The 100 Best Cover Songs Of All Time

If you're experiencing déjà vu, don't worry - you really have heard it all before.

It's the summer of the cover songs, with albums by Mark Ronson, Bryan Ferry and even Poison recording other artists' songs. Then there's "Instant Karma," a benefit album for Darfur, featuring John Lennon classics recorded by wide-ranging artists such as Black Eyed Peas, Big & Rich . . . and Avril Lavigne doing "Imagine" (the horror).

Which got us thinking: What are the best covers of all time?

They're the versions that make you forget there was ever an original, Janis Joplin doing "Me and Bobby McGee" or Soft Cell's take on "Tainted Love." Or, perhaps, it's a track that's so brilliantly redone in a different style, it finds a whole new generation of fans - such as Cake's understated redo of Gloria Gaynor's disco-hit "I Will Survive," or Johnny Cash's heartwrenching take on synth gods Depeche Mode.

In no particular order, here are popular music's 100 greatest covers - plus a few bonus tracks you can download for free today at nypost.com.

01. "Stairway to Heaven," Dolly Parton (Led Zeppelin)
Queen of country rescues song from amateur guitar players everywhere with a soulful rendition that'll have you in tears.

02. "Wonderwall," Ryan Adams (Oasis)
New York troubadour's less-Beatles-y version of the Brit pop smash.

Click here to watch a live performance of the track from Atlanta in 2006

03. "Hazy Shade of Winter," the Bangles (Simon and Garfunkel)
The way Paul Simon originally intended it - with a killer guitar riff and a drugged-out Robert Downey Jr.

04. "Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead O'Connor (Prince)
Close-cropped video and passionate rendition brought little-known Prince track to light.

05. "Showroom Dummies," Señor Coconut & His Orchestra (Kraftwerk)
Not the first time Germans have hid out in South America, but with better results.

06. "Smooth Criminal," Alien Ant Farm (Michael Jackson)
Turns "Annie are you OK" into a head-banging mantra.

07. "Personal Jesus," Johnny Cash (Depeche Mode)
Electronica transformed into a painful, soul-crushing ballad. In a good way!

08. "Against All Odds," the Postal Service (Phil Collins)
We can't wait for what they're going to do to "Sussudio."

09. "Easy (Like Sunday Morning)," Faith No More (the Commodores)
If this song can't get you some lovin', take a hard, hard look at yourself.

10. "Tainted Love," Soft Cell (Gloria Jones)
Funky grooves.

11. "Tainted Love," Marilyn Manson (Gloria Jones)
Angry growls.

12. "Under Pressure," My Chemical Romance and the Used (Queen and David Bowie)
Emo panters prove that David Bowie and Freddie Mercury were the original definition of "guyliner."

13. "Mah Na Mah Na," Cake (Piero Umiliani)
Going back to the classics, Cake gives "Sesame Street" the business.

14. "Wicked Game," H.I.M. (Chris Isaak)
The love-metal band makes the sexy song even hotter by adding wailing and driving guitar licks. Video isn't as good, though.

15. "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want," Muse (the Smiths)
Short and sweet, Muse delivers all the punch of the original without getting wimpy about it.

16. "Blue Monday," Orgy (New Order)
The only reason you even need to know who this industrial band is.

17. "Satisfaction," Devo (the Rolling Stones)
Start-stopping their way to brilliance.

18. "I Want Candy," Good Charlotte (the Strangeloves)
Hard to get hold of since it was recorded for the prom scene in "Not Another Teen Movie," the pop-punks give the sugary sweet song a dose of bratty punk flavor.

19. "How Soon Is Now," Love Spit Love (the Smiths)
Richard Butler's Psychedelic Furs-swagger makes the hit a little less mopey, more killing.

20. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Paul Anka (Nirvana)
The ex-teen idol takes the grunge off and polishes it with a swingin' sound to within an inch of its life.

The full 100 songs can be found here

Source: www.nypost.com