Coveting covers

As soon as this cover came out of Gotye's famed hit, Sombody That I Used To Know,  it got a lot of people (namely me) talking about other fantastic covers that sometimes, are better than the original.  Big call to make, but it happens quite a lot.

At most concerts you go to a band will also throw in a cover or two.  We were at Busby Marou on the weekend and they sang their Like a Version cover of Cindy Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and their opening act sang a great cover of one of my favourite Bruce Springsteen songs - I'm on Fire. Covers usually get such a huge reaction from crowds, and more than often, the songs they cover get requested at the rest of their performances.

Triple J do Like A Version and they are great. My vote in the Hottest 100 usually always has a Like A Version cover in there, and Rolling Stone also has a great list of all time covers they've compiled.

I have heaps that I love, but it would take a lot of effort to compile a list of all the great ones, so I've included a few videos below of my favourites, because they're so different to the originals.

There are also a few covers that are terrible. Kasey Chambers, I'm talking to you and your True Colours cover. Eek that was bad.

1. Hugo - 99 Problems (a cover of Jay-Z)

2. Joaquin Phoenix - Folsom Prison Blues (a cover of Johnny Cash)

3. John Mayer - I'm on Fire (a cover of Bruce Springsteen)

4. 30 Seconds to Mars - Bad Romance (a cover of Lady Gaga)

5. Fiona Apple - Across the Universe (a cover of The Beatles)

6. Ben Harper - Drugs Don't Work (a cover of The Verve)

And, because I love this so much

7. Dan Finnerty & the Dan Band - Candy Shop (a cover of 50 Cent)

What are your favourites?