The cover song: The hits (and misses)

Once derided as an ersatz copy of the more authentic original, in recent years the cover version has become one of the firmest planks supporting the music industry.

This is due in large part to Simon Cowell, or at least the updated talent-contest culture with which he has become synonymous. In order to arrive at as objective a decision as possible, contest judges – including the viewing audience – have to be able to make comparisons between the contenders, and the easiest way of achieving that is to have them all perform the same few songs. But do we need any more versions of "Unchained Melody" or "Bridge over Troubled Water"?

Until The Beatles came along with their fancy notions of writing their own material, virtually all recorded songs were cover versions. Indeed, the roots of the music industry that we know today lay in the sheet-music sales business that prevailed before the gramophone and television achieved such ubiquity in the postwar years. In those days, folk made their own amusements, typically gathering around the family piano and performing their own versions of the popular hits of the day – which would remain popular for years at a time.

Even when records supplanted sheet music as the industry's driving medium, performers rarely wrote their own material, with singers such as Big Joe Turner, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley reliant on professional songwriters for their repertoire. Rock'n'roll changed all that, as the likes of Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly found success with their own songs. But it was the huge global success of The Beatles which really revolutionised the process, with McCartney's "Yesterday" in particular striking a globally resonant chord that resulted in thousands of cover versions.

The cover version as we know it today originally came about through competition between rival record labels in America, where until the advent of hegemonic corporations such as Clear Channel, the music industry had been organised along regional lines, with local artists recording songs for local labels which would then be broadcast by local radio stations, whose weak transmitters ensured they served only the local region. Accordingly, a song could become a local hit in one region whilst making no impact less than a hundred miles away, and the deepest desire of the artist and small label was to attract the attention of one of the larger companies such as RCA or Columbia, who would license their record for national distribution.

If a song proved catchy enough, a rival label might decide to record their own "spoiler" version of it by an artist already under contract to them, racing to release it ahead of the original. Often, there would be several versions of a song in the charts at the same time, all usually suffering depleted sales as a result. As the practice became more competitive, companies employed agents whose specific job it was to travel around the country, hunting for regional hits and snatching up the rights to them before their rivals; or, failing that, to organise and record a cover version. Similarly, cross-genre covers became another way of maximising a song's appeal, and of providing proven material for new performers, with country songs being re-recorded in R&B format, and vice versa.

As black performers became more prominent with the rise of rock'n'roll in the 1950s, this practice came to serve unspoken racist attitudes, particularly when television began making an impact on showbiz. It was one thing to sell a record by an unseen black singer to a white audience, but as soon as that audience (or its parents, most likely) could see the undeniably shocking and lascivious performance of someone such as Little Richard, Bo Diddley or Chuck Berry, retailers in certain districts might risk the wrath of outraged bigots if they stocked the product in question.

Accordingly, record companies often chose to record a more vanilla version of the song by a white performer, which could then be promoted without undue worries. It's still hard to comprehend how the records of a genuine innovator such as Little Richard, now universally acknowledged as one of the founding originators of rock'n'roll, could have been comprehensively outsold by the cover versions of Pat Boone; likewise, mention of "Ain't That a Shame" might immediately bring Fats Domino to mind, but it was Pat Boone who scored the No 1 hit with the song. Not for nothing did singer-songwriter Don McLean once memorably refer to the cover version as a "racist tool".

This was how cover versions first came to acquire their tainted reputation, one sustained despite the impact of The Beatles, then Bob Dylan, on the music industry. Both caused such a commotion that performers scrambled to record something, anything, by them: even the latter's throwaway trifle "All I Really Want to Do" furnished simultaneous hits for both Cher and The Byrds, and it was not uncommon for second-hand covers of Lennon-McCartney album tracks to appear as singles, capitalising on the band's reluctance to issue them in that format themselves.

In some cases, an act has recorded an entire album of a songwriter's work, often radically revising the material: a cappella group The Persuasions, for instance, have released individual tribute albums to The Beatles, The Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa, while in 1996, Finnish string ensemble Apocalyptica released their orchestral tribute Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. And the last decade has seen several bands, such as Hayseed Dixie, releasing albums of heavy-metal songs re-imagined as bluegrass or country. The most successful exercises of this type are probably those by the Easy Star All-Stars, whose Dub Side of the Moon and Radiodread featured reggae versions of Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer, respectively, both surprisingly effective.

Meanwhile, the individual cover version continues to figure prominently in the contemporary pop landscape, with the pantheon of notable standards being most recently swelled by the growing ubiquity of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" as the must-cover song of our times, for everyone from Rufus Wainwright to Katherine Jenkins.

The readers' verdict: the songs they didn't need to sing

'DREAMS'

The Corrs, 1998 (Fleetwood Mac, 1977)

The Corrs' processed, soul-free version, sung with absolutely no passion whatsoever. Genevieve

'Stairway to Heaven'

Rolf Harris, 1993 (Led Zeppelin, 1971)

Truly awful! Greenbeard

'Father and Son'

Boyzone, 1995 (Cat Stevens, 1970)

Cat Stevens sang each part differently, Ronan Keating sings it all in the same voice. Peter Le Lion

'Against All Odds'

Westlife and Mariah Carey, 2000 (Phil Collins, 1984)

Mariah Scarey. Mary

'Dancing in the Street'

David Bowie and Mick Jagger, 1985 (Martha and the Vandellas, 1964)

Awful and embarrassing. Giorgio

'Fairytale of New York'

Ronan Keating, 2002 (Kirsty MacColl and The Pogues, 1987)

They replaced "you cheap lousy faggot" with "you're lousy, you're haggard", in order not to offend. It's a gritty portrayal of hard-up Irish New York life, where, as we all know, there was never any homophobia. Zvi Epstein

'Under the Bridge'

All Saints, 1998 (Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1992)

Am shuddering just thinking about it. Katie

'What I Am'

Emma Bunton, 1999 (Edie Brickell, 1988)

The way she trills through Edie Brickell's wry lyrics without a clue what she's singing about sets a new low in brainless covers. Mike

'I Shot the Sheriff'

Eric Clapton, 1974 (Bob Marley, 1973)

Utterly superfluous. Urban-andy

'You Shook Me All Night Long'

Celine Dion, 2002 (AC/DC, 1980)

Worst cover version ever. Eurobenjy

'It's My Life'

No Doubt, 2003 (Talk Talk, 1984)

Totally abysmal. Martin W

'The Tide is High'

Atomic Kitten, 2002 (The Paragons, 1967)

A textbook lesson in taking a great song and making it pointlessly flat. eurobenjy

'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)'

Glen Campbell, 2008 (Green Day, 1997)

If the original isn't radio-friendly enough, God help the music scene. Anthony

Ten best cover versions...

1. Jimi Hendrix Experience: All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)

2. Elvis Presley: Mystery Train (Junior Parker)

3. The Kingsmen: Louie Louie (Richard Berry)

4. The Byrds: Mr Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan)

5. Jose Gonzalez: Heartbeats (The Knife)

6. Joe Cocker: With A Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)

7. Talking Heads: Take Me to the River (Al Green)

8. Aretha Franklin: Respect (Otis Redding)

9. Richard Thompson: Oops I Did it Again (Britney Spears)

10. John Cale or Jeff Buckley: Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

...And the ten worst

1. Pat Boone: Tutti Frutti (Little Richard)

2. Pat Boone: Ain't That A Shame (Fats Domino)

3. Robson & Jerome: Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers)

4. Freddie & The Dreamers: If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody (James Ray)

5. David Bowie & Mick Jagger: Dancing In The Street (Martha & The Vandellas)

6. David Bowie & Bing Crosby: Little Drummer Boy (The Harry Simeone Chorale)

7. Captain Sensible: Happy Talk (South Pacific)

8. Paul Anka: Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

9. Bob Dylan: The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel)

10. The Futureheads: Hounds of Love (Kate Bush)

Ten unexpected cover versions

1. The Dynamics: Seven Nation Army (White Stripes)

Chilled reggae treatment of a modern classic

2. Johnny Cash: Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)

Man in Black finds truly sinister heart of Goth self-harm anthem

3. Martin Carthy: New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Bee Gees)

Godfather of English Folk brings authentic socio-political flavour to pop fiction

4. Jim O'Rourke: Women of the World, Take Over (Ivor Cutler)

Quirky whimsy acquires mantra-like power through repetition

5. The Residents: Satisfaction (Rolling Stones)

Iconoclastic avant-garde demolition of rock cornerstone reveals its core of pure angst

6. Candi Staton: His Hands (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy)

Unflinching account of ambivalently abusive co-dependency

7. The Tamlins: Smilin' Faces Sometimes (The Four Tops)

Smooth and subtle Sly & Robbie groove calms anxieties about betrayal

8. Robert Wyatt: At Last I'm Free (Chic)

Greatest Living Englishman brings plaintive political context to glossy disco fluff

9. Bruce Springsteen: Dream Baby Dream (Suicide)

Hypnotic Seventies electro-punk pop classic given a blue-collar makeover

10. Tim Buckley: Sally Go Round The Roses (The Jaynetts)

Simpering pop trifle treated to dramatic vocal reinterpretation

The readers' verdict: when giving songs a second chance worked

How Soon is Now?'

Tatu, 2002 (The Smiths, 1984)

tATu took an old, worn-out wreck of a song, kicked it in the face and when it was down gave it the kiss of life. Howard

'Gloria'

Patti Smith, 1975(Them, vocals Van Morrison, 1964)

Miles better than Van Morrison's original, with three chords never benefiting so much from the lavishings of a master on guitar (Fred Smith). Mark Webster

'A New England'

Kirsty MacColl, 1984 (Billy Bragg, 1983)

Billy Bragg's problem is his nasal twang, that MacColl's sweet-as-candy voice avoids while still asserting her defiance. Zvi Epstein

'Graceland'

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, 2006 (Paul Simon, 1986)

This version turns it into a slow, grinding song accompanied by a small wall of electronic noise with repetitive Casiotone-style beats. Pete Biggs

'I Am a Cider Drinker'

British Sea Power, 2005 (The Wurzels, 1976)

It's ethereal, truly eccentric and turns what should be a bouncy, fun song into something more serious. Pete Biggs

'Massachusetts'

The Seekers, 2003 (Bee Gees, 1967)

The mature timbre of Judith Durham's voice elevates a well-loved piece of popcorn into unworldly perfection. Mike

'Sunshine of Your Love'

Spanky Wilson, 2003(Cream, 1968)

A great funk version of Cream's famous hit that NEVER fails to get people shuffling their feet. Phil Hutchinson

'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue'

Them, vocals Van Morrison, 1966 (Bob Dylan, 1965)

When I was teaching, I played the Dylan, Them and Byrds versions side by side and asked the class to vote on which they liked best. The Them version received near-unanimous acclaim. Brad W

'You Shook Me All Night Long'

Arab Strap, 2002 (AC/DC, 1980)

Arab Strap nailed this song, hilariously replacing "motor" with "mullet" in the first verse. Grover

'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out'

Schneider Tm, 2003 (The Smiths, 1986)

A wonderful electro version. grover

'Respect'

Aretha Franklin, 1967

(Otis Redding, 1965)

Aretha Franklin's version stole it from Otis Redding. pumpkin

'...baby one more time'

Travis, 1999 (Britney Spears, 1998)

Hate the original, really don't like Travis, but somehow it just works. pumpkin

'Step On'

Happy Mondays, 1990 ('He's Gonna Step On You Again' – John Kongos, 1971)

Is it any good, or does it just remind me of my youth? Ian

'Personal Jesus'

Johnny Cash, 2002(Depeche Mode, 1989)

For me, even better than "Hurt". urban-andy

'A Message To You, Rudy'

The Specials, 1979 (Dandy Livingstone, 1967)

The Dandy original is excellent but this bounces even more. urban-andy

'Wichita Lineman'

Dennis Brown, 1998 (Jimmy Webb, 1968)

This is sublime. urban-andy

'Walk on By'

The Stranglers, 1978 (Burt Bacharach & Hal David, 1963)

Take one Bacharach & David song, a keyboard solo and a mean voice and you have an unlikely classic. James C

'All Along the Watchtower'

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1968 (Bob Dylan, 1967)

Some covers redefine. All others follow. Roger B

'The Man Who Sold the World'

Nirvana, 1993 (David Bowie, 1970)

A belter. Ian

'Feeling Good'

Muse, 2001 (Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, 1965)

Easily one of the best covers I've heard by a long shot. Anthony

'Police and Thieves'

The Clash, 1977 (Junior Murvin, 1976)

Much better than the wailing, screeching original. Ian Watson

'Hallelujah'

John Cale, 1991 (Leonard Cohen, 1984)

Cale created the version that most have followed. Lawrence M

'Valerie'

Amy Winehouse, 2007 (The Zutons, 2006)

The very best. So many copies sold and with all the royalties earned for them, it is quite staggering. Keith Price

'Rocket Man'

Kate Bush, 1991 (Elton John, 1972)

It's quite awesome. Steven Edmondson

'Here Comes the Sun'

Nina Simone, 1971 (The Beatles, 1969)

While the Beatles' original is an awesome song, there's something about Nina Simone's voice – perhaps it adds a layer of soulful melancholy? Whatever it is, it gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. Mateja

'The Passenger'

Siouxsie and the Banshees, 1987 (Iggy Pop, 1977)

Siouxsie: "Dear Prudence" was terrible but did like your "Passenger" cover. Ian Watson

'I Put a Spell on You'

Natacha Atlas, 2001 (Screamin' Jay Hawkins, 1957)

Holds the truthful balance between the pain and the joy of unrequited love in absolute precision. Her voice floats over and twirls in and out of a delicious Arabic string section. It's painful but so alive, like the Middle East itself. Tom Cooper

'Comfortably Numb'

Scissor Sisters, 2004 (Pink Floyd, 1979)

Take a shoe-gazing, introspective, self-indulgent piece of sixth-form poetry and turn it into a brainless disco belter – classic! eurobenjy

'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)'

Marilyn Manson, 1995 (Eurythmics, 1983)

Marilyn took this song where it always needed to go – a hate-filled attack on the abusive evil of people in relationships. Abbadon

'Straight to Hell'

Steve Ketchen & the Kensington Hillbillies, 2005 (The Clash, 1982)

Taking an original dub sound and infusing it with a raggedy country feel. Great lyrics, too. Sam

'Crossroads'

Cream, 1968 ('Cross Road Blues' –Robert Johnson, 1937)

Possibly the greatest live guitar solo ever. A great cover must bring something new and radical to a piece. Bill

'Eloise'

The Damned, 1986 (Barry Ryan, 1968)

Though Barry Ryan's version is OTT, this is OTT squared. Bill

'Black Magic Woman'

Santana, 1970 (Fleetwood Mac, 1968)

A Latin twist on Mac's blues song. Bill

'Not Fade Away'

Grateful Dead, 1971 (Buddy Holly, 1957)

A cover of the Buddy Holly rock classic with energy and precision. Old brownshoe

'A Case of You'

Diana Krall, 2001 (Joni Mitchell, 1971)

Does do justice to the impossible – a Joni Mitchell song. tiimo