12 Famous Songs You Didn't Know Were Covers

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Daily Sound Check — a daily music discovery and quiz app for Android

Some of the most famous songs ever recorded aren’t originals at all. The version burned into your memory — the hit, the one everybody knows — is often a cover of something older and half-forgotten. Here are twelve chart-topping songs you probably didn’t realise were covers.

Twelve hits that were covers

  • “Hound Dog” — Elvis Presley: recorded three years earlier by blues singer Big Mama Thornton.
  • “Respect” — Aretha Franklin: written and first released by Otis Redding; Aretha made it her own.
  • “I Will Always Love You” — Whitney Houston: written and originally sung by Dolly Parton.
  • “Twist and Shout” — The Beatles: first cut by the Top Notes, then the Isley Brothers, before the Fab Four’s take.
  • “Hurt” — Johnny Cash: a cover of Nine Inch Nails — many now think Cash’s version is definitive.
  • “Tainted Love” — Soft Cell: originally a 1960s northern-soul track by Gloria Jones.
  • “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” — Cyndi Lauper: written and first recorded by Robert Hazard.
  • “Nothing Compares 2 U” — Sinéad O’Connor: written by Prince for one of his side projects.
  • “Valerie” — Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse: a cover of a song by British band The Zutons.
  • “The Man Who Sold the World” — Nirvana: from their Unplugged set — it’s a David Bowie song.
  • “Torn” — Natalie Imbruglia: already recorded by the band Ednaswap years earlier.
  • “Blinded by the Light” — Manfred Mann’s Earth Band: written and first released by Bruce Springsteen.

Once you start pulling this thread it never ends — a huge slice of pop history is built on reinvention.

A new music story every day

If you love this kind of behind-the-song trivia, Daily Sound Check is built for you — a free Android app that serves up a fresh hit of music every day, with artist profiles, discographies and chart history to explore, plus a daily music quiz to test your ear. A great way to keep discovering the stories behind the songs you love.

Get Daily Sound Check on Google Play

More on the app: the Daily Sound Check page.

Turn it up — and see how many originals you can spot.

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