In music, covers serve as a special marker of just how impactful a song can be. Some artists include covers of popular songs on their first few albums as a way to get people listening before diving into their original stuff. Others simply want to put their own version of their favorite song out into the world, not knowing that this may be their biggest hit. Either way, covers continue to let listeners in on the evolution of music from one generation into the next.

Classic rock is a genre that’s birthed some of the most creative and impressive covers to date. The possibilities for reinvention are endless when you take a song from years or even decades before and add a backing band to it, complete with explosive guitar riffs and vocal deliveries that sometimes alter the entire meaning for a new audience. Sometimes a cover is so incredible that listeners aren’t aware of it being someone else’s song. The covers listed below are just 10 of the best covers by classic rock artists who completely outdid the original songs.

12

Signs By Five Man Electrical Band (1970)

Covered By Tesla (1990)

When Canadian rock group Five Man Electrical Band released “Signs” in 1970 as a B-side to the single “Hello Melinda Goodbye,” they couldn’t have known that the two should’ve been flipped. While the single reached #55 on the Canadian charts, “Signs,” after its re-release as the A-side in 1971, hit #4 in Canada and #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was written during a road trip along Route 66 when Les Emmerson noticed that the scenery he was trying to admire was blocked by billboards.

The original version of “Signs” starts and ends with a 30-second instrumental. In Tesla’s 1990 cover, they bring the listener right into the first line without hesitance. The Californian rock band set their electric instruments aside, recording this track live for their Five Man Acoustical Jam album. Their version also takes some creative liberties within the lyrics, stamping an explicit label on it to make it just a little heavier. Tesla’s version of “Signs” is the acoustic jam every rock band needs.

11

Helter Skelter By The Beatles (1968)

Covered By Pat Benatar (1981)

The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” is heralded as a key influence on what would eventually become heavy metal. Paul McCartney’s raucous vocal delivery was unlike anything listeners had heard before, from the band and in general, but that was the point. The band was at a place in their career where they could try new sounds and break away from the more approachable style they debuted with. In the last minute and 30 seconds, it’s nothing but a continuation of the instrumental, creating the framework for the heavy metal guitar solos and drum breaks we know today.

Several artists have covered “Helter Skelter,” but none hold the edge that Pat Benatar’s version does. Her raspy voice captures the tone McCartney conveyed while hitting all the unreasonably high notes along the way. She takes one of the most iconic songs by one of the biggest bands in the world and makes it all her own by bringing its original details into the sound of 1980s rock music. It even includes the breakdown at the end.

10

Twist And Shout By The Isley Brothers (1962)

Covered By The Beatles (1963)

“Twist and Shout” is a song that’s been reintroduced year after year. It was originally recorded by The Top Notes, but didn’t become a true hit until the version by The Isley Brothers a year later. This version holds all the charm of the music of the 1960s, from groups like The Temptations to artists like Roy Orbison. The instrumental is simple, but the vocals are what stand out above all. It was the group’s first single to claim a spot in the Top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The Beatles’ version is undeniably the better version. Not only are the instruments crisper, but the vocals are also perfect from start to finish. Their recording, which appears on 1963’s Please Please Me, was captured in just a single take, making it an incredible feat for music at the time and still one of the greatest single takes in music history. It reached #2 on the Billboard singles chart, beaten out for #1 by their follow-up single “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

9

Johnny B. Goode By Chuck Berry (1958)

Covered By Judas Priest (1988)

Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” is an immediately recognizable song with a stellar guitar riff and twinkling piano chords throughout. It’s a staple in the rock genre that is rightfully mentioned in just about every list of the greatest influences on modern rock, and one listen will have any listener understanding why. The subject matter is one of the first to discuss the act of being a famous musician. In 1986, Berry was inducted into the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he performed this song alongside Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

It’s tough to say if any covers of this iconic song top the original. Of all of them, Judas Priest brought it into an entirely new world that also doesn’t feel too far off from its origins. The introductory guitar riff is the same, but heavier, layered with the grime and grit that colored late ’80s rock music. It’s the kind of song that’s perfect for a cover of this nature, bringing a story that always rings true to a different generation with their own flare.

8

I Shot The Sheriff By Bob Marley (1973)

Covered By Eric Clapton (1974)

Released on the Wailers’ 1973 album, Burnin’, “I Shot The Sheriff” is a song about justice, about the lengths one will go to in self-defense to protect themselves from their oppressor. Bob Marley’s voice tells the song’s story through his signature reggae style, climbing to each chorus with off-kilter harmonies. It wasn’t met with the controversy that a song of this nature would receive today, but it has been referenced and covered by other artists with similar views.

Eric Clapton’s 1974 cover of “I Shot The Sheriff” transitions Marley’s track into a soft rock jam. The undercurrent of reggae is still felt in the groove of his guitar, but the rest of the instrumental carries it into entirely new territory just a year later. To date, this remains Clapton’s only US #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His version was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003, cementing it into musical history for good.

7

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds By The Beatles (1967)

Covered By Elton John (1975)

The Beatles’ discography is so wide that artists from every corner of the industry have covered at least one of their songs. “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” off of their 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, is said to be inspired by a drawing Julian Lennon made of the same name as well as John Lennon’s readings of the Alice in Wonderland novels. The song’s floaty structure is emphasized by its use of a Lowrey organ and an Indian tambura, both altered in production, and serves as an important note of the psychedelic genre.

When listening to Elton John’s cover of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” it’s difficult to understand how he isn’t the originator of this song. He plays it on piano with thundering drums, a fantastic guitar rhythm, and a horn section bringing the song to life. It feels similar to the narrative tone of “Rocket Man” or “Bennie And The Jets,” taking the listener on a journey that could only have been born from the collaboration of John and Bernie Taupin.

6

Cum On Feel The Noize By Slade (1973)

Covered By Quiet Riot (1983)

English rock band Slade released “Cum On Feel The Noize” in 1973. The non-album single quickly reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart, their fourth to do so and their first to reach #1 within its first week, something that hadn’t been done since The Beatles released “Get Back” in 1969. This original version is a great ’70s classic rock song, but Quiet Riot’s cover feels like it adds just what the song was missing.

Released exactly a decade later, Quiet Riot’s cover of “Cum On Feel The Noize” wastes no time building to the chorus. Where the original follows a more typical structure, the cover brings the chorus into the first three seconds. Their version is true to Quiet Riot’s heavy metal sound, from the vocal delivery to the weighted guitar chords. It rose to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking both the song and Slade into the US market they hadn’t been able to conquer previously, but the cover remains the more popular version.

5

Smokin’ In The Boys Room By Brownsville Station (1973)

Covered By Mötley Crüe (1985)

Despite feeling undoubtedly overshadowed by its most famous cover, “Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room” by Brownsville Station saw its own level of chart success. Its release on their 1973 album, Yeah!, saw a peak at #3 in Canada as well as on the US Billboard Hot 100. The original starts with a spoken verse, pulling listeners into the world of the song where students sneak around hoping to get away with going against their school’s smoking ban. Much of the song is spoken or sung in a way that feels more like speaking than singing.

Mötley Crüe’s cover is another such case where it feels like a song this specific band were always meant to release. With a discography as smoky as theirs, it’s only natural that they’d sing a song leading the charge in helping kids slip past their teachers to smoke cigarettes. This was the band’s first Top 40 hit, climbing to #16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a single. Additionally, Mötley Crüe’s music video for this track is a perfect visual representation of the lyrics.

4

With A Little Help From My Friends By The Beatles (1967)

Covered By Joe Cocker (1969)

With the last Beatles mention on this list, Joe Cocker made yet another song off Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band his own. The original is a Ringo Starr-led track, transitioning cleanly from the album’s title track. It’s a bouncy song that speaks to the camaraderie that one receives from those around them. You can get by with a little help from your friends.

Cocker’s cover is an entirely different beast. Rather than the upbeat, piano-driven instrumental of the original, the cover feels like an anthem, a desperate plea, and a celebration all at once. The opening verse builds to a gorgeous version of the chorus with backing vocals and a more full arrangement than that of the Fab Four. Cocker transformed an already iconic song into something on a new level just two years later.

3

All Along The Watchtower By Bob Dylan (1967)

Covered By Jimi Hendrix (1968)

Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” appeared on his eighth studio album, John Wesley Harding, in 1967. It portrays a conversation between a joker and a thief, each of whom has their own ideas about the world they live in and what to do with their time there. The song includes Dylan’s signature harmonica stylings and an acoustic guitar under his nonchalant vocal delivery, but the version he often played live was heavily influenced by its most popular cover.

Jimi Hendrix made “All Along the Watchtower” his own not even six months after the release of the original. It’s included on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s third studio album, Electric Ladyland, and remains the most easily identifiable version of this song. Not only does he add another minute and 30 seconds to its runtime, but the addition of the electric guitar and his pained vocal delivery add enough layers to make the original completely unrecognizable.