Rock bands in the 90s loved their covers, with quite a few big names during that decade and the 2000s taking on classic rock songs. And a number of talented bands brought those older hits into a brand-new era. Let’s look at just a few famous examples!
1. “Love Reign O’er Me” by Pearl Jam
This classic hard rock song was originally by the band The Who. Released in 1973, it’s one of the band’s most famous tracks. And when Pearl Jam covered it back in 2007, the grunge outfit still had their 90s alt-rock edge that makes this cover worthy of our list. Pearl Jam’s version was released for the film Reign Over Me, where it plays through the end credits.
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According to legend, Eddie Vedder was apprehensive about taking on the cover. However, after a quick chat with Roger Daltrey, he decided to do it. And we’re glad he did.
2. “The Man Who Sold The World” by Nirvana
Arguably the most famous example of 90s covers of classic rock songs, “The Man Who Sold The World” by Nirvana has become a thing of legend.
Originally a David Bowie classic, Kurt Cobain’s gritty, emotional vocals brought this song into a new era. And some would say Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged rendition of the song is even better than the original. We’ll leave that up to you, though.
3. “I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Offspring
One of the most unexpected covers of classic rock songs from 90s bands on this list, punk band The Offspring released a particularly interesting cover of The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated”. This cover of the 1978 punk rock classic was released for We’re A Happy Family: A Tribute To Ramones in 2003, which also features covers from Green Day, Rancid, Garbage, and more.
4. “Come Together” by Soundgarden
Plenty of bands through the years have tried their hand at covering The Beatles. However, few of them boasted the vocal power that Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell had. The late great frontman delivered a scorching cover of The Beatles “Come Together” for the 2014 compilation album Echo Of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across The Path.
5. “I Fought The Law” by Green Day
The Crickets (and later The Bobby Fuller Four) released this iconic rock and roll hit way back in 1960 and 1965, and it’s still quite a loved tune today. An unsurprising entry on our list of covers of classic rock songs, Green Day took on the hit “I Fought The Law” for a Pepsi commercial during the Super Bowl in 2004. Despite being a song for a commercial, it’s actually pretty killer.
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