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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mich chapter.

Covers are nothing new to the world of music. Artists often sing other singers’ songs to pay homage, add different spins to music they love, or even release covers for TV/movie releases. Due to all of these reasons, fans of music have a love/hate relationship with covers. People will often complain because an artist covers a song they love and it just doesn’t live up to their expectations. Other times, a song that wasn’t so popular might go viral when covered by a more popular artist. Here are five covers that, in my opinion, are definitely worth a listen, and offer new perspectives to music or even make songs even better than before. 

5. Vienna by Billy Joel (+Ben Platt) 

Everyone has heard the name Billy Joel, and even if you aren’t too familiar with his music, you’re bound to have heard this song on Instagram or TikTok. Its thoughtful and relatable lyrics resonate with young adults everywhere and it has been a timeless favorite for many throughout the years. Broadway star and singer-songwriter Ben Platt starred in a Netflix show, “The Politician,” which released its first season in 2019. The show has a few songs that are covered by the singer, but the one that truly caught my eye was his cover of Vienna. The context of the show brings new meaning to the song, but more than that, his beautiful and enrapturing voice catches hold of your ears and refuses to let you go. 

4. September by Earth, Wind, & Fire (+ Taylor Swift)

Though Taylor Swift is a household name, her covers may not be as popular as her written songs, even if they may be just as good. Her voice on the cover is soft, adding a new dimension to the original song and making it even more wonderful to listen to. The cover was a fan favorite among Swifties for years and her specific cover circulates back to social media every year, on the very month of September, like clockwork. 

3. Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus (+One Direction)

“Teenage Dirtbag,” as the original song, was released in 2000, and was covered by One Direction thirteen years later. Being a One Direction fan since childhood, the first I had ever heard of this song was by One Direction, so naturally I loved it. When I grew older and realized where the original song came from, I loved that too, because now I had a nostalgic connection to it. In this way, covers can also introduce you to a whole new world of music that you otherwise may have dismissed, or simply not encountered. 

2. The Chain by Fleetwood Mac (+Harry Styles)

Harry Styles paid homage to one of his personal favorite singers, Stevie Nicks, by singing this Fleetwood Mac hit at one of his concerts. Styles’ version grew quickly popular but more so, it served its purpose of reminding everyone about the popularity of Fleetwood Mac; many fans of Styles’ music turned to older Fleetwood Mac songs and found a new favorite band. Essentially, this cover reintroduced hundreds of people to music they might have been unfamiliar with.  

1. Good Luck, Babe! By Chappell Roan (+ Sabrina Carpenter)

The most recent song on this list, “Good Luck, Babe!” took social media by storm this year. The song by Chappell Roan was already incredibly loved by fans and media as a whole and when Sabrina Carpenter recorded her own cover, it only gained love. Roan was lightheartedly described as “your favorite artist’s favorite artist” and with Carpenter’s recent boom in fame, this only takes on even more truth. 

Make sure to add these songs to your playlist and give them a listen; you might find a song that you like even more than the original.

Archisha is a sophomore at the University of Michigan pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and English. She spends her free time reading, writing, and curating hyper-specific Spotify playlists for fictional characters! :)