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ABC Radio National

ABC Radio National

Andrew Ford

A composite image of artists who have covered Bob Dylan's song.

In 1987, Steve Kilbey and Karin Jansson were living together, and armed with a joint and a piano, one night they came up with the bones of Under The Milky Way.

A composite image of artists who have covered the song, with a vinyl record in the centre with the name of the song.

In 1985, Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love album made a moderate showing in the pop charts. In 2022, the single Running Up That Hill burst back into the charts after a particularly impactful needle-drop in the Netflix show Stranger Things.

A composite image of a record with faces of artists who have covered the song

“This song put me in the middle of the road. Travelling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch”, said Neil Young about his only major hit, Heart of Gold, from the 1972 album Harvest.

A composite image of artists who have covered Heart of Gold, sitting behind a vinyl record.

A young Black man with dreadlocks tied up, wearing a blue and white patterned jacket over a white t-shirt

Cover songs hold a special place in our hearts, but we don't always know their origins. From murky beginnings, to mis-sung lyrics and artists covering themselves, here are some of the stand-out covers of the past century.

Jimi Hendrix, holding a guitar and strumming it with eyes close and mouth smiling, against dark background.

These US musicians were recruited as 'jazz ambassadors'. Unbeknownst to them, some played a role in a coup in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1961.

Black and white picture of a man wearing a bow tie and suit jacket sitting in a car, waving at the crowds

Musicians Grey Filastine and Nova Ruth have lived and performed on the 70-tonne steel schooner, the Arka Kinari, since 2019.

A man stands on a boat during a musical performance, holding a flare at night