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Written by a former slave around 1865, the song sparked controversy after being adopted by rugby fans
Singers have been discovering new depths in the track since it was a hit in 1972
The Northern Irish songwriter’s 1935 track, covered in a spectrum of styles, is commemorated in the town where it was written
The song sparked hip-hop’s ‘Roxanne wars’ in the 1980s and was rejuvenated by Dizzee Rascal in 2003
Drawing inspiration from Brazilian rhythms and an Anne Sexton poem, the track became a live favourite and was covered globally
AR Rahman’s track was adapted by will.i.am as part of a trend for sampling and borrowing from Indian popular music by western artists
Though it never troubled the charts, their 1970 song was widely covered after it featured in a hit film
Memorably covered by Whitney Houston, the track was inspired by a big career choice
The LA hip-hop crew forged a cultural identity for a track that went on to be widely covered and used in film soundtracks
The largely wordless composition altered the course of music history
The story of the song’s origins has recently been updated, while its message has become corrupted by contemporary US politics
The late singer spent a lifetime singing the tune from Fiddler on the Roof, though others expressed interest in the role
Set to music by Hubert Parry, the hymn has been sung by suffragettes, socialists and rugby fans
Written for a film soundtrack, the 1967 track by his band The Lovin’ Spoonful celebrates everyday pleasures
John Lennon’s groundbreaking track owed a great deal to The Tibetan Book of the Dead — and producer George Martin
The song is chiefly remembered as part of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, though others have tackled it
Over the years, the singer has revisited a song whose lyrics were mostly written by a man
The band’s simple, hymnal song has been covered by pop stars and punk rockers
The 1981 track epitomised the singer’s spirit and was sampled a decade later by MC Hammer
The singer cemented the 1941 track as a standard and dozens more covered it — including Beyoncé
It formed part of the new South Africa’s national anthem and was adopted by revolutionaries elsewhere
The composer resented its popularity — but later said he admired one of several jazz versions of the piece
Popularised by Leadbelly and Nirvana, this song of suffering has its roots in an Appalachian folk tune
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