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.
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 .