It’s no surprise that cover versions of songs can be very successful. The rock and roll business started off with songwriting teams cranking out the songs & producers finding bands to cover & record them. It really wasn’t until the mid ’60’s that bands started to write, record and be successful with their own music. There are still great songwriters out there that contribute to the rock pantheon, but I’d say the majority of hits now are original material. My perception is that the pop music world tends to use songwriters and covers more than the rock world.
I went into my library to pick out some of my favourite cover songs. With many of these, you will be familiar with the cover & original artists, however I hope to surprise you with a couple of original artists. The list below shows the song and the artist on the original release of the song. It is not necessarily the songwriter.
- All Along The Watchtower, Bob Dylan.
- House of the Rising Sun, Tom Clarence Ashley & Gwen Foster
- Dear Mr. Fantasy, Traffic.
- Summertime Blues, Eddie Cochran
- Superstition, Stevie Wonder
- I’m A Man, Spencer Davis Group
- Ball and Chain, Big Mama Thornton
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Gladys Knight & The Pips
- Black Magic Woman, Fleetwood Mac
- (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, Brinsley Schwarz
- Race With The Devil, Gun
- Tweeter And The Monkey Man, The Traveling Wilburys
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps, The Beatles
- American Woman, The Guess Who
- Sign of the Gypsy Queen, Lorence Hud
- This Flight Tonight, Joni Mitchell
- You Better Run, The Young Rascals
- Move Over, Janis Joplin
- I Don’t Need No Doctor, Nick Ashford
- Brand New Cadillac, Vince Taylor & His Playboys
- You Really Got Me, The Kinks
- Young Man Blues, Mose Allison