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Amy Winehouse Live Lounge performance voted best of 25 years

BBC Amy Winehouse in 2007, wearing a pink tracksuit jacket, singing into a microphone. The background is of brown wooden panels in a studio.BBC
Amy Winehouse covered Valerie in 2007, before releasing her own version

It is a format which has been graced by some of the biggest names in music over the last quarter of a century.

And now, to celebrate 25 years of Radio 1's Live Lounge, the station's presenters have voted for the best-ever performances on the show.

Amy Winehouse and her 2007 cover of The Zutons' Valerie has topped the list, beating stars such as Arctic Monkeys, Adele, RAYE and Dua Lipa.

Arctic Monkeys took second and third place with their covers of Girls Aloud’s Love Machine and Drake’s Hold On We’re Going Home.

Adele’s cover of Cheryl’s Promise This came in fourth place while Ben Howard’s rendition of Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen was fifth.

The on-air segment sees artists usually performing a song of their own and a cover from another artist in a live, acoustic format.

Adele performing in the Live Lounge in 2011, wearing a brown overcoat, black headphones and singing into a silver microphone
Adele covered Promise This in the Live Lounge in 2011

To celebrate 25 years, Radio 1 presenters were asked to rank their top 25 performances from a longlist of 50.

The criteria for inclusion in the longlist of 50 was based on the quality of performance, cultural impact, success with the audience and longevity.

Valerie was originally released by indie band The Zutons, with Amy’s cover in Maida Vale studios gaining such attention it went on to be officially released on Mark Ronson’s album Version, which featured famous names covering other artists' songs.

Amy, who died in 2011 aged 27, saw her version of Valerie peak at number two on the Official Singles Chart.

Current hosts of the Live Lounge, Rickie, Melvin and Charlie, have said the past 25 years have demonstrated "some iconic and unforgettable" covers.

"But Amy Winehouse’s cover is such a worthy winner… her performance was so special."

Live Lounge tracks from the likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Jay Z and Miley Cyrus have had millions of views on YouTube.

Artists have often used the opportunity to pay tribute to artists who have inspired them.

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The top 25 Live Lounge performances:

(Original artists in brackets)

  1. Amy Winehouse - Valerie (The Zutons)
  2. Arctic Monkeys - Love Machine (Girls Aloud)
  3. Arctic Monkeys - Hold On We're Going Home (Drake)
  4. Adele - Promise This (Cheryl)
  5. Ben Howard - Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)
  6. Disclosure ft. Sam Smith - Hotline Bling (Drake)
  7. 30 Seconds to Mars - Stay (Rihanna)
  8. Bastille - We Can't Stop (Miley Cyrus)
  9. RAYE - Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush)
  10. Dua Lipa - Do I Wanna Know (Arctic Monkeys)
  11. Bruno Mars - All I Ask (Adele)
  12. Ariana Grande - Them Changes (Thundercat)
  13. Florence + The Machine - Halo (Beyonce)
  14. Stormzy - Ultralight Beam (Kanye West)
  15. Harry Styles - The Chain (Fleetwood Mac)
  16. Demi Lovato - Take Me To Church (Hozier)
  17. Camila Cabello - Good 4 U (Olivia Rodrigo)
  18. Kings of Leon - Dancing On My Own (Robyn)
  19. Ed Sheeran - Dirrty (Christina Aguilera)
  20. Harry Styles - Juice (Lizzo)
  21. Olivia Rodrigo - Stick Season (Noah Khan)
  22. Sam Fender - Back To Black (Amy Winehouse)
  23. Dua Lipa - The Hills (The Weeknd)
  24. Lewis Capaldi - Everytime (Britney Spears)
  25. Lady Gaga - Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
  • You can hear a countdown of Radio 1’s top 25 Live Lounge covers live on Monday 26 August.
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