Many may think “Without You” as done by Mariah Carey was a cover of Nilsson, but Nilsson was covering Badfinger.
Have you heard the Van Morrison version? That was the first version I knew. I didn’t find out that it was a cover of Kermit until much later.
Second this; I just learned that recently, after doing a cover gig of the album Nilsson Schmilsson. Mainly because he seems like the sort of guy who would be the original writer of other people’s hits, I never thought to look that carefully to see whether or not he had written it.
I never bothered to read the liner notes… Back when the Toys in The Attic album was released I just assumed it was an Aerosmith original but it had already been a big hit on the R&B charts for Bull Moose Jackson back in 1952.
Aerosmith version: Aerosmith - Big Ten Inch Record - YouTube
Bull Moose Jackson version: Bull Moose Jackson - Big Ten Inch - YouTube
I had no idea Bein’ Green was such a go-to cover song. Love the Van Morrison one. Thanks!
Speaking of risque records, Chuck Berry’s big 1972 hit “My Ding-A-Ling” is actually a cover of this song from 1952(!).
No. No, no, no, no, no. NO.
Nothing to do with Spector. They were Motown all the way. “Heatwave” is one of the greatest make-the-dead-rise-up-and-dance songs of the century.
And Spector produced the Crystals and the Ronettes, who I’ll put up against any Motown group head to head.
But I goofed, too. It was Gladys Knight and the Pips who had the hit version of “I Head It Through the Grapevine” before Marvin Gaye.
Anyway, one of my favorite lost songs of the 60’s is “I Love You” by People! Originally from a Zombies album. Quicksilver Messenger Service rose to fame with “Pride of Man,” which I found out came off a folk album by Hamilton Camp. Manfred Mann’s first hits were also covers: “Diddy Wah Diddy” covered the Exciters and “Sha La La” was first done by the Shirelles. The Ventures’ superhit “Walk, Don’t Run” was written by Johnny Smith in 1954.
Brian Wilson didn’t need any help to churn out the catchiest tunes, but “Sloop John B” has a long history starting with poet Carl Sandburg as “The John B Sails” and the Kingston Trio’s “The Wreck of the John B.” “Barbara Ann” covers The Regents.
I first heard “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” by Cake in the last 90’s and eventually found out it was recorded several times back in the 60s. I didn’t find out until tonight that it was written in Spanish and re-written (not translated) in English until later.
Indeed, yet Nilsson’s two biggest hit singles were covers: the other being “Everybody’s Talkin’,” originally by Fred Neil.
I didn’t initially know that Hootie & The Blowfish’s “I Go Blind” was originally recorded by a Canadian band called 54-40.
Wow! I’m amazed!
Another one that’s commonly thought to be an original is “God Gave Rock’n’Roll To You” by either KISS or the Christian band Petra, depending on who you talk to. This song was originally written and recorded by Argent; when Petra wanted to record it, they wanted to change some of the lyrics, and got permission from Argent to do so. The KISS song is a remake of the original Argent version.
“Midnight Train to Georgia” was Gladys Knight and the Pips’ biggest hit, but it was originally recorded by Jim Weatherly as “Midnight Plane to Houston”. Weatherly’s inspiration was a conversation he had with Farrah Fawcett, who had just started dating Weatherly’s friend, actor Lee Majors. Fawcett explained she was leaving to visit her family and had to catch the midnight plane to Houston. Weatherly’s version was about a man following his girlfriend to be with her. It was then reworked to make it about a woman following her boyfriend and given to Cissy Houston to record as “Midnite Train to Georgia.” From Cissy Houston the song made its way to Gladys Knight and the Pips.
An ex-girlfriend’s brother thought “Big Yellow Taxi” was a Counting Crowes original.
I was too young to know anything about Hair when the musical was originally popular and wasn’t really familiar with the songs from the soundtrack. I thought “Frank Mills” was a Lemonheads song for a long time.
My wife thought “Landslide” was a Dixie Chicks song.
House of the Rising Sun by the Animals is a cover of a traditional song.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper was actually originally written and sung by a guy.
This song was before my time so maybe I have an excuse but for years I associated “There! I Said It Again” exclusively with Bobby Vinton. Then I found out SamCooke recorded it in three years before Vinton. And* then *I found out even Cooke wasn’t the first sincethe song had been a hit for Vaughn Monroe in 1945.
I didn’t know until recently that Inez and Charlie Foxx recorded Mockingbird long before Carly Simon and James Taylor did.
I was surprised to learn years ago that Louis Armstrong recorded Blueberry Hill in 1949, seven years before Fats Domino’s version.
I guess it’s common knowledge that some of Elvis’s early hits were remakes. Here are Big Mama Thornton singing Hound Dog, Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup singing That’s All Right and Carl Perkins singing Blue Suede Shoes. I don’t remember when I learned they didn’t originate with Elvis.
Here’s another one I attribute to my relative youth. I did not know “Needles and Pins” had been recorded by Jackie De Shannon before the version by The Searchers.
… written by Sonny Bono 