Derrick Harriott did a reggae version of Pete Wingfield's doowop song " Eighteen With A Bullet"

One of very few female versions of Ol Man River

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv_Ryrj6x4g

Great stuff too. I was unaware of the original when I bought a 12" reissue of Derrick's cut in the 1980's.


...and a reggae cut by Dennis Brown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t17RQi5KdqU Bought the 12" of this in Orbitone Records, Harlesden c. 1985/6.

The Dickies do Black Sabbath ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c37GdAzgQo ) and kids TV ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flMS2gHFOH0 )

The Dead Kennedys take on Lieber & Stoller via Elvis P. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT72CgEJQNQ

The UK Subs take on The Zombies' "She's Not There" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aur8Miwq9Rc

Cheap Trick did a hard rock cover of this 1950s R&B gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfMlk1PwGU

For the disco haters, here's the lovely Linda Clifford's version of a Simon & Garfunkel number: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkeNhB-QmXI You're welcome.

M-Beat featuring Nazlyn - Sweet Love ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBCBPcYFcSs ) is a drum & bass cover of Anita Baker ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y9DYGiDL1o ).

Willie Bobo's latin version of "It's Not Unusual" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GdyKMh_9Fg

Ramsey Lewis' phenomenal cover of "Back In The U.S.S.R." - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAsq3m79CY

Veteran Reggae singer Little Roy (edit: already mentioned) cut a whole album of Nivana tracks ("Battle For Seattle"). Here's "Lithium" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dfoRHGFSZs

Shinehead's "Billie Jean" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlY0H6PTIrc

Sly Dunbar covered "Sesame Street" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4uBPCMfsZs )

Dennis Brown's cover of a Jimmy Webb composition made famous by Glen Campbell: "Witchita Lineman" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqz3lgnroVc )

Marcia Grifiths takes on The Beatles ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtpDmZpjsJE ), Cat Stevens a couple of times (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvm5RGb23B8 and later: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb9AuSVu1Yw) and Fleetwood Mac ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDVX7ICwe3Q )

Dawn Penn's late 60's ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mNPKNAQl4c ) and 90's ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6IcJPsNjn0) cuts of "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" are covers of an earlier blues tune by Willie Cobbs ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1uF1S7-Hz4 ) but Cobbs' track owes a lot to Bo Diddley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhEL45dJjrY

Bob Marley & The Wailers "Kaya" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd80dwC7lqk ) is based on Erskine Hawkins' 1939 jazz instrumental "Tuxedo Junction" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZzE3FDAvcw )

Phyllis Dillon's "One Life To Live" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4WXJu6sjEg ) is actually a retitled rocksteady cover of Sheila Anthony's soul dancer "Livin' In Love" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOtuBAqnuPM )

Black Harmony's "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" is a lovers rock version of Jean Carn's Philly International classic ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp6nSnXZeSM )

Nitty Gritty's dancehall cut of The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" with some "Betcha By Golly Wow" thrown in for good measure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCcX5Sr06hM

Not just the songs but the videos as well.
Utah Saints - Something Good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMLC...aJvbSAXilYKOJQ
The Germans - Pretty Vacant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRvh...aJvbSAXilYKOJQ

That Sesame Street cover is actually pretty great

Steel Panthers' version of BSBs' 'I Want It That Way'.

Bastille, 'Of The Night' (Cover):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCTDKLjdok4
Corona, 'Rhythm Of The Night' (Original):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3ltZmI5LQw
Bastille's cover also contains a bit of Snap's 'Rhythm Is A Dancer':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYIaWeVL1JM

Bastille vs. The xx feat. Ella Eyre, 'No Angels' (Cover):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MHZ3GwPRqA
TLC, 'No Scrubs' (Original):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLequ6dUdM
The xx, 'Angels' (Original):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nW5AF0m9Zw

with you 100% Johnny, Donna Summer did some great stuff in her time but her tacky cover of McArthur Park was def not one of them -a Richard Harris' version however is an epic classic


anyone heard Balanescu the string quartet version of The Model by Kraftwerk?

Now THIS is I what I call one hell of a cover - wonderful (and I love the original too but this is amazing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH_VKWStK98

Lots of twee girly covers to choose from in TV adverts these days!

The Civil Wars cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean is wonderful, in my opinion. I much prefer this version.

I heard it used several times on Countryfile in recent weeks for some reason.

Nouvelle Vague, who released 3 albums of interesting covers: their version of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough", possibly the most familiar.

Framing Hanley have a fantastic rock song called Lollipop. I was gobsmacked to discover it's a cover of a truly awful rap song by L'il Wayne. Seriously. It's just dire.

Yet the Framing Hanley version is a cracker.

Not sure what genre this has changed to but it makes me smile

Mariachi Cabos do some pretty good versions of the following:

Michael Jackson's Beat It (with a little dancing too)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCM1X8YgZLE

Pink Floyd's The Wall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOwf3TDygkM

The Beatles She Loves You:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVP9NmKJlmQ

If we're talking Bastille, they also did a version of "What Would You Do", originally by City High.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDPCuUcT170

Everybody Wants To Rule The World:

Tears for Fears' original - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST86JM1RPl0
Lorde's cover of it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaVA6sgOpws

Punk version of Taylor Swift's "Style" by Atlas Uncharted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b3prw5Ql1o

Punk version of Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" by Arthur Walwin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dwt3dCJEjc

Punk version of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" by I Prevail

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czb_CZfWko8

50's "Swing" style version of Mackelmore's "Thrift Shop" by PostModern Jukebox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cnm0tdkJEU

Esoterica - Silence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_ZXtevJJlM

Reinxeed - Summer Night City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JwF1xAQdc

I think some decent cover version that don't stick to reproducing the original are:
Without You - Harry Nilsson
Love Hurts - Nazareth
After the Goldrush - Prelude
Working Class Hero - Marianne Faithfull
The In Crowd - Bryan Ferry
Famous Blue Raincoat - Tori Amos
Chords of Fame - Marianne Faithfull
Dancing in the Dark - Big Daddy
The Wind of Keltia - Shusha Guppy
Tainted Love - Softcell
I also remember hearing a superb impassioned slow tempo version of Joe South's Games People Play with female vocals sometime in the late 80s / early 90s. I don't know who sang it, but I remember much preferring it to Joe South's original

The Deftones did fantastic metal covers of The Chauffeur by Duran Duran and No Ordinary Love by Sade.

That, they did.