# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/161 "2013-03-08T00:20:35Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > God bless the Dixie Chicks always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Actually they have another one, “Travelin’ Soldier” was original recorded by it’s writer Bruce Robison, before The Dixie Chicks had massive success with it. May Thor only smite them gently :smack::smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/162 "2013-03-08T10:38:08Z")
Well JOSH, that is quite the distorted view of what happened with the Dixie Chicks controversy, but, hey, par for the course and all. May Lucy the Cockapoo bestow blessings upon your yard occasionally.:):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/163 "2013-03-08T12:10:21Z")
slight hijack: so you need permission to record a song, but not to perform it live? Y/N. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/164 "2013-03-08T15:30:38Z")
> [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](#): > > That is what is so great about America. We have the freedom to change the radio station when an act that isn’t our favorite is getting played. Sigh. I wish we had that same freedom in Canada. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/165 "2013-03-08T15:47:30Z")
> [@flano1](#): > > slight hijack: > > so you need permission to record a song, but not to perform it live? > > Y/N. No. You don’t need permission, but you must pay royalties. And the rules on performing it live are complex. A writer can prevent a song from being performed in a play but not in a concert. I just read an article about a Broadway performer who ends her show and then announces that she will add on a “concert” so that she can sing a particular song. I can’t find it in a two-second search, which is all I have time for, but somebody might recognize the reference. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/166 "2013-03-08T16:44:37Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Sigh. I wish we had that same freedom in Canada. Suck it, ya damn Canuckian! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/167 "2013-03-08T20:36:59Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Same with the Dixie Chicks and “Landslide.” Comparing a single with an album cut is tough, but Fleetwood Mac gets played to death on rock stations and there are many more of those than the country stations the Dixie Chicks get played on. I’m in my mid-40s and had never heard Fleetwood Mac’s version of “Landslide” until after the Dixie Chicks made it famous. Now I prefer their version, but it doesn’t get any airtime. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/168 "2013-03-08T20:42:18Z")
Two from the musical Hair: Aquarius by the 5th Dimension and Hair by the Cowsills. I once read a bio of Streisand (I wish I could remember which one), which said that Streisand’s version of “Memory” from CATS didn’t chart, but Elaine Paige’s cover hit #4 on the British charts. Methinks the author should have checked who’s covering whom. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/169 "2013-03-08T20:49:20Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Two from the musical Hair: Aquarius by the 5th Dimension and Hair by the Cowsills. …and “Good Morning Starshine” by Oliver and “Easy to Be Hard” by Three Dog Night. _Hair_ was doin’ tha bizniss in those days. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/170 "2013-03-09T21:44:52Z")
I just saw a movie that included the song Feeling Good, sung by [Nina Simone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJA69C6SlRk). But I learned from the [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeling_Good) that the song was [originally sung by Cy Grant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW4fE2x1hxk) for a 1960s musical. I think Nina Simone’s performance is the iconic one, although it’s been covered many times. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/171 "2013-03-10T00:41:39Z")
No one’s mentioned Suzy Q? I was surprised when I found out the CCR version was a cover. Most people I know think of it as a CCR song, but perhaps that’s not true everywhere? ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/172 "2013-03-10T01:24:15Z")
Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” was covered a few times and was a hit in country music circles before Ray Charles recorded the best remembered and most classic version of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/173 "2013-03-10T04:03:04Z")
Isn’t pretty much the entire Led Zeppelin I album a cover of other writers songs (even though Page didn’t credit them) ? https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL731619C79453DE8F&wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=1&enablejsapi=1 Don’t get me wrong. I think Page greatly improved all the songs, but they were not his. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/174 "2013-03-10T07:19:08Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Isn’t pretty much the entire Led Zeppelin I album a cover of other writers songs (even though Page didn’t credit them) ? > > [http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL731619C79453DE8F](http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL731619C79453DE8F) > > Don’t get me wrong. I think Page greatly improved all the songs, but they were not his. You must have missed this post. The link goes to a different forum where there’s a reasonably extensive discussion on the topic. > [@control-z](#): > > Yep, most notable to me is Led Zeppelin, who practically made their whole careers covering songs, mostly blues. [This forum posting](http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=1083161) is a good summary, with music clips, of the Zeppelin borrowing/reworking/stealing of old blues songs. ---
**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 10, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/175 "2013-03-10T07:50:39Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Isn’t pretty much the entire Led Zeppelin I album a cover of other writers songs (even though Page didn’t credit them) ? I don’t think the opening track (“Good Times, Bad Times”) or “Communication Breakdown” have ever been accused of sounding similar to other songs, have they? But, yes, there are a lot of songs with credited and uncredited sources on that album. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/176 "2013-03-10T08:28:58Z")
Joe Cocker covered the Beatles song _With A Little Help From My Friends_. The former version became famous the theme song for _The Wonder Years_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/177 "2013-03-10T18:06:05Z")
Bobby Darin’s huge hit [Beyond the Sea](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Sea_(song)) started out as “La Mer” and was recorded with English lyrics by Benny Goodman before Bobby Darin scored a huge hit with his cover. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/178 "2013-03-11T03:01:13Z")
The Ventures (1960 & 1964) hit _ **Walk Don’t Run** _ was written by Johnny Smith and first appeared on a [1958 Chet Atkins album](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzd-mBHPP-Q) ---
**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:** [March 11, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/179 "2013-03-11T03:07:01Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t think the opening track (“Good Times, Bad Times”) or “Communication Breakdown” have ever been accused of sounding similar to other songs, have they? “Communication Breakdown” has been claimed to be derivative of Eddie Cochran’s “Nervous Breakdown,” but I think that one is a bit of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895/180 "2013-03-11T03:13:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t think the opening track (“Good Times, Bad Times”) or “Communication Breakdown” have ever been accused of sounding similar to other songs, have they? But, yes, there are a lot of songs with credited and uncredited sources on that album. “Communication Breakdown” reportedly borrowed from Eddie Cochran’s “Nervous Breakdown.” I’m fairly certain that the chorus of “Good Times, Bad Times” comes from an older blues song but I can’t recall which. Honestly, they stole so much that it’s hard to remember what’s original and what’s not. ALL of the old blues players borrowed heavily from each other. Some stole whole tunes and others made hit songs by putting new lyrics to an old melody. The major complaint with Zeppelin is that they made millions without crediting the original artists, while the older musicians were lucky to make enough for dinner. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-well-known-version-of-a-song-is-a-cover/651895.md?page=10)