Spend some time with me and my Ipod and you’ll find that I have a soft spot for covers.  A good cover, in my mind, is recognizable as the original song, yet is a completely new animal.  A good cover has evolved.  Suddenly, you can’t quite imagine anyone but the new artist singing it (even if the original was pretty damn good to begin with).

Maybe I like covers so much because I’m a writer.  It sure as heck doesn’t have anything to do with understanding music.  I love music, but I could never play it very well and I surely can’t hope to comprehend how someone creates it.  But what a good cover shows me is that, just like writing, there is nothing truly original out there.  Writers work with the same plots that have been used for centuries, the characters types that are instantly recognizable, and themes that are the archetypes of human existence.  Musicians aren’t discovering new chords or instruments.  Yet a good musician, just like a good writer, can take the same raw materials everyone else has access to and still make something unique and compelling.

Aw, heck, there I went and got all deep on you when really all I needed to say was here are 25 covers that I can listen to over and over.  They make me love the songs I already loved even more, and in some cases respect the originals I didn’t much care for in the first place.

1. 32 Flavors - Alana Davis
Original version by Ani DiFranco

2. Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles
Original version by Simon & Garfunkel

3. Everybody’s Talkin’ - Beautiful South
Original version by Harry Nilsson

4. I Will Survive - Cake
Original version by Gloria Gaynor

5. Sea of Love - Cat Power
Original version by Phil Phillips

6. Better Things (Live) - Dar Williams
Original version by The Kinks

7. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away - Eddie Vedder
Original version by The Beatles

8. Tears of a Clown - The English Beat
Original Version by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

9. Suspicious Minds - Fine Young Cannibals
Original Version by Mark James (though this song really belongs to Elvis Presley)

10. Killing Me Softly - The Fugees
Original Version by Lori Lieberman (though it really belongs to Roberta Flack)

11. Midnight Train to Georgia (Live) - Indigo Girls
Original version by Gladys Knight and the Pips

12. Driver 8 - Hootie and the Blowfish
Original version by R.E.M. (which for the most part I still maintain is a largely uncoverable band)

13. Be My Baby - Ivy
Original version by The Ronettes

14. Mrs. Robinson - Lemonheads
Original verison by Simon & Garfunkel

15. Let It Be - Nick Cave
Original version by the Beatles

16. It’s My Life - No Doubt
Original version by Talk Talk

17. Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Original version by Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders

18. Always On My Mind - Pet Shop Boys
Original version by Brenda Lee (which begat Elvis Presley which begat Willie Nelson)

19. Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Original version by Stevie Wonder

20. Take On Me - Reel Big Fish
Original version by A-Ha

21. Jealous Guy by Roxy Music
Original version by John Lennon

22. Dear God by Sarah McLachlan
Original version by XTC

23. Comfortably Numb - Scissor Sisters
Original version by Pink Floyd

24. Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins
Original version by Fleetwood Mac

25. Pressure Drop by The Specials
Original version by Toots and the Maytals

Oh, man, did I mention how much I love covers? Fine, here are four more great ones.

26. Take Me To The River - Talking Heads
Original version by Al Green

27. Seasons in the Sun - Too Much Joy
Original version by Terry Jacks (if you don’t count the fact that it a French song first apparently)

28. Friends/Sigmund and the Sea Monsters - Tripping Daisy
Original - who knows? Am I serious? Damn straight. This version of the Saturday morning TV show theme song rocks.

And most importantly …

29. Can’t Help Falling In Love - UB40
Original version by Elvis Presley

Because it was the song I listened to over and over as I fell head over heels in love with my wife as we sat on a stunningly gorgeous beach in Thailand.

So, what did I miss? Hit me with your favorite covers.