The songs here are cover versions of songs that are more famous than their originals. There are hundreds of examples of famous songs that people know only from a cover version. Many times they think the cover artist(s) actually wrote the song. Even with a song as well-loved as “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, there are younger listeners who think it was a Whitney Houston original. However, the songs on this list are ones where the cover version completely eclipsed the original, while “I Will Always Love You” was a no. 1 hit for Dolly Parton more than once.
Sometimes, a cover version becomes more popular because it improves on the original in some way. Just as often, however, it is pure timing, luck, and circumstance. The original artist may have believed in their song, for instance, but the record company or the producer did not. Lots of cover hits were originally B-sides.
Keep in mind that a “cover song” is a song that was previously recorded and commercially released and then recorded again by a new artist. A song that is written by another person but never recorded, and then later recorded by another artist, is not a cover song.
Artist: Bill Joel Album: 52nd Street (1978, released on CD, 1982) The journey toward the CD began in the early 1970s when Sony and Phillips began working on an optical disc with digitally encoded sound that could be read by laser. Before the compact disc, it was all vinyl and cassette tape. It was even … Read more
Most people know the song Blinded by the Light from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (usually known as Manfred Man), but it was actually a Bruce Springsteen Song, and an important one at that. It was really about driving around in your car; Bruce himself was the “teenage diplomat” in the song. But beyond that, there is … Read more
Song: Please Come to Boston (1974) Artist: Dave Loggins Album: Apprentice (In a Musical Workshop) – (Epic) Having just wrote about Danny’s Song, by Kenny Loggins, I couldn’t help but think of another heartfelt song by his kin. If you’re a country fan, you have probably heard one or another country star sing the lyrics “I’m … Read more