Did you know that many of our favorite songs from history are actually just covers of the song?
I’ll be honest, I had no clue that any of the songs on this list weren’t originals! It’s fun to listen to the original tune and see how much the song evolved with different performers.
Check out this list of seven songs you had zero clue were covers. I bet these will surprise you!
1. “Respect”
R-E-S-P-E-C-T the original artist! This song is often associated with vocal powerhouse Aretha Franklin, but the tune was originally sung by jazz artist Otis Redding. He released the song in 1965, and it was covered by Aretha only two years later. Here’s the OG!
2. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”
This Cyndi Lauper hit was actually not originated by a girl having fun! In fact, it was written by Robert Hazard. He recorded a demo of the song in 1979 and four years later, Cyndi released her cover of the song. A few of the lyrics were tweaked between the recordings. See if you can spot the differences!
3. “Achy, Breaky Heart”
Billy Ray Cyrus’ hit, “Achy, Breaky Heart,” was actually originated by a different band, under a different name! The Marcy Brothers released this song in 1991, titled “Don’t Tell My Heart.” Billy Ray covered the song and released it the following year with its new title.
4. “Ring of Fire”
That’s right. This iconic Johnny Cash song was not sung by Johnny Cash, originally! It was sung by Anita Carter. Anita is actually Johnny’s sister-in-law!
5. “Twist and Shout”
Twist and shout the truth that this song was not originally sung by The Beatles! The Top Notes was the first band to sing this tune, under the title “Shake It Up, Baby.” The Beatles didn’t get to the song until a bit later.
6. “I Will Always Love You”
This is a big shocker. The Whitney Houston hit, “I Will Always Love You,” was actually written by country music icon Dolly Parton! Dolly wrote and recorded the song in 1973. Whitney’s version came out almost two decades later in 1992!
7. “Hound Dog”
That’s right, Elvis wasn’t the original “Hound Dog” singer! Famous jazz singer Big Mama Thornton originated the song in 1952. Her rendition is quite a bit grittier than Elvis’s. His version came out in 1956.
Did any of these surprise you?
The featured images for this article come from YouTube (here and here)
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