The year that was 2015 held a fair few surprises and some unforgettable events, but in this unoriginal article, we will look at the 9 best cover versions of the year that was. You can also be rest assured that we will not be talking about Kayne’s live murdering of Queen at Glastonbury.
Kelly Clarkson – Y’All Better Have My Money (Rihanna cover in the Live Lounge)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nY9_ksF7Y?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
Most brilliant covers come from Radio 1’s Live Lounge, they attract some of the biggest acts to cover all manner of things. Most do a paint by numbers performance, others change it up and come out with a totally new song. That is what Kelly Clarkson does here! Strip out the naughty words and the certain type of references and you get a cute, pop banger that wouldn’t feel out of place in a London Jazz bar. Who knew?!
Years and Years – ‘Sweet Dreams’ (Beyonce Cover from Capital Live Session)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROwvFarlJt4?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
Years and Years are haunting, full of talent and are destined for great things. 2016 will be their year, expect HUGE things from them. But back in July, they covered Beyonce. Not a mean feet and once again they pull it off. The result is a beautiful cover of Sweet Dreams that has such a different feel from the original and dare we say it, is better than Beyonce!
Demi Lovato – Hello (Adele Cover at Seattle’s Fall Ball)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PUMKYhoLRQ?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
Wow, you’ve got to have some huge metaphorical balls to take on Adele. We all know it can go wrong, see Che Chesterman from the X Factor UK. But Demi nails it! We’re not going to sit here and say it’s better than Adele because it’s not. It is an electrifying performance!
Little Mix- Dance With Somebody/Want You To Want Me (Radio 1 Live Lounge)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyhgIuNoWvo?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
Nothing improves an awesome cover like a mash up! And, what’s better than a mash-up? A decade crossing mash up! This is just what Little Mix did when they entered Radio 1’s Live Lounge back in November. Little Mix show off their vocal skill in this performance and proves that they are one of the greatest bands to walk the planet. While the actual arrangement of the song could have been better as it seems to clash in places, it is one of the best to have come out of the Lounge this year.
Alessia Cara – Love Yourself (Justin Bieber Cover)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dbFVmP73mQ?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
Alessia is one of our favourite breakthrough acts of 2015, her track Here still gets played every day in the Celeb Mix office. This cover makes it’s on to the list because, well, it’s perfect for one, and she learnt it and performed it in a hotel room in an evening. No fancy Live Lounge for her!
Postmodern Jukebox – Thong Song – (Sisco Cover)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA3pC5G02Vk?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
If you’ve not heard of Postmodern Jukebox before, then after you’ve finished here get on YouTube and catch up, then get them onto your phone, then go and see them live. They are not only the greatest ‘cover band’ in the world, they are one of the greatest bands EVER! We’ve been fans for years and will be seeing them on their tour next year. This cover takes a classic, (yes thank you a classic) and mixes it with one of our favourite styles of music, making it one of our wedding songs (not that we’ve planned it)!
Ryan Adams – Style (Taylor Swift Cover)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSyus3HlQPI?list=PLNylmjSqT6s2580qPCToutMAUDvD4_wxX&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
This list, like all of the other best cover lists, would be incomplete without Ryan Adams 1989 cover album. A cover album, yes! Ryan took Taylor Swift’s album and took it to a new yet familiar place. While the album isn’t as well received as Taylor’s as it caters for a completely different audience some of us feel that it’s better, it feels more diverse, more thoughtful and, even more, charming
Little Mix and Fleur East – Black Magic / Sax (X Factor UK Final)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY84bToKPFU?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
We may be pushing the limit of the term ‘cover’ here by each act does sing the others song, so it’s fine! This floored us when we saw this on the X Factor Final! Little Mix makes their second appearance on this list and Fleur East anchors herself as an epic performer. Not only is this the 2nd best cover of the year, it could be one of the performances of the year too! Fleur is further proof that most of the time, you’re better of not winning the X Factor!
One Direction – Torn (Natalie Imbruglia cover in the Live Lounge)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_h7o4yLldY?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]
Is it too soon? Can we talk about it yet? When One Direction announced they were going into the Live Lounge for the first time we started to freak out, because that means a cover. Then Radio 1 said they’d be doing two covers, we all started to prey. Please sing Torn, Please sing Torn, Please sing Torn! Then it happened, and the fandom was floored. This was the most emotional moment in One Direction History….until they sung History. This is why it is the greatest cover of 2015!