Tiny Tim’s horrendous cover of “Nowhere Man” appeared on the Beatles 1968 Christmas record. The Beatles recorded it in 1965 and it was a hit single in 1966.

With John’s mic almost entirely off! Obviously the sound guy mixed up John’s vocal fader with John’s guitar which is way too loud. https://t.co/ITNClIgODD

— Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) July 1, 2021

Stevie Wonder’s great “Superstition” was released in 1972. I saw a truly terrible cover by Cher and the Osmond Brothers on Twitter. I assume it’s from the 1970s. It also slaughters “For Once in My Life”.

Cher & The Osmonds sing Stevie Wonder pic.twitter.com/JHB9TegVWo

— Flashbak.com (@aflashbak) April 27, 2019

Bob Dylan released “Buckets of Rain” in 1975 and recorded a duet with Bette Midler on her cover released in 1976

Currently listening to half an hour of Dylan and and Bette Midler in the studio recording Buckets Of Rain, in October 1975. As always with these things, their level of conversation is what’s really interesting. https://t.co/7wXil3mqQq

— Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan (@isitrollingpod) April 20, 2019

Loudon Wainwright III’s original version is from 1971. Big Star (and Alex Chilton solo) recorded it live in versions released years after the performances.

This is another song from John Prine’s first album in 1971 that was covered by Bette Midler in 1972.

Four and half minutes of grimly funny existential comedy and Gospel-worthy compassion, John Prine’s “Hello In There” is a masterpiece of Proustian-detail rendered with the shrugging resignation of a reporter on deadline. A vision of pure mercy and a remembrance of things trashed.

— The Paranoid Style (@paranoiacs) January 2, 2022

John Denver’s 1971 cover of John Prine’s “Spanish Pipedream” is the first Prine cover I was aware of. It was released the same year as Prine’s original version. Our college radio station was giving away promo albums. One of them was Prine’s and one of my friends who had Denver’s version took the album. I was amazed by how great the songs were. This one has the great line about the topless lady who had something up her sleeve.

I am not a John Denver fan but I commend him for getting this great song and artist out to the record-buying audience.

“Bad Time” was a hit for Grand Funk Railroad in 1975. Alt-Country band the Jayhawks covered it in 1995.

Neil Young’s “Barstool Blues” was on his 1975 album Zuma. Soul Asylum covered it on the tribute album The Bridge in 1989 .

The original version of “I Got Loaded” was by Little Bob from 1965. It was covered by Los Lobos in 1984 on How Will the Wolf Survive? Their version is similar to his.

Al Green’s great 1974 song “Take Me to the River” may be even better known in two cover versions: The R&B cover by Syl Johnson on Hi (also Green’s label) a hit in 1975 and the New Wave slow and stripped down version by Talking Heads (1978)

Al Green, who originally wrote and recorded Take Me To The River, got more royalties from the Big Mouth Billy Bass fish than from any other recordings of the song. pic.twitter.com/izjKiHzvbx

— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) August 24, 2024