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Cover Me: My Favorite Cover Versions of Eight Outstanding Songs
Some are better than the original
Whenever two of my favorite writers tackle the same musical subject, I always consider it both an invitation and a challenge. Thus, when Alex Markham and David Acaster each did stories on cover versions, I knew I had to join in (you can read their stories at the end of this one). This is not new territory for me, of course; I’ve done articles on TV theme song covers, the best covers of Bob Dylan songs, and even my favorite covers of The Greatest Song Ever, “Born to Run.”
None of the songs here are as unexpected as the ukulele version of Springsteen’s “Jungleland” that appears in Alex’s story, and some you will be well acquainted with. Hopefully, though, there will be a few you’ve never heard. Let’s start off with one by an artist you probably never expected to see in any article I write, about anything.
“American Girl” — Taylor Swift (original by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). This acoustic version of the Petty classic was performed live on SiriusXM Radio. The cover of the song that she released is truer to the original, but this one-off is so much better. Taylor gets major points for introducing a new generation to the genius that is Tom Petty.
