The Most Unexpected Song Covers By Celebrities That Went Viral

Lesser known artists often cover famous songs to get their name out there.

And famous singers often cover other artists’ famous songs as a show of respect.

But sometimes, a cover comes out of nowhere.

A celebrity we would have never expected covers a song we would have never expected.

And when they do it well, we take notice.

Keep reading for some of the most unexpected song covers by celebrities ever. All of these covers went viral for good reason.

 

The Most Unexpected Song Covers By Celebrities That Went Viral

When I first started researching this article, I was hoping to find amazing covers by celebrities who are not professional singers, but I couldn’t find any unfortunately (let me know in a comment if you know of one). That said, all of the covers below are great and certainly no expected.

 

Kiss From a Rose (Seal) by Jack Black

I love Jack Black and everything he did for the music scene, both as an actor (famously with Tenacious D) and as a real, recognized musician. He has given us a number of iconic singing moments in movies.

He’s known for having singing capabilities that can rival those of professionals, and I’m not sure whether he actually took part in American Idol some 10 years ago or if this was just a stunt.

What I do know is that he pulled out one of the most amazing covers of Seal’s Kiss From a Rose, and that Seal was seated in the audience, passing his seal of approval.

In this instance, Jack’s vocal performance wasn’t at its finest, but his acting, and “dancing” skills were just top-notch. He even threw a real rose to the audience (which he, comically, pulled out of his pocket).

A gorgeous little detail that made this scene forever etched in my mind is that none other than Cage, his lifelong friend and co-actor in Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny was in the audience cheering his buddy on.

 

Toxic (Britney Spears) by Madonna

The pop world virtually exploded when Britney Spears sang Toxic for the first time, and especially when the official video for it came out. Infectiously rhythmic, upbeat, and packed to the brim with energetic vibes, the original Toxic is still incredibly popular today.

And then we have Madonna’s version of this classic tune. She performed it live during the Tears of a Clown show in Miami in 2016, and suffice it to say that this iteration of Toxic was met with polarized opinions.

No dancers, no filters to Madonna’s voice, and instead of the exaggerated electronic sounds we have a spooky music box melody filling the space. Madonna’s cover of Toxic is the polar opposite of Britney’s original in sound, vibe, and pretty much everything else.

Although the video wasn’t released by Madonna’s staff, it quickly went viral, reaching over 63,000+ viewers on YouTube alone. I think it’s difficult to compare the two, since Madonna’s version is so different that if you slapped a new set of lyrics on it, it would be a completely different song.

 

Love Yourself (Justin Bieber) by Ed Sheeran

Here we have a rather unique case. Some argue that Ed Sheeran didn’t exactly cover Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself, because he actually wrote the tune. The laws of intellectual property beg to differ, though. This massive hit became Bieber’s the moment this duo arranged things to go the way they did.

Sheeran did officially and quite publicly cover Love Yourself at Shoreditch Town Hall. His cover was almost an exact replica of the version Justin Bieber released, which shouldn’t surprise you since Ed was the one who made it.

What is different, though, is the way Sheeran sang his cover. Both vocalists are globally renowned for having outstanding voices, but they’re very different from each other. Sheeran’s take on Love Yourself also includes him strumming the chords, which arguably made the song even richer than the original.

The clip was published in 2017, which is merely a few years after Sheeran soared to fame. Unsurprisingly, his version of Love Yourself had over 14,4 million hits on YouTube and is, by far, one of the most popular celebrity song covers that went viral.

 

Imagine (John Lennon) by Lady Gaga

John Lennon’s Imagine is not only the most beloved single he ever wrote, but it’s also one of the best works a Beatle ever made. It’s a soft rock anthem that we can imagine other acts of his generation performing, like his trusty friend Paul McCartney, or legendary singers like Bob Dylan and Elton John.

What if I told you that one of the queens of pop, none other than Lady Gaga, covered Imagine? It happened at the opening ceremony for the European Games in Baku in 2015, and if I’m being honest, Gaga’s version is considerably more emotional than the original.

As with most big events, the European Games poured a significant budget into ensuring Lady Gaga had all the props she needed to fully recreate the song she was covering. In line with the message of the song, she opted for a simplistic bed of roses and a beautiful white dress, not too dissimilar to the one Yoko Ono used to wear around Lennon.

Performance-wise, Lady Gaga has an authentic, established style of singing, and she didn’t stray too far from it when covering Imagine.

 

Wonderwall (Oasis) by Jay-Z

Anyone who’s even slightly into R&B, pop, or soul knows that Jay-Z is a prime mover in these spaces. He’s a world-renowned rapper, producer, and songwriter known for working with icons like Notorious B.I.G. and DMX.

Can you imagine him singing the Wonderwall lyrics, the hit that made Oasis explode? Me neither, or at least I couldn’t until I heard he covered it at the Glastonbury Festival in 2008.

What surprised me the most was the color of his singing (as opposed to rapping) voice. In no way could he emulate Liam Gallagher’s soft and sweet tone, but he hit the notes, he hit the melodies, and he made crowds of people rejoice, which is all that matters.

BBC Music re-released the official recording of this amusing cover three years ago, and it already garnered over 2.9 million views.

 

Superstar (The Carpenters) by Sonic Youth

I have an honorable mention saved for my last pick. It’s not a celebrity covering a famous song but a hugely popular group covering a top hit from another class-act band. Enter, Superstar by The Carpenters, Sonic Youth style.

They did an amazing job at covering Superstar from start to finish, including all the tiny details and the general vibe of the song. Like most professionals, Sonic Youth strived to stick as close to the original as possible, but their powerful personalities and unique idiosyncrasies made the cover even more meaningful.

The cover was never officially released, but a fan-made upload reached over 197,000+ views, with more coming in daily.

 

Surprising Celebrity Song Covers: Final Thoughts

Did these unexpected song covers by celebrities surprise you as much as they did most people? Had you heard any of them before?

This was a fun article to write, but I know I probably missed some other huge unexpected covers. I was especially hoping to find some great covers by people who are not professional singers, but did not discover anything worth mentioning.

If you know of any other great celebrity covers, especially by celebrities who are not singers, please let me know in a comment below. I would love to add more covers to this list.