Songs you didn't realise were covers

[hoarahloux]

I almost grew up with Natalie Imbruglia's Torn. I used to put the music video channels on TV in the early morning before my parents got up. I loved it, she was one of my first crushes. I watched the video of it over and over again and was bemused how the man was so normal when she was so incredible.

It wasn't until much later I found out that the song was a cover, and the original by Ednaswap was almost identical so it wasn't even an interesting cover!

Yes it was well known and its a way better version as you'd expect. Nothing against Amy at all, she was a brilliant artist in her own right.

I was baffled, at the time, that people had no idea it was a Paul McCartney and Wings song. Maybe it’s an age thing because it was a famous McCartney tune.

I agree, having heard the original, I prefer it. I just cannot for the life of me understand why I don't recall hearing it at the time - I only know about it having caught sight of an Amy Winehouse documentary in the very recent past (despite me saying I don't like her music).

The original didn't make the radio. It's really that simple. Lots of people only heard Valerie when Amy covered it.

This is a cover of Common People by William Shatner.

It has much more "passion" than the original.

You want to sleep with common people. Like me?

When I was in my early/mid 20s, "Sunshine After The Rain" by Berri could be heard blasting out of many a nightclub I frequented. I still love her version even now, perhaps because it takes me back to that time & place.

I always thought it was a cover of an Elkie Brookes song, little did I realise the Elkie Brookes version was in fact a cover, and the original was by Ellie Greenwich. I have absolutely no recollection of how I found this out.

Well that makes sense. I've wondered it for a long time.

Strictly speaking it was Mark Ronson who covered it with Amy on the vocals.
As for The Zutons I suppose they got lost in all that mid noughties "bands" like Hard Fi, The Hoosiers, Maximo Park, Futureheads etc. Actually some of those were really good. Its a shame social media and the explosion of the internet killed off all bands...

Yes! I hugely prefer this to the original. Sacrilege I know, but it's just so good.

I think this depends on which radio stations you listened to, because it absolutely did make the radio stations I heard.

You never hear Wings on the radio, despite the fact that they were one of the most commercially successful bands of the 1970s. I'd never heard the song before.

Why "bands" in quotes? Futureheads were good, they did that great Hounds of Love cover. I didn't care for any of the others you mention but there were a lot of good 00s bands. Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, etc.

Who remebers Travis 😅

Depends which ratio station you listen to. Think I heard it on r6. But then, I already liked the zutons. Think I went to see them in 200.....5?6?

This thread is making me feel v old. I knew most of these were covers. Although it could be from my dad's disgust at totp growing up:"this is a cover/ they're miming!"

I'm an old hippie Dylan fan so this made me smile. Agree with @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g Dylan wrote so many great great songs. Many have been covered by so so many people, and since Dylan maybe didn't have a hit with the song, people don't realise. Give Highway 61 Revisited or Bringing it all Back Home a listen.

Shocked that Hangin on the Telephone is not an original Blondie track tho

Well, I had never heard that before but it is excellent.

Everyone in Preston today. They were shite but I saw them live at uni in 99.

I listen to a local BBC radio station during the daytime, which, as far as I know, plays the same songs in each four-hour slot across the nation, no matter which one you are tuned to. Anyway, they very much do play Wings on a regular basis, I recall this well as "Band On The Run" features frequently, and it's a song I detest, mainly because it seems to change into a totally different song halfway through, almost as if it was two incomplete songs shoved together.

Thats all anyone remembers from the Futureheads. I think of Bloc Party as 90s but I may be wrong. I'd take them all back over what passes as music these days. In fact Ive got Our Velocity by Maximo Park on now and it rocks!

Making me feel old too. I also knew that most of the songs mentioned are covers.

The Zutons' Valerie was a pretty big hit at the time where I'm from.

Tina released hers first too, so Bucks Fizz didn't bother.

Talking of two songs shoved together, I adore this - two covers in one.

Yes I feel the original version is the real one. I spent a lot of time in pubs at that time mostly grunge rock type places and the Zutons version always seemed to be playing. For that reason I hated Amy's version at the time, if it had been 10 years later I'd probably have loved it.

Bloc Party's debut album was 2005! The Pioneers is still so good.

They were a big deal in my very white high school because they were a britpop/rock band with a Black vocalist/frontman.

The Pet Shop boys cover of Elvis 'Always on my mind' is my favourite cover of all time. It's rare a cover tops an original.