You might be thinking, “What about ‘White Christmas’?” Good question. Bing Crosby’s version is the best-selling single of all time. But that’s just one version of one song. “Yesterday” has thousands of versions. It’s quantity over mega-hit quantity.
And “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess? That’s close. Janis Joplin made it famous, but even that classic is sitting around a mere 1,500 covers. “Yesterday” laughs at 1,500. It waves from 2,200 and says, “Cute, try harder.”
Even John Lennon was only mildly impressed with it. He once said he liked the song but it was “nice, but not great.” Paul McCartney, the actual songwriter, was probably too busy counting the royalty checks to care. (Just kidding, Paul. We love you.)
The Weirdest Covers You’ll Never Hear
Want to feel old? There’s a heavy metal version. A punk version. A bluegrass version that sounds like it was recorded in a barn. I swear I once heard an elevator version that was literally just a beeping synthesizer and a glockenspiel. It was terrifying.
The Most Recorded Song in the World - Summertime - YouTube
There’s even a version in Japanese and one in Scouse—the thick Liverpool accent. Imagine hearing “Yeah-stuh-day, all mah trubbles seemed so fah away…” It’s surreal.
But the most bizarre? Probably the one recorded by a parrot. Yes, a real parrot. Some scientist taught a bird to whistle the melody. That’s commitment. Or just good advertising for birdseed.
