One of the best things ever, and perhaps the cover that’s given me the most joy over the years: Iconic rapper Biz Markie’s cover of iconic pop “diva” Elton John’s ‘Benny and the Jets’, as it appeared on Beastie Boys‘ year 2000 anthology, ‘The Sounds of Science’:

MP3: Beastie Boys - Benny and the Jets (feat. Biz Markie) (Elton John cover)

Visit a place where Astralwerks brand indietronica intersects sexy, classic Motown-sound rhythm & blues by playing this little Hot Chip cover of the late-great Marvin Gaye’s ode to lovemaking.

MP3: Hot Chip - Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye cover)

From that place, Hot Chip continue to move us to ‘Graceland’—finessing the legendary folk rocker Paul Simon’s original.

MP3: Hot Chip - Graceland (Paul Simon cover)

Those familar with Calvin Harris’s dance’d up show of bravado on his single, ‘The Girls’, from his brilliant 2007 debut LP, ‘I Created Disco’, will surely love this cover by ‘toof favorites, indie-pop heroes, Dragonette. The cover gives equal time to the un-fairer sex. Here, now, is the Calvin Harris original and Dragonette’s gender-swapped cover.

MP3: Calvin Harris - The Girls

MP3: Dragonette - The Boys (Calvin Harris cover)

Let’s close with something Daft Punk, because one can never have enough. This track by Nicky Vanshe of the ridiculously talented Australian rock/techno crossover act Van She and Dangerous Dan of Australian party monsters The Bang Gang isn’t labeled a “cover”, per se, but in effect, it’s just the same:

MP3: Nicky Vanshe & Dangerous Dan - Around the World Again

If you like what you hear, check out previous installments of “Under the Covers” in our archive.

The Under The Covers column returns! We’ve slowly been collecting more cover songs that run the gamut from awesome to odd to awful. All varieties are worth hearing! Listen in awe or disdainful laughter.

30 Seconds to Mars covers Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ live on BBC Radio 1. This falls into the laughable category even though frontman Jared Leto delivers the vocals so earnestly. They saved the Daft Punk vocals, so don’t expect any. I’d be rolling if they tried.

MP3: 30 Seconds to Mars - Stronger (Kayne West cover)

Ontario’s hardcore rockers Fucked Up covering Justice’s ‘Stress’ a few months back. Fucking awesome.

MP3: Fucked Up - Stress (Justice cover)

File this under fantastic, I first heard do this Pink Floyd cover at last month’s Vegoose festival and was very impressed. Not many groups can come close to a classic, but the The Shins do.

MP3: The Shins - Breathe (Pink Floyd Cover)

The Lemonheads folk-rock version of Misfits‘ Danzig-era punk classic ‘Skulls’. Fucking ‘ardcore!

MP3: The Lemonheads - Skulls (Misfits cover)

And in that same vein, this Zwan (Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame’s 2001-2003 project) cover of Metal gods Iron Maiden on ‘Mark of the Beast’. Probably one of my favorite covers comes at you from the Spun soundtrack.

MP3: Zwan - Number of the Beast (Iron Maiden cover)

Next up, Lightspeed Champion covering The Beatles immortal John Lennon. Lightspeed Champion is Devonte Hynes or just “Dev”, formerly of thrash-rap-punk group Test Icicles. Test Icicles remains one of my favorite things ever. I seriously moaned and writhed while morning the death of the Test Icicles last year. But the musicians live on! Dev maintains a blog at TheWorldForgot.com, there he puts up a great many home recordings—quite different from Test Icicles, but great in a whole new way:

MP3: Lightspeed Champion - Better Off Dead (Elton John cover)

Ladytron getting sexy R’n'B’d out covering Tweet’s slut-anthem ‘Oops (Oh My)’. Y’all remember this original? With the Timbaland beat and Missy Elliot doin’ backup vocals? This cover appeared as a b-side on their ‘Evil’ single:

MP3: Ladytron - Oops (Oh My) (Tweet cover)

And, perhaps, saving the best for last, three Radiohead covers of The Smiths, New Order, and Björk in a recent live webcast on their Dead Air Space promoting their newest LP, In Rainbows:

MP3: Radiohead - The Headmaster Ritual (The Smiths cover)

MP3: Radiohead - Ceremony (New Order cover)

MP3: Radiohead - Unravel (Bjork cover)

The covers are king sized! We got covers for days so expect more ‘Under the Covers’ posts soon.

You want more now?! Peep our archive for the tag-word ‘Cover’.