3 Songs You Didn’t Know Were Covers

Some songs are destined to be hits but take strange and unpredictable paths to the charts.

The list below looks at three songs you didn’t know were covers. These hits defined the artists that made them famous, but they already existed in the world. However, after hearing the famous versions of these songs, the originals almost sound like covers.

That may not surprise you with the first two and the obscure artists who initially recorded them. But the last song on this list started with a legend.

Consider this a source of inspiration for the songwriters lamenting the tunes that failed to launch. You never know.

“Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia from Left of the Middle (1997)

After Natalie Imbruglia quit the soap opera Neighbours, she moved to the UK to pursue music. Her debut single, “Torn,” was a smash hit, riding a wave of female alternative pop artists like Meredith Brooks and Paula Cole. But few know that Danish singer Lis Sørensen first released the song in 1993—sung in Danish and called “Brændt.”

Two years later, the alternative rock band Ednaswap recorded it for their self-titled debut. Ednaswap bandmates Scott Cutler and Anne Preven had written “Torn” with Phil Thornalley, who later produced Imbruglia’s Grammy-nominated version.

“I Love Rock ‘n Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts from I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll (1981)

Some songs define artists so singularly that it’s impossible to think of them as covers. But Joan Jett’s most popular hit originated with a British rock band called The Arrows. While on tour in the UK with The Runaways, Jett saw The Arrows perform “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” on a TV show. (The Arrows released the original in 1975.)

In 1979, Jett recorded her cover with two Sex Pistols, guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook. But this isn’t the record that became famous. She rerecorded the song with the Blackhearts in 1981 and topped the Billboard charts with it for seven weeks.

Also, notice Jett’s song title is “I Love Rock ’n Roll” on her album I Love Rock ’n’ Roll. But The Arrows called theirs “I Love Rock n Roll.” Regardless of the fluid apostrophes, it’s hard to hear anyone else sing it but Jett.

“Respect” by Aretha Franklin from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)

Otis Redding released “Respect” as a single in 1965. But Redding’s song demanded an old-fashioned relationship dynamic between men and women. So, Aretha Franklin flipped the gender roles and turned Redding’s soul jam into a feminist anthem.

And Franklin’s recording added the iconic R-E-S-P-E-C-T hook, which didn’t appear in the original. Creating a defining performance of a song first recorded by a legend like Redding proves Franklin is indeed the Queen of Soul.

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