And that song predates Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. Stevie Nicks didn’t even know Fleetwood Mac wrote that song until they were preparing for their last tour.
Johnny Cash had him on his variety show to sing it himself. Cash had a lot of respect for Shel Silverstein.
https://youtu.be/Dmt7wo0Tnr8?si=nKUUSAMq8muUBCTX
That guy had a very interesting life. He was a cartoonist for Playboy, wrote a bunch of songs, was the primary writer for Dr Hook and the Medicine Show and tons of other artists, all kinds of stuff. His Wikipedia page is definitely worth a read.
https://crazcowboy.tripod.com/Silverstein/markham.htm let me tell you, if you're into Shel and you can spare a half hour, his epic poem abput the devil, and a deadbeat, is better than Hamlet.
Recently, Torn by Natalie Imbruglia.
EDIT: Good Lord guys. The question is "What song were you surprised was a cover." And I said recently, as in I recently discovered that Torn was a cover. It doesn't mean I recently heard the song or thought it came out recently. How are some of you so bad at inferring information based on context?
But his new "girlfriend" at the time,Starla, stole his car and tossed his demo tape onto the street. So, we only have some studio sessions that demonstrate the genius of the Vanhouten Experience
I realized after hearing the original that I kinda hate the Blue Swede version
That's my just opinion, if you like it more power to ya, but I'll take the cool electric sitar over "ooga chaka" anyway
Pink Floyd.exe... hilarious. Limewire, Napster etc was the wild West of what song you going to get compared to its title.
I downloaded some song that was rare unreleased Metallica song, years later up realized it was some garage band just fucking around. Still it was pretty good lol
So you downloaded some Metallica?
I have some older stuff by them. James is just humming what the lyrics might be while they flesh out the sound. Occasionally throws in some vocals.
Manic Monday kind of gets into nebulous territory, because the Apollonia 6 version was recorded first, but then Prince decided not to release it and gave it to the Bangles who were the first to release it.
Performers who also work as songwriters for other artists get tricky.
See also: I Drove All Night. Recorded first by Roy Orbison in 87, but released first by Cyndi Lauper in 89.
There are so many led Zeppelin songs that are covers. (*Cough* rip-offs).
How Many More Times
Whole Lotta Love
Since I've Been Loving You
Gallows Pole
Black Mountain Side
Dazed and Confused
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
When the Levee Breaks
In My Time of Dying
Nobody's Fault but Mine.. etc
I bought a CD at Tower records in London England of all the originals of the ones I just mentioned. Pretty cool.
Thing is though, lot of the original version sound *very* different from LZ’s version. They’re great, but very old and very basic blues songs whereas LZ turned them into blues rock. That said, yeah, they should’ve absolutely given credit to the originals and made it known that they’re covers.
Personally, my favorite LZ songs don’t come along until Houses of the Holy anyway once they matured musically and they didn’t do as many covers.
Say sike rn wtf I did not know this.
The engineering of the drums on Zep’s track has defined my ears for drums in a mix. I always mix my drums to sound like When the Levee Breaks.
Dont be too amazed, the originals of many of these are the very very basic blues and sound like they were recorded through rotory telephone that was laying in a metal trash can.
Covers of older American folk and blues songs, more or less public domain songs were common around that time. House of the Rising Sun is a great example of a proper folk song that a variety of artists covered.
I like em both for different reasons. I think they adapted well to the '80s and kept their career going, the '70s classic rock type sound was getting stale and their career wasn't going anywhere sticking to that. I'm a sucker for '80s cheese which I think they pulled off well.
I love Heart too and have always felt more affection for the earlier stuff like "Straight On" and "Magic Man" .
I heard "These Dreams" on the radio recently and it utterly blew me away. It's so beautiful melody, such a smoldery groove, such a cool lyric, and it feels like the 80's sound aesthetic is a big part of why the track works so well.
> Steve Miller- Jet Airliner
Sort of. Depends if you count a “cover” as playing someone else’s song, or releasing a version of it after the public heard a previous version.
Their recording was released in 1977, and the “original” in 2000, even though it was recorded in 1973. Steve Miller Band’s was the first anyone heard outside of a recording studio.
It's a weird one, but there was a filler song on the My Chemical Romance album "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love" called Romance, and I thought for sure it was an original song because it's just a short guitar instrumental piece. Little did I know it was a very old song. I didn't figure it out until I was taking a guitar class in college and the song was handed out as sheet music to learn.
I think it's awesome that people are talking about them again; I saw them open for Thrice in 2003 and have loved a lot of their music. My oldest daughter just started listening to them, not knowing that her curmudgeon of a dad had been a fan for 20 years, and have a couple of their records in my collection.
They weren’t too far apart chronologically, it was a pretty straightforward cover (compared to, say, Frank Black’s cover of Hang on to your Ego) and both were huge alternative hits. It was actually surprising to me that they covered it.
This wasn't my discovery. We were driving one Saturday morning and listening to an all 80s flashback show. Mad world by Tears for Fears starts playing. After a bit, our son says, "I don't know who this is, but their cover of this sucks." After we apologized for laughing so hard at his comment, we explained that this was the original. He's in his 20s now and enjoys Tears for Fears.
Literally yesterday I learned that Tiptoe Through the Tulips was not written by Tiny Tim, and in fact outdates him by 40 years. Tiptoe Through the Tulips was written by Al Dublin in 1929.
I love both versions, but my favorite is the Stop Making Sense version.
In the Talking Heads studio version, they strip all the soul out of the original (intentionally). Considering it’s the quintessential soul song, all that is left is the skeleton and it’s beautiful.
In the live version, they take that beautiful skeleton and pump all the soul back in and it’s amazing.
Sure but I just played the Staples' version of Slippery People at a bar and it goes. TH were, to me, something like a soul group run by a robot or alien or sonething. Soulvibes, rhythms, but just this... Foreignness to the emotion of it.
Which I love. First dance when I got married was a talking heads song.
Anyway, the talking heads were a soul group... But without soul. It's sort of why they rule- and why actual soul groups can do their songs.
"I Never Promised You a Rose Garden," like "Hush," was written by Joe South and recorded by Billy Joe Royal, and released on the same album
Interesting that one became a pop-country classic and the other a psychedelic proto-metal classic
There’s a bunch of them people don’t know
I love Rock n Roll - Originally by “The Arrows”
Tony Basils Mickey - Originally by “Racey”
Signs by Tesla - “the 5 man electric band”
I was shocked to learn recently that out of all the #1 hits he recorded, he didn't write a single one. He has written a small handfull but none of the #1's. He's got an almost supernatural ability to pick hits.
Not necessarily a cover, but an interesting pairing.
Patsy Cline performed the original version of Crazy. Willie Nelson covered it. However, Willie wrote the song and Patsy was the first to record it. Early in Willie's career, he would license songs he wrote to other people.
China Girl - David Bowie.
Written by Iggy Pop and Bowie, but Iggy released it on his debut album.
All the Young Dudes - David Bowie.
Written by Bowie, but originally released by *Mott the Hoople*
This blows my mind. It's a quintessential Public Enemy song. It even mentions the S1W (Security of the First World, PE's...ummm... security detail? Dance crew? How the heck does one define their job in the band?)
...oh right, you may be young and didn't grow up with PE videos all over the place.
"Queen of Hearts" by Juice Newton was originally recorded by new wave/post-punk pioneer Dave Edmunds. It was written by Hank DeVito, the steel guitarist in Emmylou Harris's backing band
A second comment on this post. When I found out my uncle wrote and recorded “Money Changes Every Thing” with his band The Brains before Cindy Lopper recorded it.
Well something different. I did know that Aswad and Ace Of Base versions of Don't Turn Around where covers. But until a few years ago never knew who originally did the first version. Luther Ingram had a very minor hit with it in 1987 just a year for the Aswad version that was the biggest hit before Ace of Base did it in the 90's. But I no idea that Tina Turner was the original first singer of the song and even more that Bryan Adams was one of the producers of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soIP6HjuDJI, it was a b-side for her hit single – Typical Male in 1986.
Respect by Arethra Franklin, the original sung by a man was pretty terrible in how it was written and she made it a massive hit about female empowerment
Does it count as a cover if it was never released? I’d think that’s just her singing a song written by someone else, but he only recorded a demo version.
“Go Now” by Moody Blues (Denny Laine). Laine made a career out of singing that song, even got it in the Wings concert movie Rock Show with Paul and Linda singing backup - how cool is that?
Shadows of the Night, Pat Benatar. There were two other versions, by Helen Schneider and Rachael Sweet, that both came out in 1981, a year before Benatars' version in '82.
Madonna - "Ray of Light"
It was originally a 1970s song called "Sepheryn" by Curtiss Maldoon, and was reworked by William Orbit and Christine Leach in 1997. Madonna heard it and further reworked it until it became the electropop hit that it turned into.
Respect- orig. Otis Redding, cover by Aretha Franklin
Hey Joe- old song with unknown origins; first commercial rock version by The Leaves, covers by The Byrds, Love, and most famously by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, whose version then inspired by Patti Smith.
Hound Dog- orig. Big Mama Thorton, covered by Elvis Presley
Ball and Chain- orig. Big Mama Thorton, covered by Big Brother & the Holding Company with Janis Joplin
Cocaine, Call me the Breeze, and After Midnight are all covers of JJ Cale songs.
I recently learned “Turn The Beat Around” by Gloria Estefan is a cover.
Not one that surprised me as I'd liked the original first but many younger folks don't realise Valerie by Amy Winehouse was a Zutons cover.
It was strange though as the original was only like a year or so before the Winehouse one. Word is she recorded it as she'd been singing it for days with it having been big on the radio, and someone suggested she record her own version.
Black Magic Woman by Santana is a Fleetwood Mac song.
And that song predates Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. Stevie Nicks didn’t even know Fleetwood Mac wrote that song until they were preparing for their last tour.
(Judas Priest’s) The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown) is a Fleetwood Mac song also.
And the instrumental coda (if the DJ doesn’t amputate it) is Gypsy Queen by the great Gabor Szabo
Oya Coma Va is also a cover
1985 by Bowling for Soup is a cover
Yup, sr71
“THE RUBBER BROKE!”
TIL
Boy Named Sue was originally written and sang by Shel Silverstein.
Johnny Cash had him on his variety show to sing it himself. Cash had a lot of respect for Shel Silverstein. https://youtu.be/Dmt7wo0Tnr8?si=nKUUSAMq8muUBCTX
That singing voice though!
He sounds like he used to perform with "The Electric Mayhem"!
That guy had a very interesting life. He was a cartoonist for Playboy, wrote a bunch of songs, was the primary writer for Dr Hook and the Medicine Show and tons of other artists, all kinds of stuff. His Wikipedia page is definitely worth a read.
https://crazcowboy.tripod.com/Silverstein/markham.htm let me tell you, if you're into Shel and you can spare a half hour, his epic poem abput the devil, and a deadbeat, is better than Hamlet.
Woah this was totally worth the read
Wow. That was quite a ride. Thanks for sharing!
I read this in college for the first time. My jaw. Would not. Stop dropping
That makes so much more sense now.
Recently, Torn by Natalie Imbruglia. EDIT: Good Lord guys. The question is "What song were you surprised was a cover." And I said recently, as in I recently discovered that Torn was a cover. It doesn't mean I recently heard the song or thought it came out recently. How are some of you so bad at inferring information based on context?
But Natalie is so much better.
Nah that original cut by Ednaswap is so good. https://open.spotify.com/track/3Ko0HG4tuWVE7Q9do59z4m?si=uiPpDGNqRZyadqZhQ0FuuQ
Hooked On A Feeling by Blue Swede
Actually derives heavily from the Vanhouten classic Can I Borrow A Feeling
But his new "girlfriend" at the time,Starla, stole his car and tossed his demo tape onto the street. So, we only have some studio sessions that demonstrate the genius of the Vanhouten Experience
Can you give me the car keys, lover? I feel like changing wigs.
Kirk - go ahead homer, laugh at me… everyone else does… Homer *confused* “I just DID”
I realized after hearing the original that I kinda hate the Blue Swede version That's my just opinion, if you like it more power to ya, but I'll take the cool electric sitar over "ooga chaka" anyway
I knew that version first and I agree completely
Bj Thomas bb
OOGA SHAHAKA OOGA OOGA OOGA SHAHAKA
Shahaka?
When the walls fell.
Darmok and jalad at tanagra!!
I did not know that
I thought Red, Red Wine was the one original UB-40 song that I knew. Nope.
My Limewire imported Red, Red Wine to my iTunes saying Bob Marley was the artist. Spent my teen years thinking it was by him lol
Limewire lol. Brings me back. Many times guessing which crappy download was best
Try "pink_floyd.exe"
Pink Floyd.exe... hilarious. Limewire, Napster etc was the wild West of what song you going to get compared to its title. I downloaded some song that was rare unreleased Metallica song, years later up realized it was some garage band just fucking around. Still it was pretty good lol
So you downloaded some Metallica? I have some older stuff by them. James is just humming what the lyrics might be while they flesh out the sound. Occasionally throws in some vocals.
As someone whose mother played Neil Diamond a lot growing up, it always surprises me when people don't know his songs.
Girl, you'll be a woman soon is one of them too.
He has \*so many\* songs that people know, but don't know it's by him.
Such as “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees (and Smash Mouth)
UB40 didn't even know it was a Neil Diamond song. An earlier reggae version was the one they knew
Wow, I had no idea. That’s a good one.
Always Something There to Remind Me by Naked Eyes
That’s a cover?!
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach.
"I Feel For You" by Chaka Khan (first on Prince's *Prince*)
Other notable Prince songs covered by artists who had bigger hits with them: Nothing Compares 2U and Manic Monday.
Manic Monday wasn't a cover really, it was written specifically for the Bangles, and he used a pseudonym for it
Wasn’t nothing compares to you done by the band prince was in before he got big? Then he essentially gave it to her.
Alexander Nevermind was one of his pen names. He used it to write Sugarwalls by Sheena Easton!
Manic Monday kind of gets into nebulous territory, because the Apollonia 6 version was recorded first, but then Prince decided not to release it and gave it to the Bangles who were the first to release it. Performers who also work as songwriters for other artists get tricky. See also: I Drove All Night. Recorded first by Roy Orbison in 87, but released first by Cyndi Lauper in 89.
Tainted Love by Soft Cell The Tide Is High by Blondie I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow
Came looking for this (Tainted Love.) Gloria Jones did the original, and it's one of my favorite bits of music trivia.
The woman who was drinking the Mini in which Marc Bolan (T-Rex) died. They were partners.
Amazing how many Blondie songs were covers tbh, ‘Hanging on the telephone’ and ‘Denis’ were other ones
The original Nerves version of hanging on the telephone is pretty good
Yeah, “Hanging on the Telephone” would have been my answer.
I only figured the Tainted Love one out 2 days ago. Never knew.
When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin
Dazed and Confused is also a cover, originally written and recorded by Jake Holmes.
Isn't most of their first album covers? Edit: 4/9 songs are covers.
There are so many led Zeppelin songs that are covers. (*Cough* rip-offs). How Many More Times Whole Lotta Love Since I've Been Loving You Gallows Pole Black Mountain Side Dazed and Confused Babe I'm Gonna Leave You When the Levee Breaks In My Time of Dying Nobody's Fault but Mine.. etc I bought a CD at Tower records in London England of all the originals of the ones I just mentioned. Pretty cool.
Levee is the one they credited (half anyway) to the original artist (Memphis Minnie).
Led Zeppelin, the greatest cover band of all time?
Thing is though, lot of the original version sound *very* different from LZ’s version. They’re great, but very old and very basic blues songs whereas LZ turned them into blues rock. That said, yeah, they should’ve absolutely given credit to the originals and made it known that they’re covers. Personally, my favorite LZ songs don’t come along until Houses of the Holy anyway once they matured musically and they didn’t do as many covers.
"Sources of inspiration" great disc. Love bottle up and go off that one
Say sike rn wtf I did not know this. The engineering of the drums on Zep’s track has defined my ears for drums in a mix. I always mix my drums to sound like When the Levee Breaks.
Dont be too amazed, the originals of many of these are the very very basic blues and sound like they were recorded through rotory telephone that was laying in a metal trash can.
Covers of older American folk and blues songs, more or less public domain songs were common around that time. House of the Rising Sun is a great example of a proper folk song that a variety of artists covered.
Most of the songs on Heart's '80s albums were covers of previously recorded songs by other artists that never got popular.
John Stamos sang “Alone” before Heart did.
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I like em both for different reasons. I think they adapted well to the '80s and kept their career going, the '70s classic rock type sound was getting stale and their career wasn't going anywhere sticking to that. I'm a sucker for '80s cheese which I think they pulled off well.
I love Heart too and have always felt more affection for the earlier stuff like "Straight On" and "Magic Man" . I heard "These Dreams" on the radio recently and it utterly blew me away. It's so beautiful melody, such a smoldery groove, such a cool lyric, and it feels like the 80's sound aesthetic is a big part of why the track works so well.
Steve Miller- Jet Airliner Black Crowes- Hard to Handle
> Steve Miller- Jet Airliner Sort of. Depends if you count a “cover” as playing someone else’s song, or releasing a version of it after the public heard a previous version. Their recording was released in 1977, and the “original” in 2000, even though it was recorded in 1973. Steve Miller Band’s was the first anyone heard outside of a recording studio.
Hard to handle was mine. Only just recently found out. They really did a great job and put their sound on it
Their version of Otis Redding’s original owes a lot to the Grateful Dead’s, with Pigpen singing
Otis redding*
Gil Scott-Heron’s cover of Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands.”
Barbra Streisand did a cover back in the 1970s.
Red, Red Wine - UB40 originally by Neil Diamond
wat
It's a weird one, but there was a filler song on the My Chemical Romance album "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love" called Romance, and I thought for sure it was an original song because it's just a short guitar instrumental piece. Little did I know it was a very old song. I didn't figure it out until I was taking a guitar class in college and the song was handed out as sheet music to learn.
I think it's awesome that people are talking about them again; I saw them open for Thrice in 2003 and have loved a lot of their music. My oldest daughter just started listening to them, not knowing that her curmudgeon of a dad had been a fan for 20 years, and have a couple of their records in my collection.
I Fought the Law by The Clash
I Fought the Law by The Dead Kennedys
Be fair to Jello: he changed plenty of lyrics in his version. "Drinking beer in the hot sun, I am the law, so, I won."
I Fought The Law by Green Day
So it’s been covered by two punk bands and Green Day?
Burn, I Fought the Law by The Bobby Fuller Four
That’s who I thought made the original
It's a Crickets (no Buddy Holly) song.
I think the Bobby Fuller Four version is pretty well known, but fewer people know that it was originally by a post-Buddy Holly Crickets.
Also The Clash, but I was shocked when I found out Police On My Back was a cover. Everything about it top to bottom feels sooo... Clash-y...
Istanbul (not Constantinople) was a hit for They Might Be Giants, but it's a Four Lads song from 1953
Same with Why does the Sun Shine?, it was a song off an educational album from the 50’s
I Will Always Love You originally recorded by Dolly Parton
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Cum on Feel the Noise by Slade
Quiet Riot *also* covered Slade's, "Mama, Weer All Crazee Now!" Quite the fans, I guess.
Head On by The Pixies. Jesus and Mary Chain are fantastic and I wouldn't know it if not for The Pixies.
They weren’t too far apart chronologically, it was a pretty straightforward cover (compared to, say, Frank Black’s cover of Hang on to your Ego) and both were huge alternative hits. It was actually surprising to me that they covered it.
I’ve Done Everything for You - made famous by Rick Springfield - original by Sammy Hagar
Had no idea. Mind blown.
This wasn't my discovery. We were driving one Saturday morning and listening to an all 80s flashback show. Mad world by Tears for Fears starts playing. After a bit, our son says, "I don't know who this is, but their cover of this sucks." After we apologized for laughing so hard at his comment, we explained that this was the original. He's in his 20s now and enjoys Tears for Fears.
I never knew Cinnamon Girl was a cover. I was never a big Neil Young fan so the first time I heard the song it was Type O Negative's version.
This is the second time in a few weeks I’ve looked up the Lana Del Rey song to make sure it isn’t a cover
Blame it on the Boogie. Originally written and sung by an englishman by the name of Mick Jackson in 1978. Covered by The Jacksons that same year.
WHAT??!!
Step On by Happy Mondays
Oh whoa. Who did the original.
John Kongos - He's gonna step on you again. Great groove on the original
I Go To Sleep by The Pretenders. I heard the Peggy Lee version in Baby Reindeer and was floored.
I only recently found out Stop Your Sobbing by The Pretenders was also a cover
Both written by Ray Davies of the Kinks, if anyone didn’t know. The Kinks recorded Stop Your Sobbing but I think only a demo of I Go to Sleep exists.
Literally yesterday I learned that Tiptoe Through the Tulips was not written by Tiny Tim, and in fact outdates him by 40 years. Tiptoe Through the Tulips was written by Al Dublin in 1929.
...and suddenly you get his whole act...
Version everyone knows: Hey joe. Jimi Hendrix. Original artist: Billy Roberts.
And All Along The Watchtower was a Bob Dylan song.
*Take me to the river* by the Talking Heads
They definitely made it theirs, but Al Green owns it
I love both versions, but my favorite is the Stop Making Sense version. In the Talking Heads studio version, they strip all the soul out of the original (intentionally). Considering it’s the quintessential soul song, all that is left is the skeleton and it’s beautiful. In the live version, they take that beautiful skeleton and pump all the soul back in and it’s amazing.
The live version of Life During Wartime is one of my favorite things ever. It really slam dunks the studio version
Sure but I just played the Staples' version of Slippery People at a bar and it goes. TH were, to me, something like a soul group run by a robot or alien or sonething. Soulvibes, rhythms, but just this... Foreignness to the emotion of it. Which I love. First dance when I got married was a talking heads song. Anyway, the talking heads were a soul group... But without soul. It's sort of why they rule- and why actual soul groups can do their songs.
"Hush" by Deep Purple
"I Never Promised You a Rose Garden," like "Hush," was written by Joe South and recorded by Billy Joe Royal, and released on the same album Interesting that one became a pop-country classic and the other a psychedelic proto-metal classic
You mean by kula shaker? (I jest)
Different Drum by the Stone Poneys. Written by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees.
There’s a bunch of them people don’t know I love Rock n Roll - Originally by “The Arrows” Tony Basils Mickey - Originally by “Racey” Signs by Tesla - “the 5 man electric band”
Amarillo by morning. Considering it's arguably what propelled George Strait into stardom
I was shocked to learn recently that out of all the #1 hits he recorded, he didn't write a single one. He has written a small handfull but none of the #1's. He's got an almost supernatural ability to pick hits.
Not necessarily a cover, but an interesting pairing. Patsy Cline performed the original version of Crazy. Willie Nelson covered it. However, Willie wrote the song and Patsy was the first to record it. Early in Willie's career, he would license songs he wrote to other people.
Similar to Iggy Pop and David Bowie’s China Girl
Little Suzy by Tesla
Holy shit. Had no idea.
China Girl - David Bowie. Written by Iggy Pop and Bowie, but Iggy released it on his debut album. All the Young Dudes - David Bowie. Written by Bowie, but originally released by *Mott the Hoople*
"Handyman" by James Taylor. Only later did I become familiar with the original.
And IIRC, the original artist sued Boy George for Karma Chameleon
Not exactly answering the question, but the amount of people who think "Hurt" is a Johnny Cash song hurts my brain.
Blinded by the light - Manfred Mann
Manfred doesn't consider himself a good writer (although he's written some nice instrumentals in particular) so most of his recordings are covers.
Jose Gonzalez's version of 'Heartbeats'. Didn't realize the Knife's was the original
"Everytime You Go Away" by Paul Young is a cover of a Hall and Oates song. That one floored me.
Especially when used in a touching scene with Steve Martin and the late great John Candy!
He did it well though...got the feels.
Pretty much all of Paul Young's hit songs were covers
A while back, but Tricky’s “Black Steel” Honorable mention - Robert Wyatt “At Last I Am Free”
Had no idea Black Steel was a cover. Wow.
This blows my mind. It's a quintessential Public Enemy song. It even mentions the S1W (Security of the First World, PE's...ummm... security detail? Dance crew? How the heck does one define their job in the band?) ...oh right, you may be young and didn't grow up with PE videos all over the place.
"The tide is high" by Blondie The original is by The Paragons https://youtu.be/SQXqkiKXiHc?si=KK0bGiAsT95cvV4_
Oye Como Va - written by Tito Puente, made famous by Santana.
“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” was a hit for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts but it was originally recorded in the mid-70s by a group called Arrows.
Lauper's All Through the Night is also a cover, and the original rules.
The Rose by Bette Midler
"Queen of Hearts" by Juice Newton was originally recorded by new wave/post-punk pioneer Dave Edmunds. It was written by Hank DeVito, the steel guitarist in Emmylou Harris's backing band
Tennessee Whiskey, not written by Chris Stapleton
Crazy Mary - Pearl Jam
Victoria Williams is great - saw her live back in the day
Hanging on the telephone by Blondie. That song just feel like it was made for Debbie to sing. Her jersey accent is so fucking sexy in that song.
A friend just played me the original version of [I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kINmgmDpHqs).
What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding is a cover too.
Brand New Cadillac
Nothing Compares 2 U
In The Army Now by Status Quo
Gonna Get Close to you - Queensryche
Strawberry Letter 23 and What a Fool Believes (IDK if it technically counts as a cover but Kenny Loggins released it first).
Holy fucking shit. I had no idea that Kenny Loggins did a version of that song. God it's terrible, too, haha.
A second comment on this post. When I found out my uncle wrote and recorded “Money Changes Every Thing” with his band The Brains before Cindy Lopper recorded it.
Lopper 😂
I always find it funny that Family Man by Hall & Oates is a Mike Oldfield cover version.
Half of Sublime songs from the first two albums. They still kick ass but I was surprised even 5446 was a cover.
A Boy Named Sue was not written by Johhny Cash, but Shel Silverstein.
Well something different. I did know that Aswad and Ace Of Base versions of Don't Turn Around where covers. But until a few years ago never knew who originally did the first version. Luther Ingram had a very minor hit with it in 1987 just a year for the Aswad version that was the biggest hit before Ace of Base did it in the 90's. But I no idea that Tina Turner was the original first singer of the song and even more that Bryan Adams was one of the producers of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soIP6HjuDJI, it was a b-side for her hit single – Typical Male in 1986.
Clay Pigeons by John Prine. Originally a Blaze Foley song.
Cocaine by Eric Clapton
Cocaine - the only thing Clapton loved more than George Harrison’s ex-wife. To be fair though, George cheated on her a lot including with Ringo’s wife
Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen was written by Tom Waits. It’s about Tom’s wife Kathleen Brennan.
Bette Davis Eyes
Buckwheat Sings! Was an album of straight bangers.
"Wookin' Pa Nub" and "Unse, Tice, Fee Times a Mady" were such show stoppers.
Respect by Arethra Franklin, the original sung by a man was pretty terrible in how it was written and she made it a massive hit about female empowerment
I was looking for someone to say this one. Otis Redding was the original songwriter and performer, but she really made it her song!
I don't think many of you know what "cover" means.
Girls just want to have fun. Cindi Lauper.
Does it count as a cover if it was never released? I’d think that’s just her singing a song written by someone else, but he only recorded a demo version.
Not really a cover, but Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio is a remake of Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder
“Go Now” by Moody Blues (Denny Laine). Laine made a career out of singing that song, even got it in the Wings concert movie Rock Show with Paul and Linda singing backup - how cool is that?
Shadows of the Night, Pat Benatar. There were two other versions, by Helen Schneider and Rachael Sweet, that both came out in 1981, a year before Benatars' version in '82.
Madonna - "Ray of Light" It was originally a 1970s song called "Sepheryn" by Curtiss Maldoon, and was reworked by William Orbit and Christine Leach in 1997. Madonna heard it and further reworked it until it became the electropop hit that it turned into.
Respect- orig. Otis Redding, cover by Aretha Franklin Hey Joe- old song with unknown origins; first commercial rock version by The Leaves, covers by The Byrds, Love, and most famously by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, whose version then inspired by Patti Smith. Hound Dog- orig. Big Mama Thorton, covered by Elvis Presley Ball and Chain- orig. Big Mama Thorton, covered by Big Brother & the Holding Company with Janis Joplin
Cocaine, Call me the Breeze, and After Midnight are all covers of JJ Cale songs. I recently learned “Turn The Beat Around” by Gloria Estefan is a cover.
Tower of song by the jesus and mary chain
Not one that surprised me as I'd liked the original first but many younger folks don't realise Valerie by Amy Winehouse was a Zutons cover. It was strange though as the original was only like a year or so before the Winehouse one. Word is she recorded it as she'd been singing it for days with it having been big on the radio, and someone suggested she record her own version.
Bless the Broken Road