Awesome Covers

Randy Newman’s You’ve Got a Friend in Me is one of the most memorable movie songs of all time. We really enjoyed this soothing cover of the Toy Story tune, performed by Korea’s Pulse Percussion on a marimba. Disney fans will also appreciate their marimba covers of He’s a Pirate and A Whole New World.

We’ve been following musician Feng E since he was 10 years old. Since then, he’s continued to perfect and evolve his string instrument skills. You’ll want to crank up the volume for his sublime ukulele arrangement of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2002 hit track Can’t Stop, performed with perfect pacing and precision.

Unlimted Time Only created this wonderful music video for John Roseboro’s warm and heartfelt cover of It’s You I Like by beloved children’s show host Fred Rogers. Roseboro said: “There’s a generation of people in the middle of figuring out who they are… and I think it’s a message that we all really need to hear right now.”

Equipped with her electric guitar, a microphone, effects pedals, and loop box, multitalented musician Kawehi follows up on her breakout performance of Nine Inch Nails’ Closer with a fantastic street corner cover of The Hand That Feeds. Who knew Lawrence, Kansas was so cool?

The members of The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain reminisce about the past as they look to a future in which they can once again travel the world. Backing their slideshow video is their warm and cheery cover version of the theme song from Star Trek: The Original Series.

João Fuss’ YouTube channel is loaded with great classical guitar performances. Among our favorites is this cover of the Muse track Uprising which not only shows off João’s talents but the musicality of the original’s composition. His covers of Radiohead’s Karma Police and Dire Straits’ Your Latest Trick are also fantastic.

Synthwave musician Astrophysics programmed iconic Japanese vocaloid Hatsune Miku to sing the The Weeknd’s hit track Save Your Tears. The fat electronic sounds are the perfect complement to the synthesized vocals, and fit right in with The Weeknd’s 1980s vibe.

New Orleans is home to some of the world’s most talented musicians. Sid Kuhn shared this street performance by Doreen Ketchens belting out one of the best and raspiest clarinet solos in a cover of The Animals’ House of the Rising Sun. We recommend listening to the complete performance, but the solo hits at 3:33.

Musician Alex Melton proves yet again that just about any song can be done in the style of Blink-182. His latest take on the pop-punk maestros imagines what the Oasis track Wonderwall might have sounded like if Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus created the song instead of Noel and Liam Gallagher.

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin wrapped up their 2021 Hanukkah Sessions with a gravelly-voiced cover of the KISS classic Rock and Roll All Nite. Dave went with Gene Simmons’ makeup while Greg donned Paul Stanley’s star eye. Then they tried and put gasoline into a Tesla.

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are back with a new series of Hanukkah Sessions for 2021. The kicked things off right with this very special performance of Lisa Loeb’s Stay. While it starts with the same folksy charm as the original, things escalate quickly as it turns into death metal. (Thanks Harriet!)

Musician Joe Porter plays a variety of percussion instruments. Sit back and enjoy as he performs a sampling of video game music on an instrument made from plastic soda bottles, timpani drums, steel pan, and more. He has an earlier video game medley and a collection of commercial jingles that are worth a listen too.

Musician Jamie Dupuis gets out his harp guitar for another great rock cover. This time he performed a warm and expressive acoustic arrangement of Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The peaceful and idyllic location stands in stark contrast to the song’s bleak urban imagery.

Saskatchewan bluegrass band The Dead South takes on The Doors 1967 classic People Are Strange, giving it a twangy country sound and a music video that reminds us that space aliens are people too. From the EP Easy Listening for Jerks – Part 2, a collection of their rock covers.

Now that it’s mid-November, we figure it’s okay to start playing a little Christmas music. Let’s start off the festivities with this great instrumental cover of The Pogues’ cynical classic Fairytale of New York, performed beautifully by the Vitamin String Quartet. We love how the fiddle embodies the spirit of Irish folk music.

Musician 826aska performs a spirited arrangement of the track Friend Like Me on her electronic organ. While we will always miss Robin Williams, her version serves as a delightful and uplifting tribute. If you enjoy Disney musicals, check out her arrangements of A Whole New World and Circle of Life too.