42 Songs You Didn't Know Are Covers

It's easy to not realise that a famous song is actually not the original version. So today we are going to look at 42 songs where the most well-known version isn't actually the original.

This video was edited by Martino Gasparrini.

And, an extra special thanks goes to Chase Heeler, Peter Keller, Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇

[quicktastic]

The Star Spangled Banner which was a popular hit for Whitney Houston, was actually written by Frank Key in 1814 and released on his album 'Songs Of The Revolution' in 1816.

[iliketowatchducks]

Best part of this video is the fact you just get on with it, no transitions or bs. Thanks!

[DonovanPresents]

"Black Magic Woman, " famously played by Santana, was originally released by Fleetwood Mac from their lesser popular blues album of the same title. I found this out when my college was clearing out some of their vinyl collection and were giving them out to students at the time

[lMonopolyguy]

Badfinger is the most underrated band of all time, with the most tragic fate at the same time.

[ronpieket]

Hi David! Has anybody mentioned "Venus", made famous by Bananarama in the late eighties? This song was first recorded by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue in 1969.

[JockoJonson]

Nirvana "Love Buzz" is a cover of the Shocking Blue song. They also wrote "Venus" which was covered by Bananarama.

[succumbtoviolets]

Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway" was a major hit in the US (and Canada obviously) and was a staple of mainstream rock radio for many years (and basically still is). It's the much better known version here; it just didn't cross the pond.

[knightridernz]

Great video. There's also "I Feel For You" made famous by Chaka Khan in the '80s but was originally written and recorded by Prince in 1979. There's also "Everytime You Go Away" made famous by Paul Young in the UK in 1985, but it was originally written and recorded by Hall & Oates a few years before.

[ziggystardog]

Killing Me Softly reportedly has over 160 covers, but it wasn’t originally by Roberta Flack or The Fugees, but by the songwriter Lori Lieberman. Flack heard the song on an airplane flight and decided to cover it to great success. It’s reportedly about a performance of another singer songwriter, Don McLean.

[Bacopa]

Whiskey in the Jar is Irish and at least 300 years old. Black Betty dates back to a game played at Appalachian weddings 200 years ago, but a similar song was known to freed slaves serving alongside British forces during the War of 1812. Also, in the South, black and white people often shared music. Cotton Eyed Joe is a good example. Most people think it's whiter than white, but earliest accounts say it's black. And where I live there are plenty of black kickers who line dance one county over. They even have a Reconstruction era HBCU.
BTW, "kicker" is short for "sh1t kicker", an East Texas term for a small plot rancher.

[phynex]

Let's not kid ourselves. The most popular rendition of MacArthur Park is undoubtedly Jurassic Park by Weird Al.

[SatelliteSounds]

Nilsson is one of my favorite artists ever, and all his covers he took to another level. What a voice, what a soul.

[P-zi]

I never thought I'd hear David Bennett mention Irish comedian/singer Brendan Grace. He was huge in Ireland in the 90s my parents loved him, a very niche Irish audience

[spindriftdrinker]

Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair" is also based on an old English folk song, but their particular version comes from an English folk singer named Martin Carthy, who was not properly credited.
One of my favorite 1960s singer-songwriters is Laura Nyro - I lover her original versions of "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoney End", "And When I Die", "Eli's Coming" and "Save The Country" - these were big hits for The Fifth Dimension, Barbra Streisand, Blood Sweat and Tears, Three Dog Night and again 5th Dimension.

[stoodsea]

Underdog by Sly and The Family Stone is also one of those weird covers of unreleased songs. It was originally writen by Beau Brummels but never released until Sly and The Family Stone covered it.

[antonioeasypiano]

"One Step Beyond" recorded by Madness in 1979 is a cover of the song firstly recorded by Prince Buster in 1964 (a wonderful song to be covered)

[NorkelFjols]

Here's one: Soft Cell's Tainted Love (1981) is a cover of a Motown-sounding recording from the mid 60's by Gloria Jones.

[cazgerald]

Manfred Mann covered three songs from Springsteen's debut album, "Blinded by the Light", "Spirit in the Night", and "For You"

[EmoBearRights]

Love is All Around by Wet, Wet, Wet made famous by 4 Weddings and A Funeral was a no.1 hit for The Troggs most famous for Wild Thing.

[mr.k]

I read somewhere that in the case of California Dreaming by McGuire it has not only Phillips and Cass singing the backings, it IS the same backing track as the Mamas & Papas version.