I thought all these songs were originals til fairly recently...
My Prerogative - Britney Spears (Bobby Brown cover)
Out From Under - Britney Spears (Joanna Pacitti sung it) Too Lost In You - Sugababes (Patricia Kass cover)
Sound of the Underground - Girls Aloud (was recorded by a girl group called Orchid but unreleased)
Must admit this thread has given me a few shocks, But that is purely because the cover was the version that was a hit or was released in a time i might have heard it
Since The Clash were mentioned, "Armagideon Time" and "Police & Thieves" were both covers of contemporary reggae singles by Willie Williams (Armagideon Time) and Junior Murvin (Police & Thieves).
some of blondie's biggest hits have been covers of songs released earlier in the 50s/60s. the tide is high, hanging on the telephone and denis are all covers as well as a few album tracks. i always assumed they were their own until i watched an interview recently
I always thought their version of The Tide Is High was an original song, but I read somewhere it was actually a cover. I can't remember who sung the actual original.
I always thought their version of The Tide Is High was an original song, but I read somewhere it was actually a cover. I can't remember who sung the actual original.
It's a Jamaican Rock Steady era (slightly pre-reggae) song written by John Holt (who is a very big name in reggae circles) and recorded by The Paragons while he was with them.
Because the Night by Patti Smith and Blinded by the Light by Manfred Mann - both Bruce Springsteen songs
Not sure Because The Night qualifies as a cover version. Sure, it was (co)-written by Springsteen, but never released by him, or performed anywhere by him (except perhaps a recording studio, when he presumably decided he didn't like it for whatever reason).
If the definition of what counts as a cover version is expanded to include songs written by artists other than an artist who had a hit with it, well, the list is endless.
Steps - Last Thing On My Mind was originally a Bananarama song that got to number 71 but was obviously a bigger hit for Steps. Both versions were produced by Pete Waterman (with Mike Stock also involved with the Bananarama original).
some of blondie's biggest hits have been covers of songs released earlier in the 50s/60s. the tide is high, hanging on the telephone and denis are all covers as well as a few album tracks. i always assumed they were their own until i watched an interview recently
I knew about Denis and The Tide Is High, but I didn't realise that Hanging On The Telephone was a cover version. Good spot.
lets face it, when we hear a track and it becomes a hit we assume its the original. in fact most tracks cited on this thread are because the cover was a big hit and the original was a minor hit or 'miss'.
so 'our mistake' is often down to our ignorance (which is understandable). who would have thought the clash 'i fought the law' was a cover of a 1966 original by the bobby fuller four?
a great many big hits were covers, there are many surprises in store.
I knew at the time that it was a cover, because I already knew the song. Didn't know who it was by though.
I knew at the time that it was a cover, because I already knew the song. Didn't know who it was by though.
Some people believe the Clash version of "I Fought The Law" was an original, but many Clash fans were aware that it was a cover, with many erroneously believing (including until very recently myself) that the original was the version by the Bobby Fuller Four, which was an American Top Ten hit single in 1966.
The actual original version was a track on a 1960 album by the Crickets.
Not sure Because The Night qualifies as a cover version. Sure, it was (co)-written by Springsteen, but never released by him, or performed anywhere by him (except perhaps a recording studio, when he presumably decided he didn't like it for whatever reason).
If the definition of what counts as a cover version is expanded to include songs written by artists other than an artist who had a hit with it, well, the list is endless.
I was going to question that. Wiki says he did perform an original form of it at concerts occasionally, but I'd be hesitant to consider Patti's version a cover.
happy mondays - step on (john kongos)
sugababes - freak like me (adina howard)
mary j bilge - im going down (rose royce)
beyonce - if i were a boy (bc jean)
aswad - don't turn around (tina turner)
tina & ike turner - proud mary (creedence clearwater revival)
ub40 - red red wine (neil diamond)
cyndi lauper - girls just wanna have fun (robert hazard)
frank sinatra - new york, new york (liza minnelli)
elvis presley - hound dog (willie mae thornton)
Hmm, is it still considered a cover rather than a sample (of the melody, music...pretty much everything but the lyrics!) when the lyrics aren't the same? I've just listened to the French original and, from what I can tell, those lyrics don't translate to what the Sugababes sang.
Not sure Because The Night qualifies as a cover version. Sure, it was (co)-written by Springsteen, but never released by him, or performed anywhere by him (except perhaps a recording studio, when he presumably decided he didn't like it for whatever reason).
If Bruce never released or performed it then what's it doing on the Live: 1975-1985 boxset, or The Promise, and how come I've heard him play it live in concert multiple times then??
Comments
or hey joe by jimi hendrix
or i love rock n roll by joan jett
or house of the rising sun by the animals
or i think were alone now by tiffany
or i will always love you by whitney
or greatest love of all by whitney
all cover versions
Composer Gorge Jackson also cut it later himself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-qj2QdfVko
"What" by Soft Cell is another cover of a record that was big on the Northern Soul scene (original by Judy Street):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qMHJb2Q4hc
Since The Clash were mentioned, "Armagideon Time" and "Police & Thieves" were both covers of contemporary reggae singles by Willie Williams (Armagideon Time) and Junior Murvin (Police & Thieves).
Beats International's "Dub Be Good To Me" is Norman Cook's re-working of "Just Be Good To Me" by The S.O.S. Band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khj9jyNvhpQ
The Specials' "A Message to You, Rudy" is a cover of Dandy Livingstone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb8jkjlP89M
and of course Madness' "One Step Beyond" is a Prince Buster cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BaMA06WRaw
Billy Idol's "To Be A Lover" is a cover of
William Bell's "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAv_P2Z-5LU
probably influenced by the George Faith version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzYVfzUNGec
Alison Moyet's "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" is a cover of Floy Joy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhT5vTN7mT0
Simply Red covered "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" by The Valentine Brothers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI8DKhx7FhA
Shaggy's "O Carolina" is a reworking of The Folkes Brothers' original from 1959:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxhkE6Qj7NA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCM_VWzSiMo
I always thought their version of The Tide Is High was an original song, but I read somewhere it was actually a cover. I can't remember who sung the actual original.
Yeah I read it on a thread on here before. I just looked it up on the ever reliable Wikipedia and it says this:
It's a Jamaican Rock Steady era (slightly pre-reggae) song written by John Holt (who is a very big name in reggae circles) and recorded by The Paragons while he was with them.
If the definition of what counts as a cover version is expanded to include songs written by artists other than an artist who had a hit with it, well, the list is endless.
I knew at the time that it was a cover, because I already knew the song. Didn't know who it was by though.
Some people believe the Clash version of "I Fought The Law" was an original, but many Clash fans were aware that it was a cover, with many erroneously believing (including until very recently myself) that the original was the version by the Bobby Fuller Four, which was an American Top Ten hit single in 1966.
The actual original version was a track on a 1960 album by the Crickets.
The song Rockin' Robin ' ( covered by Michael Jackson ) was a number two hit in in 1958 in The US recorded by Bobby Day
Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
Marilyn Manson's version of Tainted Love is clearly a cover of a cover based on the Soft Cell version rather than the Gloria Jones original.
I was going to question that. Wiki says he did perform an original form of it at concerts occasionally, but I'd be hesitant to consider Patti's version a cover.
sugababes - freak like me (adina howard)
mary j bilge - im going down (rose royce)
beyonce - if i were a boy (bc jean)
aswad - don't turn around (tina turner)
tina & ike turner - proud mary (creedence clearwater revival)
ub40 - red red wine (neil diamond)
cyndi lauper - girls just wanna have fun (robert hazard)
frank sinatra - new york, new york (liza minnelli)
elvis presley - hound dog (willie mae thornton)
Hmm, is it still considered a cover rather than a sample (of the melody, music...pretty much everything but the lyrics!) when the lyrics aren't the same? I've just listened to the French original
and, from what I can tell, those lyrics don't translate to what the Sugababes sang.
I'm like you in that I only found out recently that Ednaswap did the original and when I heard it, I thought it was so much better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1SH1YdITDI
If Bruce never released or performed it then what's it doing on the Live: 1975-1985 boxset, or The Promise, and how come I've heard him play it live in concert multiple times then??