There's been a long tradition - dating back to the 1950s, in fact - of rock, pop and country artists remaking R&B and soul songs. The results have been mixed of course, but some truly great non-R&B cover versions of R&B songs have resulted. Here are some of the best.
1. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," By Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Originally by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, the song was also covered by multiple R&B acts, including Marvin Gaye. The extended, swamp-rock Creedence version stands out as one of the best remakes of all time.2. "Love Rollercoaster," By The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Originally by The Ohio Players, the Chili Peppers definitely do justice to this classic, and then some. The overall funkiness, plus the rap verse in the middle make this song a fun, fun ride.3. "I Will Survive," By Cake.
Originally by Gloria Gaynor, Cake's quirky version of this disco-era hit (from their Fashion Nugget album) is quite a treat. The band reinvents the song from its female-empowerment origins into a bitter answer to Gaynor's song.4. "Dancing In the Street," By Van Halen.
Originally by Martha and The Vandellas. The Van Halen version (from the band's The Best of Both Worlds album) is remarkable in that the hard rock band had the guts to go against expectations and cover an R&B pop song. And turned it into one of the best David Lee Roth-sung tunes ever.5. "Higher Ground," By The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Originally by Stevie Wonder, the Chili Peppers' version doesn't even come to matching the vocal presence of Stevie's version. But the energy and enthusiasm of the cover practically leaps through your speakers when listening to it.6. "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," By Robert Palmer.
Originally by a young one-hit wonder called Cherrelle, Palmer's take on the song is much more sophisticated and smoldering than the urban pop original.7. "Take Me To the River," By The Talking Heads.
Originally recorded by Al Green. David Byrne finds religion -- at least on this song.8. "You Keep Me Hangin' On," By Vanilla Fudge.
Originally recorded by The Supremes, Vanilla Fudge's version strips the song of its upbeat, pop-y elements and turns the song into a brilliantly downbeat exercise in self-pity.9. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," By the Rolling Stones.
Originally by The Temptations, the Stones re-did the song in typical 1960s bad-boy rock fashion.10. "Twist and Shout," By the Beatles.
Originally recorded by The Isley Bros. Long before they recorded "Helter Skelter," the Beatles proved on this cover song that they could really rock out.
