All five of these songs are top flight on their own, but the covers made them their own and gave the songs a new identity.
5. "Imagine" by Neil Young\nRock music professor Glenn Gass said he cringed when the opening notes were played at a Sept. 11 benefit show, but was relieved to see Young at the reins. In lesser hands, cough Avril, it can be disasterous, but Young was spot-on. \n4. "Cities" by Phish\nThe legendary jam band made this a staple of their live show and made The Talking Heads proud. David Byrne's frenetic, nervous energy was lost, but Trey and company filled the sound out into one of their trademark jams.\n3. "With a Little Help from my Friends" by Joe Cocker\nBetter known as "The Wonder Years" theme song, the king of covers did something few others can pull off. He made a decent Beatles cover. If your young enough, this is the definitive version. \n2. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin \nSpeaking of definitive versions, most casual music fans don't even know this is an Otis Redding original. Aretha made it her own and made it into an anthem for women. \n1. "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix\nThe ultimate guitar hero shreds this Bob Dylan cover and even Bob has admitted that it is now the ultimate version. Then again, anything Hendrix is supreme.
