The Muppets & James Corden Cover ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’
The Late Late Show with James CordenĀ is known for “Carpool Karaoke,” but the show has adjusted to a bit of “Social Distancing Karaoke,” if you will, with this incredible cover of “With A Little Help From My Friends” featuring the Muppets.
“Although James Corden, Reggie Watts and The Muppets can’t be together in a studio, the group comes together on video chat to sing The Beatles classic ‘With a Little Help from My Friends,” read the video’s description on YouTube.
The performance was done in the style of Joe Cocker’s iconic cover, which frankly was the right decision when factoring in the musical style and chops ofĀ Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
Beatles Cover Songs: Top 20 Ranked
20. St. Vincent – āDig A Ponyā
ShareHow do you take a stripped song and strip it down even more? St. Vincent -- aka guitar hero and singer/songwriter Annie Clark -- showed just how to do that with āDig A Pony,ā which she covered live a number of times from 2007-2010. Armed with just her guitar and soulful voice, Clark was able to take a song John Lennon once called āanother piece of garbageā and give it some edge.
19. The Rolling Stones ā āI Wanna Be Your Manā
ShareThe Beatles had recorded their version of āI Wanna Be Your Manā first, but Lennon and McCartney still offered up the tune to the Stones, who then recorded their version and released it as a single before their Liverpool peers. Comparing both versions, it was yet another example of the Stones being the ābad boyā counterparts to the Fab Four.
18. Siouxie & The Banshees ā āDear Prudenceā
ShareWhile not released as a single in the U.S., Siouxie & The Bansheesā delightfully moody cover of āDear Prudenceā would end up being the bandās most successful single in the U.K. topping out at number three. The track also features the Cureās Robert Smith on guitar and marked his second tenure with the Banshees.
17. Elton John ā āLucy In the Sky With Diamondsā
ShareSir Eltonās cover of āLucy In the Sky With Diamondsā did one thing the Beatlesā original didnāt do: Top the Billboard 100 chart. Sure, The Beatles never released the track as a proper single, but still, what a feat!
16. U2 – āHelter Skelterā
ShareāThis is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles; weāre stealing it back.ā From that moment on, there was no looking back for U2. That opening line sets the tone for the bandās boisterous live cover of āHelter Skelterā that kicks off the film and soundtrack for 1988ās āRattle & Hum,ā which chronicled their tour in support of āThe Joshua Tree.ā
15. Aerosmith – āCome Togetherā
ShareSure, the 1978 film āSgt. Pepperās Lonely Hearts Club Bandā famously bombed, but at least its soundtrack was significantly better. Easily among the high-points of the soundtrack was Aerosmithās cover of āCome Together,ā which would peak on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 23.
14. Amy Winehouse – āAll My Lovingā
ShareIf you needed a reminder that Amy Winehouse was a voice silenced all too soon, take a listen to her live cover of āAll My Lovingā on BBC Three in 2004. Winehouse transformed a pop tune into a ballad dripping with soul.
13. Otis Redding ā āA Hard Dayās Nightā
ShareOtis Reddingās cover of āA Hard Dayās Nightā was released in 1993 as part of āGood to Me: Live at the Whisky a Go Go, Vol. 2.ā Redding performs the song loose and his backing band transforms the pop hit a raucous soul jam.
12. Eddie Vedder ā āYouāve Got To Hide Your Love Awayā
ShareVedder recorded his cover of āYouāve Got To Hide Your Love Awayā as part of the soundtrack for the 2001 film āI Am Sam.ā Does it deviate far from the original? No. Is it still magical and make you realize how much you needed Vedder to cover this song? Absolutely!
11. Fiona Apple ā āAcross the Universeā
ShareFiona Appleās raspy voice is an utter dream on this cover recorded for the soundtrack for the 1998 film 'Pleasantville,' a criminally underrated movie, and the same could be said of the cover at the time of its release. Appleās cover didnāt chart, but her rendition of āAcross the Universeā has become more and more beloved in the passing years making various āBest Beatles Coversā lists.
10. Nina Simone – āRevolutionā
ShareIn a 1971 Rolling Stone interview, John Lennon said he ānever went much for the covers,ā but of Nina Simonās rendition of āRevolution,ā he said, āI thought it was interesting that Nina Simone did a sort of answer to āRevolution.ā That was very good ā it was sort of like āRevolution,ā but not quite. That I sort of enjoyed, somebody who reacted immediately to what I had said.ā Simone released āRevolutionā as a single in the U.K. shortly after the Beatles released their single, and if any artist in history would have the guts to do such a thing, it was Miss Simone.
9. Earth, Wind & Fire ā āGot To Get You Into My Lifeā
ShareA big reason why the āSgt. Pepperās Lonely Hearts Club Bandā soundtrack saved the whole film from being a complete disaster? This cover from Earth, Wind & Fire. It added more horns, a massive dose of R&B and gave EW&F their third top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
8. Stevie Wonder ā āWe Can Work It Outā
ShareStevie Wonderās cover of āWe Can Work It Outā appears on his 1970 album āSigned, Sealed & Deliveredā and was a great success for Wonder. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and netted Wonder a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Needless to say, his R&B-infused rendition worked out pretty well for him.
7. Johnny Cash – āIn My Lifeā
ShareJohnny Cashās cover of āIn My Lifeā was featured on 2002ās āAmerican IV: The Man Comes Around,ā the last album Cash released before he died the following year. He stuck very close to the original arrangement-wise, but his vocal performance is so haunting and painfully beautiful that itās hard not to be moved to tears with every listen.
6. Al Green ā āI Want To Hold Your Handā
ShareA non-album single released between his 1967 debut 'Back Up Train' and the 1969 follow-up 'Green is Blues,' Al Greenās cover of āI Want To Hold Your Handā offered the world at another peek at what was to come from the R&B/Soul icon just a few short years before he broke out with 1972ās 'Letās Stay Together.' And man...the cover just swings!
5. Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison and Prince ā āWhile My Guitar Gently Weepsā
ShareThis live cover at the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in honor of the solo induction of George Harrison was great...and then Prince entered from stage right and laid down THAT solo. In the years since the untimely deaths of both Prince and Tom Petty, this performance has taken on a sort of legend. On the Rock Hallās YouTube channel, itās the most-watched video with nearly 72 million views. The next most watched video has 15 million views.
4. Wilson Pickett ā āHey Judeā
ShareWilson Pickett recorded his cover at the suggestion of Duane Allman, who at the time was still only a session musician hired to play with Pickett. Pickett was apprehensive about covering the Beatlesā hit because of just how commercially successful it was, but fortunately he took Allmanās recommendation and proceeded to absolutely sing the hell out of the track. Allmanās solo toward the end of the song also foreshadowed what was to come with the Allman Brothers Band.
3. Jennifer Hudson – āGolden Slumbers/Carry That Weightā
ShareJennifer Hudson has proven throughout her career that she can basically sing anything, but what she does with āGolden Slumbers/Carry That Weightā is something incredibly special. The cover was part of the soundtrack for the 2016 animated film āSing,ā and it only makes you wonder what else she could do with the Beatles catalog.
2. Aretha Franklin ā āThe Long And Winding Roadā
ShareFranklin has covered a handful of Beatles songs in her career, but her cover of āThe Long And Winding Road,ā like most songs from The Queen of Soul, is chill-inducing. Featured on her 1972 album āYoung, Gifted and Black,ā Franklin turned the hit ballad into a soulful powerhouse that will take you to church.
1. Joe Cocker ā āWith A Little Help From My Friendsā
ShareConsidering the aforementioned ranking criteria, it should come as no surprise that Joe Cockerās iconic cover of āWith A Little Help From My Friendsā tops our list. Whether it's the studio recording or his classic performance at Woodstock, Cockerās cover enters that magical area of overshadowing the original, and when you do that with a Beatles song, youāve done something extremely special. When Cocker passed away in 2014, Paul McCartney paid tribute and said, āHe was a lovely northern lad who I loved a lot and like many people I loved his singing. I was especially pleased when he decided to cover āWith A Little Help From My Friendsā and I remember him and Denny Cordell coming round to the studio in Saville Row and playing me what theyād recorded and it was just mind-blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful for him for doing that." Us too, Sir Paul. Us too.