The 50 Greatest Cover Songs: 20-11

20. The Slits, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"

Originally By: Marvin Gaye
Gaye’s stands as the definitive version of this song, having earned a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame—and that’s exactly the kind of institutional standing the Slits sought to deconstruct with their provocative ’70s punk-dub take on the soul tune.

19. Pavement, "Killing Moon"

Originally By: Echo and the Bunnymen
Stephen Malkmus impressively tackled the theatrics of the 1984 cult hit that Courtney Love thought was romantic.

18.Lemonheads, "Mrs. Robinson"

Originally By: Simon & Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel may have been making a generational statement, but all the Lemonheads wanted to say was “look at our cute hair and flannels!”—which was exactly what anyone cared to hear in 1992, when this throwaway cover put the Boston trio on the map.

17. The Beatles, "Twist and Shout"

Originally By: The Isley Brothers
At the height of their mop-top popularity, the Beatles created a frenzy when they unleashed their rambunctious version of the song the Isley Brothers made famous—much like Ferris Bueller did when he lip-synched over it twenty years later.

16. Al Green, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"

Originally By: The Bee Gees
This country-tinged soft rocker may have brought the Brothers Gibb their first #1 hit in the States, but it’s no match for the passion oozing through Green’s cover, released just a year later.

15. José González, "Teardrop"

Originally By: Massive Attack
Unlike Massive Attack, Argentianian-Swede guitarist González can’t claim to have a theme song for a TV drama about a pill-popping doctor, but he can always be proud of his placid acoustic spin on the trip-hop hit.

14. The Ramones, "Do You Wanna Dance?"

Originally By: Bobby Freeman
The “brothers” from Queens nail Freeman’s sock-hop classic—better associated with the Beach Boys—and demonstrate the kinship between simplistic three-chord punk rock and the pre-Pet Sounds era.

13. Soft Cell, " Tainted Love"

Originally By: Gloria Jones
This synth-pop nugget spent nearly a year on the charts in the early 1980s, owing to Marc Almond’s droll vocal, a danceable beat, and an extended mix that bled into a sublime cover of the Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?”

12. Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah"

Originally By: Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen may have written it, but “Hallelujah” will always be entwined with Buckley’s legacy due to its stunning starkness and Robert Plant-meets-Joni Mitchell vocals.

11. Ike & Tina Turner, "Proud Mary"

Originally By: Creedence Clearwater Revival
The soulful couple’s offstage drama did nothing to keep their energetic 1971 rendition of this CCR ditty from winning a Grammy and becoming one of Tina’s best-loved vocal tracks.