25 most covered rock songs of all time

Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images When it first emerged in the middle of the 20th century, rock music was a kind of musical vernacular that enabled artists to escape their humble backgrounds and make it to the big time. Influenced by country music, rhythm and blues, and Black culture, rock ‘n’ roll encompassed various musical palettes, but its attitude was distinctly riotous and self-mythologizing. Radio disc jockeys began playing early pioneers of the genre, including Elvis Presley, on their shows in the early 1950s and introduced a largely white demographic to a sound more electrifying than anything they had likely heard. Soon, the genre would become the soundtrack of an emerging youth culture, a movement built on music, fashion, and self-expression. Rock in the 1950s set many of the standards for music today, but one band, also inspired by skiffle (a U.K. sound blending jazz, blues, folk, and country music) and pop music, arguably entrenched the template more than any other: the Beatles. Formed by four Liverpudlians in 1960, the Beatles not only became the bestselling band of all time but crucial innovators of both the stage and studio. Had they never existed, the music we listen to and enjoy today–no matter the genre–would likely sound entirely different. It’s no surprise, then, that the Beatles’ songs are some of the most commonly covered. To see which ones are the most popular, Stacker looked at data on all songs with recorded covers from Second Hand Songs and ranked the top 25 songs that we categorized as fitting in the rock genre. The ranking is based on the number of covers. #25. Johnny B. Goode Robert A. Reeder // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Chuck Berry – Written by: Chuck Berry – Covers: 293 – Adaptations: 30 Released in March 1958, Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” is commonly considered the first self-congratulatory song in pop music history. Before its recording, Berry had served three years in prison prior to embarking on a career as a guitarist and songwriter. “Johnny B. Goode” is essentially a tribute to his emancipation from poverty and prison. With its dynamic narrative and rousing melody line, it’s no wonder it’s been covered by rock ‘n’ roll legends like Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles. The song is so essential that, in 1977, it was included on a golden disc carried by the NASA spacecraft Voyager as part of a series of music, images, and sounds that could represent life on Earth. #24. Heartbreak Hotel Don Cravens // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Elvis Presley – Written by: Elvis Presley, Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden – Covers: 293 – Adaptations: 18 Written by Mae Boren Axton and steel guitar player Tommy Durden, “Heartbreak Hotel” gave The King his first #1 hit and became 1956’s bestselling single. According to Rolling Stone, the song was inspired by a suicide note, which the writers found in a newspaper article. Despite the morbid backstory, the song has become a staple of rock music history, inspiring covers from the King of the Blue Guitar, Albert King, as well as John Cale and Paul McCartney. #23. Jailhouse Rock John Springer Collection // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Elvis Presley – Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller – Covers: 297 – Adaptations: 19 Another Elvis Presley entry, “Jailhouse Rock,” became a megahit the year after “Heartbreak Hotel.” “Jailhouse Rock” went on to become the title track for Presley’s film of the same name. Today, it’s considered one of the King’s best-known signature songs, which is saying a lot. In the song’s lifetime, it’s been covered by such titans of rock ‘n’ roll including Queen, The Blues Brothers, and ZZ Top. #22. All My Loving Evening Standard // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles – Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney – Covers: 305 – Adaptations: 14 The first entry of many Beatles entries, “All My Loving” is considered by many Paul McCartney’s first major song for the band. According to McCartney’s 1997 autobiography, “Many Years From Now,” he wrote “All My Loving” during the Beatles’ tour with Roy Orbison in 1963. For McCartney, it was the first song where the words came first before the accompaniment. While John Lennon was considered the band’s main songwriter in the Beatles’ early days, “All My Loving” asserted McCartney’s talent and put the two band members on equal footing. The Arctic Monkeys covered the track when they headlined Madison Square Garden in 2014. #21. Help! Bettmann // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles – Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney – Covers: 306 – Adaptations: 16 Mostly written by John Lennon from his home in Weybridge, “Help!” became the title track for the Beatles’ second film and fifth album. According to David Sheff’s 2020 biography of Lennon, “All We Are Saying,” the songwriter originally composed the song as a genuine cry for help. That cry was answered over and over by numerous other artists throughout the decade, who reinterpreted Lennon’s desperation into their own sound. In 1968, Deep Purple provided their own psychedelic take, and two years later, the Carpenters brought the song into their universe. #20. Blue Suede Shoes Rick Diamond // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Carl Perkins – Written by: Carl Perkins – Covers: 313 Few songs have tapped into the pulse of American pop culture quite like Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes,” the first song to ever reach the top–or close to the top–of all three pop, country, and R&B charts of the time. While Perkins never enjoyed the same kind of success again, the song has taken on a life of its own, reanimated throughout the years by a smorgasbord of legendary covers, including Elvis’ up-tempo take and Johnny Rivers’ rendition, which briefly returned the song to the charts in 1973. #19. Just the Way You Are Paul Natkin // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Billy Joel – Written by: Billy Joel – Covers: 316 – Adaptations: 11 The standout track from Billy Joel’s fifth album, “Just The Way You Are,” quickly became one of the songwriter’s signature songs when it released in 1977. Legend has it that Joel dreamed the melody. At a business meeting weeks later, Joel’s mind drifted off from numbers and legal speak and returned to the dream, which then inspired the lyrics in a two- or three-hour sitting. Barry White then leapt to cover the song a mere year later, an impulse some may have questioned at the time had it not earned him huge commercial success. White’s R&B cover would become his second-longest-running hit in the U.K. #18. Time After Time Ebet Roberts // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Cyndi Lauper – Written by: Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman – Covers: 317 – Adaptations: 10 Cyndi Lauper’s romantic ballad “Time After Time,” a song that now sounds like the ultimate emblem of the ’80s, earned the singer her first #1 hit in 1984. With its tender yet complex emotional palette, the song caused musicians from all walks of life to cover it. Pop stars, including Pink and Leona Lewis, have offered their relatively faithful interpretations, but Lauper’s favorite has always been Miles Davis’. #17. Proud Mary Jeff Hochberg // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Creedence Clearwater Revival – Written by: John Fogerty – Covers: 337 – Adaptations: 31 “Proud Mary” was Creedence Clearwater Revival at their swamp rock peak. The song was written by frontman John Fogerty, marking one of his first masterpieces, and later became a huge hit in 1969. With its irresistible singalong quality, it’s no wonder it began attracting covers almost immediately after its release. Solomon Burke came up with his version first before Ike & Tina Turner offered their interpretation in 1970, which hit the heights of the charts and became one of the most famous renditions of the iconic song. #16. Can’t Buy Me Love Mark and Colleen Hayward // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles – Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney – Covers: 347 – Adaptations: 14 The Beatles’ sixth single, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” was the product of a 19-day residency at Paris’ Olympia Theatre. It introduced a slightly newer, bluesier tone to the boys’ sound and was the first of the band’s singles to feature only one singer. In this case, Paul McCartney was in the driver’s seat. The song’s bluesy mood caught the ear of Ella Fitzgerald, who later covered the song and earned the band’s approval. #15. The Long and Winding Road Express // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles, Bud Shank with The Bob Alcivar Singers – Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney – Covers: 352 – Adaptations: 6 There may not be a song in the Beatles’ catalog that sums up their final bittersweet days better than “The Long and Winding Road.” Primarily written in Scotland in 1968 by Paul McCartney, the mournful song ultimately provided a soundtrack to the cracks beginning to show within the band. The song became the band’s final #1 hit, but its beautiful melancholy lived on through renditions performed by Cher, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. #14. A Hard Day’s Night Fox Photos // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles – Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney – Covers: 397 – Adaptations: 15 One of the most famous call-and-response songs of all time, “With a Little Help from My Friends” was written collaboratively between John Lennon and Paul McCartney during the final stages of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” That opening lyric (“What would you think if I sang out of tune?”) was a joke the songwriters played on the comparatively pitchy Ringo Starr, who performed the song. “With a Little Help from My Friends” was most famously covered by Joe Cocker, whose version almost threatened to overshadow the original in the U.K., though it only reached #68 in the U.S. #9. In My Life Silver Screen Collection // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles – Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney – Covers: 419 – Adaptations: 6 A fan favorite from “Rubber Soul,” “In My Life” is a quintessential John Lennon track. The song was originally inspired by Lennon’s memories of living in Liverpool, but its lyrics are deliberately vague enough for anyone to apply their own nostalgia to it. The song has since found its way to some unlikely places; Sean Connery sang the song as part of an albumlong Beatles tribute, as assembled by George Martin in 1998. #8. Here Comes the Sun Ivan Keeman // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles – Written by: George Harrison – Covers: 430 – Adaptations: 9 The sunshine of the band’s “Abbey Road” sessions, George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun” proved that the third Beatle could stand toe to toe with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Harrison penned the song while staying with his friend Eric Clapton at his home in Ewhurst, Surrey. While sunning himself in Clapton’s garden, the seeds of the song began to germinate, and the rest was history. A simple ditty, it’d be challenging to do a disservice to this lovely song. It’s since been covered by Coldplay, Bon Jovi, and Travis, but Charles Wright of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band infused it with a particularly lovely warmth and glow. #7. Jingle Bell Rock Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: Bobby Helms – Written by: Jim Boothe, Joe Beal – Covers: 447 – Adaptations: 10 “Jingle Bell Rock” was originally written by two unlikely sources, an advertising executive named James Ross Boothe and a public relations professional named Joseph Carleton Beal. The popularity of “Jingle Bell Rock” has been forever enshrined, partly due to its many appearances in popular films like “Mean Girls” and “Lethal Weapon” but also due to its many covers throughout the years. Kylie Minogue, the Beach Boys, and Hall & Oates have all brought the holiday spirit of “Jingle Bell Rock” into their own repertoires. #6. Come Together Michael Webb // Getty Images – Originally recorded by: The Beatles – Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney – Covers: 461 – Adaptations: 8 When the Beatles’ discography was finally added to streaming services in 2015, “Come Together” was one of the songs that racked up the most streams, behind “Here Comes the Sun.” It’s not hard to see why. There’s an indelible oddness to the track that gives it a hypnotic quality while still making it sound fresh all these years later. In 1969, Tina Turner was among the first to cover it, infusing the song with a feminine yearning. A decade later, Aerosmith reached the charts with their extra groovy version. #5. Here, There and Everywhere