Have you ever been told that one of your favorite songs is not actually an original? If not, you are about to. If you have faced this situation, then you know that feeling of shock and disbelief that comes with it. There is also the need to learn more about the original song and what it sounds like. Here are twelve famous songs that are actually cover songs.
1. You Don’t Own Me by Leslie Gore
This list will start off with a song that became popular in 2015. It was recorded and released a month after Gore’s death by Grace and G-Eazy. The song is closely tied with the film Suicide Squad and many people thought it was written specifically for the film. This song, however, was originally released decades before the film. The original singer, Leslie Gore, released the song in 1963 on her album Leslie Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts. The album followed one titled I’ll Cry If I Want To. If you have ever heard Melanie Martinez’s song Pity Party, you might recognize some of the lyrics since the song is based on Leslie Gore’s and even features the same chorus.
Fun Fact: You Don’t Own Me by Leslie Gore was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame on November 27, 2016.
2. Killing Me Softly by Lori Lieberman
If you thought that The Fugees originally wrote and released the song Killing Me Softly, there is no need to worry because most people do. The Fugees covered the song and released it on their 1996 album The Score. The song dates back to 1972 and has been covered by many different artists throughout the years. Lori Lieberman released in 1972, Perry Como released a version in 1973, and Roberta Flack topped charts with it in 1973 as well.
Fun Fact: Perry Como is frequently mistaken for Frank Sinatra when it comes to this song.
3. Year 3000 by Busted
Who didn’t know the Jonas Brothers in the early 2000s? Actually, who doesn’t know the Jonas Brothers now? Most people are familiar with them unless they have been living under a rock for the past 20 years. What most people do not know, however, is that the popular song, Year 3000, isn’t actually their song. It was written and released by the British pop-punk band, Busted. It was released on their self-titled debut studio album in 2002.
Fun Fact: Busted and the Jonas Brothers shared the stage in June of 2019 at Capital One’s Summertime Ball to perform Year 3000 at Wembley Stadium.
4. I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton
When people think Whitney Houston, they most commonly attach her to the song I Will Always Love You but did you know she actually covered it? That is right, the song was originally released by country singer Dolly Parton. It was released on her iconic album Jolene in 1974. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart twice. Whitney Houston released her version of the song in 1992 for the film The Bodyguard. It spent 14 record-breaking weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Houston’s version holds the record for being the best-selling single made by a woman in music history.
Fun Fact: After her death in 2012, Whitney Houston’s version re-entered the charts and it became the second single to ever reach the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 on different chart runs.
5. Twist and Shout by The Top Notes
The Beatles covered a song? Yes. Even the Beatles are on the list. Twist and Shout was written by the Top Notes in 1961 and reworked by the Isely Brothers in 1962 which went on to be a hit on the charts. It was released as a single by the Beatles in 1964 and was on their first UK album Please Please Me. It was their only song that sold millions that was a cover.
Fun Fact: The Vamps covered this song in 2014 for one of their EPs.
6. I Love Rock ‘N Roll by The Arrows
Another rock ‘n’ roll icon to make the list of famous cover songs. Joan Jett covered a song by the Arrows and went on to reach records with the single. I Love Rock ‘N Roll was recorded by the Arrow in 1975. Joan Jett watched the Arrows perform the song on their t.v. show, Arrows, while touring England with the Runaways. Jett recorded two versions of the song. The first version was recorded with two members of the Sex Pistols, Steve Jones and Paul Cook. It was released on vinyl 1979 as a B-side. She recorded it again with her band, the Blackearts, and it was number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.
Fun Fact: Joan Jett’s version of I Love Rock ‘N Roll was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.
7. Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Robert Hazard
It was a hit in the 80s after being covered by Cyndi Lauper. Girls Just Want to Have Fun was originally written and recorded by Robert Hazard in 1979. Cyndi Lauper released her version of the song in 1983 on her debut studio album She’s So Unusual. The song won Lauper awards, had a Grammy-winning music video, and was number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is recognized today as a feminist anthem.
Fun Fact: This song has been covered by over 30 different artists.
8. Red Red Wine by Neil Diamond
If you listen to 10 seconds of Red Red Wine by Neil Diamond, you might not even recognize it as the same song UB40 covered. While UB40 took a reggae twist on it, Neil Diamond originally performed it as a slower ballad in 1967. UB40 released their version in 1983 for their album of cover songs, Labour of Love, and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. Mambo No. 5 by Dámaso Pérez Prado
This song was originally composed and recorded by a Cuban artist named Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949 and released in 1950. It became famous all around the world when Lou Bega released it on his debut album, A Little Bit of Mambo in 1999. It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was Bega’s only top 40 hit in the US.
Fun Fact: There was a seven year copyright trial between Prado’s estate and Bega’s producers. In the end, Bega’s song was declared a new song and was listed as co-written by Prado and Bega.
10. Dazed and Confused by Jake Holmes
Jake Holmes wrote and recorded Dazed and Confused for his debut album, The Above Ground Sound, which was released in 1967. It was originally performed in a folk-rock style. It was then reworked by a group called the Yardbirds and was released on Yardbirds ‘68. It was produced by Jimmy Page who then went on to form Led Zeppelin. The group then adapted the song even more and released it on their self-titled debut album in 1969. It has been one of their signature songs ever since.
Fun Fact: Led Zeppelin recorded the song in two takes.
11. If I Were A Boy by BC Jean
Yes you read that correctly. Beyonce’s If I Were A Boy is not actually her original song. It was originally written by BC Jean and Toby Gad. Jean’s record company rejected the song. Beyonce liked it and recorded a version of it to release on her third studio album I Am…Sasha Fierce, in 2008. Originally, Jean was not happy about Beyone releasing a cover of the song due to the fact that it was so personal to her. Hey eventually came to an agreement about the situation.
Fun Fact: Jean is said to have written the lyrics and the melody in 15 minutes. It took her less than half an hour to record the song while Gad played the guitar.
12. Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton
The King himself has made his way onto the list of successful cover songs. Hound Dog was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for an artist named Big Mama Thornton in 1952. It was released in 1953 as a blues song. Hound Dog was Big Mama Thornton’s only hit record. In 1956, Elvis recorded and released his version of the song. Elvis’s version has been ranked number 19 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is considered an “emblem of the rock ‘n’ roll revolution” and it is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Fun Fact: The song has been recorded over 250 times.
