Hüsker Dü Database
Songs covered (by Hüsker Dü, its members, and its descendants)

The list below includes all songs known to have been performed either before a live audience or on record. Titles of songs that appear on legitimately released recordings (including promotional releases, but not bootlegs) are bolded. Songs played at soundchecks or in private are outside the scope of this list.

Title	Original Performer 1	Author
12XU	Wire	Colin Newman/Bruce Gilbert/Graham Lewis/Robert Gotobed
99 Bottles Of Beer	—	Traditional
A Day In The Life	Beatles	John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Amazing Grace	(Various Christians)	John Newton
Annie Had A Baby	Hank Ballard & the Midnighters	Nathan Glover
Armenia City In The Sky	The Who	John Keene
At The Hop	Danny and the Juniors	Arthur Singer/John Madera/David White
Bad Moon Rising	Creedence Clearwater Revival	John Fogerty
Badstreet USA	Michael Hayes & the Fabulous Freebirds	James D Papa/Michael J Seitz [Hayes]/Larry A Velez, Jr
Beat On The Brat	Ramones	Joey Ramone
Bingo	—	Traditional
Birthday	Beatles	John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Blue Wind	Jeff Beck	Jeff Beck
Breakdown	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	Tom Petty
Carrie Anne	Hollies	Allan Clarke/Tony Hicks/Graham Nash
Chatterbox Blues	Leapfrog	Albert Collins?
Chinese Rocks	Ramones	Richard Hell (uncredited)/Johnny Thunders
Cinnamon Girl	Neil Young	Neil Young
Complicated Fun	Suicide Commandos	Chris Osgood
Cortez The Killer	Neil Young & Crazy Horse	Neil Young
Cut Across Shorty	Eddie Cochran 2	Marijohn Wilkin/M. Walker
Darling Be Home Soon	Lovin' Spoonful	John Sebastian
Detroit Rock City	KISS	Bob Ezrin/Paul Stanley
Dirty Old Town	Dubliners 3	Ewan MacColl 3
Donna	Richie Valens	Richie Valens
(Don't Fear) The Reaper	Blue Oyster Cult	Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser
The Door Into Summer	Monkees	Mike Nesmith
Downed	Cheap Trick	Rick Nielsen
Down In The Valley	—	Traditional
Do Ya	Move	Jeff Lynne
Do You Hear What I Hear?	Harry Simeone Chorale 4	Noël Regney/Gloria Shayne Baker
Drunken Indian	?	?
Dum Dum Boys	Stooges	Iggy Pop
Eight Miles High	Byrds	Gene Clark/Roger McGuinn/David Crosby
Expressway (To Your Heart)	Soul Survivors	Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff
Fakin' It	Simon and Garfunkel	Paul Simon
Fast Cars	Buzzcocks	Howard Devoto/Steve Diggle/Pete Shelley
Freak Scene	Dinosaur jr.	J Mascis
Freight Train	Sister Double Happiness	Ben Cohen/Cleveland/Gary Floyd/Lynn Perko
Fuzzy	Grant Lee Buffalo	Grant Lee Phillips
Ghost Rider	Suicide	Alan Vega
Gilligan's Island 5	The Wellingtons	Sherwood Schwartz/George Wyle
Gloria	Them 6	Van Morrison
Glory	Television	Richard Lloyd/Tom Verlaine 7
Gold Star For Robot Boy	Guided By Voices	Robert Pollard
Goodnight Irene	Leadbelly	Huddie Ledbetter
Got The Bull By The Horns	Johnny Horton 8	Amos Boyd/Billy Jones 8
Hava Nagila	—	Traditional/Abraham Zevi Idelsohn
Hail! Minnesota	[state anthem]	Truman E. Rickard/Arthur E. Upson
Heaven's Not That Far Away	Run Westy Run	?
He'll Have To Go	Jim Reeves	Joe Allison/Audrey Allison
Helter Skelter	Beatles	John Lennon/Paul McCartney
He's A Whore	Cheap Trick	Rick Nielsen
Hey Joe	Leaves	Billy Roberts
Hickory Wind	Gram Parsons	Gram Parsons
Home Of The Blues	Johnny Cash	Johnny Cash/Lillie C. McAlpin/Glenn Douglas
House Of The Rising Sun	—	Traditional
(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?	Patti Page	Bob Merrill
I Can't Explain	The Who	Pete Townshend
I Can't Reach You	The Who	Pete Townshend
I Don't Mind	Buzzcocks	Pete Shelley
If Not For You	Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan
I Fought The Law	Bobby Fuller Four 9	Sonny Curtis
I Just Want To Make Love To You	Willie Dixon	Willie Dixon
Imagine	John Lennon	John Lennon
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone	Monkees	Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart
Iron Man	Black Sabbath	Geezer Butler/Tony Iommi/Ozzy Osbourne/Bill Ward
It's A Lovely Day	Ian Rubbish & the Bizzaros	Fred Armisen
I Wanna Be Your Dog	Iggy Pop	Iggy Pop
I Will Always Love You	Dolly Parton 10	Dolly Parton
Jesus ["Gloria" parody]	—	—
John Brown's Body	—	Anonymous/William Steffe
Jumpin' Jack Flash	Rolling Stones	Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
La Grange	ZZ Top	Frank Beard/Billy Gibbons/Dusty Hill
Little Bitty Pretty One	Thurston Harris	Robert J Byrd, Sr
Little Johnny Jewel	Television	Tom Verlaine
Look Through Any Window	Hollies	Graham Gouldman/Charles Silverman
Lost Highway	Hank Williams	Leon Payne
Louie, Louie	Kingsmen	Richard Barry 11
Love Is All Around	Sonny Curtis	Sonny Curtis
Magnet's Coil	Sebadoh	Lou Barlow
Masters Of War	Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan
Memphis Blues Again	Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan
Miner	No Age	Randy Randall/Dean Spunt
Mona	? 12	?
My Generation	The Who	Pete Townshend
Mystery Train	Litte Junior's Blue Flames 13	Junior Parker
Non-Alignment Pact	Pere Ubu	Tom Herman/Scott Krauss/Tony Maimone/Allen Ravenstine/David Thomas
Norwegian Wood	Beatles	John Lennon/Paul McCartney
No Woman No Cry	Bob Marley & the Wailers	V. Ford/Bob Marley
Paint It Black	Rolling Stones	Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
Pale Blue Eyes	Velvet Underground	Lou Reed
Paranoid	Black Sabbath	Geezer Butler/Tony Iommi/Ozzy Osbourne/Bill Ward
Parchman Farm	Mose Allison	Mose Allison
Party Doll	Buddy Knox	Buddy Knox
Peter Gunn	Henry Mancini 14	Henry Mancini
Pretty Woman	Roy Orbison	William Dees/Roy Orbison
Puff, The Magic Dragon	Peter, Paul and Mary	Leonard Lipton
Rain	Beatles	John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Ramblin' Rose	MC5	Wayne Kramer
Rockin' In The Free World	Neil Young	Neil Young
Rock Island Line	Lead Belly 15	Kelly Pace/Huddie Ledbetter 15
Ruby Baby	The Drifters 16	Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller
Running Bear	Johnny Preston	J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper)
Schroeder	Elliott Lawrence	Clark Gesner
Screaming Fist	Viletones	Steven Leckie/Freddie Pompeii [Frederick DePasquale]
Sea Cruise	Frankie Ford	Huey "Piano" Smith
See No Evil	Television	Tom Verlaine
Send Me A Postcard	Shocking Blue	Robbie van Leeuwen
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker	Ramones	Ramones
Sheila	Tommy Roe	Tommy Roe
Shoot Out The Lights	Richard Thompson	Richard Thompson
Shuffle Off To Buffalo	Ruby Keeler/Clarence Nordstrom/Ginger Rogers/Una Merkel [42nd Street]	Al Dubin/Harry Warren
Signed DC	Love	Arthur Lee
Silent Night	—	Joseph Mohr/Franz Xaver Gruber
Silhouettes	The Rays	Bob Crewe/Frank Slay
Sink The Bismark 17	Johnny Horton	Tillman Franks
Sitting Still	REM	Bill Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe
Smoke On The Water	Deep Purple	Ritchie Blackmore/Ian Gillan/Roger Glover/Jon Lord/Ian Paice
Sonic Reducer	Dead Boys	Cheetah Chrome/David Thomas
Star Spangled Banner	—	Traditional/Francis Scott Key
St James Infirmary	Louis Armstrong	Joe Primrose
Streets Of Laredo	—	Francis Henry Maynard 18
Sunshine Superman	Donovan	Donovan Leitch
Surfer Joe	Surfaris	Ron Wilson
Surrender	Cheap Trick	Rick Nielsen
Suspect Device	Stiff Little Fingers	Jake Burns, Gordon Ogilvie
Sweet Jane	Lou Reed	Lou Reed
Sympathy For The Devil	Rolling Stones	Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
Takin' Care Of Business	Bachman-Turner Overdrive	Randy Bachman
Taxman	Beatles	George Harrison
Teen Angel	Mark Dinning	Jean D. Surrey
T For Texas	Jimmie Rodgers	Jimmie Rodgers
That's When I Reach For My Revolver	Mission of Burma	Clint Conley
The Ballad Of Davy Crockett	Bill Hayes 19	Thomas W. Blackburn/George Bruns
The Battle Of New Orleans	Johnny Horton 20	Jimmy Driftwood
The Crusher	The Novas 21	Bob Nolan
The Hunger & The Fight	The Mahones	James McConnell
The Lion Sleeps Tonight [Wimoweh]	Solomon Linda/The Weavers/The Tokens 22	Solomon Linda/George David Weiss 22
There You Go	Johnny Cash	Johnny Cash
Three Little Birds	Bob Marley & the Wailers	Bob Marley
Ticket To Ride	Beatles	John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Tomorrow Never Knows	Beatles	John Lennon
Train Kept A-Rollin'	Johnny Burnette 23	Tiny Bradshaw/Lois Mann/Howie Kay
Turning Of The Tide	Richard Thompson	Richard Thompson
Turn Turn Turn	Pete Seeger 24	Pete Seeger/Ecclesiastes
Twist And Shout	Isley Brothers 25	Phil Medley/Bert Russell
Two-Headed Boy	Neutral Milk Hotel	Jeff Mangum
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord	—	Traditional
We Wish You A Merry Christmas	—	Traditional
What'd I Say	Ray Charles	Ray Charles
When You Were Mine	Prince	Prince
Wichita Lineman	Glen Campbell	Jimmy Webb
Wildcat	Gene Vincent 8	Aaron Schroeder/Wally Gold 8
Wild Thing	Troggs	Chip Taylor
Wipe Out	Surfaris	Bob Berryhill/Pat Connolly/Jim Fuller/Ron Wilson
Won't Get Fooled Again	The Who	Pete Townshend
Ya Ya	Lee Dorsey	Clarence L. Lewis/Morris Levy
You're Gonna Miss Me	13th Floor Elevators	Roky Erickson
You Really Got Me	Kinks	Ray Davies
(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care	Elvis Presley	Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller
You're So Vain	Carly Simon	Carly Simon
Your Generation	Generation X	Tony James/Billy Idol
You Win Again	Hank Williams	Hank Williams

Notes
  1. "Original" performer may be a matter of dispute in some cases.
  2. Rod Stewart got it from Eddie Cochran.
  3. Written by MacColl in 1949 for a stage play, it became a folk standard during the 1950s and 60s. It was the opening track on Jackie
      Washington's self-titled debut album on Vanguard in 1962 for one example, but there was no popular recording of the song until the
      Dubliners single charted in Ireland in 1968. The Pogues version, released in 1985, is now widely regarded as the definitive one, and
      "Dirty Old Town" has been closely associated with Shane MacGowan ever since.
  4. Bing Crosby had the bigger hit (the one that's remembered) a year later in 1963.
  4. The full title of the Schwartz/Wyle original is "The Ballad Of Gilligan's Island."
  6. Shadows of Knight and Patti Smith both had bigger hit versions.
  7. Some sources credit Verlaine singly, others Lloyd singly.
  8. Not confirmed that this is the same song.
  9. Curtis actually wrote this song for the Crickets and recorded it with them in 1959 after taking over for Buddy Holly.
  10. Dolly Parton's version topped the country charts before Whitney Houston's cover sold 20 million copies nearly two decades later.
11. Barry's own recorded version preceded the Kingsmen's.
12. Attributed for a while to Shadows of Knight, but there's no supporting evidence. Not the Bo Diddley version.
13. Everyone knows the Elvis version, but, like most of his recordings, it was a cover.
14. Mancini conducted an orchestra of NBC musicians.
15. Lead Belly's version is the standard, but it evolved from previous versions. The earliest credited songwriter is Clarence Wilson (1929),
      whose lyrics are reportedly much different. Alan Lomax recorded versions at two different prison farms in 1934, one of which was
      adapted by Lead Belly.
16. Dion's 1962 hit notwithstanding, the Drifters did it first in 1956.
17. The title was later changed to "Sink The Bismarck" to reflect the proper spelling of the ship name.
18. "Bard Of Armaugh," an old Irish folk tune, mutated into "The Unfortunate Rake" when it reached the Appalachians. Maynard based
      the "Streets Of Laredo" lyrics on that song and copyrighted them in 1879 as "The Cowboy's Lament." Got it?
19. Fess Parker and Tennessee Ernie Ford also recorded versions that charted in 1955, but according to Wikipedia, Hayes' recording
      (which was released first) was the only one to reach #1 on the pop charts.
20. Grant sang the lyrics to the tune of his own "2541."
21. Originally released in 1965; covered by The Cramps in 1981.
22. According to Wikipedia, Solomon's original version (recorded in 1939 and titled "Mbube" in Zulu) had no English words and was a
      hit in South Africa. The Weavers adapted the song (retitled "Wimoweh" as the result of a misheard lyric) and had a top 10 hit with
      it in 1951. Weiss wrote the English lyrics for The Tokens version in 1961.
23. Aerosmith's version is probably better known now, but Burnette's charted in 1956.
24. The Byrds had the big hit, but Seeger's recording was well known.
25. All but forgotten now, thanks to the Beatles' version.