Seeing the Bye Bye Baby video for the first time in almost 25 years, it’s hard to understand why the suave lead singer, who was bound for great things, never broke through solo. Instead, the cute boy with the sheep hair became the “Prince of Pop”.

Is it really that easy as pointing the finger to “Justified” being a banger, a controversial Superbowl performance and him getting cozy quickly with people like Timbaland, P.Diddy, Nelly, The Black Eyed Peas and Pharrell Williams?

I've always loved Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." The lyrics are lyrical yet the ultimate middle finger break-up song -- I mean, "you just kinda wasted my precious time?" I love the original, but was first introduced to the Peter Paul and Mary version. The Indigo Girls interpretation was my favorite for the longest time, but barely over Susan Tedeschi's. And, for giggles more than anything else, I tracked down a French language version by Hughes d'Aufray that I enjoy.

Anyway, for further giggles, I'm putting together a collection of covers, and am up to 152 version (caveat: many artists are represented with multiple versions as I decided to not worry about studio versus various live versions). The running time is up to 9 hours, 46 minutes, for whatever that information is worth.

I'm not at the end of the list (which has yet to be in sight), just taking a breather and listening what I've got so far (on random play--it seems the only fair way). This, though, has got me wondering:

What song has the most recorded covers?

This post got taken down on “Let’s Talk Music” for not having enough ‘conversational threads’. I think there are many points of discussion here. “For those inclined to protest and protesty songs, I suggest that Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez have nothing on Utah Phillips. Dude was a brilliant storyteller. The whole album (“The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere”, with Ani Defranco) is amazing. I think that ‘Bridges’ is particularly poignant. “Bum on the Rod” and “Korea” are also powerful. I first learned of Utah while doing some work in California way back in the day.

Heart’s performance at the Kennedy Center Honors for Led Zeppelin

I have watched the KCH programs for years. Other than the Aretha Franklin’s tour de force tribute to Carole King, this performance still stops me in my tracks ever since I saw it the first time on television.

Ann Wilson remains one of the greatest rock singers in music history. Her rendition of Stairway to Heaven is one of the best covers that comes to the original version that even Robert himself was impressed by it.

Lately, I’ve been stuck listening to the same artists and genres on repeat, and it’s starting to feel stale. I’m curious about the moments or songs that expanded your musical taste. Was it a genre you didn’t expect to like? A friend’s recommendation? Something that hit different emotionally or sonically? I'd love to hear about the turning points in your music journey, and maybe find a few surprises of my own along the way.