The 30 Best Cover Songs of the Decade (2000-2009)

I'd change the Sun Kil Moon one for Space Travel is boring (from the same Tiny Cities album), but still is a great choice.

I'm sort of addicted to Bat for Lashes dirge-like cover of "Use somebody", the one she did for BBC one live!

That Jeff Tweedy cover is amazing and I'm getting it as soon as I can. Thanks for the list!

Please tell me that I passed over The Postal Service's "Against All Odds" thinking that it would be number 1. If not, that might be one of your biggest exclusions from any of these lists; magazines like the Rolling Stone rank it as one of the top cover songs of all time, and you can't even show it love in a top 30 of the decade list?

I would also replace Iron and Wine's cover of "Peng" with their/his cover of "Love Vigilantes." By far the best song on the latest album.

At least there are a few good ones on here (Jim James and Calexico, Seu Jorge, etc.)

I agree completly with the previous post. Either I missed Postal Service "Against All Odds" or it wasn't this decade. OR you guys made a huge mistake

You forgot The Futureheads cover of Hounds of Love

great way to end a month of interesting lists...

a few that i would have loved to see...

- lykke li's live version of 'knocked up' by kings of leon
- sarah sleans 'climbing up the walls' by radiohead (if it was indeed this decade?)
- ollabelle's cover of 'see line woman' by nina simone

First of all, you guys rock.

Secondly, my faves on this list were Brandi Carlile & Gary Jules. But...if it were me, I would have gone with Brandi's cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." WAY better than the Hallelujah cover.

Anyway, keep rockin'!

TV on the Radio's "Mr. Grieves"!!!!!!!

John Frusciante's cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" from The Empyrean is an incredible cover.

Bah! These are all done to death. My vote is for anything re-done by GrandMagneto or the Dynamics.
Also Lizzy Parks' cover of Sinatra's 'It Was A Very Good Year' is effing sublime:
http://versionsgalore.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-when-she-was-good.html

How about????

Matt Nathanson cover of "Laid" by James
It's commercial success has to be in the top 5 ever!

This list is not bad, I would have put Seu Jorge's Bowie covers higher but I definitely think the Flaming Lips cover of Bohemian Rhapsody is much better than their cover of War Pigs.

You forgot choice cuts from Nick Cave, Muse, and Tom Waits. You could've also thrown in a few more by Johnny Cash.

Hey Guys, Nice list. Overlooked was the whole album of covers by the Postmarks called 'By-The-Numbers', very ethereal, atmospheric versions of well known tunes; also The Watson Twins version of the Cure's 'Just Like Heaven'.

Josh Ritter - Blame it on the Tetons (Modest Mouse) beautiful version

All very good songs, all very diplomatic choices. However, in your haste, you seemed to overlook a brillient cover done a few years ago. Hanson's "Teach Your Children." Paste magazene, it is time to get off your hipster-high-horse just as Spin, Vilage Village, Rolling Stone, Absolute Punk, and Billboard had, and admit how amazing Hanson is. They release an album about every three years, yet is always 20 years better than the previous one. I don't know how they do it, but it's amazing. I'm not asking you to revise the current list, but do hit up youtube for both the live versions and the studio track of Hanson's "Teach Your Children." You'll sh*t yourself.

Lame bands doing lame songs, mostly.

I suppose these are "OFFICIAL" releases.

Gov't Mule does a killer War Pigs among many covers. Widespread also does a lot of covers. Check out the live shows of most of the "Jam Bands" if you want to hear covers stretched, tortured, twisted, and lovingly played.

Wtf?! Cade Limp Bizkit - 'Behind Blue Eyes' (The Who cover)??????? Foi uma boa cover de enorme sucesso, poderia ter entrado na lista.

Rogue Wave - Everyday
Watson Twins - Just Like Heaven

Cover of R.E.M.'s "Exhuming McCarthy"

Looks like a bunch of hipster horsedickery to me but I can get into some of this very "look how indie I am" list.

Israel Kamakwiwo'ole's cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World", although it has been overplayed, is incredible and should be on this list.

As much as I adore Brandi Carlile and respect her cover of Hallelujah (which has mind blown me twice in live performance),
I honestly do not think it will EVER surpass Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's masterpiece! Its is absolutely amazing and it is the only cover that rivals the brilliance of Cohen. I guess I'm satisfied that least the Rufus Wainwright cover was not considered.

Beautiful by Clem Snide (Christina Agularrrraaaa)

Could 'Best' also mean funniest? Jenny Owen Youngs' version of Nelly's 'Hot In Herre' is to die for.

Would have to add Nickel Creek's blistering cover of Toxic by Ms. Spears

Sufjan Stevens' cover of You Are the Blood might be the best thing I've ever heard.

How can Seether's cover of Careless Whisper by Wham! not be on this list at all? They adapted a pansy song into great new rock. PHAIL

You missed Kat Edmonson's cover of (Just Like) Starting Over. Some nice choices though!

Dr. Dog's version of "Heart It Races" by Architecture In Helsinki rips it man. very fun and groovin track.

**those who would post negative comments about a certain scene or an individual(s) attempt at grouping a "best of" list portrays themselves as closed minded. Music is music, and good music is a bonding agent; no matter the so called "scene" it is associated with. Free your thought processes; pigeonholes are dark and smell of poop.

Though it's not necessarily Top 30 material, I have to say that I loved Weezer's cover of Poker Face.

While there are some outstanding tracks on this list, I find it somewhat underwhelming in its lack of scope. For starters, just in 2009 alone there were some notable covers on the 'Dark Was the Night' compilation, on the 'Score! 20 Years of Merge Records' compilation, and on the 'Ciao, My Shining Star' compilation. As well, what about one of Neko Case's many covers, or one of the few Sufjan's covers (such as The Beatles' 'What Goes On')? As well, I'd argue that Calexico's reimagining of Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart Again,' off of Starbucks' Sweetheart compilation from 2005, far surpasses their straightforward cover of Love's 'Alone Again Or.' How about Feist's cover of The Bee Gee's 'Inside and Out'? Anything off of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss' 'Raising Sand'? I could go on, but surely one of these suggestions would trump, say, the Brandi Carlile track or the Gillian Welch track at the least.

If you want to hear consistently good cover songs, then listen to the Coverville podcast (available via iTunes or at www.coverville.com)

They should be getting ready to run their top 40 listener-requested cover songs for the year.

Chromatics - I'm on fire is an amazing cover.

i would totally have to throw on travis' cover of hit me baby one more time, and probably ben folds cover of b*tches aint sh*t. both are pretty amazing.

Ryan Adams cover of "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac should be on this list as well.

Deftones -- Drive. Apart from haunting lyrics and soundscape, it serves as a chilling tribute to the bass player who has been in a coma since November 2008.

ministry - radar love

once again you demonstrate your complete disregard for one of the country's greatest original artists (who can slay a Prince song as well):

watch this to the end and tell me I'm wrong:
http://vimeo.com/2762672

if you're not convinced, then watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCtGNX9JHOE

I won't even bother to point you towards his pop opera, Home, you wouldn't know what to do with it.