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
Down By The Station Slim Gaillard Trio Slim Gaillard/Paul Mills
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.


Back to Hüsker Dü database main page