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- Rod Stewart, "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1976) Cat Stevens wrote "The First Cut Is the Deepest" prior to the start of his recording career, and sold it to soul singer P.P.
- Black Sabbath, "Evil Woman" (1970) Black Sabbath's first single was a cover of "Evil Woman," which was a Top 20 hit the year before for the band Crow. The song didn't chart anywhere and was left off the U.S. version of Sabbath's self-titled debut album.
- Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Piece of My Heart" (1968) Aretha Franklin's sister Erma recorded "Piece of My Heart" for co-writer Bert Berns' Shout label in 1967.
- Rick Springfield, "I've Done Everything for You" (1981) 'Working Class Dog' established the Australian-born Rick Springfield in the U.S. as a rarity: an actor who could sing and also had credible songwriting chops, as evidenced by the smash hit "Jessie's Girl."
- "Superstar" by Sonic Youth (best-known version by The Carpenters) Karen and Richard Carpenter's monster hit was written by rock legend Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett (of 1960s rock/soul duo Delaney & Bonnie) for Rita Coolidge.
- "Landslide" by Miley Cyrus (original by Fleetwood Mac) Only Miley Cyrus' sensuously husky voice could improve on the popular Stevie Nicks original. Cyrus has said that song has deep emotional resonance for her, and she does it justice without attempting to bend it to her will—a testament to her confidence and genuine talent.
- "Police on My Back" by The Clash (original by The Equals) Well, I'm a-runnin' Police on my back. I've been hidin' There was a shootin'
- "Rusty Cage" by Johnny Cash (original by Soundgarden) In the latter years of his illustrious life, The Man in Black did many reinterpretations of contemporary artists, a bold move courtesy of famed producer Rick Rubin.
- Music Editor
- “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” © Portrait. Before Cyndi Lauper dropped this anthem for all women, new wave musician Robert Hazard, a hot name in the Philadelphia club scene during the ’80s, recorded the song’s demo.
- “Blinded By the Light” © Bronze/Warner Bros. 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.
- “Red Red Wine” © DEP/A&M/Virgin. UB40’s reggae-flavored rendition of “Red Red Wine” might be our go-to track for vino indulgence, but the song first appeared on Neil Diamond’s sophomore record, Just For You, and it was far more somber.
- “I Want Candy” © RCA. Bow Wow Wow had children screaming for sugary treats in the ’80s, and Aaron Carter kept the chant going in 2000, but the Bo Diddley beat-track first saw success when The Strangeloves released it in 1965, reaching no. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
- Johnny Cash, “Hurt” (Nine Inch Nails) Country icon Johnny Cash released his final album, the covers-heavy American IV: The Man Comes Around, in November 2002.
- Jimi Hendrix, “All Along The Watchtower” (Bob Dylan) Released just six months after Bob Dylan’s original from the 1967 John Wesley Harding sessions, Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “All Along The Watchtower” has since become the definitive version of this song—the one that all the little kids want to learn when they first pick up their Squier starter packs.
- Sinead O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince) Back in early 1990, when MTV was king and hair metal was, um, queen, a buzz-cut sporting Irish folk singer redefined his Purple Highness with a stripped-down cover and video to match.
- Jeff Buckley, “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen) It took three degrees of separation before Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s original composition “Hallelujah” reached Jeff Buckley.
May 24, 2023 · But you can really go down the rabbit hole with this stuff—not only will you learn that the following songs are covers, but you’ll sometimes discover that the “original” was a cover itself ...
Nov 24, 2020 · When both elements combine, you get a definitive classic that becomes a part of pop culture for ever more. Here, then, are 20 songs you didn’t know were covers, but which have relegated the originals to footnotes music’s history books.
People also ask
What are some acclaimed songs that you didn't know were covers?
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Do cover songs always outdo the source material?
May 7, 2024 · Whether it's old songs covered by new bands or recent hits revamped by contemporary artists, people often show loyalty to original versions. The songs below, however, are an exception. Some of the best cover songs on this list are so universal that most people think that they aren’t covers at all.
