Agreed, but in many instances the original version can be so minor or obscure, it's not ignorance to not know a cover is a cover, because hardly anyone heard the original.

Pussycat Dolls Don'tcha (or however it's badly spelled) is a cover of a song originally released by US Singer Tori Alamaze, but I'll bet many Americans don't/ didn't know that, let alone from anywhere else. The song bombed in the US charts and was quietly killed, the singer dropped very soon after and the song given to the PCD.

a few good ones have been mentioned. how about don'tcha by the pussycat dolls (don't you with your girlfriend was hot like me)

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

I never knew that!!

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

Because the Night by Patti Smith and Blinded by the Light by Manfred Mann - both Bruce Springsteen songs

Also "Fire" as recorded by The Pointer Sisters.

"The Only Way Is Up" made famous by Yazz was originally recorded by Otis Clay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmlN1feYLgU
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

The version of Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 is a cover - The original was written & performed by Jorge Ben in 1963:

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.

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).

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.

Sugar Minott's hit "Good Thing Going" was originally recorded by Michael Jackson.

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

Madness - One Step Beyond (Prince Buster).

No more I love yous - Annie Lennox.

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.

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)

Yellow Submarine by Pinky & Perky. Apparently it was written by Paul McCartney.

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

it wasnt so long ago that I found out that Akon's Mr Lonely was a cover of a Bobby Vinton original.