Can you name a song where the cover version is more well known than the original!
Question:
Can you name a song where the cover version is more well known than the original?
Other than Hendrix's version of All along the watchtower, can anyone think of a cover version of a song where the cover is more well known? The only other i can think of is "I will always love you" from Whitney Houston (Dolly Parton original), but I'm looking for rock songs.
Answers: Tesla "Signs"
Joan Jett "Do you Wanna Touch Me" Listen to your Heart
DHT vs. Roxette "You Really Got Me" by van Halen is a lot more popular than the original version by the Kinks.
"With a Little Help From My Friends" covered by Joe Cocker is more popular than the Beatles' version.
"The Mighty Quinn" was covered by Manfred Mann, but written by Bob Dylan. Summertime Blues, by eddie cochran...
most ppl think its a The Who original because their cover was so much better than the original... theirs is also the most distinctive cover... "The answer is blowin' in the wind" by Peter, Paul & Mary original from Bob Dylan
"Come on feel the noise" by Quiet Riot original from Slade
"Mama we're all crazy now" by Quiet Riot original from Slade
"I shot the sheriff" by Eric Clapton original from Bob Marley
and several others that can't recall right now :) One of my favorites "Take Me to the River" as performed by the Talking Heads, which was done about 5 years before by Al Green. Def Leppard's version of "20th Century Boy" is more popular than T. Rex's version.The old version of "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane was overshadowed by the Rascal Flatts."Love Rollercoaster" by The Ohio Players, was less popular than the Red Hot Chili Peppers version.Gym Class Heroes version of "Cupid's Chokehold/Breakfast in America" made it past "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp.Also "Your Mama Don't Dance" by Poison, may have gone farther than the Kenny Loggins version. Everyone beat me to it!
Blinded By the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
orig. Bruce Springsteen
In A Broken Dream - Thunder
original by Python Lee Jackson
Word Up - Gun
orig. by Cameo
A lot of people don't realise that Tainted Love was by Soft Cell, rather than Marilyn Manson.
Edit :~
Yep - I like Thunder! :)
Tainted Love - yes, I remember reading that Marc Almond first heard it performed by a woman {Gloria Jones?} in a Northern Soul club, but Soft Cell had the really big hit with it. There's actually a lot. Your best bet is to just search The Covers Project at http://www.coversproject.com/
Probably the most famous would be "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens. The original came out in 1939.
"Instanbul" by They Might Be Giants is a cover, but I don't know who did the original
Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler is really a Roger Whittaker Cover. (Yeah, I know, Roger who?)
Superman is a popular non-single by REM, but even a lot of fans don't know it was originally done by The Clique.
George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On You" is a cover.
Some of the songs of the first two or three Beatles albums are covers and better known that their originals. "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" by Warren Zevon but made famous by Linda Ronstadt.
"Thing Called Love" by John Hiatt but made famous by Bonnie Raitt.
"Have a Little Faith in Me"by John Hiatt but made famous Joe Cocker and Jewel.
In fact John Hiatt is famous for having covers of his songs made popular by other artists in different genres.
What about "I'm a Believer" written by Neil Diamond and performed by The Monkees, the Smash Mouth. Motley Crue - Smokin' In The Boy's Room (Brownsville Station)
Sinead O' Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)
The Black Crowes - Hard To Handle (Otis Redding)
Aretha Franklin - Respect (Otis Redding)
Patsy Cline - Crazy (Willie Nelson)
Quiet Riot - C*m On Feel The Noize (Slade)
Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee (Kris Kristofferson)
The Eagles - Seven Bridges Road (Steve Young)
Great White - Once Bitten Twice Shy (Ian Hunter)
Guns N' Roses - Nice Boys (Rose Tattoo)
Poison - Your Mama Don't Dance (Loggins and Messina)
Edit: Silver~Rose~Wolf - Good call on Thunder. I thought there were only like three Thunder fans left in the world. Oh... and Soft Cell actually covered "Tainted Love"... not an original. Breakfast In America ny Supertramp johnny cash "hurt"
everybody thinks he did it, but it was originally composed by Nine Inch Nails!!! cash coverd NIN Summertime Blues - Cover By Rush
Hey Joe - Done By Deep Purple Before Jimi Hendrix Did It
Johnny Goes Marching Home - Cover By Iced Earth
Smooth Criminal - Cover By Alien And Farm
The Seeker - By The Who, Cover By Rush Play's cover of Whole Again was a lot better than Atomic Kitten's. Listen.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gx8s2u78qyi...
Atomic Kittens^^^
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xulldtyayda...
Now, listen to the better one [Play's]^^^ Sublime did a lot of cover songs that people think were originally done by them.
"Smoke Two Joints" was originally done by The Toyes
"We're Only Gonna Die For Our Arrogance" was originally done by Bad Religion (their version was just called "We're Only Gonna Die")
"Hope" was originally done by The Descendents
"Scarlet Begonias" was originally done by The Grateful Dead
Also, a lot of the songs Nirvana did on their Unplugged CD were covers:
"Man Who Sold The World" was by David Bowie
"Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam" by The Vaselines
"Oh Me," "Lake Of Fire," and "Plateau" were all Meat Puppets songs
"Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is a Leadbelly song.
Also, a lot of people think that Tina Turner did the original version of "Proud Mary," but in fact it was Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Sunny Curtis & The Crickets originally did "I Fought The Law," which has been covered by Bobby Fuller Four, The Clash, Mike Ness, Green Day, and was parodied by Dead Kennedys
Orgy's cover of New Order's "Blue Monday" is probably better known among younger people. red red wine. cover ub40 All along the watchtower by Bob Dylan but everyone knows the Hendrix version. In fact it was so well known that for years after Hendrix died Dylan played the Hendrix version in concert. Joan Jett's cover of The Arrows' "I Love Rock N Roll." Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
Eric Clapton - Cocaine (J.J. Cale)
Cream - Crossroads (Robert Jonhson)
Black Crowes - Hard To Handle (Otis Reading)
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe (The Leaves)
The Clash - I Fought The Law (The Crickets)
Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee (Kris Kritofferson)
The Animals - Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Nina Simone)
Aretha Franklin - Respect (Otic Redding) The U2/Green Day version of "The Saints are Coming" was pretty popular earlier this year whereas The Skids remain virtually unknown. Pearl Jam's version of "Last Kiss" is much more well known than the original which was written by Wayne Cochren and performed by J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers in 1962 or 1964....sometime in the early 60's Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants
This instantly came to my mind when I heard this question. TMBG is amazing!
The original is by the Four Lads or something. >>House of the Rising Sun ~ most famous version by Eric Burden & the Animals
Was also recorded by Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Josh White, Nina Simone(possibly)...
Originally is believed to have been first recorded around 1928 by a guy named Texas Alexander.