Singer-songwriters who popularized a song written by another singer-songwriter:

[Annie-Xmas]

I originally posted this over in the Game Room's "Baker's Dozen" thread, but realized there are about a gazillion more songs that could be added to this list:

1. Bruce Springsteen - "Jersey Girl" by Tom Waits
2. Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "Blinded by the Light" by Bruce Springsteen
3. Pointer Sisters - "Fire" by Bruce Springsteen
4. Nancy Griffith - "From a Distance" by Julie Gold
5. Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton--Islands in the Stream by the Bee Gees
6. Peter, Paul and Mary - "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by John Denver
7. Elvis Costello - "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" by Nick Lowe
8. James Taylor - "You've Got a Friend" by Carole King
9. Jimi Hendrx - "All Along The Watchtower" by some Dylan guy.
10. Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Robert Hazard
11. Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson - "Pancho and Lefty" by Townes Van Zandt
12. Sinead O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince
13. Stevie Ray Vaughn - "All Along The Watchtower" also by that same Dylan guy

For starters:

14. John Denver - Whose Garden Was This? by Tom Paxton
15. John Denver - Forest Lawn by Tom Paxton
16. Jeff Buckley--Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

[gallows fodder]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

1. Bruce Springsteen - "Jersey Girl" by Tom Waits

17. Rod Stewart - "Downtown Train" by Tom Waits

[It's Not Rocket Surgery!]

18. Eric Clapton - "Cocaine" by JJ Cale

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

Feist - "Brandy Alexander" by Ron Sexsmith

[kayaker]

Originally Posted by gallows fodder

17. Rod Stewart - "Downtown Train" by Tom Waits

The Eagles - "Ol' 55 " by Tom Waits

[kayaker]

Originally Posted by kayaker

The Eagles - "Ol' 55 " by Tom Waits

Rod Stewart - "Tom Traubert's Blues"(aka Waltzing Mathilda) by Tom Waits

[Blank Slate]

Springsteen - Because the Night (Patti Smiith)

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

Tom Waits - "Phantom 309" by Red Sovine

[Don Draper]

"Woodstock" - made famous by Crosby, Stills & Nash
"Both Sides Now" - made famous by Judy Collins

- Both songs were written by Joni Mitchell

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

The Monkees - "I'm a Believer" by Neil Diamond

[RealityChuck]

"I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley, popularized by Eric Clapton
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by Robbie Robertson of the Band, turned into a hit by Joan Baez (a terrible version of the song).
"Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochrane -- a big hit for the Who
"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" by Klaatu, popularized by The Carpenters
"Hey Joe," first credited to Billy Roberts (but sometimes listed as "traditional), linked to Jimi Hendrix, though many others have done it.
James Taylor got a big hit from Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," but we could do an entire thread of people who have covered King's songs.

[Made in Macau]

Originally Posted by Blank Slate

Springsteen - Because the Night (Patti Smiith)

Isn't this the wrong way around? I thought Springsteen wrote it and she did some lyrical noodling.
Didn't he write this and Fire for Darkness at the Edge of Town but they didn't fit the tone of the album?

MiM

[Spoke]

Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down (Kris Kristofferson)

Janis Joplin - Me and Bobbie McGee (Kris Kristofferson)

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by Made in Macau

Isn't this the wrong way around? I thought Springsteen wrote it and she did some lyrical noodling.
Didn't he write this and Fire for Darkness at the Edge of Town but they didn't fit the tone of the album?

MiM

Right. Springsteen gave it to Smith.

Judy Collins--Send in the Clowns by Stephen Sondheim

[Equipoise]

"They Don't Know" - Tracey Ullman had a major hit with Kirsty MacColl's song. Tracey took a fairly serious, straightforward song and made it humorous through her wonderful video, but both versions work. Tracy's version of the song appeared on her album You Broke My Heart In 17 Places, which includes the song of the same name, also by Kirsty MacColl.

[Annie-Xmas]

Another twofer: Carly Simon & James Taylor stunning cover of Inez and Charlie Foxx's Mockingbird.

[cochrane]

The Byrds - Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man".
The Bangles - Paul Simon's "Hazy Shade of Winter".

[runner pat]

Peter, Paul and Mary-Leavin' On A Jet Plane by John Denver

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by runner pat

Peter, Paul and Mary-Leavin' On A Jet Plane by John Denver

Pssst.....#6 in the OP.

[runner pat]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Pssst.....#6 in the OP.

(Not cool, blind)

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by runner pat

(Not cool, blind)

In an absolutely horrible segue, Ray Charles (both cool & blind) - Georgia On My Mind by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell.

[MadTheSwine]

Stone Cold Crazy -Metallica by Queen

[Annie-Xmas]

The Indigo Girls did a 2-CD cover of the entire recording of Jesus Christ Superstar.

[Headrush042]

Credence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin Jay Hawkins

[jsc1953]

Aretha Franklin - "Respect" by Otis Redding.

[Spoke]

I think we are losing track of the "singer-songwriter" part of the OP and are just listing all covers now.

[Duke]

Originally Posted by Le Ministre de l'au-delà

Feist - "Brandy Alexander" by Ron Sexsmith

Not to mention Feist - "1, 2, 3, 4" by New Buffalo (aka Sally Seltmann).

[Swallowed My Cellphone]

Never mind. Misread OP.

[Swallowed My Cellphone]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

The Indigo Girls did a 2-CD cover of the entire recording of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Huh-wut? Really? I've never heard of this. Conceptually, it makes my head a little explodey.

We need a head explodey smiley.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Originally Posted by Spoke

I think we are losing track of the "singer-songwriter" part of the OP and are just listing all covers now.

I think that was already lost in the OP. (Manfred Mann's Earth Band?)

[5 time champ]

Originally Posted by RealityChuck

"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" by Klaatu, popularized by The Carpenters

Whoa, you are serous about this, aren't you? Had no idea The Carpenters ever covered that song.

And the 30 second clip here http://www.last.fm/music/Carpenters/...+Greatest+Hits didn't sound bad at all.

[Equipoise]

Originally Posted by 5 time champ

Whoa, you are serous about this, aren't you? Had no idea The Carpenters ever covered that song.

And the 30 second clip here http://www.last.fm/music/Carpenters/...+Greatest+Hits didn't sound bad at all.

Here's the whole wonderful thing, lip synced on some show, with a very silly intro, but it's worth it once the song kicks in. Middle America didn't know what to make of it. It was way ahead of its time.


Edit to add, here's the Klaatu version, for those who haven't heard it.

[Equipoise]

Originally Posted by Equipoise

Here's the whole wonderful thing, lip synced on some show, with a very silly intro, but it's worth it once the song kicks in. Middle America didn't know what to make of it. It was way ahead of its time.

Oh, never mind that one, here's a Star Trek-related fan video that's very cool, very well done. I just found it.

Edit to add, here's a fairly decent re-mix.

Oh god, now I'm on a Carpenters kick. Love 'em!

[The Other Jeffrey Lebowski]

Originally Posted by Biffy the Elephant Shrew

I think that was already lost in the OP. (Manfred Mann's Earth Band?)

And then the response after that : The Pointer Sisters.

[Sam Stone]

Bonnie Raitt covered Angel From Montgomery by John Prine.

Steve Goodman covered a whole bunch of Prine's songs, and vice versa.

Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson all covered each other's music extensively.

Warren Zevon covered Prince's Raspberry Beret

Bob Dylan covered Zevon's "Mutineer"

Bruce Springsteen covered Zevon's "My Ride's Here"

Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt both covered Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me"

Steve Earle covered Zevon's "Reconsider Me"

Don Henley covered Zevon's "Searching for a Heart"

[Simmerdown]

Cheap Trick covered Big Star's "In the Street" ("That 70's Show")

[AppallingGael]

Harry Nilsson--"Everybody's Talkin'" by Fred Neil, and "Without You" by Pete Ham and Tom Evans.

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by Swallowed My Cellphone

Huh-wut? Really? I've never heard of this. Conceptually, it makes my head a little explodey..

Amazon link

[DCnDC]

Steve Miller Band - "Jet Airliner" by Paul Pena
Foghat - "I Just Want to Make Love to You" by Willie Dixon

[banjoDavid]

Originally Posted by Sam Stone

Steve Goodman covered a whole bunch of Prine's songs, and vice versa.

Arlo Guthrie made a hit out of Steve Goodman's City of New Orleans.