By the time The Beatles got their hands on The Top Notes’ “Shake It Up, Baby,” it had already been covered and made a hit as “Twist And Shout” by The Isley Brothers. But The Beatles took it the extra mile, getting just a little bit wilder and rocking out a little bit harder. The last recording of the Please Please Me sessions, this is its only take — John Lennon had no voice left to sing it again. But the physical sacrifice paid off; it reached No. 2 on the charts and is the only Beatles cover song to reach a national Top 10 singles chart.
Lots of excellent choices here, in the original list and in the comments. I’d nominate Emmylou Harris’s version of Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty.” (And re. Hallelujah — I’ve always preferred Cohen’s understated original, but whatever version you prefer, plesae, I beg you, don’t add any more — let the poor song be.)
I’ve got to say I love the covers that Cassandra Wilson has done; “Hellhound On My Trail” (Robert Johnson), “Death Letter” (Son House), “Harvest Moon” (Neil Young), “Tupelo Honey” (Van Morrison), “Last Train to Clarksville”, “If Loving You is Wrong”, just to name a few.
A MUST for adding to this list: Manfred Mann’s “Blinded By The Light”!
Great list. I love cover music so much. My favorite is HALLELUJAH. I’ve also encounter with this cool cover for 5 years from David Bowie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjL1QMMG9c