other people's work also stands out.
02:55For our money, his take on The Door's breakout hit Light My Fire is a version that really does
03:01deserve your attention. Gone are the brooding and mysterious vocal croons of Jim Morrison,
03:05replaced by the far more upbeat and direct wonders phrasing. The song doesn't fully lose its darkness,
03:11it's just repackaged into something that sounds a little closer to the Motown sound, and to say it
03:17works would be an understatement.
03:26Number 7. My Way, Sid Vicious.
03:36The idea of a troubled punk star taking on the signature song of the great Frank Sinatra makes
03:42very little sense based on that description alone. However, when Sid Vicious performed My Way,
03:47it became clear that it wasn't a throwaway cover, done for irony's sake. In the hands of Sinatra,
03:53the song was a statement of personal pride and contentment.
04:01When Vicious got a hold of it, it became something far more cynical and chaotic. Against all odds,
04:07this cover works far better than it has any right to. Unfortunately, the additional context of how
04:13Vicious' short and tragic tale unfolded makes it all the more impactful.
04:25Number 6. Ohio slash Machine Gun. The Isley Brothers.
04:37Two covers for The Price of One come in next in the form of the Isley Brothers' take on two
04:42of the
04:42most important protest songs of the era. Neil Young's Ohio and Jimi Hendrix's Machine Gun are
04:48combined into one nine-minute epic in this 1971 release. Their version is mainly rooted around Ohio,
04:54with parts of Machine Gun interpolated within. And the transition between the two is pulled off with
05:07an incredibly effective end result. Rather than simply performing two songs back-to-back,
05:12the Isley Brothers succeeded in creating a dialogue between them, amplifying their shared theme.
05:18For they shall inherit the earth.
05:23Number 5. Crossroads. Cream.
05:27I went down to the crossroads, tried to make a ride.
05:33When the 1960s blues revival happened, many British bands got their hands on those iconic recordings of
05:39the great Robert Johnson from back in the 30s. These songs were quickly adopted into the genre's canon,
05:45and few received more attention than the Crossroads Blues.
05:56Most notably, it was the legendary power trio Cream that electrified Johnson's original with
06:02the greatest level of success. Although other versions had existed up to that point, Eric Clapton,
06:07Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce gave it some additional fire and intensity, taking it to an entirely new level.
06:13And I'm standing at the crossroads, believe I'm sinking down.
06:22Number 4. The Sound of Silence. Disturbed.
06:31The idea of a heavy metal band taking on the sweetly sung harmonies and folk arrangements of Simon and
06:37Garfunkel may sound like a terrible idea on paper.
06:49However, in practice, Disturbed well and truly managed to knock this one out of the park. Their
06:54performance is an exercise in restraint before the eventual explosion. They don't mess with the
06:59original's formula too much, although it's clearly updated from modern times. Instead,
07:04it creeps towards its peak, but never takes it too far. These days, the view count on the disturbed
07:10version of the track has ended up outstripping Simon and Garfunkel's original several times over.
07:15And the words of the prophets are written on the subway wall.
07:22Number 3. Baby Please Don't Go. Them.
07:33While the song Baby Please Don't Go existed in many
07:36iterations over the years, dating all the way back to the 1930s, it was Van Morrison and Them who
07:50really made it their own. In the hands of this Irish band, the song received a more urgent tone,
07:55making it a perfect fit for the mid-1960s. They also injected this blues standard with a proto-punk
08:01energy, an energy that was swiftly followed by subsequent covers of the song from there onwards.
08:06Though Morrison would go on to carve out an incredibly consistent solo career when Them ended,
08:11this cover was arguably one of his best releases.
08:23Number 2. Take Me to the River. Talking Heads.
08:35Released during a formative time in their career, Talking Heads didn't strive to copy Al
08:40Green's Take Me to the River note for note. They instead put their own unique touch on it,
08:52turning it into a funky and more psychologically tense piece of music. Whereas Green took his
08:57influence from gospel and R&B, David Byrne & Co. leaned into the awkward and almost robotic
09:02delivery that eventually would make them legends. The song was a surprise hit for Talking Heads,
09:07edging them a little closer to the chart dominance that would follow. Extra points must be given for
09:12the second reinvention that the song received on the band's live album, Stop Making Sense.
09:25Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:28Blue Sky. Joan Baez.
09:31The Allman Brothers get a folk makeover from Joan Baez.
09:35You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day.
09:40Lay Lady Lay. Ministry. A darker and moodier version of this Dylan classic.
09:53The End. Nico. The Doors' debut album, Closer, gets a total upheaval.
09:59And all the children are insane.
10:08Waiting in Vain. Leslie Odom Jr. A warm and understated cover of this reggae staple.
10:15Hey, I don't wanna wait in the day.
10:19Oh, I don't wanna wait in the day.
10:30I don't wanna wait in the day.
10:36I don't wanna wait in the day.
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11:01Number 1.
11:02I Can't Get No Satisfaction.
11:05Devo.
11:07I can't get no satisfaction.
11:14If you go toe-to-toe with the Rolling Stones in terms of swagger and rock and roll presence,
11:19prepare to fail.
11:26Thankfully, the wonderful oddballs that are Devo decided to take an entirely different route.
11:31In their version of the legendary Stones track, I Can't Get No Satisfaction, they uproot the blues
11:36rock flavor of the original, replacing it with something rigid and a little unsettling.
11:48When Mick Jagger sings about not getting any satisfaction, you could put it down to a bad day.
11:53Or maybe even a bad week.
11:55When Mark Mothersbaugh says it, you kind of believe it's been quite a while.
11:59Jagger himself was supposedly a big fan of the cover, giving it his blessing.
12:11But what do you consider to be the most underrated cover version of all time?
12:16Let us know in the comments below.
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