Covers that give the original a run for its money

tatimonty
Mar 17, 2021
6 min read

The pop punk and punk genres often pay tribute to songs either in the mainstream, or songs that mean a lot to them. Take, for example, Fearless Records' long running Punk Goes... albums that range from three Punk Goes Acoustic, to seven Punk Goes Pop, to two Punk Goes 90s, to everything in between, including crunk, metal, classic rock and Christmas. Or, on the other hand, there's Hopeless Records' two collections, Songs That Saved My Life. Bands and artists have also just covered songs simply because they wanted to. Quite frankly, almost every band in the genre has a cover that they've done for some reason or another. And a lot of them are absolutely incredible. So here's a handful that give the originals a run for their money.

"Drown" | AS IT IS | Originally by Bring Me the Horizon

AS IT IS covered Bring Me the Horizon's "Drown" in 2019 for Rock Sound magazine's cover album. Worship And Tributes: Volume II. It's a beautifully haunting cover. They stripped the song down, giving it the emotional edge that the song's lyrical content really deserves. And those vocal harmonies? One word: chills. Patty Walters' voice is thick with emotion and the instrumentation matches it perfectly. Like Rock Sound said themselves: "If Patty Walters' vocals don't make you feel something, nothing will."

"Heathens" | Boston Manor | Originally by Twenty One Pilots

This song was on Punk Goes Pop Vol. 7 in 2017, and annoyed Twenty One Pilots fans who refused to admit that the band can be considered pop. With that said, it's an incredible cover. It keeps the creepy, mysterious vibes that the original had, but makes it its own with heavy guitars, really giving it that punk rock edge that Boston Manor specializes in. Henry Cox really brings that edge that the song needed with his rough vocals.

"Lost" | bülow | Originally by Frank Ocean

Okay I know I prefaced this list with the pop punk and punk genres, and bülow is definitely not in either of those genres, but wow, this cover. Her version is stripped, focused on the pure vocals and a simple acoustic guitar, lacking the drums that are front and center in Frank Ocean's. Bülow bares her soul through the lyrics and vocals. Her harmonies are soft and melodious throughout. It's raw and emotional, fitting perfectly with the lyrical content. She really does make this song her own, and it really pays off.

"Since U Been Gone" | A Day to Remember | Originally by Kelly Clarkson

Both versions start out very similarly, but A Day to Remember's quickly builds into a heavier sound, with heavier guitars and, by in the second verse, the unclean vocals to match. They adapt the song to their own sound pretty effortlessly. They manage to keep the song feeling light, despite all the heavy guitars and harsh vocals. And honestly, the cherry on top here is they absolutely nailed the music video too -- it's very spot on compared to the original, with just the right touch of A Day to Remember.

"Animals" | Ice Nine Kills | Originally by Maroon 5

In this cover for Punk Goes Pop Vol. 6, Ice Nine Kills brings their experience writing songs about horror movies into this cover, utilizing harsh and clean vocals along with heavy guitars. The riffs perfectly compliment the vocals throughout. Let's face it, at its core and its lyrical base, it's a pretty creepy song and Ice Nine Kills use their signature sound to highlight that. They truly had fun with this, including with the music video, and very much made it their own.

"Blank Space" | I Prevail | Originally by Taylor Swift

Okay, look, this cover launched their career, so that tells you straight away how good it is. It's heavy, utilizing both harsh and clean vocals and heavy guitars. It's the right amount of anger, the harsh vocals emphasizing exactly what it needs to. It's a completely different tone than the original, but it still works perfectly, emphasizing different emotions present in the lyrical content. It's the first song they ever released, and it took off -- for good reason -- and ended up making Punk Goes Pop Vol. 6. It's honestly a pretty perfect representation of their sound, of who they are as a band.

"Somebody I Used to Know" | Mayday Parade ft. Vic Fuentes | Originally by Gotye

On Punk Goes Pop Vol. 5, this cover really stands out. It really elevates the guitar to another level and really steps up the drums, bringing the classic pop punk sound to this soft-spoken song. It also perfectly utilizes a feature. Vic Fuentes' (of Pierce the Veil) voice contrasts Derek Sanders' in a way that works seamlessly. The original places so much emphasis on the vocals, and while this cover may add more guitars and drums, it doesn't detract from that emphasis.

"Without Me" | Natewantstobattle | Originally by Halsey

Natewantstobattle has two albums worth of covers and then some in his discography, and although this one's not on either of them, it's easily his best. He really takes this Halsey song and makes it his own, utilizing heavier guitars to really enunciate the anger in the lyrical content of the song. He makes it more rock, instead of pop-alternative. It focuses on the guitar, rather than a drum pad or the programming. It doesn't feel like a sad song, like the original does, but rather an angry, frustrated one. In all of Nathan Sharp's covers, his best are the ones that he has fun with, the ones that he makes his own. He does exactly that with this one.

"Hammer" | Point North | Originally by nothing,nowhere

Point North makes this emo rap song into a rock one, and that's apparent from the first note. Instead of the drumpad and sullen guitar that starts the original, it leads with an electric guitar rift. Point North makes everything in this song their own, from the incorporation of lyrics from nothing,nowhere's "letdown" in the bridge, to the addition of adlibbed lines, to the completely different tone that the song takes on. It's an incredibly strong cover, adapting it to their sound and their energy.

"Problem" | Set It Off | Originally by Ariana Grande

Somehow Set It Off managed to make this pop song sound jazzy in the verses, but also created an incredible rock song from it. The tone shifts are flawless, the first happening immediately after the intro. It comes through clearly that they just had fun with this one, even flawlessly throwing in two lines from TLC's "No Scrubs."

"Stitches" | State Champs | Originally by Shawn Mendes

State Champs elevate this song to pop punk status by incorporating the classic pop punk guitar sound mixed with the fast paced drums. It's a classic cover, adapting this pop song into their own sound and genre seamlessly.

"Little Lion Man" | Tonight Alive | Originally by Mumford and Sons

Tonight Alive brings the rock-styled guitars to this cover, and Jenna McDougall's voice really matches perfectly. The drums elevate the song, bringing it to a different tempo altogether, fitting perfectly with the guitar riffs. The bridge is really good, with this big build up driven by beautiful vocal harmonies. Tonight Alive bring the song to another level with their cover for Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 4.

"Cancer" | Twenty One Pilots | Originally by My Chemical Romance

In 2016, Rock Sound announced a My Chemical Romance tribute album, Rock Sound Presents: The Black Parade, featuring covers by thirteen different bands of every song off My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade. It's hard to imagine any band living up to the My Chemical Romance legacy, but, wow, Twenty One PIlots' cover of "Cancer" is genuinely incredible. They really enunciate the pain, heartbreak and emotion in this song through its programming and raw vocals. The song is so thick with emotion, it's nearly haunting. It's daunting to cover My Chemical Romance, but with this one, Twenty One Pilots rose to the challenge and really hit a home run.

Honorable mentions:

Umbrella (All Time Low | Originally by Rihanna)
Heartless (The Fray | Originally by Kanye West)
Rolling in the Deep (Go Radio | Originally by Adele)
Look What You Made Me Do (Keeping Secrets | Originally by Taylor Swift)
Someone You Loved (Our Last Night ft. I See Stars, The Word Alive, Ashland | Originally by Lewis Capaldi)
Chandelier (PVRIS | Originally by Sia)
Airplanes (The Ready Set | Originally by b.o.b. ft Hailey Williams)
"Beating Heart Baby" (Waterparks | Originally by Head Automatica)
Drops of Jupiter (With Confidence | Originally by Train)

If you've never heard these covers, you should definitely check them out. Most, if not all of them, feel like you're listening to a totally different song -- in the best way possible. There's also only a total of 21 covers on this list, so there's definitely a lot missing, so write in the comments below if your favorite is missing!