# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/21 "2022-10-29T06:44:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > 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. Not sure if you know this, but Roger Daltrey did cover _Kashmir_ (with the help of Ann Wilson) on the British Rock Symphony tour, and it sounds pretty damn good. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/k7owf78-BYA/hqdefault.jpg "Roger Daltrey & Ann Wilson - Kashmir") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7owf78-BYA) ---
**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 29, 2022, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/22 "2022-10-29T11:01:36Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > Are you thinking of Edwin Starr? Have you never heard James Brown? ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/23 "2022-10-29T13:11:32Z")
You misspelled “Neil Young.” ---
**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 29, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/24 "2022-10-29T14:29:25Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > > [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > > > Are you thinking of Edwin Starr? > > Have you never heard James Brown? Have you never heard the song War, I know that’s what I was thinking when I read your post. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/01-2pNCZiNk/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGUgYyhTMA8=&rs=AOn4CLA4sNBsbBN42N29ETtjA6uMJxzsXg "Edwin Starr - War (Original Video - 1969)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-2pNCZiNk) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/25 "2022-10-29T14:44:29Z")
Every song was better with Roy singing it. His biggest hits weren’t great songs, his voice made them great. ---
**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 29, 2022, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/26 "2022-10-29T18:51:55Z")
Yes I have, but I wasn’t obligated to say Starr instead of Brown. smh ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/27 "2022-10-30T15:22:08Z")
{tangent} > [@ParallelLines](#): > > 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.” Another Gabe Dixon fan!?! 😃 There are definitely clear early Billy Joel (e.g., “And The World Turned” could so easily have been on _Cold Spring Harbor_) **and** early Elton John influences, but I think any decent piano-based pop/rock would be able to say the same. Tell me you also like Cowboy Mouth and we shall be BFFs… {\tangent} ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/28 "2022-10-30T15:48:23Z")
I don’t think it’s quite what the OP had in mind, but first song I thought of was Sammy Hagar’s _“I’ve Done Everything For You”_ His single didn’t chart in the US, but Rick Springfield’s version made it to #8. Sammy used to whine about how unfair it was to have a soap opera guy get recognized for a song _he_ wrote. There are clips of them doing the song together, so I guess he’s cool with it now. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/29 "2022-10-30T16:01:45Z")
Saw a cover band play at a local small town festival about 10 years ago. The youngish (16?) lead singer for the band had a very operatic voice that didn’t work with many of the songs they did. But they performed 2 songs I thought his voice was perfect, Immigrant Song from the mighty Led Zeppelin and Renegade from Styx. His voice complimented the music and really made the songs flow. The guitarist for that band played at a travel trailer rally last summer and I had a chance to talk to him. He said the kid did have a great voice but got involved in drugs. Ended up killing himself at 19. ---
**Author:** ![Biph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Biph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biph)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2024, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/30 "2024-07-21T08:59:43Z")
I would rather hang myself with a barbedwire fence than ever hear Daltry attempt to sing on the level of Plant. It’s not possible ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906/31 "2024-12-20T15:08:44Z")
I can’t believe I’ve never heard that, and I’m a fan of all of them. Thanks! I’ll think of one later when I start listening to music [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-would-have-been-as-big-a-hit-if-sung-by-someone-else/973906.md?page=1)