# Songs you've misattributed. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 23, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381 "2014-09-23T22:42:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Cognoscant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Cognoscant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cognoscant)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/101 "2014-09-24T23:50:03Z")
A bit more obscure (at least in the US maybe), but I heard “We Are Each Other” on a radio in Canada and immediately assumed it was Barenaked Ladies. No, it was The Beautiful South, from England. The funny thing is, those bands _are_ each other, with BNL’s humor swapped out for the South’s scarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/102 "2014-09-24T23:52:41Z")
> [@Cognoscant](#): > > A bit more obscure (at least in the US maybe), but I heard “We Are Each Other” on a radio in Canada and immediately assumed it was Barenaked Ladies. No, it was The Beautiful South, from England. The funny thing is, those bands _are_ each other, with BNL’s humor swapped out for the South’s scarcasm. Beautiful South = P.D. Heaton, former singer of the Housemartins, who has that same kind of warbly voice as Steven Page from BNL. Would be an easy mistake to make. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/103 "2014-09-24T23:59:28Z")
Until just a few years ago, I thought that _Baby Come Back_ was a **Hall and Oates** song. Never even heard of **Player.** > [@Peanuthead](#): > > I swore up and down that “I’m Not In Love” was by **Paul McCartney** till my sister put me straight. It’s actually from a group called **10cc**. Either way, I still dislike it. I like that song: _I keep your picture Upon the wall It hides a nasty stain that’s lying there_ It’s funny. I also like **R.E.M.**'s homage to **10CC** , _Star Me Kitten._ ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/104 "2014-09-25T00:13:27Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Until just a few years ago, I thought that _Baby Come Back_ was a **Hall and Oates** song. Never even heard of **Player.** You’re crazy, it’s obviously a Hall an…wow, it’s really not! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/105 "2014-09-25T00:31:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > On the other hand, “Horse With No Name” came out around the same time as “Heart of Gold”, which wasn’t exactly a lyrical peak for Neil Young. See, I thought the group that did “Horse with No Name” did “Heart of Gold”. Hey, I was seven. Shut up. * * * Remember “A Girl Like You” from the _Empire Records_ soundtrack? I swore up and down that was David Bowie. Nope. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/106 "2014-09-25T00:43:36Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > Remember “A Girl Like You” from the _Empire Records_ soundtrack? I swore up and down that was David Bowie. Nope. I thought it was Iggy Pop until I saw the video. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/107 "2014-09-25T04:03:08Z")
I always thought Blinded By the Light was a Manfred Mann song covered by Springsteen. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/108 "2014-09-25T06:59:17Z")
I learned that “Horse With No Name” was by America. Then I picked up a second hand copy of a tape by America. And so I just figured Neil Young was once a member of America. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/109 "2014-09-25T07:05:23Z")
For a while I thought that “All For You” was Blues Traveler instead of Sister Hazel. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/110 "2014-09-25T07:18:09Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > For a while I thought that “All For You” was Blues Traveler instead of Sister Hazel. I think everybody thought that. I guess SH was more of a one hit wonder, but I still can’t remember which is which without some serious thought. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/111 "2014-09-25T12:16:34Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I always thought Blinded By the Light was a Manfred Mann song covered by Springsteen. When I was a kid, I thought Ticket to Ride was a Carpenters song covered by the Beatles. Blame my mother. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/112 "2014-09-25T18:33:41Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > For a while I thought that “All For You” was Blues Traveler instead of Sister Hazel. Out of all the examples posted here, I would say that this one and mistaking Andy Kim for Neil Diamond on “Rock Me Gently” make the most sense. What was particularly weird about the latter example is that Andy Kim had had a couple of previous hits singing in a completely different style that bore no resemblance to Neil Diamond at all. If you played them back to back with RMG, there is no way you would guess they were the same vocalist. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/113 "2014-09-25T19:09:23Z")
First time I heard the song _Girl Like You_(never met a girl like you before) I thought “oh, cool new David Bowie song.” Never heard of Edwyn Collins. After seeing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off I told a friend, “I like the parade part where he sings Danke Schoen but I’ve never heard that version.” “Oh, that’s Wayne Newton.” “No, no. It was a different version. I know what Wayne Newton sounds like.” “But it’s Wayne Newton.” “No, this was sung by a girl.” “Yeah, that was Wayne Newton when he was younger.” “Whaaa??” ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/114 "2014-09-25T19:25:53Z")
I remember the WFBQ dj saying “this is not Pat Benatar, it just sounds like her” when introducing Quarterflash’s first single. I’ve met several people who think “Don’t Pay the Ferryman” was Styx. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/115 "2014-09-25T19:40:26Z")
I’ve cited this one many times, but… the first 20 or 30 times I heard Bonny Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache” (around 1978), I thought it was Rod Stewart. I used to love a lot of Billy Preston’s funky synthesizer instrumentals, like “Space Race” and “Outta Space.” When the Commodores first came along with “Machine Gun,” I was sure it was Billy Preston. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/116 "2014-09-25T21:25:31Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’ve cited this one many times, but… the first 20 or 30 times I heard Bonny Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache” (around 1978), I thought it was Rod Stewart. And what’s funny is I think Rod Stewart did a version of that song too. I just remembered another one. For a while it drove me crazy that I couldn’t find out who did “The Breakup Song”. I thought it sounded like Bryan Adams, but I didn’t see it on any of his albums, and I never heard of the Greg Kihn Band. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/117 "2014-09-25T22:58:29Z")
I loved Rod Stewart’s early 80s hit “Bette Davis Eyes.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/118 "2014-09-26T00:05:28Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I just remembered another one. For a while it drove me crazy that I couldn’t find out who did “The Breakup Song”. I thought it sounded like Bryan Adams, but I didn’t see it on any of his albums, and I never heard of the Greg Kihn Band. Bryan Adams? That’s just silly. It was clearly by John Cougar (Mellencamp). ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/119 "2014-09-26T02:50:06Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Bryan Adams? That’s just silly. It was clearly by John Cougar (Mellencamp). 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381/120 "2014-09-26T04:21:19Z")
During the Napster days, I was pulling an all nighter stealing music and ran across an mp3 labeled David Bowie/ Don’t You Forget About Me. Hmm, must be some rare track I’ve never heard of. Excitedly downloaded it only to hear Simple Minds while I envisioned Judd Nelson walking away with fist thrust into the air. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-youve-misattributed/699381.md?page=7)