Best Cover Songs of 2020

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Tuesday, December 15th, 2020

Best Cover Songs of 2020 Feature

Best Cover Songs of 2020

Each year, the biggest crowd pleaser of my end-of-the-year lists is this one: best cover songs of 2020. It’s definitely one of my favorites.

I took a very different approach to this list than in years past. Generally, each December, I’ll sit down and do a combination of perusing my Music app along with jogging my memory to cobble together a list of my favorite cover songs. This year, though, anytime I heard a cover song I liked, I added it to a running list in my Notes app.

And what happened when I did that? Well, when I took a look last week there were… 111 songs. Yeah, as in 11 more than 100.

Most of my lists are 20 tracks, so as I was beginning to try to figure out my favorite 20 cover songs, but then I thought… why cut so many songs out??

So I’m giving you all of them… That’s right, every last one of the 111 cover songs I liked throughout 2020.

Alright, here’s what came out of it.

  1. A. A. Williams: Porcelina of the Vast Oceans (Smashing Pumpkins)
  2. Allie Sherlock: Stay (Mikky Ekko)
  3. Amber Park: Heart Shaped Box (Nirvana)
  4. Amber Park: Thong Song (Sisqo)
  5. Andrelli: Hey There Delilah (Plain White T’s)
  6. Arlo Parks: Creep (Radiohead)
  7. Aubrie Sellers: Wicked Game (Chris Isaak)
  8. Bella Kaye: Happy Together (The Turtles)
  9. Benee: Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
  10. Billie Joe Armstrong: Manic Monday (The Bangles)
  11. Billie Joe Armstrong: I Think We’re Alone Now (Tiffany)
  12. Billie Joe Armstrong: Kids in America (Kim Wilde)
  13. Billy Ray Cyrus: Mama Said Knock You Out (LL Cool J)
  14. Bishop Briggs: We Will Rock You (Queen)
  15. Blossoms: Paperback Writer (In Isolation) (The Beatles)
  16. Bow Anderson: Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
  17. Boyce Avenue: Drops of Jupiter (Train)
  18. Brandi Carlile: Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden)
  19. Brandi Carlile: Searching With My Good Eye Closed (Soundgarden)
  20. Brett Eldredge: When the Party’s Over (Billie Eilish)
  21. Caitlyn Smith: Fix You (Coldplay)
  22. Caroline Spence: The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)
  23. Chris Cornell: Patience (Guns ‘n Roses)
  24. Chris Cornell: Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)
  25. Citizen Queen: Free Your Mind (En Vogue)
  26. Cold War Kids: Freedom (George Michael)
  27. Complicated Animals: Times Like These (Foo Fighters)
  28. D.A. Stern & Dams of the West: Since You’ve Been Gone (Weird Al Yankovic)
  29. Damien Rice: Chandelier (Sia)
  30. Dan Mangan: Ex-Factor (Lauryn Hill)
  31. Dan Mangan: Losing my Religion (R.E.M.)
  32. DeathByRomy: It’s Raining Men (The Weather Girls)
  33. Diamanté & Breaking Benjamin: Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)
  34. Disturbed: If I Ever Lose my Faith in You (Sting)
  35. Dizzy: Lucky (Britney Spears)
  36. Dollar Question (ft. Katie Konop): Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton)
  37. Eli “Paperboy” Reed: Last Christmas (Wham!)
  38. Eli “Paperboy” Reed: Dream Lover (Mariah Carey)
  39. Elizabeth: Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)
  40. Esther Rose: My Favorite Mistake (Sheryl Crow)
  41. First Aid Kit: On the Road Again (Willie Nelson)
  42. Fruit Bats: Today (Smashing Pumpkins)
  43. Future Teens: All Star (Smashmouth)
  44. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: Jackson (Johnny Cash & June Carter)
  45. Glass Animals: Heart -Shaped Box (Nirvana)
  46. Glass Animals: Young and Beautiful (Lana del Rey)
  47. Halestorm: I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton)
  48. Hold on Hollywood: Take Me Home Tonight (Eddie Money)
  49. Holly Humberstone: Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead)
  50. Hootie & the Blowfish: Losing my Religion (R.E.M.)
  51. Jack Newsome: (I Just) Died in Your Arms (Cutting Crew)
  52. Jaguar Jonze: Toxic (Britney Spears)
  53. James Bay: Trouble (Coldplay)
  54. James Blake: Godspeed (Frank Ocean)
  55. James Blake: when the party’s over (Billie Eilish)
  56. Judah & the Lion: I Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty)
  57. Judah & the Lion: Soak up the Sun (Sheryl Crow)
  58. Julia Holter: Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
  59. K.Flay: Self Esteem (The Offspring)
  60. K.Flay: Brain Stew
  61. Karen O & Willie Nelson: Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie)
  62. Larkin Poe: (You’re the) Devil in Disguise (Elvis Presley)
  63. Larkin Poe: Crocodile Rock (Elton John)
  64. Larkin Poe: Fly Away (Lenny Kravitz)
  65. Larkin Poe: In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins)
  66. Lissie: Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)
  67. Lissie: Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? (Paula Cole)
  68. Lissie: Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus)
  69. Lowland Hum: Be My Baby (The Ronettes)
  70. Lykke Li: I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)
  71. Maricka Hackman: All Night (Beyoncé)
  72. Mark Morton & Lzzy Hale: She Talks to Angels (The Black Crowes)
  73. Matt Bellamy: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
  74. Miley Cyrus: Heart of Glass (Blondie)
  75. Miley Cyrus: Zombie (The Cranberries)
  76. Mojothunder: Hold On, I’m Coming (Sam & Dave)
  77. Mountain Man: Slow Burn (Kacey Musgraves)
  78. Noah Cyrus: For Once in my Life (Stevie Wonder)
  79. Okay Kaya: You’re Still the One (Shania Twain)
  80. Orville Peck: Fancy (Bobbie Gentry)
  81. Overcoats: No Surprises (Radiohead)
  82. Phoebe Bridgers & Maggie Rogers: Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)
  83. Phoebe Bridgers: If We Make it Through December (Merle Haggard)
  84. Portugal. The Man: Tomorrow (Annie)
  85. Rhiannon Giddens: Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers)
  86. Ritt Momney: Put Your Records On (Corrine Bailey Rae)
  87. Sam Fender: Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
  88. Sam Smith: Fix You (Coldplay)
  89. Sara Evans & Old Crow Medicine Show: I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)
  90. Sevendust: The Day I Tried to Live (Soundgarden)
  91. Sharon van Etten: What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding? (Nick Lowe)
  92. Sinead O’Connor: Trouble of the World (Mahalia Jackson)
  93. Soccer Mommy: Drive (The Cars)
  94. Sofia Valdes: Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani)
  95. Sondre Lerche (ft. Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins, & Dominique Arciero): I’m Not a Girl, Not yet a Woman (Britney Spears)
  96. Surf Mesa: ily (i love you baby) (ft. Emilee) (Frankie Valli)
  97. Switchfoot: Harmony Hall (Vampire Weekend)
  98. Switchfoot: Swim Good (Frank Ocean)
  99. Teddy Swims: You’re Still the One (Shania Twain)
  100. Tennis: Superstar (The Carpenters)
  101. The Avett Brothers: This Land is Your Land (Woody Guthrie)
  102. The Jaded Hearts Club & Matt Bellamy: Fever (Little Willie John)
  103. The Revivalists: To Love Somebody (Bee Gees)
  104. The Unrighteous Brothers, Paul Cauthen, Orville Peck: You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (The Righteous Brothers)
  105. The Unrighteous Brothers, Paul Cauthen, Orville Peck: Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers)
  106. Tom Snowdon: Can’t Get You Out of My Head (Kylie Minogue)
  107. Tom Snowdon: Who Can it Be Now? (Men at Work)
  108. Vandoliers: I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers)
  109. Wesley Schultz: If it Makes You Happy (Sheryl Crow)
  110. Whitney: Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver)
  111. WiL: Drive (The Cars)

You can find a playlist with all the tracks on Apple Music and Spotify.

Apple Music
Spotify