# Where the well known version of a song is a cover **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895 "2013-03-03T05:18:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/61 "2013-03-03T21:13:05Z")
“Muskrat Love”, by Willis Alan Ramsey, was originally titled "Muskrat Candlelight and was released on his _Willis Alan Ramsey_ album in 1972. America cover it in 1973, then The Captain and Tenille did their version in 1976. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/62 "2013-03-03T21:56:54Z")
“Making Memories Of Us” from Keith Urban was done previously by country singer Tracy Byrd. 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you and them always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly P.S. The song is from Tracy’s album named The Truth About Men. 🙂 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/63 "2013-03-04T00:56:18Z")
Rascal Flatts “Life is a Highway” is a country ahem cover of Tom Cochrane’s rock song ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/64 "2013-03-04T01:14:38Z")
^^^ Country singer Chris LeDoux actually did that song sometime in between them two acts, may he rest in peace. God bless you always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/65 "2013-03-04T01:22:52Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Not hugely popular, I’m sure there are a few other They Might Be Giants fans around here. TMBG’s version of _New York City_ was a cover; the [original](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFKThNh5Vqk) was by a cuddlecore punk trio from Vancouver called Cub Another Cub fan by way of TMBG! I also tracked down the rest of their catalogue in the days before Spotify and iTunes. Not quite an example, since I know they’re covers, but I’m so used to the Cub versions of “Vacation” and “Surfer Girl” that the Go-Gos’ and the Beach Boys’ recordings, respectively, sound wrong to me, the tempo is off for both. “Scarborough Fair”; the original predates audio recording. My go-to example is “I Fought the Law”. But it really depends on your cultural context. I’ve known people for whom the Ataris version of “Boys of Summer” is the definitive one, or the SNtR version of “There She Goes”, or even Counting Crows doing “Big Yellow Taxi”. For me, “Hazy Shade of Winter” brings to mind the Bangles, though I know it’s S&G. I did briefly think “Telegram Sam” was a Bauhaus song. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/66 "2013-03-04T01:30:35Z")
> [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](#): > > “Making Memories Of Us” from Keith Urban was done previously by country singer Tracy Byrd. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I met Tracy Byrd ages ago…sometime in 1993 when I was working in country radio. I don’t think I ever met a genuinely nicer guy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/67 "2013-03-04T01:37:02Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Not hugely popular, I’m sure there are a few other They Might Be Giants fans around here. TMBG’s version of _New York City_ was a cover; the [original](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFKThNh5Vqk) was by a cuddlecore punk trio from Vancouver called Cub. > > (I saw Cub open for TMBG once and they rocked. They broke up about six months later, but I managed to track down most of their released recordings, back when doing so took actual legwork.) Interesting. I never knew They Might Be Giants covered this. What album was this on? Or was it just a single? ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/68 "2013-03-04T01:48:09Z")
I think it’s safe to say that Santana’s cover of Black Magic Woman is more well known than [the Fleetwood Mac original.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Magic_Woman) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/69 "2013-03-04T01:49:21Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > I disagree. For those of you who haven’t heard the Ednaswap version or dislike the song based on Imbruglia’s version, I recommend giving the Ednaswap version a listen. Slower, more raw and a bit bluesier. Love it! So, who did the english, faster and harder rockin’ version of this? I have it on an old cassette and don’t know who it is and can’t find it anywhere. I love the song and was disgusted when I heard the Imbruglia heresy. Did Ednaswap do 2 versions? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/70 "2013-03-04T01:51:29Z")
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote _As Tears Go By_ in 1964. It was first recorded by Marianne Faithfull, who had pretty good success with it in both the U.S. and Great Britain. The Stones came out with their version in 1965 and performed it on the _Ed Sullivan Show_. The Stones’ version charted higher in the U.S. than Faithfull’s, but her version was a bigger hit in Britain. Which version is better remembered depends on who was listening to what at the time. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/71 "2013-03-04T01:52:50Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I met Tracy Byrd ages ago…sometime in 1993 when I was working in country radio. I don’t think I ever met a genuinely nicer guy. He looks so good in his video for “Just Let Me Be In Love” and I love his duet with Mark Chesnut named “A Good Way To Get On My Bad Side” too. 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you and Mark and Tracy always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/72 "2013-03-04T01:54:35Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > So, who did the english, faster and harder rockin’ version of this? I have it on an old cassette and don’t know who it is and can’t find it anywhere. I love the song and was disgusted when I heard the Imbruglia heresy. > > Did Ednaswap do 2 versions? Is it [this version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFUl3CNuzpE)? I’m actually having difficulty following all the different versions of “Torn.” ETA: That might actually be the original version. I always thought it was the slower one I linked to before, but it sounds like that might be another version by Ednaswap that came out later. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/73 "2013-03-04T01:59:13Z")
OK, I just listened to them on [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com). It seems the one I linked to above is the one on the self-titled debut Ednaswap album, released in 1995. The slower, more laid-back version I linked to in my first post on this topic was released on an EP entitled _Chicken_, realeased in 1996. ETA: And “original” is confusing here, too, as the Danish version was the first recorded one by a couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/74 "2013-03-04T02:20:56Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > I did briefly think “Telegram Sam” was a Bauhaus song. I actually prefer the Bauhaus version. They also do a really good version of Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust”. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/75 "2013-03-04T02:34:47Z")
> [@SirGalahad](#): > > A whole thread could be dedicated to famous Blues tunes covered by white bands, while most of the original artists faded into obscurity. > > But how about Otis Redding’s “Satisfaction”? I heard some British kids did a cover of it. Yeah, but Devo’s cover is better. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/76 "2013-03-04T03:10:21Z")
_Blue Suede Shoes_ is identified with Elvis Presley, but[the original was by Carl Perkins.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAa8BW_sR_c) ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/77 "2013-03-04T03:10:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Interesting. I never knew They Might Be Giants covered this. What album was this on? Or was it just a single? Without looking it up I think it was _Factory Showroom_. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/78 "2013-03-04T04:01:54Z")
Most baby boomers are familiar with [Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels’ rocked-up version of “Devil With the Blue Dress,”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVbr37_yPeY) but few probably are aware of the [slower sultry original version by Shorty Long](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmdH5hAhs_8) (who co-wrote the song). ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/79 "2013-03-04T04:18:26Z")
Don’t know and am too lazy to go look it up, but both Kris Kristofferson and Carole King wrote songs that became hits for other singers, but that they recorded themselves; **Oakminister** ’s already mentioned Kristofferson’s\* Me and Bobby McGee\*, and he also wrote _Sunday Morning Comin’ Down_, which was a hit for Johnny Cash. King wrote _Locomotion_, _You’ve Got A Friend_, and\* Natural Woman\*, which were all hits for, respectively, Martha and the Vandellas, James Taylor, and Aretha Franklin. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/80 "2013-03-04T04:26:54Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > King wrote _Locomotion_, _You’ve Got A Friend_, and\* Natural Woman\*, which were all hits for, respectively, Martha and the Vandellas, James Taylor, and Aretha Franklin. Little Eva recorded the original “Locomotion”. I don’t think Martha and the Vandellas recorded it at all. ETA: It was later covered by quite a few artists, but the ones that charted were Grand Funk Railroad in the 70s and Kylie Minogue in the 80s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895.md?page=5)