Top 100 Retro Covers Countdown

January 27, 2026 48 1 5

We wrapped the Auckland Anniversary long weekend by bringing you the Top 100 Retro Cover songs.

These are the biggest and best cover songs, those big hits and many you might not realise were covers.. we’ve got your back. Some songs have MANY covers that did well, and we sorted out the biggest and best(est) cover versions on Auckland Anniversary.

We kicked #100 at 10am on Monday January 26 and continued through the day, before reaching the dizzy heights of the biggest cover song just before 7pm!

We featured the originals too, with snippets of other interesting covers – bringing to life the stories and the songs.

So, what was the top retro cover, and how did NZ do in the mix?

The Top 20

10 | Cher – The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)

Cher recorded this for the 1990 film Mermaids. Her version peaked on the NZ charts at #3 in July 1991, staying in the Top 10 for 10 weeks. Both Cher’s version and Betty Everett 1964 original version are featured in the film, but Cher’s is the only version featured on the soundtrack.

9 | Annie Crummer & Herbs – See What Love Can Do 🇳🇿

“See What Love Can Do” is a song written by Jerry Lyn Williams, and recorded by Eric Clapton in 1985 as the second single his 1985 album, Behind the Sun.

The song plays off a reggae/ gospel theme which came to the attention of kiwi singer, Annie Crummer. She had made a name for herself in the New Zealand music industry by singing on the Netherworld Dancing Toys “Kiwi classic” hit “For Today” and performing as a member of the girl group When the Cat’s Away, however her cover of this track marked a pivotal point in her career as it initiated the rollout for her first solo album in 1992. She teamed with kiwi group Herbs who helped on lead and backing vocals.

Its release was promoted with a monochrome music video directed by Fred Renata, and was nominated for 3 awards at the 1993 New Zealand Music Awards, winning two.

8 | Shaggy – Oh Carolina

“Oh Carolina” is a 1958 song by the Folkes Brothers, produced by Prince Buster and released in 1960, after which it became an early ska hit. It was covered by many various artists, including Shaggy in 1993 which was certified Gold in NZ and Australia, the UK and Germany.

Following the success of Shaggy’s version, John Folkes was involved in a legal dispute with Prince Buster over the authorship. As was common with Jamaican releases of the era, the song was credited on the label to the producer but Prince Buster claimed that he had written the song about a former girlfriend. In the end, John Folkes claim was upheld in the UK High Court in 1994.

7 | Soft Cell – Tainted Love

With Marc Almond’s heroically overwrought vocal adding a deliciously deviant twist to Dave Ball’s slinky synth-pop backing track, this straight-ahead ’60s soul stomper (originally performed by Gloria Jones – later mother of Marc Bolan’s son, Rolan) was somehow transformed into the mystical bridge between Northern soul and acid house.

Key moment: The syncopated handclap/keyboard lurch combo which launched a million dancefloor forays. It peaked at #2 on the New Zealand charts in March of 1982.

6 | Huey Lewis & Gwyneth Paltrow – Cruisin’

Cruisin’ is a song co-written, produced, and performed by Smokey Robinson in August 1979 from his eighth album, Where There’s Smoke. It’s one of his most successful solo singles.

During 1995, two more covers were released. In the US, D’Angelo recorded a cover for his debut album meanwhile here in NZ, Matty J released his own cover which peaked at #12 on the NZ charts.

Then for the soundtrack to the movie, Duets, in 1999, American actors and singers Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis performed a cover which was released as a single. It did OK in the US and much better in Australia and New Zealand reaching #1 on both charts.

5 | The Holidaymakers – Sweet Lovers 🇳🇿

“We Could Be Sweet Lovers” is a 1985 song written by Bill Withers from his final studio album Watching You, Watching Me.

A few years later, Wellington band Holidaymakers released a cover of the song in New Zealand. The single was a huge success in New Zealand, staying at number one for six weeks ultimately being the biggest selling single of the year. It was to be their only hit, but they sure made an impression.

New Zealand director Fane Flaws was a friend of the band and did the shoot with no budget. The lampshades in the video all belonged to the band members, who were all asked to bring one along on the day. He later won the Best Video award for his efforts, as did the band walking away with many awards at the 1988 New Zealand Music Awards including Single Of The Year.

4 | Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You

I Will Always Love You is a spectacular song, as it was not only recorded by Dolly Parton 4 times over 4 decades, but got her to the top of the Country charts on the original 1972 release, then she covered her own song in 1982 going #1 again, then a duet with Vince Gill in 1995 reached #15, and finally a live recording released in 2008. And that’s just the success on the Country Charts!!

In 1992, Whitney Houston recorded her version which was used for the movie The Bodyguard, starring both her and Kevin Costner. Her version was a massive worldwide success, going to #1 in at least 16 countries, selling over 42 million copies to date. In New Zealand, it debuted at #2 in December 1992 before claiming the #1 spot for a massive ELEVEN weeks! It managed FOURTEEN weeks at #1 in the US, and ten weeks at #1 in the the UK and Australia. It stayed in the Top 10 for almost six months and won two grammys, two AMA’s, four Billboard Awards and a slew of others. Despite opposition to it, both Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner insisted that the acapella intro remained. Wise decision.

3 | UB40 – I Can’t Help Falling In Love

The melody for our next cover borrows from the old French love song Plaisir d’amour, composed in 1785 by Johann Paul Aegidius Martini. It was first recorded in 1902 by Monsieur Fernand and subsequently by a zillion others, including in 1908 by the baritone Charles Gilibert who died two years later. Elvis picked it up for Blue Hawaii and the rest is history.

When UB40 covered this in 1994, it was a great success, reaching number one in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK, the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Their cover was used for the movie Sliver.

2 | Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around

A far cry from their previous hit – Wild Thing, The Troggs released Love Is All Around in 1967. Written by Reg Presley, he received a lot of royalties when Wet Wet Wet chose it for the soundtrack to the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. Bizzarely, Reg donated some of his royalties to crop circle research.

Wet Wet Wet were considering covering the Gloria Gaynor song I Will Survive. Nonetheless, Love Is All Around became the biggest selling song of 1994 in the UK, reaching #1 on charts worldwide including New Zealand, Australia, the US and the UK. Wet Wet Wet were so sick of the song that they asked the record company to delete it. Marty Pellow said it was doing his head in.

1 | All 4 One – I Swear

“I Swear” is a song written by Gary Baker and Frank Myers and recorded by American country music artist John Michael Montgomery in 1993. It charted well too. The country ballad spent four weeks at number-one on the US Hot Country Singles chart, later crossing over to pop radio and reaching number 42 early in 1994.

Around this time, an R&B group call All-4-One had just finished their album when Doug Morris, the president of Atlantic Records called the group for a meeting. He showed them the original “I Swear” country record, asking All-4-One to do a cover. At first they were hesitant as they didn’t vibe with country music, however when they were told it would be produced by David Foster, things changed.

They finished the recording at David Foster’s Malibu home studio, and it was added to the album, becoming their biggest single. As the country original dropped from the pop charts, All-4-One’s cover climbed quickly hitting No.1 around the world including Australia and NZ and later garnering a spot in Billboard’s ranking of All-Time Top 100 Songs

All 4 One polished it up just right for audiences, and like their country counterparts, soaked in the lyrics. All together now… “I Swear!”