Songs the Grateful Dead covers, and who wrote them
Every cover in 720 Grateful Dead setlists from 1969 to 1995 (from setlist.fm), most-played first. The most-played: “Me and My Uncle” (John Phillips), “Not Fade Away” (The Crickets), “Big River” (Johnny Cash), “Around and Around” (Chuck Berry) and “Promised Land” (Chuck Berry).
Play this week's Grateful Dead Covers game → A real setlist, one cover highlighted, name who wrote it.
| Song | Original artist | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Me and My Uncle | John Phillips | 246 (1969-1995) |
| Not Fade Away | The Crickets | 214 (1969-1995) |
| Big River | Johnny Cash | 191 (1970-1995) |
| Around and Around | Chuck Berry | 183 (1970-1995) |
| Promised Land | Chuck Berry | 180 (1971-1995) |
| Minglewood Blues | Cannon’s Jug Stompers | 168 (1970-1995) |
| El Paso | Marty Robbins | 167 (1970-1995) |
| Good Lovin' | The Olympics | 163 (1969-1995) |
| Mama Tried | Merle Haggard | 133 (1969-1995) |
| Beat It on Down the Line | Jesse Fuller | 131 (1969-1993) |
| Johnny B. Goode | Chuck Berry | 117 (1969-1995) |
| The Little Red Rooster | Willie Dixon | 110 (1980-1995) |
| Don't Ease Me In | Henry Thomas | 109 (1970-1995) |
| It Must Have Been the Roses | Robert Hunter | 91 (1974-1995) |
| Turn On Your Love Light | Bobby “Blue” Bland | 90 (1969-1995) |
| Morning Dew | Bonnie Dobson | 83 (1969-1995) |
| Big Railroad Blues | Cannon’s Jug Stompers | 77 (1969-1995) |
| Man Smart, Woman Smarter | King Radio | 66 (1981-1995) |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Kris Kristofferson | 64 (1970-1981) |
| Iko Iko | Sugar Boy and His Cane Cutters | 61 (1978-1995) |
| It's All Over Now | The Valentinos | 61 (1969-1995) |
| Dancing in the Street | Martha Reeves and the Vandellas | 58 (1969-1985) |
| It's All Over Now, Baby Blue | Bob Dylan | 52 (1969-1991) |
| See See Rider Blues | ‘Ma’ Rainey & Her Georgia Jazz Band | 51 (1979-1991) |
| When I Paint My Masterpiece | Bob Dylan | 50 (1987-1995) |
| Walkin' Blues | Son House | 41 (1982-1995) |
| The Race Is On | George Jones | 34 (1969-1995) |
| On the Road Again | Memphis Jug Band | 32 (1980-1984) |
| Wang Dang Doodle | Willie Dixon | 32 (1984-1995) |
| Big Boss Man | Jimmy Reed | 30 (1969-1995) |
| Queen Jane Approximately | Bob Dylan | 30 (1987-1995) |
| Gimme Some Lovin' | The Spencer Davis Group | 26 (1984-1990) |
| Next Time You See Me | Junior Parker | 25 (1969-1971) |
| Easy Answers | Rob Wasserman | 22 (1993-1995) |
| Knockin' on Heaven's Door | Bob Dylan | 22 (1987-1993) |
| The Monkey and the Engineer | Jesse Fuller | 22 (1969-1981) |
| Dark Hollow | Bill Browning and His Echo Valley Boys | 21 (1970-1980) |
| Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues | Bob Dylan | 21 (1985-1995) |
| Spoonful | Willie Dixon | 21 (1981-1993) |
| Nobody's Fault but Mine | Blind Willie Johnson | 20 (1973-1993) |
| Liberty | Robert Hunter | 18 (1993-1995) |
| (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction | The Rolling Stones | 17 (1980-1985) |
| Desolation Row | Bob Dylan | 17 (1987-1995) |
| Maggie's Farm | Bob Dylan | 17 (1987-1995) |
| In the Midnight Hour | Wilson Pickett | 16 (1969-1991) |
| Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again | Bob Dylan | 15 (1990-1995) |
| Broken Arrow | Robbie Robertson | 14 (1993-1995) |
| Good Morning, School Girl | Sonny Boy Williamson | 13 (1969-1995) |
| I'm a King Bee | Slim Harpo | 13 (1969-1993) |
| The Same Thing | Willie Dixon | 13 (1971-1995) |
| Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie | Elizabeth Cotten | 12 (1980-1981) |
| Hey Pocky A-Way | The Meters | 9 (1987-1990) |
| Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds | The Beatles | 9 (1993-1995) |
| Rosa Lee McFall | Charlie Monroe | 9 (1970-1980) |
| That Would Be Something | Paul McCartney | 9 (1991-1995) |
| You Win Again | Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys | 9 (1971) |
| Ollin Arageed | Hamza El Din | 8 (1978) |
| Rain | The Beatles | 8 (1993-1995) |
| Good Times | Sam Cooke | 7 (1990-1995) |
| Run Rudolph Run | Chuck Berry | 7 (1971) |
| Sitting on Top of the World | Mississippi Sheiks | 7 (1969-1971) |
| Gloria | Them | 6 (1981-1995) |
| It's All Too Much | The Beatles | 6 (1995) |
| Sing Me Back Home | Merle Haggard | 6 (1971-1973) |
| The Valley Road | Bruce Hornsby & the Range | 6 (1990) |
| Matilda | King Radio | 5 (1995) |
| Seastones | Ned Lagin | 5 (1974) |
| She Belongs to Me | Bob Dylan | 5 (1985) |
| Werewolves of London | Warren Zevon | 5 (1978-1991) |
| It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry | Bob Dylan | 4 (1991) |
| Revolution | The Beatles | 4 (1984-1985) |
| Take Me to the River | Al Green | 4 (1995) |
| The Frozen Logger | The Weavers | 4 (1970-1971) |
| Visions of Johanna | Bob Dylan | 4 (1995) |
| Walking the Dog | Rufus Thomas | 4 (1970-1987) |
| Why Don't We Do It in the Road? | The Beatles | 4 (1984) |
| Baby What You Want Me to Do | Jimmy Reed | 3 (1969-1985) |
| Beer Barrel Polka | Jaromír Vejvoda | 3 (1973-1974) |
| Big Boy Pete | Don & Dewey | 3 (1969-1985) |
| Day Tripper | The Beatles | 3 (1984-1985) |
| Death Don't Have No Mercy | Reverend Gary Davis | 3 (1969) |
| Devil With the Blue Dress | Shorty Long | 3 (1987) |
| Down in the Bottom | Howlin’ Wolf | 3 (1984-1985) |
| Funiculì, funiculà | Luigi Denza | 3 (1978-1987) |
| I Ain't Superstitious | Willie Dixon | 3 (1984-1985) |
| Kansas City | Little Willie Littlefield | 3 (1985-1987) |
| Main Theme: The Addams Family | Vic Mizzy and His Orchestra | 3 (1987) |
| New Orleans | Gary “U.S.” Bonds | 3 (1970-1984) |
| Stander on the Mountain | Bruce Hornsby & the Range | 3 (1990) |
| The Rub | Lightnin’ Hopkins | 3 (1970-1971) |
| You Ain't Woman Enough (to Take My Man) | Loretta Lynn | 3 (1973) |
| (For the) Children of the Eighties | Joan Baez | 2 (1981) |
| Bye Bye Love | Boudleaux Bryant | 2 (1981) |
| Good Golly, Miss Molly | Little Richard | 2 (1987) |
| Got My Mo-Jo Working (But It Just Won't Work on You) | Ann Cole with the Suburbans | 2 (1978) |
| Hey! Bo Diddley | Bo Diddley | 2 (1970-1991) |
| I Just Want to Make Love to You | Willie Dixon | 2 (1984) |
| I Want to Tell You | The Beatles | 2 (1995) |
| Lady Di and I | Joan Baez | 2 (1981) |
| Long Black Limousine | Vern Stovall | 2 (1969) |
| Lucifer's Eyes | Joan Baez | 2 (1981) |
| Mona | Bo Diddley | 2 (1970-1991) |
| Roll and Tumble Blues | Hambone Willie Newbern | 2 (1995) |
| Seasons of My Heart | George Jones | 2 (1969) |
| Tell Daddy | Clarence Carter | 2 (1982) |
| (Baby) Hully Gully | The Olympics | 1 (1981) |
| All My Love (Oh Boy) | Sonny West | 1 (1981) |
| All Over Again | B.B. King | 1 (1982) |
| Angi | Davey Graham | 1 (1970) |
| Baba O'Riley | The Who | 1 (1993) |
| Bad Moon Rising | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 1 (1991) |
| Black Queen | Stephen Stills | 1 (1969) |
| Blue Moon | Rodgers & Hart | 1 (1969) |
| Born on the Bayou | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 1 (1991) |
| Die Moritat von Mackie Messer ("Mack the Knife") | Kurt Weill | 1 (1981) |
| Do You Wanna Dance? | Bobby Freeman | 1 (1987) |
| Fever | Eddie Cooley | 1 (1987) |
| Forever Young | Bob Dylan | 1 (1991) |
| Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet | Marvin E. Baumgardner | 1 (1969) |
| Green River | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 1 (1991) |
| Happy Birthday to You | Mildred J. Hill & Patty Hill | 1 (1987) |
| Hey Jude | The Beatles | 1 (1985) |
| Hide Away | Freddie King | 1 (1971) |
| How Long Blues | Leroy Carr | 1 (1970) |
| I Know It's a Sin | Jimmy Reed | 1 (1974) |
| I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water | Stonewall Jackson | 1 (1971) |
| It's a Man's Man's Man's World | James Brown | 1 (1970) |
| John's Other | Jefferson Airplane | 1 (1970) |
| Keep On Growing | Derek and the Dominos | 1 (1985) |
| Let It Rock | Chuck Berry | 1 (1974) |
| Let Me In | Porter Wagoner | 1 (1970) |
| Louie Louie | Richard Berry & the Pharaohs | 1 (1969) |
| Mannish Boy | Muddy Waters | 1 (1971) |
| Marriott USA | Joan Baez | 1 (1981) |
| Mountain Jam | The Allman Brothers Band | 1 (1970) |
| My Babe | Willie Dixon | 1 (1970) |
| Mystery Train | Little Junior’s Blue Flames | 1 (1970) |
| Ole Slew-Foot | Johnny Horton | 1 (1969) |
| Peggy Sue | Buddy Holly | 1 (1969) |
| Proud Mary | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 1 (1991) |
| Searchin' | The Coasters | 1 (1970) |
| Silver Threads and Golden Needles | Wanda Jackson | 1 (1969) |
| That'll Be the Day | The Crickets | 1 (1969) |
| The Boxer | Simon & Garfunkel | 1 (1981) |
| Tomorrow Is Forever | Dolly Parton | 1 (1974) |
| Tomorrow Never Knows | The Beatles | 1 (1993) |
| Tore Up Over You | The Midnighters | 1 (1987) |
| Tubular Bells, Part One | Mike Oldfield | 1 (1993) |
| Twist and Shout | The Top Notes | 1 (1969) |
| Viola Lee Blues | Cannon’s Jug Stompers | 1 (1970) |
| Wake Up, Little Susie | Boudleaux Bryant | 1 (1970) |
| Warriors of the Sun | Joan Baez | 1 (1981) |
| Where Have All Our Heroes Gone | Bill Anderson | 1 (1981) |
| Wipe Out | The Surfaris | 1 (1969) |
| You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) | Dawn Penn | 1 (1970) |
Shows = how many of these 720 setlists include it, not every show the Grateful Dead ever played. Each song links to the last setlist we saw it in. 9 songs from this week's and upcoming Covers puzzles are left off until they've been played.
Questions
What songs does the Grateful Dead cover most?
In the 720 Grateful Dead setlists we looked at (1969-1995, from setlist.fm), the most-played covers are “Me and My Uncle” (John Phillips), “Not Fade Away” (The Crickets), “Big River” (Johnny Cash), “Around and Around” (Chuck Berry) and “Promised Land” (Chuck Berry).
How many covers does the Grateful Dead play?
Those 720 setlists include 164 different covers of songs by 105+ original artists.
Other bands: Goose covers · Widespread Panic covers · Phish covers