Bob Dylan - the boxer cover, 1970

"Bob Dylan, in turn, covered the song on his Self Portrait album, replacing the word "glove" with "blow". Paul Simon himself has suggested that the lyrics are largely autobiographical, written during a time when he felt he was being unfairly criticized: I think I was reading the Bible around that time. That's where I think phrases such as "workman's wages" came from, and "seeking out the poorer quarters". That was biblical. I think the song was about me: everybody's beating me up, and I'm telling you now I'm going to go away if you don't stop."

Fleet Foxes - sun giant, 2008

"The Sun Giant EP introduces the band to the world with a just plain pretty a cappella harmony passage that lays their pastoral tendencies bare, while later on the disc "Mykonos" and "English House" show us their muscle and easy way with loose song structures. The lyrics are non-narrative but vivid nonetheless. See the way the Fleet Foxes refrain "and Michael you would fall and turn the white snow red as strawberries in summertime" plunges you into the stunning guitar-and-voice counterpoint that blows "White Winter Hymnal" wide open. Lead singer Robin Pecknold has a strong, clear voice and knows when to let fly with a drawn-out, impassioned bellow and when to withdraw into the shelter of his bandmates' harmonies. The group shares his sense of dynamics, and Fleet Foxes flows like a river, wild and free but logical, filling what needs to be filled and moving on."

Kneecap - liars tale, 2026

"lurking beneath the headline-grabbing stuff – largely crowded together at the start – there’s another side to Fenian. As it progresses, a different mood takes hold: less swagger, more disquiet. Big Bad Mo’s braggadocio is set to fidgety, chattering acid house that noticeably changes in tone: as the track progresses, it becomes darker and less celebratory, more anxious and intense."

Saint Etienne - paper, 1992

"Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs are obviously fanatical about music and that’s part of what makes their music so special. The heart of the band is how they convey that love and obsession with music for people just like them. When they invited us to, join their club in 1992 they meant it and it was an honour to go along with them for the ride. A ride which has lasted 35 glorious years."

Tindersticks - buried bones, 1997

"Lost in music, again. But things weren’t quite as easy. We were not so impregnable. I am not sure that we believed in each other quite as much."

Kaki King - bone chaos in the castle, 2008

"while playing "Bone Chaos in the Castle," at no point does King touch the strings in a way that a normal guitar player would. King slaps the strings and hits the body of the guitar in a percussive way, to the point where it's easy to wonder how such unconventional techniques result in a song."

Club 8 - don't cry baby it's only a film, 2026

"For Swedish indie duo Club 8 every day seems to be the first day of summer, with freshly-minted guitar pop playing sweetly in the background."

The Beatles - words of love cover, 1964

"The Beatles recorded a cover version of the song on October 18, 1964, for the UK album Beatles for Sale. It first appeared in the US on the album Beatles VI. It was also on a 7-inch extended play, Beatles for Sale No. 2, released by Parlophone/EMI in 1965. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who were fans of Holly, sang in harmony with George Harrison, holding to the vocal and instrumental sound of Holly's original as well as they could. Before their big break, the group had performed the song live between 1958 and 1962, with Lennon and Harrison singing. For the official release, though, Lennon and McCartney shared vocal duties. The song only took two takes, along with a vocal overdub."

A-ha - train of thought remix, 1991

“In the ‘80s it was like we were run over by this massive train. We were not there to be pin-up idols. We knew that was part of it, but it was not the reason for doing what we were doing. The media was crazy, and that was one of the main reasons why we quit for some years, because we just had enough of it. We just wanted to make music.”

The Weather Station - separated, 2021

"Separated, isn’t just one of my oft-misspelled words, it’s also a song about how social media has cultivated a niche culture. Sometimes, that creates a place for people to argue in the comments section."

Mogwai - thank you space expert, 2008

"The favoured adjective when describing Mogwai is "cinematic". The band take sound composition seriously and their recent soundtrack work has left a mark on The Hawk is Howling. Each track projects imaginary films into your head. The filmic appeal is present in the spiritual uplift of the baroque Thank You Space Expert, the shimmering space rock of I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead, or the endless space boogie of Danphe and the Brain."