Culling 2020’s best cover songs down to just 25 proved more difficult than in previous years, but the re-dos ranked below are Popservations’ absolute favorites from the year that was. In what I think is a first, songs from the past six decades are represented at least once, including several of very recent vintage.

1. “Rent” (Pet Shop Boys cover) – I Am A Camera

Francesca Ross and Ian Watt’s industrial-tinged cover of Pet Shop Boys’ “Rent” (from 1987’s Actually) paints a picture of rain-slicked streets on a grittier side of town, the song’s kept narrator ensconced in a converted warehouse loft rather than an uptown high-rise apartment. Slowing the tempo to a contemplative crawl, I Am A Camera inhabits the song like no one else covering “Rent” has done before (apologies, Liza).

As if reading from a balance sheet, Ross robotically recounts the state of affairs, ticking off the various items her lover has bought and paid for, while the other half of her performance reveals the emotional cost of the arrangement. Listen for the moment that she modulates her voice at the end of “calculate.” Devastating. [Original Post]

2. “I Hope You Find It” (Miley Cyrus cover) – Cher

For the second single from her comeback album, Closer To The Truth, Cher left the club behind, changing lanes to share an emotional, country-tinged ballad. Even more surprising is the source material, a song originally recorded by Miley Cyrus for the 2010 film, The Last Song, in which she co-starred.

Produced by Mark Taylor (“Believe”), Cher delivers a powerful performance with “I Hope You Find It.” Her status as a living legend — and her self-deprecating wit — sometimes obscures her very real vocal talents, but here’s evidence that Cher isn’t joking around. Her cannon-straddling days may now behind her, with young Miley picking up the slack, but Cher has a firm grip on a different kind of wrecking bawl. [Original Post]

3. “How Will I Know” (Whitney Houston cover) – Postiljonen

First appearing in 2012 and later released on 2020’s Skyer, Stockholm trio Postiljonen takes Whitney’s 1986 #1 hit to the clouds above with a dreamy midtempo makeover that’s reminiscent of M83 but with female vocals.

Featuring an interpolation of “How Will I Know” with their own “All That We Had Is Lost,” Postiljonen adds an appropriately wistful tinge in Whitney’s memory, as does the mournful sax. [Original Post]

4. “What’s Going On” (Soul II Soul cover) – Monsieur Adi feat. A*M*E

Soul II Soul’s “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” is one of my all-time favorite songs, so Monsieur Adi‘s new cover (or interpolation, as above) of the original acapella album version was a thrilling arrival. Swapping Caron Wheeler’s vocals for London songstress A*M*E’s intonations, the French producer adds oomph and sparkle, giving his trademark strings two moments in the spotlight, the classical-sounding intro and the brilliant, tension-filled midsection.

With A*M*E’s assistance, Monsieur Adi brought Soul II Soul’s classic back to life for a new generation (even if it never did receive a U.S. release). Come down, take a look around. [Original Post]

5. “The Last To Die” (Bruce Springsteen cover) – Pet Shop Boys

One of Pet Shop Boys’ strengths has been their rather brilliant ability to transform the possibly incongruous into sublime pop, whether referencing a classical composer’s work or covering someone else’s song.

Continuing that tradition, Pet Shop Boys’ amping-up of Springsteen’s anti-war anthem (with the assistance of producer Stuart Price) — recorded at the suggestion of Chris Lowe’s sister — is an absolute winner. [Original Post]

6. “Your Loving Arms” (Billie Ray Martin cover) – Bright Light Bright Light

The first of three club classics given a 180-degree makeover on this list, Bright Light Bright Light recorded his solo piano cover of Billie Ray Martin’s “Your Loving Arms” for Valentine’s Day.

Bright Light Bright Light’s tender take on the 1995 #1 dance hit, earned kudos from Martin herself who thought it was lovely, while also catching the attention of Frankie Goes To Hollywood frontman Holly Johnson. Starting conversations and stirring hearts, Rod Thomas’ cover of “Your Loving Arms” is too good to be forgotten. [Original Post]

7. “Just For Now” (Imogen Heap cover) – Kelly Clarkson

I didn’t realize that Imogen Heap’s “Just For Now” (from 2005’s Speak For Yourself) centered on a dysfunctional family Christmas before Kelly Clarkson included it on her holiday set, Wrapped In Red. Originally pitched for a Chrismukkah episode of The O.C., Heap recalled the producers’ rejection of the song, saying, “It was, I think, a little too dark for them. Not quite the toasted marshmallows they had in mind.”

Strengthening the song’s holiday connection, Wrapped In Red producer Greg Kurstin dressed “Just For Now” with an arrangement that quotes “Carol Of The Bells.” Coupled with Clarkson’s performance — rooted in personal experience with less-than-perfect holiday gatherings — her cover of “Just For Now” is perfection. [Original Post]

8. “Don’t You Want Me” (The Human League cover) – French Horn Rebellion & Deidre & The Dark

Looking for a familiar song to “funkify,” the brotherly Brooklyn dance duo of Robert and David Perlick-Molinari picked The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” Of course, thematically speaking, “Don’t You Want Me” would make a skeevy duet for siblings, so David’s wife, Deidre Muro (Deidre & The Dark, Savoir Adore), steps in to play Susan Ann Sulley to his Philip Oakey, while Robert occupies himself with his instrument (the French horn, of course).

The result is good, clean (and yes, funkified) fun, though “Don’t forget it’s me who put you where you are now, I can put you back down too” is an impressively dark threat for what was a big, fluffy pop hit in 1982. Let’s just gloss over that, and wish all the best to David and Deidre! [Original Post]

9. “From Me To You” (The Beatles) – Frankmusik

While the Fab Four are sure be hugely feted this year, with 2014 marking the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ U.S. invasion, London electro-pop wonder Frankmusik got the celebration underway early with a cover of “From Me To You.” The song was the band’s first UK #1 hit and the first Lennon-McCartney composition to enter the Hot 100, courtesy of a 1963 cover version by Del Shannon.

Frankmusik’s take on “From Me To You” is beautiful, brilliant, and a bunch of other superlative adjectives. How many 50-year-old songs are being covered by today’s artists and re-crafted to sound this fresh? Just this one. Frankmusik spotlights The Beatles’ amazing legacy courtesy of this 21st century tribute, a free download with love from him to us. [Original Post]

10. “Finally” (CeCe Peniston cover) – Nerina Pallot

Like Bright Light Bright Light’s contemplative reading of “Your Loving Arms,” fellow UK pop singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot flips CeCe Peniston‘s 1992 beat-happy hit “Finally” into a blue-tinged ballad.

“I’ve loved this song since I was a teenager, and felt underneath its unrelenting perkiness was a quiet sadness,” Pallot told The Guardian. “If you picture CeCe’s grinning demeanor in the video, my version is how someone who’d kissed way too many frogs would feel like when they finally found the one. Less ecstatic, more ‘Thank fuck I never have to date again.’” [Original Post]

11. “Love Thy Will Be Done” (Martika cover) – Jessie Ware

Not shy about slipping into a ’90s groove (see: “Imagine It Was Us”), Jessie Ware kept the decade on lock with a cover of Martika’s “Love Thy Will Be Done,” a Prince co-write that peaked at #10 in October 1991.

Wrapping her lovely voice around the song, Ware made the 22-year-old “Love Thy Will Be Done” sound absolutely contemporary. [Original Post]

12. “Half Of Me” (Rihanna cover) – Ajo

With Rihannovember cancelled for the first time in five years — no new album from the Bajan pop princess did arrive that month — Ajo helped to fill the void with a cover of “Half Of Me,” from the deluxe edition of 2012’s Unapologetic.

The Alabama-born, Chicago-raised, New York-based Ajo gives “Half Of Me” (co-written by Emeli Sandé, Naughty Boy, and Stargate) a captivating alt-R&B makeover. This is where Lauryn Hill meets The xx. [Original Post]

13. “The Angry Angry Man” (The Roches cover) – Brad Walsh

With precious little previous familiarity of The Roches’ oeuvre (aside from an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures), my first exposure to the folk rockers’ “The Angry Angry Man” came via Brad Walsh’s cover.

Including a sample of The Roches’ 1985 original in his production, Walsh casts his cover of “The Angry Angry Man” as something fantastical and more than a little tribal, sharpening his interpretation an other-worldly edge that continues to captivate me. [Original Post]

14. “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” (New Kids On The Block cover) – Bossy Love

Now operating out of London, Bossy Love (aka Amandah Wilkinson of Aussie pop band Operator Please) put a slow-jam spin on New Kids On The Block’s 1989 #3 single, saying she’d long wanted to cover the track.

There’s a Janet Jackson Control-era feel to Bossy Love’s NKOTB cover, with her rapid-fire rap toward the end adding a fresh female perspective to the boyband classic. [Original Post]

NOTE: Unfortunately, this one’s no longer available for streaming, so you’ll have to take my word about just how good it is.

15. “How Long Will I Love You” (The Waterboys cover) – Ellie Goulding

Halcyon Days, the 2020 expanded reissue of Ellie Goulding’s 2012 sophomore album, included a cover of The Waterboys’ “How Long Will I Love You.” While the Scottish band’s 1990 original recording had a brisk, rock-and-roll beat — plus a sax! — Goulding treats “How Long Will I Love You” as a tender ballad.

The dramatic shift was all the better to soundtrack About Time, the latest romantic comedy from Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Notting Hill). I’ll be loving Goulding’s cover for a very long time. [Original Post]

16. “It Must Have Been Love” (Roxette cover) – Kathleen Edwards

The first record Kathleen Edwards ever bought was Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love,” so perhaps it was predestined that the Canadian singer-songwriter would someday cover the Swedish duo’s 1990 #1 hit.

Recorded for the series finale of the ABC medical drama, Private Practice, Edwards’ melancholic rendition of the smash Pretty Woman ballad was released after Valentine’s Day, appropriately enough. Close your eyes, and dream away. [Original Post]

17. “Toca’s Miracle” (Fragma cover) – Dems

CoCo Star’s 1996 dance single, “I Need A Miracle,” was mashed up to enormous effect in 2000 as “Toca’s Miracle” by German group Fragma. With that success came a legal mess that still remains unresolved today, but such drama can’t detract from Dems’ gorgeous new take.

The London-via-Edinburgh trio relocates the track from a laser-filled dance floor to a starlit open space. Whether it’s more proper to call the song “I Need A Miracle” over the more familiar “Toca’s Miracle,” Dems’ ethereal cover is absolutely mesmerizing. [Original Post]

18. “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High” (Arctic Monkeys cover) – [STRANGERS]

Aside from their 2005 debut single, “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor,” English indie rockers Arctic Monkeys haven’t made much of a ripple on this side of the pond, though the Alex Turner-led band do seem to be a much bigger deal back at home.

London trio [STRANGERS] gave Arctic Monkeys’ second single of 2020 a slinky late-night feel that later yields to a frenetic drum-and-bass finale. While I can’t imagine anyone with eyes ignoring Turner’s call, altered state or not, [STRANGERS]’ recording of “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” is definitely the one I’d rather dial up. [Original Post]

19. “St. Ides Heaven” (Elliot Smith cover) – Goldroom

Not only did Madonna cover Elliot Smith last fall, singing his “Between The Bars” at her “secretprojectrevolution” premiere in dramatic fashion, Goldroom followed up with a surprising cover of “St. Ides Heaven.”

“Elliott Smith is one of my songwriting idols, simple as that,” explained Goldroom’s Josh Legg. “Sometimes I really feel like the emotional songwriting part of music gets a bit lost within the dance music world, which was a big reason I picked this amazing song to cover. I just wanted to try and do my best to honor such a great musician and one of my favorite songs.”

Goldroom transforms Smith’s late-night ode to the malt liquor brand into a tropical dance track. The sparkly bit reminds me of The Source feat. Candi Staton’s “You Got The Love.” [Original Post]

20. “Ready To Start” (Arcade Fire cover) – Tears For Fears)

While working on new original material, Tears For Fears took time out for some “reciprocal cross-generational love,” covering Arcade Fire’s “Ready To Start,” from the Canadian group’s Grammy-winning 2010 album, The Suburbs.

Roland Orzabal’s voice remains in strong form on “Ready To Start,” a cover whose stately-sounding strings show that he and bandmate Curt Smith are also still sowing the seeds of love. What surprised me is that the iconic synthpop duo are drum-and-bass fans, a sound that had something of a renaissance in 2020 (see #18 above). [Original Post]

21. “We’ve Got Tonite” (Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton cover) – Father Tiger

Bob Seger wrote and recorded “We’ve Got Tonight,” reaching #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978, but Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton’s duet version became the bigger hit, peaking at #6 in 1983 and topping the Country chart.

I imagine the latter version was the reference point for Father Tiger, because even though it’s not a duet, Seger’s solo “We’ve Got Tonight” certainly never shimmered like this. Coupled with the cover’s quasi-men’s chorus backing vocals of a piece with those employed by Pet Shop Boys, Father Tiger has forged a distinct third take on the 35-year-old tune. [Original Post]

22. “The Lady In Red” (Chris de Burgh cover) – Bim

British electropop duo Bim may have tagged their cover of Chris de Burgh’s “The Lady In Red” as “cheese” on SoundCloud, but there’s no shame in tackling a transatlantic hit (#1 UK, #3 US). Transforming the atmospheric ballad into a duet with light trop-pop percussion, Tim Davis and Rebecca Rosier’s modern makeover serves de Burgh’s “Lady” well. [Original Post]

23. “The Chauffeur” (Duran Duran cover) – The Hidden Cameras & Snowblink

Climbing into Duran Duran’s best-known album track, “The Chauffeur,” from 1982’s Rio, Hidden Cameras frontman Joel Gibb takes the wheel from Simon LeBon, with Toronto duo Snowblink coming along for the ride. It’s easy to get lost in this luxurious cover, the musical equivalent of highway hypnosis. Sing blue silver… [Original Post]

24. “Hold On, We’re Coming Home” (Drake cover) – Holy Ghost!

Until Drake released “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” crooning over Phil Collins-lite synthpop rather than rapping, the suggestion of Holy Ghost! covering anything by the former Degrassi: Next Generation star would have seemed startling unusual if not laughably unlikely.

But Drake’s mid-80’s sonic detour made Holy Ghost!’s adoption of “Hold On, We’re Going Home” less of a surprise, though no less of a welcome one, with the New York duo treating the track to a funkier disco throb. Crafting the accompanying art was easy, with Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel scribbling a quick revision to the label of their 2007 debut single, “Hold On.” [Original Post]

25. “Karma Police” (Radiohead cover) – Kendra Morris

On her sophomore album Mockingbird, singer-songwriter Kendra Morris gives others’ songs a go, including reimagining Radiohead’s “Karma Police” as a fever dream.

When Morris exclaims, “I’ve given it all I can!” she conjures a vision of another blue-eyed soulster who was a deft interpreter of others’ tunes, the iconic Dusty Springfield. For a few minutes here, lose yourself in Morris’ take on “Karma Police.” [Original Post]

What were some of your favorite covers of 2020?