# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/81 "2006-04-09T18:09:51Z")
I honestly cannot tell the difference between Tom Petty and Bob Dylan on many songs. They even look a bit alike. ---
**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 10, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/82 "2006-04-10T13:27:50Z")
From The Book of Rock Lists (the original, with pictures of Grace Slick sucking on a lolly while topless, and of Lou Reed shooting up onstage): American Girl- Tom Petty (Byrds) Hang on in There Baby- Johnny Bristol (Barry White) Black is Black- Los Bravos (Gene Pitney) Sub Rosa Subway- Klaatu (Beatles) Crazy on You- Heart (Jefferson Starship) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/83 "2006-04-10T13:41:59Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > At one point in my life, I’d have sworn that \*Laughter in the Rain \* was sung by a woman instead of Neil Sedaka. And I really hated that song, no matter who was singing it… I thought the following were sung by women for the longest: “Lovin Touchin Squeezin” any song by Supertramp I think my confusion over Horse with No Name was: It was sung by America, but Neil Young was the lead singer of America!! ---
**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 10, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/84 "2006-04-10T13:42:23Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I get Van Morrison and Steely Dan mixed up. They both suck, and they most certainly do not “rock” despite what my local classic rock station says. 😃 Van Morrison **sucks?** That’s a bold statement. As for the Dan, they don’t so much rock as _groove,_ baby. ---
**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 10, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/85 "2006-04-10T13:45:32Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > Well, Bowie _did_ write it for them as well as produce it: the story goes that he first offered Suffragette City to Mott the Hoople, but Ian Hunter turned it down because he thought it was crap. And the Duke wouldn’t give 'em “Drive-In Saturday”-- the one they really wanted! ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/86 "2006-04-10T15:17:45Z")
I used to think “It’s My Life” by Talk Talk was Roxy Music. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/87 "2006-04-10T16:30:09Z")
\*\*George Jones \*\* is a virtual \*\*Hank Williams \*\* soundalike (IMHO) on early hits such as “Why Baby Why.” ---
**Author:** ![Baine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Baine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baine)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/88 "2006-04-10T17:05:57Z")
I always thought that “All for You” by Sister Hazel sounded like a Blues Traveler song. ---
**Author:** ![Cynical\_Optimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Cynical\_Optimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cynical_Optimist)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/89 "2006-04-10T17:09:55Z")
For the longest time I swore _I’m Your Vehicle_ was a Tom Jones song, but it turned out to be by Ides of March ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/90 "2006-04-10T17:15:31Z")
I can agree with almost every mistaken i.d. I’ve read about here, though I wouldn’t have thought of them till you all pointed them out. Oh, and I have another one. I could have sworn \*\*The Ballad of Jenny Ledge \*\* by Toy Matinee was Steely Dan. I just couldn’t understand why it wasn’t listed on any of their albums. Now that I think about it, I don’t remember how I even figured out who it is. Great song, though. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/91 "2006-04-10T18:03:54Z")
According to some searches I’ve done on the P2P networks, evidently there are a lot of people out there who think Eddie Van Halen is responsible for the “Top Gun” theme. There are also a lot of people who think Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cover of “Little Wing” is a Hendrix instrumental version. My Dad used to think the Doobie Brother’s “Long Train Runnin’” was an Earth, Wind and Fire tune. I bought their greatest hits album looking for that song and ended up getting into EW&F instead as a result. When I was in college, a friend of mine was looking for a song in my collection that turned out to be Eric Johnson’s “Cliffs of Dover.” He was convinced that Steve Vai recorded it, so we listened to every track on every Steve Vai recording I had at the time trying to identify the song. No dice. As for me, I thought for years that a Jermaine Stewart song called “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” was performed by Michael Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726/92 "2006-04-10T18:35:02Z")
> [@Cynical Optimist](#): > > For the longest time I swore _I’m Your Vehicle_ was a Tom Jones song, but it turned out to be by Ides of March I also thought that song was by somebody other than Ides of March. Except, with me it was Blood, Sweat, and Tears. “Smiling Faces Tell ies” sounds like it was by Sly and the Family Stone. But it’s really The Undisputed Truth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-would-swear-were-done-by-someone-else/351726.md?page=4)