Two or more bands record the same song, often because they wrote it together. One is not explicitly a cover, but has some linkage.
“Our Lips are Sealed” - the Go-Go’s (1981) and Fun Boy Three (1983) - two members wrote it together as a result of their brief fling.
“China Girl” - Iggy Pop (1977) and David Bowie (1983) - wrote together
“All the Young Dudes” - Mott the Hoople (1972) and David Bowie (1974 live) - Bowie wrote it for them then decided to use it too. They passed on Suffragette City for some reason.
Jeff Beck and Stevie Wonder worked together on the song Superstition. Wonder’s version was released in 1972 and Beck’s version the following year in 1973. Interestingly, Beck’s version was going to be released first but his album was delayed and it was also believed Wonder’s version would be a big hit.
Not a song, but this thread reminds me of the poem(s) Ozymandias. The more famous version is written by Percy Bysshe Shelley but a lesser-known version was written at the same time by his friend Horace Smith. Both poems discuss the same topic and theme.
Yeah there are some movie examples too (depending how flexible on plot) like two space objects crashing into earth (1998), two CG insect movies (1998), two movies mostly on planes and a female lead being menaced in some fashion (2005).
“The Other End (Of the Telescope)” was co-written by Elvis Costello and Aimee Mann, and was recorded both by Elvis Costello & the Attractions and by Til Tuesday (Mann’s band).
Billie Jo Spears, Margie Singleton and Jeannie C. Riley all recorded versions of “Harper Valley PTA” around the same time in 1968. (Riley’s version is the one that became famous.)
“I Wanna Be Your Man”, written by Lennon/McCartney “for the Rolling Stones”, was released by the Stones on November 1, 1963 and then the Beatles on November 22, 1963.
“Queen of Hearts” was recorded by Dave Edmunds in 1979, and then by Rodney Crowell (who didn’t release it as a single) in 1980 and Juice Newton in 1981. Edmunds’ version was a hit in the UK and Ireland, but didn’t chart in the U.S.; Newton’s version was a hit in the U.S.
I don’t believe that there was any direct connection between Edmunds, Crowell, or Newton, and none of them wrote the song (it was written by Hank DeVito, who picked Edmunds to be the first artist to record it).
The Leaves, the Standells, the Surfaris, Love, the Music Machine, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and the Byrds all recorded “Hey Joe” in the span of one year (1965-1966). And, still, no one is quite sure who wrote it.
Elton John’s Your Song was first released by Three Dog Night on their third studio album It Ain’t Easy in March 1970. John was an opening act for them and allowed them to release it first. They did not release it as a single, as they wanted John, then an up-and-coming artist, to have a chance to chart with his own version.
Louie Louie has to be up there. Originally written by Richard Berry in the 50’s it was recorded many times over the years. The two (probably) most famous versions were recorded in April, 1963, in the same studio. Paul Revere and the Raiders were more popular at first but then overtaken by the juggernaut that was the version by The Kingsman.
How about recorded close together, but not released for a long time?
Bruce Springsteen recorded Don’t Look Back in 1977. After meeting The Knack in 1978, he gave the song to them. The Knack recorded their version with a few altered lyrics in 1979.
Springsteen’s management asked The Knack to leave it off their debut album so Bruce could release his version first, which didn’t happen.
Eventually, Springsteen’s version showed up in 1998 in the Tracks box set. The Knack’s version appeared as a bonus track on the 2002 reissue of Get The Knack
If I’m not mistaken it used to be rather common for songs to be released by multiple artists at the same time. Especially in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s and part of the 70’s.
I think that’s why many artists make more money from publishing rights than they do their records. That money is mostly from cover recordings; not sheet music.
The Beatles released “Hey Jude” in August of ‘68. In November, Wilson Pickett released imho a far superior rendition, thanks in no small part to Duane Allman’s blistering guitar work with the Muscle Shoals studio band.
From Wiki: “In 1968, R&B singer Wilson Pickett released a cover recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, with a guitar part played by a young Duane Allman, who recommended the song to Pickett.[182]Eric Clapton commented, “I remember hearing [it] and calling either Ahmet Ertegun or Tom Dowd and saying, ‘Who’s that guitar player?’ … To this day, I’ve never heard better rock guitar playing on an R&B record. It’s the best.”[183] Session musician Jimmy Johnson, who played on the recording, said that Allman’s solo “created Southern rock”.[184]
Carole King and James Taylor both recorded “You’ve Got a Friend” at essentially the same time – they were both working on albums in early 1971, and King wrote the song after being inspired by a line in Taylor’s earlier song “Fire and Rain.” King and Taylor used most (if not all) of the same backup artists on their recordings, and Taylor sung backup on King’s version.
Taylor released the song as a single, and it was a #1 hit for him; while it was on King’s hit album Tapestry, she did not release it as a single.
A lot of the postings appear to actually be (disqualified) mere covers.
Video Killed The Radio Star was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley. Woolley released a version under his own name, but the song received little attention. Horn and Downes, as The Buggles, did a lot better.