Best Cover Songs of 2020

By Ryan Byrd

recommendations, music you should know, popular culture, culture, music, lists, reviews, mixtape
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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.

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

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

Apple Music
Spotify