Songs that some folk don't realise are covers

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Oooooh our favourite band/singer/artiste just released this amazing song right! It's well good n stuff and so original sounding!

Sorry, it's a cover.

For example, that song "Heartbeats" that Jose Gonzales sang while the coloured balls bounced around for the Sony Bravia advert...Remember?

Yeah, that one. It's a cover of the original by The Knife.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpTnREBxOIk

Got any others?

[MalaCloudy Black]

A large portion of Johnny Cash's discography.

[METALMAN]

I lost count of the number of times I heard "huge Jeff Buckley fans" saying that Alexandra Burke covered "Jeff Buckley's hallelujah". In fact, you might remember the get Jeff Buckley to number one facebook group which seemed to be of the opinion that was the case until someone pointed out otherwise. They were pretentious idiots anyway.

When I was younger I thought Jimi Hendrix was the writer of "All Along The Watchtower" for some time.

"You Raise Me Up". It wasn't Westlife OR Josh Groban. grrrr!

Burning Down The House. Talking Heads, not Tom Jones. Although I actually quite like the Tom Jones version too.

Birdland was originally by Weather Report. Not those rubbish people that added lyrics.

Edited February 13, 2009 by metalman

[gunnar hendershow]

Instead of adding anything, I'll just throw in this link that lists a lot of songs (albeit a bit disorganized) which were covered and in turn made more famous.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...10184601AAowzwX

It's so interesting to see the number of songs written by someone else and then made famous by a different artists. A lot of the early rock n roll hits fall into that category.

[IAceI]

Yeah the Hallelujah ones a right pain for me, most people who were gushing over it when it was on X-Factor won't even have heard Leonard Cohen's version - or even heard of him which is sad.

[King Ellis]

Wonderwall. Ryan Adams? Oasis? Nah. Mike Flowers.

[Lord Nibbler]

The Beach Boys' Barbara Ann

Bjork's Oh So Quiet

Natalie Imbruglia's

Joan Jett's

Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (originally by Robert Hazard)

And countless Elvis songs.

Edited February 14, 2009 by Lord Nibbler

[EWFan]

The Clash's "I Fought the Law"

Pearl Jam's "Last Kiss"

Apparently Alien Ant Farms "Smooth Criminal"

The Offspring "I wanna be Sedated"

Shame...

[METALMAN]

Wonderwall. Ryan Adams? Oasis? Nah. Mike Flowers.

I love Ryan Adams so much that I burst into tears at the mere mention of his name.

[Benji]

Wonderwall. Ryan Adams? Oasis? Nah. Mike Flowers.

Wonderwall is originally Oasis though, Flowers covered it a couple of months after release

[Liam]

Tainted Love being a song by some woman back in the Northern Soul days rather than being a Soft Cell original is one obvious one, I guess.

[Skummy]

Gloria Jones. She also did a fantastic version with Marc Bolan in '76.

A lot of people think "Jersey Girl" is a Bruce Springsteen original, when it's a Tom Waits cover.

"Red Red Wine" gets attributed to UB40 more often than it should, it's a Neil Diamond song. Oh, also "Kingston Town" was originally by Lord Creator, one of the only reggae artists worth listening to.

"Heartbeats" is another big one for me, as I'm as massive fanwhore for The Knife.

Otis Redding recorded "Respect" before Aretha Franklin did, and it was a much more powerful soul song and not a warbling ode for obnoxious female karaoke singers to murder for decades to come.

I probably have many more, but those are some of the obvious ones.

Edited February 14, 2009 by Skakskaw Skum Skuggan

[Matt]

I've met people that didn't realise RATM's Renegades is a full cover album.

[nufan]

the one that gets me the most is the Song Violins

everyone has heard the yellowcard version which is good but no one knows it was a Lagwagon original

oh and one the other way around i know a few people that thought Fairytale of Newyork was a No use original, but it is infact by the pogues

[Blue Rosler]

Will Young's Evergreen.

Also, not a cover, but Shayne Ward's Thats My Goal was intended to be for Westlife as the theme song to the Special Olympics - but they refused it as it'd be far too cheesy.

[Vendetta]

Guns Knockin On Heaven's Door is a an obvious but I really think it is better than Dylan's. The guitar solo is what really sets it off for me.

[King Ellis]

Wonderwall. Ryan Adams? Oasis? Nah. Mike Flowers.

Wonderwall is originally Oasis though, Flowers covered it a couple of months after release

Oh Benji, poor vou.

[YI]

Also, not a cover, but Shayne Ward's Thats My Goal was intended to be for Westlife as the theme song to the Special Olympics - but they refused it as it'd be far too cheesy.

Man, that video would be amazing, they could have a bunch of 'wheelchair people' doing the "Boyband get off their seats for the final chorus" and have a giant sing-along...fuck, I want this. No, I NEED this.

[Stunner]

Rocking All Over The World, most famously by Status Quo, was originally by John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival.

I always thought it was common knowledge, but just in case, The Beatles weren't the first to perform Twist & Shout, but both The Top Notes and The Isley Brothers had had hits with the song before the Fab Four ever did.

[METALMAN]

Excellent shout for "Respect" back there.

Pretty much every X-Factor winner's song ever. Steve Brookstein was not the original performer of "Against All Odds". He just sang the definitive version. >_>