# Successful artists whose greatest chart success came from someone else's cover **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 21, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185 "2022-04-21T17:22:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/1 "2022-04-21T17:22:27Z")
Bruce Springsteen currently holds the record for most US Top 10 singles (12) without ever hitting #1. However, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band hit #1 with their cover of _Blinded By The Light_ Similarly, Bob Dylan reached #2 twice (_Like A Rolling Stone, Rainy Day Women_) but never #1. The Byrds hit #1 covering _Mr. Tambourine Man._ In a US-specific example, The Kinks, while having multiple #1s in their home country, never got higher than #6 (_Tired of Waiting For You, Come Dancing_) in the US. But Herman’s Hermits got to #5 with their cover of _Dandy_. Who else? Like the thread title says, SUCCESSFUL artists only. I’m not interested in obscure acts, like The Arrows or the dude who wrote “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, who never had any chart success and are remembered today only as a trivia footnote to a hit song. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/2 "2022-04-21T17:42:58Z")
Is Shocking Blue successful enough to count? Bananarama had a couple other top 10 hits, but Shocking Blue gave them their only #1 hit on the Billboard Top 100. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8LhkyyCvUHk/maxresdefault.jpg "Shocking Blue - Venus (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhkyyCvUHk) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/d4-1ASpdT1Y/maxresdefault.jpg "Bananarama - Venus (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-1ASpdT1Y) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/3 "2022-04-21T17:44:18Z")
How about Badfinger, whose song “Without You” went to #1 when Harry Nilsson covered it? ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/4 "2022-04-21T17:51:11Z")
Peter, Paul and Mary had a #1 hit with John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” in 1969, long before Denver became a household name. Up until then he was a hard-working singer-songwriter but only known on the folk circuit. PP&M also had a minor hit (#30) with “For Lovin’ Me” by Gordon Lightfoot in 1965, a good five years before Lightfoot himself scored a hit in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/5 "2022-04-21T17:54:56Z")
Kris Kristofferson did okay as a country star but it was Janis Joplin who put him on the top of the Hot 100 with “Me and Bobby McGee”. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/6 "2022-04-21T17:54:58Z")
Janis Joplin hit #1 with Gordon Lightfoot’s _[eta not Gordon Lightfoot]“Me and Bobby McGee”_ and was the biggest hit of her career. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/7 "2022-04-21T17:56:04Z")
Interesting simulpost. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/8 "2022-04-21T18:02:31Z")
Well, at least you got the songwriter right. shameface smily ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/9 "2022-04-21T18:17:31Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > t Badfinger, whose song “Without You” went to #1 when Harry Nilsson covered it Good one! Can’t believe I forgot it. > [@solost](#): > > Shocking Blue successful enough to count? Successful enough, but since their original version of Venus also hit #1, meaning Bananarama did not outdo them, they don’t count. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/10 "2022-04-21T18:34:51Z")
Carole King has had only one #1 Billboard hit as a singer (“It’s Too Late” in 1971). But, in the '60s, she was primarily a songwriter, and a number of her songs (some co-written with her then-husband Gerry Goffin) went to #1 for others, including “The Loco-Motion” (for both Little Eva, and later, for Grand Funk Railroad), “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (The Shirelles), “Take Good Care of My Baby” (Bobby Vee), and “You’ve Got a Friend” (James Taylor). King and Taylor both recorded “You’ve Got a Friend” at about the same time, with many of the same musicians (and King sang backup on Taylor’s version), but her version wasn’t released as a single at the time. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/11 "2022-04-21T18:45:15Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Successful enough, but since their original version of Venus also hit #1, meaning Bananarama did not outdo them, they don’t count. Shocking! I thought I had a great example right out of the gate. Now I’m Blue 🙁 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/12 "2022-04-21T18:58:01Z")
Linda Ronstadt’s “signature song” “Blue Bayou” was her highest charting hit at #3. It was written by and released by Roy Orbison in 1961 (highest ranking #26). Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” not only beat out writer Dolly Parton’s 1973 release, but its 14 weeks at the top of the charts was a record in itself at the time. Even though she had a lot of hits, this was Whitney’s biggest song. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/13 "2022-04-21T19:18:33Z")
Tom Waits is a successful musician, but hasn’t had any breakthrough singles. Rod Stewart had a #3 single with Waits’ **Downtown Train.** ---
**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 21, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/14 "2022-04-21T19:39:41Z")
Randy Newman’s “Mama Told Me Not to Come” was #1 for Three Dog Night. Newman never had a #1 hit (“Short People” was #2). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/15 "2022-04-21T19:40:40Z")
Big Mama Thornton’s original recording of “Hound Dog” was actually a #1 hit for her on the R&B charts in 1953, but of course Elvis’ version was number one on the US pop, country, and R&B charts in 1956. The Big Mama Thornton version was re-released in 1956 to try and cash in, but it failed to chart. ---
**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 21, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/16 "2022-04-21T19:41:01Z")
Gladys Knights and the Pips went to #2 in 1967 with “I Heard It on the Grapevine.” Marvin Gaye took it to #1 in 1968. “I Think We’re Alone Now” was #4 for Tommy James and the Shondells, but Tiffany made it a #1 in 1987. It launched her career. The very next week, the #1 song was Billy Idol’s cover of “Mony Mony,” which only went to #3 for the Shondells. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/17 "2022-04-21T20:37:46Z")
I would think Laura Nyro would be the poster girl for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/18 "2022-04-21T20:52:21Z")
Paul Anka had a pretty successful singing career (including ten top-10 US hits), but he co-wrote two songs which are probably much better known than anything he recorded himself: - He wrote “Johnny’s Theme,” the theme song for _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_ (he let Carson write lyrics for it, so he could share in the royalties). - He wrote English lyrics for a French song (“Comme d’habitude”), which became “My Way” in English, and was a signature song for both Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/19 "2022-04-21T21:04:07Z")
Quiet Riot’s album Metal Health hit #1, but the highest charting single(#5) was a cover of Slade’s Cum On Feel The Noize. Slade’s original version was #1 in the UK, but only #98 in the USA. Here is a cool video about the Quiet Riot version. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/m7lYs6JNquQ/maxresdefault.jpg "80s Metal Band Tried To SABOTAGE This 70s Cover, It Went To #1 Anyway! | Professor of Rock") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7lYs6JNquQ) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185/20 "2022-04-21T21:06:15Z")
How about “It’s All Over Now” written by Bobby Womack, recorded by (Womack’s) Valentinos, charted on Billboard at #94; recorded a year later by the Stones and hit #1 on the British charts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/successful-artists-whose-greatest-chart-success-came-from-someone-elses-cover/963185.md?page=2)