Welcome to the inaugural top five blog post.  I hope to post a new top five list evrey Friday on varied and interesting topics, with the intention of being told by ya’ll all the critical blanks I left off the list.  Should be a good conversation starter, at least that is the hope.

I wanted to start this little series with a bang, so here comes a list near and dear to my heart – the top five cover songs.  I think we can all agree that a song performed by the original artist is generally always better than any cover, but occasionally a different band can capture the essence of a song in a new way that improves the overall delivery of the song.  I am not in any way commenting on the quality of the original versions of these songs, just that if I have my choice I would rather listen to the cover for whatever reason.

There are many lists available out there, this is clearly a hot topic in pop culture.  Over the summer the New York Post did a list of the top 100 covers of all time, which contain a few of my own choices but in my opinion is woefully inadequate with Dolly Parton’s cover of “Stairway to Heaven” as their number one.  There are plenty of nobodies like me that have their own lists, such as this one.  If you google best cover songs you can waste hours reading other people’s opinions.  Or you can just stick with mine and trust me.  So here goes -

5.  Gin and Juice by the Gourds – originally by Snoop Dogg.  This is a great cover of a great song, with the rockabilly twist that brings naughty out of Compton and into the trailer park.  Fun stuff.

4. With a Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker – originally by the Beatles.  The first on the list be the Beatles that has since been owned by the remake artist.  I think it is safe to say that most people don’t even know this was originally a Beatles song, especially those of us that grew up watching the Wonder Years.

3. I Will Survive by Cake – originally by Gloria Gaynor.  Great cover.  Cake makes this song their own with a new voice and a male desperation to match the original’s female angst.

2. Hurt by Johnny Cash – originally by Nine Inch Nails.  Cash said that this song was the most accurate depiction of drug addiction he had ever heard, and I think it is clear through his painful cover that he knows what he is talking about.  Love the original, but nothing can beat Cash.

And for the number one cover of all time, IMHO…

1. Live and Let Die by Guns & Roses – originally by the Beatles.  Not that the Beatles didn’t do a great job with the original, but GNR brought it into the modern age with a revved version that only turns it into a 10 on the rock charts, elevating it from the 9.5 it originally held.  Axel’s whiny voice complements the message and the music so well, it has to be the best cover ever.

Many honorable mentions follow, I have a hard time narrowing it to 5.  But to fit into the format I want to start, I had to.  Here are some more favorites:

Come Together by Aerosmith, and Helter Skelter by U2 are more Beatles covers that rock.  Smashing Pumpkins do two great covers – Landslide originally by Fleetwood Mac and You’re All I’ve Got Tonight originally by the Cars.  Two Stevie Wonder songs have great covers – Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Reggae Woman by Better Than Ezra.  Three more honorable mentions – About a Boy by Joss Stone, she is so hot; Where’s My Mind by the Toadies; and Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm.

So that’s my list, if you have thoughts, concerns, etc, let me hear them!