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Songs by bands you always thought did it originally but then found... didn't

 MSP
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Turns out Kula Shaker didn’t write Hush

I knew that, it has however come as quite a surprise that it wasn't deep purple.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 10:38 am
gifferkev reacted
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It was a few years before I realised that José Gonzalez didn’t write “Heartbeats”

I think I vaguely know both of those but I didn't realise they were the same song!


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 10:51 am
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I always loved this song that the Clash definitely wrote and performed... 🤔

The Clash

The Crickets

I loved this one too that they obviously wrote and performed...
It's ok though as I love both versions 😊

The Clash
https://youtu.be/N3A8uNG3GH4

Junior Murvin
https://youtu.be/XlP3J3J3Upw


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 11:37 am
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I thought for a very long time that Elvis Costello wrote 'She'.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 11:46 am
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i heard this by an artist i like (Landon Tewers) and fell in love with it.

A few weeks later my daughter heard it whilst i had it on and said she recognised the lyrics. I protested somewhat, thinking my man Landon had written a banger. Turns out it was written... or at least sung by....

Still a great song, with lots of feels, but i prefer the Landon Tewers version.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 11:53 am
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Of course 'It Ain't What You Do, It's The Way That You Do it' was by Bananarama & Fun Boy Three

but originally recorded by Jimmy Lunceford as 'Tain't What You Do' (vocals around 0:58)

Ella Fitzgerald also did a version

https://youtu.be/X8fCXNTCWig


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 12:22 pm
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Following on from that Bananarama colab, there's this:

Written and performed originally by:


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 12:32 pm
 PJay
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@kayak23 I came here to post "I fought the law" after being surprised that it wasn't a Clash original. However, it turns out that the version I thought was the original is itself a cover!


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 12:57 pm
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Althea & Donna’s Uptown Top Ranking took me a few years to realise its was a version of Trinity’s Three Piece Suit.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 3:15 pm
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Blinded by the light, I always thought the original was by manfred manns earth band, i was surprised when I found out it was in fact a springsteen song.

Their hilarious mispronunciation of the word 'deuce' is a bit of a giveaway.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 3:41 pm
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Nirvana. Killing Joke basslines and disco drums.

Faith No More. Killing Joke keyboards.

Milli Vanilli. Actually, they were pretty good.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 7:39 pm
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I'm surprised no-one's mentioned this already, but...

...pretty much everything Led Zepplin sung! 🙂

Led Astray

A collection of the source material, well worth listening to.
When The Levee Breaks is my favourite song on IV; it's my favourite on this album too but for very different reasons. You can hear the resignation and worry in the vocal - losing the very little you do own to a flood was clearly a very real prospect.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 10:00 pm
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PimpmasterJazz
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Nirvana. Killing Joke basslines and disco drums.

Faith No More. Killing Joke keyboards.

I think you are missing (as in a different continent) the point of the thread. Hop on back and start from the beginning.


 
Posted : 27/04/2023 11:41 pm
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It’s my life - No Doubt.
No doubt about it, a great version, but . . .
It’s my life - Talk Talk is betterer.


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 9:18 am
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This is one that I have known since I was 14 when I bought an Otis Redding greatest hits album well before the black crowes covered it, but it seems to surprise most when the original pops up on my playlist.

My dad bought me Otis Redding - The Definitive Collection when I was 16 and au got The Black Crowes version a few months after. I love both versions - but prefer the original. Otis has been my favourite singer all my adult life and I don’t see that changing! One of my sons has the middle name ‘Otis’.

Otis wasn’t averse to covers himself - he are two of Sam Cooke’s that he did.

I believe the latter was written as Sam heard Bob Dylans protest song ‘The Times They Are A-changin.’ Both are hugely meaningful to me. Essential parts of my education in Civil Rights.


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 10:22 am
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It’s my life – No Doubt.
No doubt about it, a great version, but . . .
It’s my life – Talk Talk is betterer.

An amazing song - one of Talk Talks best!


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 10:32 am
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Turns out Kula Shaker didn’t write Hush

I knew that, it has however come as quite a surprise that it wasn’t deep purple.

Luckily, due to my dads music collection - I knew it was written by Joe South originally.

I didn’t realise that ‘I Fought The Law’ was by the Crickets originally!


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 10:42 am
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Re:

Young at Heart written and performed originally by Bananarama

I think one of the Bluebells co wrote it

Bit odd seeing the Crickets & Bobby Fuller 4 singing about fighting the law whilst dressed in suits & tie! What were their crimes, tax evasion, parking in a no stopping zone?


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 12:28 pm
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Being a teenager in the early 90s, I thought "Molly's Lips" was a Nirvana original.

I only found out earlier this year it's a cover of a song by The Vaselines:

[url]

...AND it's actually a song about Molly Weir, the actress who played Holly McWitch in Rentaghost, whose character always had very red lipstick.

Which is how I now have stored away in my head a "did you know Nirvana have a song about Rentaghost" fact, which is bound to remain buried for several years.


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 12:39 pm
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Being a teenager in the early 90s, I thought “Molly’s Lips” was a Nirvana original.

I only found out earlier this year it’s a cover of a song by The Vaselines

as was "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam"


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 1:16 pm
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Actually a hot chocolate song.


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 2:47 pm
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Ace song, but penned by elvis costello.

On the subject of Motörhead, I think Dave edmunds had a hand in the production of their first album.

And Patti Smiths ‘because the night’ was a Bruce Springsteen song.


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 2:53 pm
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And Patti Smiths ‘because the night’ was a Bruce Springsteen song.

Once you know that it's difficult to not hear it as a Springsteen song, same as Guided By The Light.

This one should be particularly well known, Nilsson’s hit ‘Without You’ was originally by Badfinger, but it was never released as a single. Nilsson’s version is the better version anyway, he had a better voice and could hit higher notes than Pete Ham and Tom Evans could.

Sadly, nobody made any money from it and Ham and Evans both killed themselves because of legal difficulties and issues over royalties.

I bought my second guitar from Pete Ham's brother. (As did many other guitarists around here. 😀 )


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 3:26 pm
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Being a teenager in the early 90s, I thought “Molly’s Lips” was a Nirvana original.

I only found out earlier this year it’s a cover of a song by The Vaselines:

…AND it’s actually a song about Molly Weir, the actress who played Holly McWitch in Rentaghost, whose character always had very red lipstick.

Which is how I now have stored away in my head a “did you know Nirvana have a song about Rentaghost” fact, which is bound to remain buried for several years.

And in a nice link back to another band featured on this thread, Mary Weir appeared in Young At Heart by The Bluebells.


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 3:33 pm
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I'm Moving On by the Stones was originally a C & W hit by Hank Snow in 1950

Reggae classic Red Red Wine was by Neill Diamond in 1967


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 4:46 pm
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Natalie! How could you?!

Ednaswap


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 7:52 pm
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Pushing the brief a little bit but I only very recently realised this evolutionary line...

Pop Muzik by Robin Scott M, 1979
I Want a New Drug, Huey Lewis, Jan 1984
Ghostbusters by, Ray Parker Jr., June 1984


 
Posted : 28/04/2023 8:51 pm
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Interesting progression there!

If we're going a bit off piste, I thought Fight test was written by the Flaming lips

But it turns out it was mostly written by Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens (Well according to the court anyway)


 
Posted : 29/04/2023 12:20 am
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I know it's a cover, but just had to share it. Amanda Brown doing Gasoline with Brass Against (sorry can't post a link, bit thick).Worth googling tho'.


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 12:29 am
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@jonnyboi not letting you away with that, Deep Purple recorded it first!

(but good trolling)


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 1:42 am
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Natalie! How could you?!

I'd known that it was a cover for years ... but I didn't know that was the original. Pretty good.


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 1:50 am
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Just catching up with some more, they didn't write it but Deep Purple were the first to perform it.

The "Nirvana" tracks mentioned were all on either Incesticide or Unplugged which were B sides and covers galore. Both brilliant albums.

yup, yes it was. Silver Machine (as most of Hawkwind’s output) was rubbish. Motörhead and Lemmy made a good choice to move on from that stuff.

Lemmy may have made better music subjectively but he appreciated a lot of stuff most Motörhead fans would turn their noses up at. ABBA for a start.


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 2:09 am
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I think this counts ...


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 9:56 am
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Reference the 'Hurt' discussion on page 1:

I like the Johnny Cash's version, but for me it lacks the raw-ness of the NIN original, and it fits so well at the end of The Downward Spiral.

With that being said, there's a live version with Bowie and Reznor which is my absolute favourite version of the song - utterly mesmerising.

David Bowie Nine Inch Nails Hurt (excellent quality) - YouTube


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 1:06 pm
 dero
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For 52 years I thought this was the original:

Then I watched this in 2022:
https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/summer-of-soul-review-questlove-2986808

Where Nina Simone performed it for the first time live. After writing it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hdVFiANBTk


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 11:46 pm
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Didn't know that, what an amazing woman Nina Simone was.

I thought the original version of the iconic much covered song 'Louie Louie' was by the Kingsmen in the early 60s.

But recently found out it was written and recorded by Richard Berry in 1957


 
Posted : 04/05/2023 9:12 am
 dero
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White American and British artists in the 60s covered a lot of music originally by black Americans didn't they, often having more success than the original artist. Bobby Womack was reportedly frustrated that the Rolling Stones had the success with his It's All Over Now. Although the frustration was apparently alleviated a bit when his first royalty cheque arrived.

I saw the recent Little Richard documentary on BBC, good old Pat Boone covered a couple of his tracks and had similar success. Richard was also disappointed and later critical.
Good watch btw:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001lf9j


 
Posted : 04/05/2023 10:28 am
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Who covered who? This was written by both Jane Wiedlin & Terry Hall while on tour, the Go Go's supporting the Specials on the Seaside tour. It was agreed that the Go Go's would release it first.


 
Posted : 04/05/2023 3:00 pm
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Watched this last night. You hear a lot about bands sitting around and jamming in their early days. I like the idea of this lot sitting around listening to the records they'd found that week, until they needed a bigger room.


 
Posted : 06/05/2023 4:30 pm
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Another discovery today.

The Chaka khan classic, I feel for you... Isn't.

Prince done it.


 
Posted : 16/05/2023 2:25 pm
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Had always assumed "Nothing compares to you" was written by Sinead O'Conner. Was quite surprised when I heard the Prince original version. Hers is better.


 
Posted : 17/05/2023 11:41 pm
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I Was surprised to learn that Toni Basil's iconic 80s one hit wonder 'Mickey' started life as 'Kitty' by 70s British group Racey.


 
Posted : 17/05/2023 11:57 pm
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Speaking of Nina Simone, this was originally by


 
Posted : 18/05/2023 3:18 pm
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Speaking of the Fugees from page one, thier hit 'ready or not is a cover of The Delfonics.

ANd enya almost sued them for using her tune "Boadicea" in the same song, but decided not too as she quite liked it apparently.


 
Posted : 18/05/2023 4:21 pm
 nbt
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There's a big spotify playlist of such songs - where the cover is WAY more famous than the original

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Hskeb9Z6GhBLic1BiHji4?si=1033a99c6e1c492d


 
Posted : 18/05/2023 5:59 pm
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