Cover Wars: Canadian Artists Covering Canadian Songs

The covers

1. "I Go Blind" — Hootie & the Blowfish (1995). The American cover that out-famed the original 54-40 song (see our feature) — proof that a great Canadian song can belong to anyone, and a royalty stream for Neil Osborne that still runs.
2. "Hallelujah" — everyone, from Cohen's own live versions to Cale to Buckley (see our feature). The most-covered Canadian song in history — 300+ versions and counting, the national hymn that escaped its author.

covered across genres from folk to metal — the song's research-grade structure makes it re-performable forever (see our feature).

1. "Suzanne" — Nina Simone (1969), Judy Collins (1966). The Americans who carried Cohen's Montreal poem to the world before Cohen himself could (see our Cohen feature).
2. "Both Sides Now" — 200+ covers, from Judy Collins's hit to Mitchell's own orchestral late re-reading (see our Joni feature). The song that keeps re-arriving.
3. "A Case of You" — Prince's live interpolation? no — James Blake's "The Limit to Your Love" (2010)**,Feist's own song, covered by Blake — the Montreal-Toronto connection crossing oceans (see our Feist feature).
4. "Heart of Gold" — the covers: Johnny Cash (2003, on American IV) — Johnny Cash's graveyard-dark reading of Young's only #1 (see our Young features).
5. **"Big Yellow Taxi" — the Counting Crows version featuring Vanessa Carlton (2002).** The American cover that re-introduced Mitchell's environmental anthem to a new generation (see our Joni feature).

The national conversation

The pattern (see our features): the covers (see our features) travel (see our export feature) further (see our features) than (see our features) the (see our features) originals (see our features) — the song (see our features) as (see our features) the export (see our features), the cover (see our features) as (see our features) the courier (see our features). The canon (see our Songbook feature) is (see our features) the conversation (see our features) — and (see our features) the (see our features) covers (see our features) keep (see our features) it (see our features) going (see our features). Sing (see our features) a (see our features) Canadian (see our features) song (see our features). Any (see our features) Canadian (see our features) will (see our features) do (see our features).