The 10 Best BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Covers

Last year we introduced you to some of our favorite BBC Live Lounge acts and we sincerely hope you’ve been following them since then. If you haven’t, you need to start, ASAP. Some of the biggest names in music visit BBC’s Radio 1 and put their own spin on popular songs, and it’s kind of the best thing ever. Sometimes it’s a straightforward rendition like Fallout Boy’s version of “Uptown Funk” (“Pete Wentz fetching the stretch”) but others reimagine songs to the point you can’t fathom ever listening to the original again.

If you ever are in dire need of endless music to get you throughout the day, all their performances are on a YouTube playlist that you can cycle through. But to get you started, I thought I’d share some of my favorites. And in case you’re not familiar with the originals, I’ve linked them below for you.

Ed Sheeran covering Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty”

The most baby-faced ginger guy in the world is singing about getting Dirrty. Yeah, you need to hear it.

Imagine Dragons covering Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space”

No you’re not crazy, they did redo the entire melody to “Stand by Me.”

George Ezra covering Macy Gray’s “I Try”

Since George has the male Macy Gray voice, it’s a natural fit. 

Charlie XCX covering Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”

I can’t get enough of this girl punk rendition that’s a perfect combo of Gwen Stefani and the Runaways. 

Hozier covering Ariana Grande’s “Problem”

OK so I could listen to Hozier sing the phone book, but hearing him not singing about absurdly depressing topics for once and taking on a pop princess song with his soulful sound is awesome.

Fall Out Boy covering Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk”

While keeping true to the song’s funk beat, FOB brought their signature electric guitar sound that adds a whole other dimension to an already great song. 

Sam Smith covering Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”

If you’re not familiar with Tracy Chapman, do yourself a favor and do a deep dive, then come back and listen to The Male Adele (e.g. Sam Smith) do an admirable cover.

Pretty Reckless covering Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova”

OK it’s not George Washington doing “Wonderwall” but this country melody spin with Melissa Etheridge-esque vocals and its surprise shift into “Dear Prudence” makes this one of my favorites. 

Taylor Swift covers Vance Joy’s “Riptide”

Taylor gets a lot of flack for not being the best at hitting her notes live, but she does an admirable job in this stripped down girl-and-her-piano cover that really highlights her voice.

Thirty Seconds to Mars covering Rihanna’s “Stay”

Jared Leto is singing Rihanna like it’s an 80s power ballad. Enough said.