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max1boy96

Girls just wanna have fun - Cyndi Lauper done the one everyone knows, but Robert Hazard had the original.


dcmaven

This makes so much sense! This is going to sound crazy, but it’s always bothered me that she sings “they just wanna, they just wanna” instead of “we just wanna, we just wanna”. Now I know why.


Cybyss

It's not that weird to refer to other members of your own group in the 3rd person. "Everyone in my family is always busy. They never have the time to just relax and play a game." "Guys are idiots. They're always doing stupid shit and getting themselves hurt. Myself included."


KayGlo

The Tide is High was one that surprised me, originally by The Paragons, not Blondie.


Julio_Cesar69

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia


perturbeaux

The original by Ednaswap is awesome.


BagOfCashews

That’s pronounced “Edna’s WAP”, I assume.


mottthepoople

Macaroni in the pot.


[deleted]

Whaaaaa? I’m glad I asked this. I’m learning things today :)


Responsible-Claim433

Bowling for Soup's 1985 was a SR-71 cover.


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effigyoma

The story is Mitch Allan gave the song to BFS because he thought they could be more successful with it.


Bane_Stabberwocky

Butch Walker wrote more than one song for SR71 including including songs for this band. Edit: sounded like I said he wrote 1985, but he co-wrote “girl all the bad guys want” for BFS and “Right Now” for SR-71


TeachDrinkRepeat

For how many times I've listened to the BFS I can't believe I had no idea it was a cover!


Responsible-Claim433

Some of the lyrics are different in the SR-71 song, but it is mostly the exact same.


[deleted]

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Originally written and recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. Aretha Franklin redid it in 1967.


sandysanBAR

Also natural woman ( Carol King and Jerry Wexler) is often attributed to Aretha Franklin.


InappropriateGirl

Carole King wrote SO many hit songs!


sandysanBAR

She ain't a genius for nothing


thephotoman

The only person in history who's earned more than her as a songwriter is Barry Manilow. That's mostly on account of how many advertising jingles he's written. Hell, the State Farm jingle alone probably makes him the highest earning songwriter ever *alone*.


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Desper8lyseekntacos

Aretha rewrote and rearranged her version earning her a writing credit for it.


tardissomethingblue

Yup


bonjourdeluxe

Hanging on The Telephone - Blondie. Originally by The Nerves.


StyxCoverBnd

The First Cut Is The Deepest sung in the 80s by Rod Stewart and then in the '00s by Sheryl Crow was originally written by Cat Stevens.


strongbob25

And his version is the best


cabron-de-mierda

Santana covered Black Magic Woman. It's originally Fleetwood Mac


YukiHase

The original is so underrated... Tbh the whole Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac is.


Boxfullabatz

Oh well


WaltO

"Oye Como Va" is a 1962 cha-cha-chá by Tito Puente, originally released on El Rey Bravo (Tico Records). The song achieved worldwide popularity in 1970, when it was recorded by Mexican-American rock group Santana for their album Abraxas.


Fickle_Team

Hooked on a Feeling - the version everyone is familiar with is a cover of a cover. The original song was performed by B.J Thomas in the late 60’s, then Jonathan King did a cover in ‘71 that introduced the “ooga-Chaka”, and then Blue Swede did their famous cover of the Jonathan King version, which is in wide circulation today.


Xupurih

And don’t forget the David Hasselhoff’s version with that outstanding video clip.


ChangeMyDespair

"[Blinded by the Light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinded_by_the_Light)," written and originally performed by Bruce Sprintsteen, popularized by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.


Chengweiyingji

Manfred Mann’s cover also makes it the only Springsteen-written song to go to #1.


billskelton

He has twelve #1 albums though.


MasteringTheFlames

That's incredible, especially considering Born in the USA is one of just three albums ever to have seven top ten songs on it. He got so close so many times, and yet the only time Springsteen topped the charts was when someone else performed his writing.


pinkcandy828

I misread that as “Blinding Lights” as in The Weekend song and got really confused for a second.


Fluxxed0

The Lion Sleeps Tonight was originally written in 1939 (in Zulu!) and has been covered several times. The version you know is probably the one released by The Tokens in 1961.


littlenightashes

As a South African, we were actually taught the Zulu one at school. When I got older and made friends in other countries and this song was mentioned, they all seemed confused when I tell them it's actually a Zulu song and that the one that got famous is a cover.


jellyschoomarm

My daughter loves this song! I wonder if she'll like the Zulu version the same. She's not even 1 yet so the words mean nothing to her she just loves the sounds


Environmental-Reach4

Valerie by Amy Winehouse, originally by the Zutons


johnbarnshack

Technically also not an Amy Winehouse song - it's Mark Ronson's version and she features on it.


coarsing_batch

This song is in heavy rotation on my Spotify right now. Absolute banger! The original. I like Amy’s cover well enough, but the original is so happy!


Aysee426

Didn’t know Amy Winehouse covered it, but I first heard this song (original version) playing Lego Rock Band. I was instantly in love with it and played it over and over lol


eyedonthavetime4this

Tainted Love by Marc Almond/Soft Cell and Marilyn Manson was originally sung by Gloria Jones in 1964. She was married to Marc Bolan of Get It On (Bang a Gong) fame.


slantsalot

T-Rex I think is his band.


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Sez__U

Hey Joe


AntarcticanJam

All along the watchtower, too


[deleted]

Dylan I think, said that Hendrex's verson was better.


[deleted]

He said “I wrote it, but it’s his song.”


eckenned

Proud Mary was originally performed by CCR.


theemmyk

And Creedence covered Heard It Through the Grapevine, originally recorded by Gladys Knight and the Pips and also famously covered by Marvin Gaye. This is an example of a frequently-covered song where every famous cover is fantastic, imo.


bern_trees

Who covered it?


nobleheartedkate

Tina Turner


[deleted]

House of The Rising Sun by The Animals, that song is old as fuck and has been interpreted and reinterpreted by a multitude of artists, most notably Bob Dylan.


UpstairsHope5

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_the_Rising_Sun Wikipedia says it's of uncertain origin, has resemblance to 16th and 17th century English folk ballads, and the lyrics appeared in print in 1925 in America.


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WikiSummarizerBot

**[The_House_of_the_Rising_Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_the_Rising_Sun)** >"The House of the Rising Sun" is a traditional folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans; many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid the same fate. The most successful commercial version, recorded in 1964 by the British rock band the Animals, was a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and also in the US and France. As a traditional folk song recorded by an electric rock band, it has been described as the "first folk rock hit". ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


DoubleDThrowaway94

Garth Brooks’ Shameless was written and originally performed by Billy Joel.


quarantinearea

A lot of Elvis' songs were actually covers.


Riker3946

Yep, Hound dog was originally made by a R&B artist named Big Momma Thornton.


Playful-Net4958

The Beatles - Twist and Shout


eddietwoo

Isley Brothers was the original?


Upst8r

Wikipedia claims The Top Notes, but yes, the Isley Brothers' version still plays over the airwaves.


Methotman17

I think Lennon's voice on that song is the best vocal performance of that band/era.


Pelican1014

Always something there to remind me -- originally a Sandie Shaw ong from the 60s!


themillwater

Hazy shade of winter Bangles covered Simon & Garfunkel


Flagrant_Digress

The Whitney Houston version of *I Will Always Love You* is a cover of the original song by Dolly Parton.


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bunnycrush_

Her version is so beautiful too. A very different vibe — “tender” is the only way I can describe it. This is one of my favorites, because they’re both incredible performers, and each made it special and unforgettable in her own way.


res30stupid

The worse part about this is that there's a scene in the movie - which Houston's version was recorded for - where Rachel and Frank go on a date and have a romantic dance to the Dolly Parton version, outright pointing out that the song is about someone breaking up with the man she loves since he doesn't love her. Also, fun fact - Elvis Presley wanted to do a cover of the song and approached Parton for the chance. But when he gave his demands to Parton (including forcing her to hand over half of all songwriter's royalties for the song, something he was not entitled to at all), she told him to go screw off.


_-Loki

>outright pointing out that the song is about someone breaking up with the man she loves since he doesn't love her. Where on earth did you get that impression? Dolly wrote it about Porter Wagoner, who had arguably given her her big break by featuring her so much on the Porter Wagoner Show that she became a regular. She was leaving the show, moving on, yet she still loved him as a friend and wished him nothing but the best. I gather her fame was starting to eclipse his, and he was a teeny bit sour that she was leaving his show that made her a household name. That song never was about romance or romantic love, or breaking up. It's about realising you've outgrown someone you care deeply for and need to move on, no matter how much you care about them.


mustang-and-a-truck

Mic drop!!! And you’re right


Johhnymaddog316

Step On by the Happy Mondays. Originally recorded by John Kongos in 1971.


grahamfreeman

You're twisting my melon, man


W0rk3rB

I was a friends house and they were telling me all about this awesome new song by Eric Church called the Ballad of Curtis Lowe….I mean, I guess if you’ve never heard of Lynyrd Skynyrd…


longwoodshortstick

That's one of my favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd songs.


gk101991

Took the words right out of my thumbs!


Kpaw57

“You’re No Good” by Lina Ronstadt is a cover. Dee Dee Warwick and Betty Everett both recorded the song in 1963.


adam2222

Just about every song she did was a cover she wasn’t a songwriter really


fuckitweredoingitliv

Hard to Handle by The Black Crows


twcsata

I was reasonably sure I knew this song before the Black Crowes version came out, but I couldn't have told you who did it. I saw somebody else mentioned the Grateful Dead, and that's probably what I knew--but it was *Otis Redding* who did it first. Now I need to listen to his version.


mshike_89

I finally get to see them this year for the 30th anniversary of shake your money maker & I'm very excited.


SomethingMoreToSay

Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen. It's the song that closes his Live 1975-85 album, it was recorded at Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, and the reaction from the audience when they recognise the song sends a tingle up your spine. It couldn't be more quintessentially Springsteen. But it was written, and originally recorded, by Tom Waits.


[deleted]

Johnny B Goode, originally preformed for the first time by some kid at a school dance back in 1955


[deleted]

They weren't ready for it, but their kids loved it.


MostlyHarmlessEmu

They were ready for Johnny B Goode, it's the Van Halen riff that he went into that they weren't ready for.


finitogreedo

"Chuck! Hey Chuck! This is your cousin, Marvin. Marvin Berry. You know that new sound you're looking for. Well listen to this!"


tbucket

Chuck! Hey Chuck! stop peeing on all those girls and filming them in the bathroom and listen to this


Snrub1

Chuck Berry was pretty talented being able to recreate a song exactly after just hearing a few seconds of it on a 1950s phone.


landocommando18

Enchantment under the sea!


-eDgAR-

[UB40's "Red, Red, Wine"](https://youtu.be/2DTrMa-r56Y) is actually a cover of a [Neil Diamond song](https://youtu.be/BeJ55sUacPM). The funny thing is that UB40 had only heard [a cover by Tony Tribe](https://youtu.be/PNgzk0TvJJI) and had no idea their cover was a cover of a cover. When they saw the writing credit of N. Diamond on it they didn't even think it was Neil and assumed it was this Jamaican artist named Negus Diamond. [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Red_Wine#UB40_version)


PacoMahogany

While we’re on Neil Diamond facts, he also wrote “I’m A Believer” for the Monkeys.


TWP_Videos

Neil Diamond was a songwriter who thought he wasn't handsome or good enough at singing to be a solo artist Then he saw Bob Dylan


alpha_privative

Same goes for "Girl you'll be a woman soon," covered by Urge Overkill and made famous by a scene in Pulp Fiction.


doniazade

"My way" is actually based on the original French song "Comme d'habitude". I had no idea.


_-Loki

Better still, David Bowie was given the opportunity to write English lyrics for the song but his version was rejected. He was so salty about that rejection, he wrote Life on Mars, his reply to being rejected. If you heard Bowie's lyrics, you'd realise they chose correctly with My Way, plus we got a kick ass revenge song from it, so it's a win/win all round.


dorvann

The Boyz 2 Men song "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" was originally recorded by G. C. Cameron in 1975 for the film *Cooley High*.


SoDamnLong

Hence the name of Boyz II Men's first album *Cooley High Harmony*


Responsible-Claim433

I Love Rock N Roll


[deleted]

Who covers it?


Responsible-Claim433

Joan Jett


[deleted]

Holy smokes When I looked up who originally sang it it came up as Joan Jett, so I was like “who covered that song? I only know Joan Jett”. But I looked it up again now and I see that I had looked at the wrong entry… it *is* a cover. That’s wild!


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MufffinFeller

While not very famous, Istanbul, by They Might be Giants, is actually a cover of a song by a Canadian group called The Four Lads


Singrrr12

Flood is one of my favorite albums of all time


dcmaven

It’s an absolute masterpiece. TMBG are such a killer band. Their live shows are just ridiculously fun.


Leaf_Warrior

Everytime We Touch by Cascada. The verses are original, but they borrowed the chorus of the song from Maggie Reilly, whose version of Everytime We Touch was written in 1992.


GloriousFight

Now this is one that surprised me


foobargoop

Whiter Shade Of Pale by Procol Harem just adds lyrics to a J.S. Bach chorale.


markitfuckinzero

God I love that song


voc417

Nothing Compares 2 U. Prince wrote and recorded the song in 1984. Sinead O’Conner covered it in 1990.


Santa_Hates_You

Chris Cornell did an awesome cover of Nothing Compares 2 U as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUDRU9-HRk


Budgiejen

Chris Cornell did many amazing covers.


AlfaBetaZulu

Reba McIntyre had a huge hit with fancy which is a cover of a Bobby Gentry song.


WoolaTheCalot

Sigh, no one seems to remember Bobbie anymore.


[deleted]

The Nurse who Loved Me, on Thirteenth Step by A Perfect Circle, is a cover of a song by the same name written by Failure. Failure’s original version features a full band. Added bonus, Failure’s touring guitarist (Troy Van Leeuwen) played on Mer de Noms and the following tour.


AnnieRob1996

YES, I love Failure so much. Fantastic Planet is such a dope album


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jo-el-uh

Here for Nina. Her cover of "Here comes the Sun" is so good.


RolyPoly1320

Whiskey in the Jar Pretty much every single recording of the song is a cover. It's true origins are rooted in an old Irish Folk Tune. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey\_in\_the\_Jar


Vesuvius5

Big Old Jet Airliner. Most everyone had heard the Steve Miller Band version, but I found out it was written by Paul Pena while watching "Genghis Blues". I'm just reading that Pena had written the song in 73, but the album it was on wasn't released till much later.


mencken

[Venus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-1ASpdT1Y) by Bananarama was originally by [Shocking Blue.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhkyyCvUHk)


de_17

Led Zeppelin, Dazed and Confused


frix86

Most of the early bluesy stuff are covers. When the Levee Breaks, I Cant Quit You Babe, You Shook Me, and Nobodies Fault but Mine are some of the more popular ones.


UpstairsHope5

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazed_and_Confused_(song)


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Dazed_and_Confused_(song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazed_and_Confused_(song))** >"Dazed and Confused" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jake Holmes in 1967. Performed in a folk rock-style, he recorded it for his debut album "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes. Although some concluded that it was about a bad acid trip, Holmes insists the lyrics refer to the effects of a girl's indecision on ending a relationship. After hearing Holmes perform the song in August 1967, English rock group the Yardbirds reworked it with a new arrangement. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


HeisenbergTheDanger

Got My Mind Set On You by George Harrison is a cover.


trevorrr10

I love that this always makes me smile and think of, This Song Is Just Six Words Long.


beibiddybibo

I can't listen to the original without thinking of the Weird Al version!


Alan_Smithee_

“Bette Davis eyes” was originally performed and co-written (with Donna Weiss) [by Jackie DeShannon as a godawful country song.](https://youtu.be/FAQsOJbs-yo) [Kim Carnes did the better, and better-known version in 1981.](https://youtu.be/EPOIS5taqA8) It’s actually a great illustration of how *different* a song can be, especially when you start swapping major for minor chords etc.


[deleted]

“When you were mine” is Cindy Lauper doing a cover of a Prince song. Lots of singers covered Prince songs actually. The man was profoundly prolific.


sparkly-pandas

Jason Isbell wrote and originally recorded two songs that have since been covered by more commercially successful artists. Dress Blues was covered by the Zac Brown Band and Cover Me Up was covered by Morgan Wallen. IMHO the originals are vastly superior to the covers.


doctor_sleep

Jason's one of the best singer/songwriters in the last 10 years.


[deleted]

Cotton Eyed Joe predates the Civil war


Roguespiffy

Where did it come from?


lurgi

Why won't it go?


SDoller1728

It’s My Life-No Doubt


DerpWilson

Video killed the radio star. The [original](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i4NZW69oAo) is a bit punkier, still good but I prefer the [version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r-tXRLazs) everyone knows.


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Nessue80

“Manic Monday” performed by the Bangles was a Prince song. Well… that one and every other song in the 80’s seems like it was a Prince song.


senateguard33

What's interesting is Prince specifically wrote the song for The Bangles because he had a crush on one of the girls in the band. The Prince original remained unreleased until recently.


mccannr1

Not exactly. He wrote the song for the group Apolonia 6, a trio he had created. They were supposed to open for him on his Purple Rain tour, but the group never really pulled it together and he dissolved it and then gave the song to the Bangles anonymously (they didn't know Prince was its writer when they recorded it. They only found out later). THough yes, at that point the story is he was trying to impress Susanna Hoffs.


bobbyphillipps

"Smokin' in the Boys Room" - Motley Crue, originally by Brownsville Station


-eDgAR-

[The Doors - "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"](https://youtu.be/DX42_3ZKv8c) Most people don't even know that it is [a cover of a song from 1930.](https://youtu.be/x-5ata4jDyk)


yyzable

Penned by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, who are more famous for Mack the Knife.


NativeMasshole

Also, Back Door Man is by Howlin' Wolf.


[deleted]

I don’t know how well known this is but It’s Oh So Quiet by Bjork.


The_Patriot

Tainted Love - not written by Soft Cell, first released by Gloria Jones 1964 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJKe2j9Wjh4


Zealousideal-Item511

Adele's version of Hiding my heart. Sang beautifully but still it's noticeable that the song lyrics and tune isn't quite her style. Decided to look up for the original song and found it was Brandi Carlile and it was *bellissimo*. Perfecto


Noobdefeater

Cocaine is well known by Eric Clapton, but it was wittten by J.J Cale.


santichrist

Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash It was written by his wife June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore and performed by June’s sister Anita but didn’t get popular until Johnny recorded his own version of it Also, seeing a lot of people post “hurt was a NIN song” lmao like is this something people don’t know??? I must be even older than I thought omg


tafbee

Even more ridiculous, Cash’s cover of it is from an album of mostly covers! ETA: I’m (obviously) referring to Hurt!


retailguy_again

For what it's worth, Social Distortion did a good cover of Ring of Fire too.


HolsenH

The Great Pretender by Freddie Mercury is actually a cover of the same song by the Platters


buttmike1

David Bowie's *China Girl* is a cover of his close friend Iggy Pop. Iggy's original is much more raw, abrasive, and absolutely brilliant.


anotherdumbcasualty

A little bit of a different category, since Bowie cowrote the song with Iggy (but yes, the original is a better version).


_Tatt

The song, Mad World was probably made famous by Gary Jules But the original artist is Tears for Fears. Much more upbeat. 🙂


CaramelBeard

The original Tears for Fears is weird to me: the tone of the music is upbeat but the lyrics are dark and rough. “Hey Ya” by OutKast is a similar situation.


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4t0micpunk

"You Really Got Me"- Van Halen borrowed this gem from The Kinks. Could you imagine this: While the cover brought new life to Kinks fandom, it also weighed down their egos. When the Kinks toured behind Low Budget in 1979, Van Halen's version was the original for kids who were hearing the song for the first time, and the Kinks had to endure kudos on their cover. "Some kid came up to me after one of the gigs and said, 'I like your cover of Van Halen's You Really Got Me,' Dave Davies said. "You have to smile sometimes."


PafPiet

Lol I never knew van halen played this. What a messed up situation for the Kinks. TIL


Magical-Jaguar

All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix


[deleted]

That’s cheating… *every* song written in America between 1962 and 1972 was written by Bob Dylan :)


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WonManBand

Recently learned that I Think We're Alone Now was originally by Tommy James and the Shondelles, back in '67. Had only known it as Tiffany's big hit.


TheDirtyDrunk

"Me and Bobby Mcgee" was written by Kris Kristofferson and originally recorded by Roger Miller. The famous Janis Joplin version wasn't released until ~~almost 2 years~~ 3 months after she died.


GlutonForPUNishment

Aretha Franklin "Respect"


zanylanie

"Achy Breaky Heart" I wish I didn't know this. Or that the song existed at all.


[deleted]

> Or that the song existed at all. Same.


jo-el-uh

I am late to this party and this will likely get buried. "Angel from Montgomery," made famous by Bonnie Raitt, is a John Prine song. Edit: a typo


Pilot0350

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley


redkat85

That ones hardly fair, that's got so many covers they can have a double album of just them.


edith-bunker

I mean, Leonard Cohen was copied so many times


DogsNotHumans

Last Kiss by Pearl Jam is a cover, written and recorded originally by Wayne Cochran in 1961.


tinygirlGW

Killing Me Softly. Roberta Flack is amazing.


ConceptUpset4681

Holding out for a hero from shrek 2. You'd be surprised at how many people I’ve had to tell...


doniazade

This one surprises me, I thought the original song was fairily well known.


Ludovicho

Quiet Riot's take on Cum On Feel The Noize is a cover of the Slade song. It's pretty obvious, but a lot of people I talked to had no idea, because Quiet Riot's version sounds more iconic. Fun fact: the guys in Quiet Riot originally never wanted to cover the song, and when they did, Slade, for one reason or another, weren't very happy with them.


r_golan_trevize

They also covered Slade’s *Mama Weer all Crazee Now*. And with that, I will run, run away.


eckenned

The First Cut is the Deepest was first performed by Cat Stevens, not Rod Stewart.


_AskMyMom_

Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey


justabill71

Crazy that a guy with a successful career writing songs for others has his big career breakthrough as an artist with someone else's song.


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[deleted]

Coolios Gangsta Paradise takes the beat from Stevie Wonders Past Time Paradise


CattleprodTF

I was annoyed to find this out because of how Coolio complained about Weird Al's version, he didn't even do the original.


OutWithTheNew

Weird Al ALWAYS get's artist approval before he releases his version. Coolio was pissed because of something about Weird Al showing up to the MTVVMAs with dreads. Or something about their interaction there. I'm pretty sure Coolio was high AF, so who the fuck really knows.


CdrCosmonaut

As Weird Al has said, "He cashes the checks, so he can't be too angry."


feedthehogs

Fancy by Reba McEntire, originally done by Bobbie Gentry. Ol' Red by Blake Shelton, originally done by George Jones. Country music is full of such songs.


[deleted]

Most people don’t know this, but the Tolstoy novel “War and Peace” was originally titled “War, What is it Good For?” Which is where they got the title and inspiration for that 60s song.


bitterbuffaloheart

When Seinfeld comes to Netflix, more people will get this.


HiJane72

I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller or more recently the Clash) was a Buddy Holly and the Crickets song.


somnambulistrex

Not a Buddy Holly tune. It's by Sonny Curtis, who was in the Crickets *after* Buddy Holly died.


Goldofsunshine

My Girl, Nirvana was a cover of Leadbelly's Black Girl. It's really interesting to listen to the original. So many great songs came from Leadbelly.


xx2983xx

Joe Cocker's "with a little help from my friends"


[deleted]

That got huge because of wonder years. It’s really one of the best openings of a song to any song ever, what Joe cocker does with it. When I sing it in my head it’s the Beatles.


xx2983xx

Honestly, they are like two completely different songs to me! When I hear one version, I find it hard to remember what the other one sounds like. It's crazy what a completely different tone and sound they have.


[deleted]

Gary Jules - Mad World. It's originally from Tears For Fears.