10+ Songs You Didn’t Know Were Covers
I’m always a little embarrassed when I find out that one of my favorite songs was actually a remake of an older version of a song. Usually Casey Kasem would set me straight – “Up two notches to number 16, here’s the supergroup the Power Station with a remake of the old T. Rex song, ‘Bang a Gong (Get it On)’” – But until recently, I thought that some of the best songs of the 80s were originals. Boy, was I shocked. See how many surprise you:
- “Better be Good To Me” – Spider (covered by Tina Turner). This is my favorite Tina Turner song. I think with this single, she established herself as a true rock artist for the 1980s. Little did I know at the time that the reason was that it was because the original was done by a true rock band, Spider. And the two versions sound exactly the same.Sigh. Suddenly, Tina Turner is a little less impressive now. Except her legs.Bonus trivia: Spider also wrote a song called “Change,” which was John Waite’s follow-up to “Missing You.”
- “Kitty” – Racey (Recorded as “Mickey” by Toni Basil). Whaaaat? Something as fresh as Toni Basil’s cheery song was not her own? Well, Basil was not a singer, she was a choreographer, so it does make sense that her songs would be someone else’s. But give credit where credit is due; Basil breathes new life into this song, which was originally called “Kitty.”
- “I Love Rock n’ Roll” – The Arrows (Joan Jett). I almost cried when I found out that this one was a cover, but I should have known; Joan Jett’s follow-up, Casey Kasem informed me, was a remake of Tommy James and the Shondell’s “Crimson and Clover.” But “I Love Rock n’ Roll?” That’s iconic, that’s pure 80s, that’s…a cover of a song by a 70s band sporting some nice mullets. (If any of you are shocked to hear that this was not a Britney Spears original, you have bigger problems.)”I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” – The Arrows
“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
- “Alone” – I-Ten (Heart). No way. Surely I’ve gone off my rocker now. “Alone”? The perfect power ballad by the wonderful Wilson sisters? Yep. It was even recorded by John Stamos before Heart got their hands on it. If it’s any consolation, their version runs circles around the original. It must suck to realize that someone else did your song better than you did. On the other hand, I-Ten is probably really rich now.Alone – I-Ten
- “The Tide is High” – The Paragons (Blondie). Okay, this one makes sense. Blondie’s hit sounds like a laid-back 60s reggae tune, and that’s exactly what it was originally – a song by the Paragons, a, um, 1960s group from Jamaica. Edge goes to Blondie here.
- “We’re All Alone” – Boz Scaggs (Rita Coolidge). I was upset to hear that Coolidge’s two biggest hits – this one and “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” – were both covers, but when I heard Boz Scaggs’ version…Well, just hear it for yourself. I never realized that Scaggs sounded like Kermit the Frog. Rita, you are forgiven.
- “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” – Paper Lace (Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods). My friends across the pond may be shocked to hear that there’s a cover of this song; they know Paper Lace’s version pretty well. I prefer Bo Donaldson’s just because I heard it first, but both sound pretty dated and well, corny.
- “China Girl” – Iggy Pop (David Bowie). As cool as Iggy Pop is supposed to be, David Bowie took “China Girl” and “made it his own,” to borrow an overused and absolutely pointless phrase from everyone on American Idol.
- “Red Red Wine” – Neil Diamond (UB40). UB40 took a tired, dreary number from a tired, dreary artist and gave it some life. The result? The only reggae song I’ve ever liked. I don’t care if it was played to death during the 1980s.
Alone – Heart
- Honorable Mention: Laura Branigan and Cyndi Lauper. Both artists made a career of taking little-known songs and turning them into hits. For the late Laura Branigan, she borrowed several tunes from Michael Bolton, recording two songs of his that eventually became hits: “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and “I Found Someone.” The latter was not a huge hit for Branigan, but Cher picked it up a few years later and turned it into a monster hit. Branigan’s first hit, “Gloria,” was a hit in Italy for Umberto Tozzi.Lauper also relied heavily on other songwriters; her hit “I Drove All Night” was first recorded by Roy Orbison in 1987, but it wasn’t released until 1992 – three years after Lauper released her version. “All Through the Night” was written and first recorded by Jules Shear in 1983, but Lauper made it a hit one year later. And finally, “Money Changes Everything” was recorded by The Brains in 1980, and released by Lauper in 1984.




