The latter scenario is far rarer, but there might be more original-songs-that-are-actually-cover-songs out there than you first suspect. All the Man That I Need, 6. Nicks is still playing music and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time in April 2019. Here are eight songs you know and love that you would never guess are actually covers. I AIN’T MAD AT CHA by 2pac (1996) Celine Dion made the song veritably famous when she covered it in 1996, reaching #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and Mainstream Top 40 charts and selling over 1.5 million singles in the U.S. For much of his career, Steinman was the primary songwriter for Meat Loaf, who wanted to record a version of the song, but Steinman took legal action against him because he felt the song was meant to be sung by a woman. Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue sampled and revamped it in 1993, and their version became a hit. It clocked in at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the record of the same name went on to sell 1 million copies in the U.S. David Crawford first wrote this R&B song in 1968, originally titled “What a Man,” which Linda Lyndell first recorded. If asked to sing a Johnny Cash lyric, the majority of people would respond with “I fell into a burning ring of fire,” or a slight variation of the lyric. Stylistically, Crow's version sits somewhere between country and pop. Songs You Didn’t Know Were Covers. I Love Rock 'n' Roll, 2. ... 15 hits from the 80s you didn’t know were cover versions. He still plays music and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of The Crickets. Jan 17, 2019 #57 ... Is a cover of an Iggy Pop song that Bowie wrote and produced . ... Tiffany’s signature song was a cover of a Tommy James & the Shondells single from 1967. Other times, you hear what you think is a cover of your favorite song, but learn that your favorite song was actually the cover … Soft Cell recorded and stylized their own synth-forward version in 1981, which made it to #1 on the U.K. Singles Chart, selling over 1.35 million copies in the U.K. as of 2017. This ’60s pop hit was originally written by Ed Cobb of the band The Four Preps and first recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. I Swear by All-4-One - Originally by John Michael Montgomery All-4-One might have been one of those forgettable boy bands of the 90s, but if you attended a wedding in the year 1994 or 1995 chances are the DJ played this song. Here are 20 songs you might not know were covers: “The Twist,” Chubby Checker (1960/1962) Chubby Checker’s recording, released on the Parkway label, is the only single in … Most people attribute this old-school pop jam to the late Amy Winehouse, but British band The Zutons first wrote it as part of their 2006 album “Hanging Around.” Their cover rides on a beat from the song “A Town Called Malice” by the band The Jam, with Winehouse's sultry alto transforming the essence of the song. Joan Jett first recorded this 1975 Alan Merrill original with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols, but re-recorded it with her band The Blackhearts and released it in 1982. You may also like: Can you answer these real Jeopardy questions about music? There are even more songs that you didn't realize were covers, click to the next page to see the rest! The tune became one of Crow's most popular radio songs and sold 500,000 singles in the U.S. Other times, you hear what you think is a cover of your favorite song, but learn that your favorite song was actually the cover all along. 11 Hit Songs You Didn't Know Were Covers While behind-the-scenes songwriters pen pop jams for superstars every day, it's another story when an artist takes a song … Data comes from VHI, Buzzfeed, and Culture Trip, with stats from Billboard, the RIAA, and U.K. Singles Chart. It sold 2.5 million copies in the U.S. Jean is making music with her partner Mark Ballas as the duo Alexander Jean. Most prominently, Aretha Franklin transformed Otis Redding's “Respect” into a symbol of women's rights, and Cyndi Lauper's version of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” also became a feminist song of sorts. Amazingly enough, Nina Simone’s epic “Feeling Good” started out as a cut from the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. ... didn't even know "Thank you" was a thing until much much later. Lou Bega’s career can be summed up by “Mambo No. Okay, so sometime last month, I was listening to Laura Branigan's Self Control (fantastic song, one of my favorite pop songs of the 80s), and I go down to the comments and see some people reference an original version of the song. To help promote their first compilation of greatest hits in 2003, No Doubt decided to record their own version of this pop song by the British band Talk Talk. Their record containing the song sold half a million copies in the U.S. 1. Although Franklin and the recording industry acknowledged that Redding wrote the song, he initially criticized Franklin for taking the song from him. 5,” but before Monica, Erica, Rita, Tina, Sandra, Mary, and Jessica, he needed a little bit of Cuban bandleader Perez Prado, whose 1949 composition provided the skeleton for Bega. We put the spotlight on 18 famous records you probably didn’t realize were covers or samples below. When Amy Winehouse died in 2011, Bruno Mars organized a tribute to her in which he sang the song “Valerie” with a full band accompanying him. Ronson and Winehouse's cover clocked in at #2 on the U.K. Singles Chart and #28 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart and sold 767,000 copies as of 2012, a combined total of Winehouse's solo cover and the collaborative version. Elaine Caswell of Pandora's Box was reportedly crushed when she heard Dion singing the song on the radio years later. picture_freelance. Jan 17, 2019 If the first cut is truly the deepest, then it’s only right that we recognize that, despite Sheryl Crow and Rod Stewart’s spectacular renditions, this track was not only first written by Cat Stevens, but also first recorded by soul singer P. P. Arnold. Neil Diamond composed this mellow ballad in 1967, but UB40's reggae-flavored cover really made a splash in 1983. Though audiences loved the original, the Chicks put out their slightly bluegrass version in 2002, which made it to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. We all know Manfred Mann’s Earth Band for getting us revved up like a deuce, but the first runner in the night was actually Bruce Springsteen. August 22, 2017. Stacker put together a list of 30 famous pop songs that audiences may not know are covers. For as long as music has existed, popular artists have been covering songs. 18 Famous Songs You Never Realized Were Covers Until Reading This Post. Songs You Didn’t Know Were Covers. A year before Billy Ray Cyrus and his mullet had us stomping about concerned for the hopefully unruffled state of his heart, country music trio The Marcy Brothers released the track titled as “Don’t Tell My Heart.”, We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. Jean and Gad co-produced the song with Beyoncé for her version, which made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached top chart positions throughout Europe, the U.K., and Australia. It suited the music of the time and suited the song as well. After the Bobby Fuller Four covered it successfully in 1966, The Clash made their own version in ’79 that would become the most recognized version of the song. Many listeners might know Cyndi Lauper as the voice behind this pop jam from 1983, but Robert Hazard actually wrote and recorded it in 1979. No More I Love You's, 9. Many people argue the original is always best, but credit has to be given to artists who reimagined great songs and turned them into masterpieces. Although tabloids reported a rift between Parton and Houston concerning the song, Parton refuted this claim in a 2003 interview with CNN. Lauper's version reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984, became certified platinum, and sold 1 million copies in the U.S., a combined total of physical and digital formats. Gad is still making music as a songwriter and producer and has worked with Leona Lewis, John Newman, and Tori Kelly. He died in 2016 and was posthumously elected into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. Over the course of his successful musical career, Prince was an icon known for his genre-defying songs and eccentric, colorful stage presence. The Byrds took this 1950s Pete Seeger song to mainstream status when they covered it in 1965, having changed it to more of a rock song from its folky original. Their cover version reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. UB40 originally misattributed the song to Tony Tribe, who had also done a version, before realizing that Diamond wrote the song. Rock Hits You Didn’t Realize Were Blues Songs. Mavers' last known live performance was in Manchester, England, in 2011. Pop trivia klaxon. The single sold 1 million copies in the U.S. Dobie Gray popularized this Mentor Williams original in 1973, three years after Williams wrote it and a year after John Henry Kurtz first recorded it. However, English rock band Toploader catapulted the song into multi-platinum status with their popified, organ-forward version in 2000. This song is a cover … After Presley's version climbed many Billboard charts, earning #1 positions on the Hot 100 and Most Played on Jukeboxes charts, it went on to sell 4 million copies in the U.S. The Byrds' cover ranked #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #26 on the U.K. Singles Chart. When Sixpence None the Richer covered the song in 1999, it made it to numerous charts in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, placing #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart. Natalie Imbruglia might be one of those names you’ve forgotten since the Australian singer-songwriter surged in the ’90s, but there’s no mistaking her breakthrough track, “Torn.” Pulling from Los Angeles rock band Ednaswap, the earnest, quick-paced pop of Imbruglia’s “Torn” was once a sludgy slow-builder full of distorted guitars. Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene originally wrote the song in 1984 as part of Talk Talk, whom No Doubt credited when they released their version. The song has also been the subject of numerous copyright suits, as Thornton was hardly recognized for having first recorded the song and only made $500 for her performance. Member. It made numerous charts, including a #3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and sold 1 million singles in the U.S. As a songwriter, producer, and radio personality, Crawford wrote songs for Jackie Moore and Candi Staton and started his own record label. 24 Classic Songs You Didn't Know Were Covers You might already know that some of these well-established songs are covers, but a few just may surprise you. Because O'Connor recorded the song without Prince's knowledge, he had asked her to come to his house to talk about it, and things apparently got violent. Some of Ragovoy's most notable songs include “Stay with Me” and “Piece of My Heart,” which he co-wrote with Bert Berns; Ragovoy died in 2011. Pop trivia klaxon. Mandy, 4. It’s this fact that makes it even more difficult to hear that this classic rock and roll staple wasn’t actually a Jimi original, but rather a cover from a lesser-known band, The Leaves. Before Salt ’N’ Pepa and En Vogue shared their praise for a mighty good man, gospel/soul singer Linda Lyndell, who once supported such acts as James Brown and Ike & Tina Turner, recorded the song in 1968. “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston ... ‘I Didn’t Know I Was Looking For Love’. We’ve listed 25 acclaimed songs that you probably didn’t know were covers, along with their original creators. Phil Medley and Bert Berns wrote this song in 1961, and The Top Notes first recorded it. 18th November 2011. No one makes us feel more loved than the legendary Whitney Houston, but the credit here goes to Dolly Parton. Holmes tried to get in touch with Jimmy Page in the ’80s to sort out writing credit, but Page never responded, and Holmes filed a lawsuit against him, which was eventually settled outside of court. our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. 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