In a landmark that has this writer questioning his own mortality, it has been two decades since triple j launched their now-beloved cover series, Like A Version. In that time, the station’s hallowed halls have played host to starry international names and homegrown heroes alike, each offering their own take on tracks that span generations and genres.
With an alumni that names the likes of Charli XCX, Silverchair, Lily Allen, Billie Eilish, Dominic Fike, Halsey (and quite literally hundreds more), Like A Version has rightfully become appointment viewing for music fans across the country.
Charli XCX on Like A Version in 2017. (Credit: triple j)
Every Friday, we tune in as triple j blesses the airwaves with another killer cover, and every Friday we flock to social media to demand its immediate release on Spotify.
Given the sheer volume of covers, it’d be all too easy to enter a Like A Version rabbit hole, and while you would emerge with multiple karaoke choices to later assault your friends’ eardrums, you’d also probably miss the bus, or a deadline, or a text from your friend asking where you’ve been for the past two days.
So, just for shits and gigs, we’re counting down the triple j series’ best covers. Chuck on some headphones and peruse at your leisure below…
The Best Like A Version Covers
#20: HAIM — “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Shania Twain)
What do you get when you mix HAIM with Shania Twain? Besides a collection of mothers who comprise this writer’s dream blunt rotation, you also get one of Like A Version’s most memorable covers.
The sister trio’s rendition of “That Don’t Impress Me Much” stays faithful to the twangy country-pop of the original, with addition of atmospheric synths.
Consider me impressed!
#19: The Wombats — “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” (Kate Bush)
If anyone could bring Kate Bush’s stratospheric track “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” to even greater heights, it’s The Wombats.
The English band hold the title for the most number of appearances on Like A Version with a whopping five, but it’s their rendition of Stranger Things’ runaway hit that takes the cake.
Somewhere out there, Vecna is quaking.
#18: Flume ft. Vince Staples, Kučka, Ngaiire & Vera Blue — “My Boo” (Ghost Town DJs)
No one could’ve predicted that “My Boo” — the Ghost Town DJ’s song made popular again by becoming a meme in 2016 — would sound good as a glitch-pop cut. But in Flume’s capable hands, the track became just that, with an all-star list of collaborators for extra measure.
How many legends can you fit in one cover challenge: achieved! (Credit: triple j)
Vince Staples, Kučka, Ngaiire and Vera Blue sing alongside Flume’s signature electronic flourishes, allowing “My Boo” to transcend from memeable to memorable.
#17: Ocean Alley — “Baby Come Back” (Player)
The ’70s psych-rock that informs much of Ocean Alley’s sound found its natural home in 2018, when the Sydney/Eora band brought their signature grooves to Player’s 1977 song “Baby Come Back”.
Frontman Baden Donegal’s vocals are buttery to the point that they’d spread nicely on toast, which is fitting for a cover that brims with warm guitar lines and mellow harmonies.
#16: Spacey Jane — “Here Comes The Sun” (The Beatles)
The sunny indie rock rhythms of Spacey Jane were always destined for a Beatles infusion, so the arrival of the band’s “Here Comes The Sun” cover in 2021 felt like worlds colliding.
This cover strikes that tricky balance bewtween paying homage to the original while making it something different altogether, with the kind of daydream-inducing jangles that only Spacey Jane can deliver.
#15: Lime Cordiale — “I Touch Myself” (Divinyls)
Dazzling trumpet sections? Check. Glittery synths? Check. Lyrics about an uncontrollable urge to wank? Check. Lime Cordiale ticked all the boxes with their sunny rendition of the Australian classic that is Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself”, with a brief shout out to Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” for extra horny factor.
#14: Matt Corby — “No Scrubs” (TLC)
A beloved Aussie crooner taking on an iconic ’90s R&B heater? The results — as seen in Matt Corby’s mature, stripped-back cover TLC’s staple hit “No Scrubs” — prove more than worthy of a place within Like A Version’s hall of fame.
If anyone can inspire us to get off our “deadbeat ass,” it’s Matt Corby.
#13: G Flip — “Cruel Summer” (Taylor Swift)
“Cruel Summer” (G Flip’s Version) is one of the more recent covers on this list, but the Aussie musician’s punk-infused, drum-heavy take on the Taylor Swift original was an instant standout.
G Flip’s performance sparked an online campaign for her to join Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour. (Credit: triple j, TikTok)
With its soaring strings and anthemic energy, G Flip’s rendition of “Cruel Summer” showcased their knack for powerhouse pop, and even caught the attention of the hitmaker herself.
If it’s good enough for Taylor, it’s good enough for us!
#12: Thundamentals — “Brother” (Matt Corby)
Thundamentals faced quite the challenge when taking on the universally beloved “Brother” for Like A Version in 2012. Through some inventive rearrangements, new verses and the addition of crunchier beats, the hip-hop trio brought fresh energy to the Matt Corby ballad — paying homage to the original while making it wholly their own.
#11: The Kooks — “Kids” (MGMT)
The Kooks’ 2008 rendition of MGMT’s “Kids” is a pure nostalgia trip. Through an acoustic arrangement and the sheer sorcery of Luke Pritchard’s vocals, the English pop-rockers stay mostly faithful to the original and deliver a Like A Version masterclass in the process.
#10: Cub Sport – “when the party’s over” (Billie Eilish)
Billie Eilish’s dark-pop anthem “when the party’s over” was already a tear-jerker, but when you add in the airy vocal loops and sparkly piano keys of Cub Sport’s cover, there’s simply not enough Kleenex.
“This [song] is kind of made for Cub Sport,” vocalist Tim Nelson said, and after my eleven hundredth listen (and admission that there’s “just something in my eye”), I couldn’t agree more.
#9: Tame Impala — “Confide In Me” (Kylie Minogue)
Kylie Minogue is a top choice for many Like A Version entrants, with everyone from alt-j to PANIA and Peking Duk offering their take on tracks from the singer’s decades-spanning catalogue.
Perhaps no one channelled the pop princess quite like Tame Impala, who brought a haunting beauty to the 1994 hit “Confide In Me”.
#8: Chet Faker — “(Lover) You Don’t Treat Me No Good” (Sonia Dada)
Chet Faker’s Sonia Dada cover for Like A Version scratches an area of the brain that scientists haven’t even discovered yet. For his take on “(Lover) You Don’t Treat Me No Good”, the singer-songwriter enlisted a backing choir and hand percussion, making for an infinitely earwormy update to the 1992 original.
#7: Royel Otis — “Murder On The Dancefloor” (Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Royel Otis’ rendition of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder On The Dancefloor” has been inescapable for the better part of this year, thanks in large part to vocalist Otis Pavlovic’s swoon-worthy delivery of the word “floor.”
Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 original enjoyed newfound, Saltburn-induced popularity last year — with a non-prosthetic helping hand from Barry Keoghan — and Royel Otis’ cover similarly had us thirsting for more.
#6 Gang Of Youths — “Blood” (The Middle East)
Gang Of Youths’ heartbreaking rendition of The Middle East’s 2009 ballad “Blood” might just be Like A Version’s saddest entry to date.
Swelling string sections and the vulnerable delivery of vocalist Dave Le’aupepe sketched new contours of the already emotional track, and the cover was stirring enough to catch the attention of Mumford & Sons — who later performed “Blood” with Gang Of Youths on tour.
#5: The Wiggles — “Elephant” (Tame Impala)
The Wiggles broke records in 2021, and it wasn’t for the number of times the word “potato” can be used in a song. The Beatles of children’s entertainment made their Like A Version debut with Tame Impala’s 2012 song “Elephant”, which later made history by becoming the first cover to ever top triple j’s Hottest 100.
We all remember where we were when The Wiggles’ cover of Tame Impala dropped. (Credit: triple j)
A kid’s band covering a psych-rock staple feels like a trip in its own right, and The Wiggles’ infusion of their own sound meant listeners could have their fruit salad and eat it, too.
#4: Denzel Curry — “Bulls On Parade” (Rage Against The Machine)
In 2019, Denzel Curry flexed his nu metal muscles with a teeth-baring rendition of Rage Against The Machine’s “Bulls On Parade”.
Showcasing his knack for hard rock, the rapper brought an intense energy to the 1996 head-thrasher, unveiling another side to his artistry and proving he’s equally at home in both thunderous rock and braggadocious bars.
3: Tash Sultana — “Electric Feel” (MGMT)
Some things are just destined to go together; like bacon and eggs, this writer and an overdrawn analogy, or Tash Sultana and MGMT.
For their part, Sultana offered a deconstructed version of the rock band’s hit “Electric Feel”, adding a dreamy and atmospheric feel and expanding the runtime to an eight-minute epic.
#2: Childish Gambino — “So Into You” (Tamia)
Childish Gambino’s cover of “So Into You” holds the title of the most-watched Like A Version video on YouTube, and those 43 million people (and counting) are onto something.
The rapper delivered an angelic rendition of the R&B staple “So Into You”, bringing his velvety pipes for a stripped-back ditty that solidified its place in Like A Version canon.
#1: DMA’s — “Believe” (Cher)
You wouldn’t expect DMA’s — rave-rockers best known for their indie bangers — to venture into the catalogue of Cher, and yet that mismatched quality is perhaps why the trio’s cover of “Believe” is rightfully considered god-tier. Led by Tommy O’Dell’s vocals, DMA’s dial down the original’s powerhouse energy for a sparse, acoustic take that even Cher couldn’t have foreseen.
So enduring is the cover’s impact that DMA’s continued to perform “Believe” at shows years after the original rendition, with the cover last year winning triple j’s inaugural Like A Version Hottest 100. It’s a worthy victory for a cover that has since become legacy for both the band and Like A Version, and it’s why DMA’s absolutely deserve the crown.
And that’s a wrap!
Hope you’ve found some new bangers to add to your daily doomscroll playlist.
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Tom Disalvo is a freelance writer based in Sydney. His hobbies include writing short bios about himself in the third person, and thinking about what to answer whenever someone asks what his hobbies are. You can follow him on Instagram and X.
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