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Written after a long car journey north, the track became a favourite festive cover
Sparked by the 1991 police beating of Rodney King, the song became the band’s signature — and an unlikely seasonal chart-topper
The singer’s 1966 track was often treated as a love song, though its lyrics portray dark themes
The track’s downbeat mood was later a perfect fit for the film Donnie Darko, as sung by Gary Jules
Scott Walker’s was perhaps the best known of the many versions of the song that became ‘Next’
The song from West Side Story has fascinating roots — and a fruitful afterlife
Though singer Martha Reeves rejected claims that it was a civil rights anthem, the song projected confidence and power
The track written by June Carter and later sung by Johnny Cash brought the pair closer together
The singer’s 1968 track attracted the attention of reggae producer Lee Perry — and peroxide pinup Billy Idol
First released with a flamenco beat in 1993, Los del Río’s track went global two years later as a dance remix
The 1986 track was a global hit for the Australian singer, and has had a long and fruitful afterlife
Nirvana were also among the acts to put their stamp on this spectral, otherworldly number
First recorded in 1939 and covered by acts such as Aretha Franklin and Johnny Cash, it’s a song for all seasons
It took an electrified version to achieve lift-off for Simon and Garfunkel
Written at a low point for the Beatle, the song went through many iterations — and was transformed by David Bowie
Presley opened his ’68 Comeback Special with the track — but were songwriters Leiber and Stoller mocking him?
Violinists such as Nigel Kennedy have relished playing a piece that has also become a victim of its ubiquity
The track made a star out of the young Latino singer, but its roots run deep in Mexican folk history
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