What kinds of music do punk rockers listen to for fun? It isn’t all head-banging and ear-bleeding. Black Flag’s Greg Ginn is a free jazz aficionado. Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon has said that Neil Young’s folk-tinged soft-rocker “On the Beach” is her favorite song. Joey Ramone loved the Georgia Satellites while X’s John Doe considers Joni Mitchell’s Blue one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
The point is that punk rockers are as eclectic as the rest of us. I’m sure if you were to dig deep enough, you’d come up with some tattooed, nipple-ringed punk screamer who kicks back with the Partridge Family on a random Sunday morning.
So it should come as no surprise that punk rockers large and small have recorded covers of some of their favorite non-punk tunes, giving them their own special hard-edged treatment. When they do, the results can be pretty extraordinary. Basically, from the moment the Ramones scratched up Chris Montez’s garage classic “Let’s Dance” for inclusion on their self-titled debut, any song has been fair game.
Ten fantastic punk cover songs
With that in mind, here are ten fairly awesome punk covers of all manner of pop music. Some classic, some obscure – all great fun.
“I Love You, You Big Dummy” – Magazine (1979)
Original – Captain Beefheart (1970)
Don Van Vliet (AKA Captain Beefheart) included virtually every known genre of music in his unique compositions. He often added unknown genres to the mix. “I Love You, You Big Dummy,” a screeching, swampy sweetheart of a love song gets a more traditional rock & roll treatment from Magazine – Howard Devoto’s band after he left the Buzzcocks. But after that traditional pounding drum and guitar intro, Devoto’s vocals drag it back into a punk squall.
“Lola” – The Raincoats (1979)
Original – The Kinks (1970)
Many consider the Kinks the original punks. But that was the mid-‘60s. By 1970, Ray Davies was blending a punk sensibility with his literate, arch humor and traditional melody-making to create one of their best-loved songs. A decade later, one of the original all-female punk bands served up a lo-fi, understated version that struggled to remain in tune. And they proved that staying in tune was not terribly important in the world of punk.
“Louie Louie” – Black Flag (1980)
Original – Richard Berry and the Pharaohs (1956)
We all know that the Kingsmen did the most famous cover of Richard Berry’s original R&B ditty in 1963 and virtually invented garage rock. The song has three easy chords, which is one reason why it has been recorded by everyone. Someone in your family has recorded their own version of “Louie Louie.” I’m not joking. It is officially recognized as the most covered song in the history of pop music. Punk bands, who often only knew three chords, loved playing this song live.
For Black Flag, who had a guitarist who could play way more than those three chords, it became an early staple. Their single was recorded when second guitarist Dez Cadena was handling the vocals, before the arrival of Henry Rollins, and Cadena screeches it out in stellar fashion, adding a few new lyrics along the way. Then Greg Ginn just goes wild on guitar, proving that this particular song is about as malleable as they come.
“Just Like Heaven” – Dinosaur Jr. (1989)
Original – The Cure (1987)
Punk tackles new wave. Robert Smith’s silky vocals on the original float over the shimmering romance of the music. It’s a lovely pop song. When J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr. get ahold of it, the lovely romance gives way to distorted guitar and a boozy vocal before getting to outright screaming on the bridge. The Cure’s version is perfect for a breezy Saturday afternoon with your sweetheart. Dinosaur’s works better on a Tuesday after midnight with a half-empty bottle of Jack.
“Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Butthole Surfers (1990)
Original – Donovan (1968)
When fans heard Donovan’s original in 1968, they were caught off guard by the distorted guitar (which may or may not have been played by Jimmy Page) and the headfirst dive into psychedelia. When they heard Gibby Hayne’s version a couple of decades later, most were too stunned to know what to think.
“Hurdy Gurdy Man,” with Haynes’ strobe-like vocals pulsing through the entire song, became one of the Butthole Surfers early hallmarks and a concert staple. It has drones and distortion, squealing guitars, and that insistent piston engine of a vocal that won’t relent. Through it all, Donovan’s original is still hiding somewhere.
“Find Another Girl” – The Hives (2000)
Original – Jerry Butler (1961)
Jerry Butler scored a Top 10 R&B hit with “Find Another Girl,” a gorgeous heartbreak/redemption song he co-wrote with Curtis Mayfield. Swedish garage punk band The Hives scuffed up the pretty soul original while keeping the beautiful melody intact. The result is a fascinating hybrid of distorted rhythms simultaneously undermining and bolstering Pelle Almqvist’s increasingly tortured vocals. It becomes surprisingly hypnotic.
“Eddie’s Teddy” – Swingin’ Utters (2000, 2003)
Original – The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1973)
Stay with me as this is a little confusing. British actor Richard O’Brien wrote The Rocky Horror Show in 1973 and it was turned into the definitive cult film two years later. The original stage show featured a song called “Eddie’s Teddy,” about a punk kid who comes to an unhappy end. That song was rechristened as “Eddie” in the movie. It’s a cool blend of gothic-style dirge and up-tempo ’60s doo-wop rock. Sounds ripe for a cover, no?
Then, in 2003, the Migraines frontman Shawn Browning put together a punk rock tribute album called The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show. He enlisted several well-known bands to contribute, including Alkaline Trio, and two others who will soon be showing up on this list. Santa Cruz’s Swingin’ Utters had released a self-titled album in 2000 with their own version of “Eddie’s Teddy,” and I have no idea whether this was an independent happenstance, or whether it was recorded with any input from Browning. It was later included on Browning’s tribute album in 2003. With that out of the way, Swingin’ Utters blow the song out of the park. From Johnny Peebucks martinet intro to the kickass groove that drives the song, this subs Pogues-style swagger in for the original doo-wop, and it works perfectly.
“Friday on My Mind” – Me First and The Gimme Gimmes (2011)
Original – The Easybeats (1966)
OK, this entire list, and a dozen more, could be populated by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Featuring the bass player from the aforementioned Swingin’ Utters, the singer and drummer from Lagwagon, and Fat Mike from…well, he’s Fat Mike…this punk supergroup has joined forces to put out about a dozen albums and EPs of punk covers.
They do everything. Dylan and Elton, show tunes and country. They seem to have a particular affinity for Billy Joel. They did a cover of “Hava Nagila” on an album called Ruin Johnny’s Bar Mitzvah. They recorded the opening track on The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show album. Why am I choosing the Easybeats classic “Friday on My Mind?” I don’t know. It’s a great version. And it’s Friday. I don’t have a better reason.
“Out of Touch” – Tsunami Bomb (2020)
Original – Hall & Oates (1984)
“Out of Touch” was a huge dance-pop hit for Hall & Oates when they were at their peak in the early ‘80s. It was the last of their six number ones. The new version of Tsunami Bomb, with Kate Jacobi taking over vocals from Agent M (Emily Whitehurst), did their own version in 2020 as part of a double-single with an equally high-energy cover of Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party."
The Hall & Oates cover is a little bit punkier with Andy Pohl’s guitar grinding the once pretty melody. Tsunami Bomb was more punk when Agent M was singing – Jacobi’s voice has more of a traditional power pop quality – but they can still bring the energy and passion. (FYI – when Agent M was fronting them, Tsunami did a blistering take on “Planet, Shmanet, Janet” on – you guessed it – The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show.)
“Little Bit o’ Soul” – The Linda Lindas (2023)
Original – The Music Explosion (1967)
I’ve never heard the Little Darlings original recording of the ’60s garage hit “Little Bit o’ Soul.” Most of the world knows the first cover by Ohio band The Music Explosion – their only notable hit. It’s a fun, messy, lo-fi garage number with a little bit of funk.
Then last year, the best new rock group in the land – The Linda Lindas – cranked out a version for an Amazon movie. I haven’t seen the movie; don’t really care to. But I’ve listened to the high-energy Lindas blast through it a couple dozen times by now.
Bass player Eloise Wong and guitarist Lucia de la Garza trade vocals, and I kind of wish Wong had handled them all because her rough growl is so affecting. De la Garza smooths out the sound a bit, and maybe that make the whole thing come off a little better.
The quartet, who range in age from 13 to 19, will be opening for Green Day on their Saviors Tour this Summer, along with Rancid and Smashing Pumpkins. So I suppose there’s a chance they do know what they’re doing. (By the way, just to close the circle, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes once recorded the Japanese pop song “Linda Linda,” which the Lindas added as a bonus track on their 2023 debut album, Growing Up.)