As much as I despise the Hollywood remake, I love the music industry’s equivalent, the cover song. A cover is a new recording of a previously released hit. Generally, artists record older favorites to generate more celebrity buzz for themselves or to produce a chart topper for newer generations. Cover songs, however, are a tricky road to navigate since new recordings attack sentimental associations we have with previous versions. A predicted hit may quickly turn into an artist’s worst nightmare. Therefore, for this blog post I decided to make two lists: My Top 5 Favorite Covers and The Top 5 Worst Covers of All-Time. If you think I missed a list-worthy song, add it below.

Favorite Covers

1. Hurt-Cover by Johnny Cash (Original by Nine Inch Nails)

2. Smooth Criminal-Cover by Alien Ant Farm(Original by Michael Jackson)

3. Hazy Shade of Winter-Cover by the Bangles (Original by Simon & Garfunkel)

4. I Fought the Law-Cover by The Clash(Original by The Bobby Fuller Four)

5. Higher Ground-Cover by Red Hot Chili Peppers (Original by Stevie Wonder)

Worst Covers

1. Sweet Child O’ Mine-Cover by Sheryl Crow (Original by Guns ‘N’ Roses)

2. I Shot the Sheriff-Cover by Eric Clapton (Original by Bob Marley)

3. Heaven-Cover by DJ Sammy and Yanou (Original by Bryan Adams)

4. American Pie-Cover by Madonna (Original by Don MacClean)

5. Behind Blue Eyes-Cover by Limp Bizkit (Original by The Who)