# Songs you would swear were done by someone else. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726 "2006-04-07T15:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jacob\_Silj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Jacob\_Silj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jacob_Silj)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/1 "2006-04-07T15:20:02Z")
Ok, not the most well worded title, but I am looking for examples of such songs. The best example I can come with is “Lies” by the Knickerbockers- this sounds so much like a Beatles in every way that I bet it fooled a lot of people in 1965. Does anyone have any other examples? One I have heard other people mention is “It’s a Heartache” by Bonnie Tyler, but I think this is dubious. Sure, her voice is scratchy and hoarse in a way similar to Rod Stewart’s, but I mean she is female and he is male, for starters. I can see how one could say “wow her voice is kinda like Rod’s” but I can’t see anyone actually thinking that is Rod. Or maybe I am wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/2 "2006-04-07T15:26:55Z")
I was point-plank positive that “Lucky Man” by Emerson, Lake and Palmer was the Moody Blues. For, like, _years._ :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/3 "2006-04-07T15:34:21Z")
Amie - the Eagles Just Like Hemingway - the Smiths (actually Blue Clocks Green) the Sound of Settling - the Smiths How Soon is Now - the Smiths (sometimes I can’t tell if it’s Love Spit Love or the original) Sands on Fire - Toad the Wet Sprocket (actually Kitchens of Distinction) anything by Emiliana Torrini - Bjork **Mal** , I mix up Carn Evil and some other song that sounds like that (by styx?) myself. Lots of people thought “Better Days” by Citizen King was by Beck. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/4 "2006-04-07T15:39:35Z")
The Dark Side by the Brown Beaver Band (?) - Was convinced that was Bruce Springsteen. I’m not Angel by one of the Allmans - Same as above. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/5 "2006-04-07T15:47:14Z")
Not me, but a lot of people think “Stuck in the Middle with You” was by Bob Dylan (it was Steeler’s Wheel). ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/6 "2006-04-07T15:51:14Z")
I always thought “Waiting for the Man” was Lou Reed. It’s apparently actually David Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/7 "2006-04-07T16:37:16Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > I always thought “Waiting for the Man” was Lou Reed. It’s apparently actually David Bowie. Bowie might have a version of it, but it was originally done by The Velvet Underground with Reed doing the vocals. It took me years to realize that “Lies” wasn’t a special release Beatles cut, like the OP says could have happened t a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![La\_Llorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@La\_Llorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/La_Llorona)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/8 "2006-04-07T16:41:01Z")
“More Today Than Yesterday” by Spiral Starecase. Always thought it was Stevie Wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/9 "2006-04-07T16:44:46Z")
“Atlanta”, the last track on Stone Temple Pilot’s album _No. 4_, reads and sounds like a _Waiting For The Sun_/_The Soft Parada_-era _The Doors_ song, and Scott Weiland does an excellent job of imitating Jim Morrison. I was driving a co-worker recently to pick up his car and he commented that the guitar playing on _Layla_ sounded a lot more like Duane Allman than Eric Clapton. Uh, yeah, there’s a reason for that. 😛 Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/10 "2006-04-07T16:46:13Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Lots of people thought “Better Days” by Citizen King was by Beck. Ah- you reminded me of a more recent one. Mark Everett has come to sound like Beck so much (to my ears anyway), I was convinced I was lovin’ the new \*Eels \* song whenever I heard “Girl” by Beck. (_Summer_ Girl it shoulda been called there, diminutive one. . .grumble. . .) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/11 "2006-04-07T16:55:33Z")
“If you want it, here it is, come and get it…” that song sounds like the Beatles, but is actually Badfinger. Whoever the lead singer was for Stories (Brother Louie) had me thinking he was Rod Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/12 "2006-04-07T17:00:22Z")
A surprising number of groups were mistaken for the Beatles, including the Raspberries, Badfinger, and Klaatu, whose first album created a huge fuss because many people thought it was a Beatles get-together after their breakup. I’ve never understood why, but apparently many thought that Neil Young did America’s “Horse with no Name.” Firefall’s “Strange Way” sounds exactly like Journey. Of course, all modern bands sound exactly alike so it’s not surprising that people would mix them up. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/13 "2006-04-07T17:06:40Z")
“Lake of Fire,” by the Meat Puppets. It’s one of those songs that instantly sounds like a classic once recorded. For the longest time I thought they were covering somebody else and wanted to know who it was. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/14 "2006-04-07T17:08:24Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Of course, all modern bands sound exactly alike so it’s not surprising that people would mix them up. 😃 _high five_ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/15 "2006-04-07T17:20:03Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > “If you want it, here it is, come and get it…” that song sounds like the Beatles, but is actually Badfinger. That one’s a ringer; “Come and Get It” was written for Badfinger by Paul McCartney. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/16 "2006-04-07T17:20:43Z")
“Horse with No Name” Which a lot of people (uncluding my mom) think is by Neil Young. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/17 "2006-04-07T17:22:55Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Not me, but a lot of people think “Stuck in the Middle with You” was by Bob Dylan (it was Steeler’s Wheel). D’Oh! :smack: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/18 "2006-04-07T17:24:23Z")
I thought Alannah Myles’s “Black Velvet” was sung by Pat Benatar for years and years. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/19 "2006-04-07T17:26:55Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > “If you want it, here it is, come and get it…” that song sounds like the Beatles, but is actually Badfinger. No wonder, since the song was written by Paul McCartney. I’m always confusing songs/artists, but the most recent one I can remember is Emiliana Torrini singing “Gollum’s Song” from _The Two Towers_. I was absolutely positive it was Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer). Both have very distinctive voices that, oddly, sound almost identical. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/20 "2006-04-07T17:29:12Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > That one’s a ringer; “Come and Get It” was written for Badfinger by Paul McCartney. Darn you, Biffy! And I previewed, too! :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726.md?page=2)