The 10 Best Courtney Hadwin Songs of All-Time

Courtney Hadwin is an English singer-songwriter who has been active since 2014. So far, she hasn’t managed to become a household name.

However, Hadwin is somewhat well-known because she participated in two singing competitions. First, there was The Voice Kids in 2017. Second, there was America’s Got Talent in 2018. Hadwin didn’t win either one. Still, she has managed to get her name out there.

Here is our opinion of the 10 best Courtney Hadwin songs released so far:

10. “Born to Be Wild”

Of course, “Born to Be Wild” is a Steppenwolf classic. It retains something of its original charm but has become remarkably accessible since its initial release in 1968. Hadwin performed “Born to Be Wild” for the semi-finals of America’s Got Talent. She didn’t quite ace it, but she did well enough that it got her through the round.

9. “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”

Speaking of which, Hadwin also performed James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” for America’s Got Talent. Specifically, that song was for the quarter-finals. Hadwin was a much less inexperienced singer at that time. Even so, her version of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” was much better than anyone could have expected.

8. “River Deep – Mountain High”

“River Deep – Mountain High” has a well-earned reputation for being one of the most influential songs of the 20th century. As such, it was a strong choice for the America’s Got Talent finals. Hadwin didn’t win. Indeed, she wasn’t even one of the grand finalists of the competition. Still, Hadwin made a more than credible effort with “River Deep – Mountain High,” which was memorable enough to pave a road for her forward.

7. “Sucker”

So far, Hadwin’s most notable release would be The Cover Sessions in October 2019. As the name says, it is a collection of cover songs rather than original songs. “Sucker” is a song from the Jonas Brothers. Hadwin’s cover wasn’t bad but fell behind a bit compared to its counterparts. As such, it occupies this place on the list rather than somewhere higher.

6. “Sign of the Times”

Harry Styles’s “Sign of the Times” is one of the better-known songs to see release in recent years. He got his start on The X Factor. Subsequently, Styles had a very successful stint in One Direction before pursuing a solo career. “Sign of the Times” rose to the top of the U.K. Singles Chart, meaning it played a critical role in making his self-titled debut album one of the best-selling releases of 2017. Hadwin’s version fails to match up to that but is nonetheless an enjoyable rendition in its own right.

5. “Piece of My Heart”

“Piece of My Heart” started as an Erma Franklin song. It was nominated for a Grammy, though that was made possible in considerable part by the success of a Big Brother and the Holding Company cover. Regardless, “Piece of My Heart” is a much-beloved song that has shown up again and again over the years.

Examples range from Faith Hill’s cover in 1995 to a duet between Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone in 2005. Due to this, performing it for the results show of America’s Got Talent was a risk on Hadwin’s part because she could have been overshadowed. Fortunately, she pulled it off. It isn’t the best one of the lot, but it manages to hold its own well enough.

4. “Someone You Loved”

“Someone You Loved” is another well-known song of the late 2010s. In its case, Lewis Capaldi released it as a single for his second EP, which climbed to the top of the U.K. Singles Chart before staying there for seven straight weeks.

That would be impressive enough. However, “Someone You Loved” was also the best-selling single in the United Kingdom in 2019, though it fared less well in the United States in the same year. Hadwin’s version was pleasant enough, clearly showing the benefits of the extra singing experience.

3. “Pretty Little Thing”

“Pretty Little Thing” is notable for being Hadwin’s first original song. It isn’t particularly novel. Countless artists have released songs expressing fury at a cheating significant other, meaning this is following in some well-trod footsteps. Despite that, “Pretty Little Thing” is listenable enough. Only time can tell whether something more will come from Hadwin’s songwriting efforts.

2. “Old Town Road”

“Old Town Road” is the fourth of the four covers from The Cover Sessions. Once again, it is an extremely well-known song. After all, Lil Nas X rose to prominence when the country rap song took off in the United States.

There, it spent 19 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, thus making it the longest-running number-one hit ever released. Country rap is quite far from the genres that Hadwin is known for singing. As such, she deserves an extra bit of credit for managing to interpret the song well.

1. “Happy Xmas (the war is over)”

Christmas is popular. As a result, Christmas music continues to see regular releases. It seems that Hadwin is no exception to this trend because she released her take on “Happy Xmas (the war is over)” in 2020.

The Christmas classic is as appealing as ever. On top of that, Hadwin brought more expertise and experience to this song than any of its predecessors, which makes sense because this is the most recent of her releases.

Put together, “Happy Xmas (the war is over)” has earned its position at the top of this list, particularly since it suggests good things to come.

You can also read:

• The 10 Best La India Songs of All Time
• The 10 Best Tai Verdes Songs of All-Time
• The 10 Best Old Crow Medicine Show Songs of All-Time
• The 10 Best Pierce the Veil Songs of All-Time
• The 10 Best Boxcar Willie Songs of All-Time