What is the most over-covered song of all time?

Question

For me, it would have to be "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". It seems like everybody has recorded a version at some point.

Answer 1

i think Hurt or

Smoke on the Water. i can find that by almost any classic rock band

Answer 2

"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra; covered by 39 different artists as follows:

1966 Lee Hazlewood, the songwriter's own version
1966 Mrs. Miller, on the album Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits
1966 Jane Morgan, on the album Fresh Flavor
1967 Loretta Lynn, a country version
1969 Symarip, a reggae version on the album Skinhead Moonstomp
1974 The Residents, avant garde music group, on the album Meet the Residents
1977 Amanda Lear, on the album I Am a Photograph
1978 Nick Cave's first band The Boys Next Door, a new wave version
1982 Paula Yates on the B.E.F. album Music of Quality and Distinction Volume One
1985 Megadeth, on the album Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! — their version was produced more as a parody than as a cover. When the album started selling well, the writer of the song, Lee Hazlewood, began demanding that the song be omitted, due to its being a "perversion of the original". Dave Mustaine made the point that Hazlewood had been paid royalties for years before his complaint, but eventually omitted the song anyway. A censored version of the track can be found on the album's 'deluxe edition' released in 2002. (sample (help·info))
1989 Operation Ivy, a version titled "One of These Days" from the album Energy
1989 Kon Kan, a dance music remix/remake
1989 Crispin Glover, on the album The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be
1991 Anita Lane and Barry Adamson
1991 Jewel on the album Revolution in Heaven
1992 Billy Ray Cyrus, on the album Some Gave All
1993 LaToya Jackson, on the album From Nashville to You
1995 Boy George, on the album Rareties
1998 Geri Halliwell, formerly of the Spice Girls, for the Rugrats in Paris: The Movie soundtrack
1999 Trish Murphy, on the album Rubies on the Lawn (You haven't lived until you've seen Murphy do this song live!)
1999 Amanda Lear, on the album Amanda '98 - Follow Me Back in My Arms (Bang! mix)
1999 Bad Manners, on the album Rare & Fatty (as "Boots")
2000 Sarge, on the album Distant
2000 Geri Halliwell, B side of Bag it Up
2001 French Affair, on the album Desire
2002 KMFDM, on the Boots EP
2002 The Fixx, on the album When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear
2003 Star Academy 3, on the album Fait Sa Bamba
2003 Bree Sharp, for the 11:14 soundtrack
2004 Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, for a bonus feature on the Shrek 2 DVD.
2005 Lil Kim, the theme for the TV show Growing Up Gotti
2005 Little Birdy, on their single "Excited"
2005 Jessica Simpson, for The Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack, U.S. #14. See These Boots Are Made for Walkin' for more information.
2006 Fulham Flurries, on the album It's Only A Game: Hits & Misses From the Crazy World of British Football
2006 Miss Piggy, a parody called "These Bites Are Made For Poppin", sung for a Pizza Hut commercial.
2006 Yuna Ito, a single in Japan for a Daihatsu commercial
2006 Faster Pussycat, on the album The Power and the Glory Hole
Stars and Stripes (Oi! side project of the hardcore band Slapshot), a parody titled "(Our Heads Are) Shaved for Battle"
In an episode of Pinky and the Brain, Pinky sang a spoof titled "These Fins Are Made For Swimmin'"

Answer 3

The Beatles - Yesterday

over 400 recorded cover versions

Answer 4

Yesterday is in fact the most covered song ever......although I don't know why anyone would even try to cover that one. You can't get any better than the original

Answer 5

Nope, I can beat you on that one: It seems like every two or three years or so another wanna-be band comes out with a re-make of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away." There should be a law passed forbidding any other band or artist to do a re-make of that song!

Answer 6

Louis Louis

Answer 7

Unchained Melody. Hands down.

Answer 8

My Way is done by waaaaaay too many people, but Yesterday has been covered by EVERYBODY...

Answer 9

Help! and Helter Skelter are pretty high up on the list as well.

Answer 10

Every metal band and their illegitimate half sisters dog has covered "Hallowed be thy name"

Answer 11

Yesterday. I've heard 50 different versions of it.

Edit: socmum's got a good one with Unchained Melody, too.