# Songs that would have been as big a hit if sung by someone else **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 28, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906 "2022-10-28T02:28:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/1 "2022-10-28T02:28:42Z")
Have you ever listened to a song and thought, “This would have been great if (fill in the blank) had sung it!”? This thought came to me on the way to work today while I was listening to Elton John belting out “I’m Still Standing”- “You know, this would have worked if Billy Joel had sung it instead”. What about you? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/2 "2022-10-28T02:40:21Z")
Billy Joel is awesome. Just wanted to say that while I ponder the question. Brb. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/3 "2022-10-28T03:05:24Z")
Just looking for clarity - are we looking for songs that we think would be / would have been bigger hits if covered by another artist? Or songs that are B sides or album fillers that we think would have been hits if sung by someone else. Or just ‘as big as’ a hit as the title says? Or just songs that we’d love to hear a cover of by another artist? And I’ll add to the Billy Joel love, he is problematic at times as an individual, but I do love his music. I’d love to see some covers of his earlier work especially by Gabe Dixon band, which tbh has lovely music, but always feels it should have a version of the big Explicit Sticker saying “Band inspired by Billy Joel.” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/4 "2022-10-28T03:21:02Z")
Big hits that might have been just as big, if not bigger, with another singer. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/5 "2022-10-28T04:37:29Z")
Every Bob Dylan song ever. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/6 "2022-10-28T04:49:49Z")
Which singer? Which song? This isn’t a “Name singers you don’t like” thread, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/7 "2022-10-28T05:01:16Z")
I genuinely always feel guilty having these impure thoughts, but I think there’s a good sized chunk of the Led Zeppelin library that would be improved had Roger Daltrey been the singer. And, to be clear, I don’t mean The Who, I mean Roger fronting Led Zeppelin instead of Robert Plant. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/8 "2022-10-28T05:06:10Z")
Well, ignoring the [hundreds of examples](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_artists_who_have_covered_Bob_Dylan_songs?wprov=sfti1) from actual history. I think Roy Orbison should have dipped into the Dylan catalog in the late 60s and plucked out some ballads like “Just Like a Woman”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/9 "2022-10-28T05:17:30Z")
Excluding covers of songs that were already hits, can you think of a hit song that would have been better if someone else had sung it _instead_? We already have multiple threads about cover songs, and I really don’t want to go down that road. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/10 "2022-10-28T15:10:28Z")
I’ve always thought Neil Sedaka’s “The Immigrant” was something of an odd choice for Neil; it’s a politically barbed socially relevant song, sung as a sweet gentle ballad by a singer otherwise known for singing about how breaking up is hard to do. Neil _Young_ should take it and do the ordinary Neil-Youngish things to it and perhaps bring a lot more attention to the song and its powerful lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/11 "2022-10-28T15:14:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Excluding covers of songs that were already hits, can you think of a hit song that would have been better if someone else had sung it _instead_? This is why I had to ask - because if it’s covers, it’s an easy question. For alternate original singers, it’s a bit more difficult. For me, I’m a huge John Denver fan (sue me!), and I have nothing against his voice, but sometimes he’s just too damn nice. Some of his songs I think would have been more interesting if sung by a powerful female vocalist, something ‘Eagle and Hawk’ sung by a young Stevie Nicks as an example. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/12 "2022-10-28T15:19:22Z")
REM’s _End of the World We Know It_ sung by James Brown. That’s great HYAHHH, it starts with an earthquake GOOD GOD! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/13 "2022-10-28T15:22:09Z")
I suspect that there’s a lot of overlap between Billy Joel and Elton John in terms of what songs would have been successful for either of them. A lot of it is because they’re somewhat similar in terms of their era and style, and they’re both very talented. I mean, an Elton John “Piano Man” could have been spectacular, just like a Billy Joel “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” could have been great as well. I suspect pretty much any of Katy Perry’s popular songs could have been done by Lady Gaga equally as successfully for much the same reasons, and to some degree, vice-versa. (not all of Lady Gaga’s songs would work for Katy Perry, but ones like “Just Dance” could). Same for a bunch of those 1970s country rock bands like Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd and 38 Special. I sort of think their songs could have been more or less interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/14 "2022-10-28T15:56:27Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I’m a huge John Denver fan (sue me!), and I have nothing against his voice, but sometimes he’s just too damn nice. I heard some comedian (back when John Denver was on the radio all the time). He did a bit with his guitar titled “If John had to live in the real world.” And I still remember his version of _Annie’s Song_ (“You fill up my senses / like a night in the forest…”) > _You rendered me senseless…_ > _in a fight in a warehouse…_ ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/15 "2022-10-28T15:57:03Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Every Bob Dylan song ever. Same for every Rush song, except the instrumentals. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/16 "2022-10-28T17:26:13Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Same for every Rush song, except the instrumentals. I’ll agree with that one. I’ve stated many, many times that I think they’re all great musicians, but Geddy’s voice irritates me to the point that I don’t listen to any of their music and the band as a whole is in my ‘don’t like’ category. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/17 "2022-10-28T19:53:34Z")
“Jeremy” could have been a bigger hit if it was sung (and actually enunciated) by Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) instead of Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/18 "2022-10-28T19:57:48Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > That’s great HYAHHH, it starts with an earthquake GOOD GOD! Are you thinking of Edwin Starr? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/19 "2022-10-29T00:31:49Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I mean, an Elton John “Piano Man” could have been spectacular, just like a Billy Joel “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” could have been great as well. A Billy Joel version of “Empty Garden” would have been interesting. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/20 "2022-10-29T00:56:24Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Same for every Rush song, except the instrumentals. It’s the 21st century, fer Og’s sake! Why can’t I buy a Rush album and pick my vocalist? . (Actually, I did that over fifty years ago and got a Bob Dylan album with Roger McGuinn’s voice and 12-string Rickenbacker, and the rest is history…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906.md?page=2)