I have often said that if I wrote even one really good song, I would never stop talking about it. It would be the first thing out of my mouth every time I met someone knew. I’d even wear a t-shirt that read “I wrote ___”.
To write a song that resonates so powerfully with the world, that not only do people want to hear it over and over, but that other artists want to re-interpret and reproduce, is just a spectacular notion. There is a slight distinction in this regard between singer and songwriter. Those that do both can leave an indelible fingerprint on popular culture for generations, but then there are singers that are a songwriter’s dream because they can take a good song, and make it outstanding. Aretha, Elvis, Sinatra, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and Jose Feliciano are just a few vocalists whose artistic interpretations proved just as, or more successful than the original.
In just over a century of recorded music, some acts clearly stand out for having produced more songs that were beloved not just by fans, but by their contemporaries, and future artists. The advent of social media has multiplied these numbers exponentially, but the compositions listed below were all officially laid down in studio by a multitude of famous artists.
I begin with the MOST covered song of all time, which is…
Every Beatles Song: Okay, so maybe this one should be an article unto itself, but there was no way to ignore, or choose just one. No other songwriters have been as abundantly covered, not just by many singers, but by the very best, the Hall of Famers. Prior to social media, the song Yesterday alone had been covered about a thousand times by names like: Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Elvis, Sinatra, Boyz II Men, and more. But there are almost a hundred Beatles songs that have been infinitely covered including:
- Can’t Buy Me Love: Supremes, Johnny Rivers, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Buble…
- Something: Shirley Bassey, Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles, James Brown…
- Eleanor Rigby: Aretha Franklin, Alice Cooper, Four Tops, Frankie Valli…
- Let It Be: Jose Feliciano, Ike & Tina, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bill Withers…
- Blackbird: Neil Diamond, Sarah McLachlan, Billy Preston, Crosby Stills & Nash…
The list goes on. And on, and on… but perhaps we should move on to the first individual song on the board…
Imagine by John Lennon: In 50 years, this song still consistently occupies a spot (in the top 10 – 20) on various lists of greatest songs of all time. It has been covered about 400 kajillion times on YouTube and TikTok, but also boasts recorded versions by musical bigwigs like; Elton John, Joan Baez, Madonna, Jack Johnson, Sacha Distel, and Yoko Ono, as in “O no, she didn’t!” Yes, she did.
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen: If we include social media, this song may well have surpassed Yesterday and Imagine by now. The noteworthy part is that there is probably some pasty teenager with an accordion in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden who has more views than Leonard Cohen himself. In fact, it may have been Jeff Buckley’s cover of this song that inflated its popularity. So, despite the fact that Leonard may not be the vocal favourite on his own composition, his ability to write a great song has never been in question. And on this one, among a massive list of those who testified are; Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond, KD Lang, John Cale, Jennifer Hudson, Brandi Carlisle, Pentatonix, and everyone who’s ever picked up an instrument. Can I get a “Hallelujah”?
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong: Okay, so it was not written BY Louis rather than FOR Louis by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, and if you recognize those names, you’re probably wearing your pants too high and eating dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon. The point is that this is an unmistakably “Satchmo” song. Though it was a hit in the U.K. in 1968, some shmuck by the name of Larry Newton did not think Americans would like it. Since he was the head of ABC Records, his vote counted and the American public were deprived of this gem until 1988 when it was featured in the movie Good Morning Vietnam. It has been notably covered by Tony Bennet, Glen Campbell, Lou Rawls, Engelbert Humperdinck, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, and this punk rock interpretation by Joey Ramone.
Georgia on my Mind by Hoagy Carmichael: Everyone knows this classic, but few know it’s a “Hoagy” original, which is only slightly less sad than the fact that no one names their kids “Hoagy” anymore. Never the less, it struck gold among the musical elite being covered by Louis Armstrong before Billie Holiday graced us with her version. After that, it turned into a recording artist’s “Who’s who” with everyone taking a swing, including: Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, The Righteous Brothers, Jackie Wilson, Spencer Davis Group, Gladys Knight, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, India Arie…
Fly me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra: Any music aficionado knows that “Ol’ Blue Eyes” did not write his own music, but he did have a way of owning a song, and as a result spawning imitators in bulk. The track was written by Bart Howard and first recorded by Kaye Ballard in 1954, a decade before Frankie released his version. By that time, it had already been covered by Johnny Mathis, Eddie Gorme, Nancy Wilson, and others. So, Sinatra’s version was already like the 30th cover, but his became the definitive classic that hundreds of contemporaries and disciples would rediscover and emulate. The list includes: Dion & the Belmonts, Tony Bennet, Tom Jones, Marvin Gaye, and Skeeter Davis. NOTE: “Skeeter” is another name that has gone sadly unused in this era. I encourage you to try it on, if not for your child, then at least for your dog.
Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland: Written by Harold Arlen and “Yip” Harburg for the original Wizard of Oz movie in 1939, this was among the biggest hits in recorded music for a long time. You would think that the enthusiasm might have faded after 80+ years, but this is just one of those songs that never went away. Everyone knows it, and hundreds of artists still want to take a stab at it. Among those were; Aretha, Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Sammy Davis Jr., Patti Labelle, Shirley Bassey, Melissa Manchester, and despite apparently having no clue what the lyrics were, the very popular ukulele-accompanied version by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.
Summertime by Abbie Mitchell: The Gershwin brothers (George and Ira) penned many of the 20th century’s biggest hits in musical theatre and cinema. Georgie was already well established by the time Porgy and Bess hit the stage in 1935. Abbie Mitchell just happened to be the one playing Clara, whose character sings this song, and thus the first to record it, but only one in a million people know that version. Music lovers from different generations will be most familiar with renditions from at least one (but probably more) of the following artists: Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Mahalia Jackson, George Benson, Sam Cooke, Janis Joplin, a duet from Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and my all time favourite version by Billy Stewart.
House of the Rising Sun by The Animals: Before the advent of recorded music, there were songs that were simply passed on from generation to generation. Particularly in old English territories, a traditional folk song going back to medieval times, could somehow make its way from Ireland to Scotland and beyond. No one knows who wrote them or how the content changed along the way. This is one of those songs. Eric Burdon was not the first to record it. Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, and Nina Simone, all recorded earlier versions. The Animals’ rendition with Eric’s haunting voice and simplified lyrics just happened to become the definitive one. Along the way, hundreds of alternate interpretations were released by the likes of Hank Williams Jr., Dolly Parton, Henry Mancini, Tracy Chapman, and the one I chose for you by Haley Reinhart.
Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley: This melody was “borrowed” entirely from an old civil war song called “Aura Lea” way back in 1862. Almost 100 years later, just by adding romantic lyrics, Elvis’ sweet voice, and soft guitar, a new classic was born. Hundreds of versions have since been recorded in every genre from old country to EDM, and in just about every language you’ve heard of. Some of the most popular versions belong to: Ray Charles, Connie Francis, B.B. King, Nat King Cole, Johnny Hallyday, Cliff Richard, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Linda Ronstadt, Barry Manilow, Nana Mouskouri, Lawrence Welk, and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But just to make this fun, here is an Elvis medley by Donny and Marie Osmond.
Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers: Bill kept it simple on this one, telling use how there “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone”, and then going on to proclaim 27 times that “I know, I know, I know, I know… I ought to leave the young thing alone”. And I believe it actually became a thing for every cover to repeat “I know” exactly 27 times, although a couple of them used artistic licence to opt out of a dozen or so “I knows”. Among many, the song was covered early on by a teenage Michael Jackson, before everyone hopped on board including: Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Al Jarreau, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones and Sting.
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel: The title track of the duo’s fifth album was written by Paul Simon, whose repertoire of other songs have also been widely covered. What distinguishes this one is the calibre of artist that chose to add their version to their own respective albums. Among them are names you will recognize like: Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, LeAnn Rimes, Roberta Flack, John Legend, Tom Jones, Jackson Five, Roy Orbison, and Greek international singer Demis Roussos.
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