10 Great Non-Rock Covers Of Rock Songs

7. Herbie Hancock - All Apologies (Originally By Nirvana)

When it comes to jazz pianists, you won't find many more famous, beloved, or influential than the great Herbie Hancock.

A stalwart of the scene since the early '60s, Hancock got his start playing in a band led by the legendary trumpeter Miles Davis. He helped redefine what it meant to be a rhythm section player and would break out on his own in the 1970s.

But the time 1996 rolled around, Hancock had done pretty much all there was to do in music, so he decided to let someone else do the hard work and release an album of covers.

The New Standard featured jazzed up versions of classic rock and R&B tracks including Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street, Prince's Thieves in the Temple, and The Beatles' Norwegian Wood.

There's also this curiosity - a seriously camouflaged take on Nirvana's song All Apologies.

Hancock's handling of the material is almost entirely unrecognisable from the version that sits on Nevermind or MTV Unplugged. Still, it's fascinating to see what a great mind can do with this song as a starting point and the end result is truly remarkable.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.