There are probably bigger sleeper hits than Roxy Music’s “More than This,” but there probably aren’t more than a handful. The lead single from Roxy Music’s final studio album Avalon wasn’t completely ignored upon its 1982 release, but it missed the Billboard Hot 100 and had only a brief moment of moderate airplay on rock stations. “More than This” debuted at No. 58 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, only to drop off the following week. It was never to be seen on a Billboard chart ever again … until another band covered it 15 years later.
The song has actually been covered more than 50 times. Did the covers boost the popularity of the original, who now has nearly 200 million streams on Spotify? Or did the latent popularity of Roxy Music’s version inspire other artists to render their interpretations? The vast majority of the covers were released after Avalon completed its slow ascent to Platinum certification in 1992, which would suggest the latter scenario is more accurate.
There is no shortage of interpretations to explore, but each of these five versions of “More than This” was performed by an established artist. Collectively, they represent a range of approaches to the minor hit-turned-rock classic.
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians (1989)
This early cover of “More than This” first appeared on Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians’ Madonna of the Wasps EP, and was included on their 1996 Greatest Hits compilation. It is a live recording of the song performed at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California, featuring Hitchcock singing and playing acoustic guitar with no other instrumentation. The arrangement is unique right from the beginning, as Hitchcock begins with strumming rather than the ringing notes of the original. It actually takes about 10 seconds to realize you’re hearing a cover of “More than This.” Hitchcock still occasionally plays the song on his tours as a solo artist, most recently closing a 2023 show in London with it.
10,000 Maniacs (1997)
The version of “More than This” that appears on 10,000 Maniacs’ album Love Among the Ruins doesn’t veer too far from the Roxy Music original. The outro is this version’s most distinctive feature, as it puts guitars further up in the mix and includes vocals and viola. Those two additions are provided by Mary Ramsey, who replaced Natalie Merchant as 10,000 Maniacs’ lead vocalist on this album. This is the only version of “More than This” to place on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 25. Though 10,000 Maniacs has generally enjoyed less commercial success since Merchant’s departure, “More than This” is the band’s highest-charting studio-recorded single. Only their live cover of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” went higher on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 11.
If you want to hear a more adventurous interpretation, check out the Tee’s Radio Mix version that 10,000 Maniacs released as part of the CD single for “More than This.” It’s easily the most danceable version of the song featured in this list.
Blondie (2006)
Blondie had been playing “More than This” on their 2005 tour, and they subsequently released a studio-recorded cover of the song in order to promote their Road Rage Tour with The New Cars. They performed “More than This” on 11 of the 18 dates of the Road Rage Tour.
Whereas Roxy Music’s original sounds lush throughout, Blondie’s version has more contrast between its stripped-down verses and fuller choruses. They further accentuate the drama of their cover version by replacing the hypnotic extended outro from the original with a guitar solo followed by a third verse in which everything but Debbie Harry’s vocals and a barely perceptible synth drops out.
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (2013)
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs made three covers albums entitled Under the Covers, and their version of “More than This” was included on the third of the volumes. Of the versions featured here, this one is far and away the most faithful to the original. Then again, any song Hoffs sings has a unique feel due to her inimitable vocal style, and her lead vocal is expressive where Bryan Ferry’s is cool. The musical arrangement takes its cues from Roxy Music’s version, though the production is brighter with slightly harder edges.
Angel Olsen (2021)
Angel Olsen’s cover, like Hitchcock’s, consists solely of vocals and acoustic guitar. It’s far darker than Hitchcock’s version with so much echo it sounds as if Olsen is singing in a cave. Her flat delivery of the verses gives the song a despairing feel that sets it apart from the other versions. Olsen recorded this cover for her Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories box set. The collection includes the original tracks from Olsen’s albums All Mirrors (2019) and Whole New Mess (2020), as well as the bonus disc that includes “More than This.”
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