Original of songs most people don’t know are covers

And somehow, as a kid, stuff like that never crossed my mind. In the 80's all music seemed to be from the 80's to me. Maybe it's like that in every generation - I don't know. I'm not really sure as a kid I even knew "covers" existed - I don't remember. I just knew I liked what I liked. I know when I found out Joan Jett's stuff wasn't original, I was kind of sad, but I didn't care because girl... guitar.... sounded pretty damn good when loud... I'm good.

There was a hit several years ago by Ella Eyre that started getting notoriety that's just a remake of Jermaine Stewart's hit from the 80s "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" which I still love to this day. It's one of my 80s anthems. But there were a lot of people who didn't know it was a 30-40 year old song. Maybe the meaning to those listening today has changed, but it's a more "down"/sad song to me than the original which was an up-tempo/dance/feel-good song. Same song, but 2 different vibes.

 

and then there's chip taylor's original demo which is meant to be floating around as a bootleg but i have never been able to find it.






segueing here, troggs also gave us this:



and its unofficial adaptation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N63XSUpe-0o

 

Neither of these count as Hits?

 

Also Cherry Bomb

 

How could you forget?

 

Pretty much these covers I've posted, I didn't hear the original until 10-30 years later.
.

 

Boo! The Who covered it before Blue Cheer and have a much better version. The difference is, they always gave credit to Cochran when they played it at a concert.

 

I'm amazed that people didn't know the original versions of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" and The Guess Who's "American Woman".

My lawn, get off of it.

 

There were multiple Covers done before The Who and Blue Cheer did their versions.

Summertime Blues

 

It's more of a high-horse thing, not lawn.

 

You can go blues --> 50's --> 70's Rock with about 194 different very popular songs.

Have yall heard of Led Zeppelin?

Example 1:

This is a song from back around 1929, written about the Great Mississippi Flood of '27

 

Mustang Sally?



1 year later, the song goes gangbusters:



The black/white anthem at the PX at Fort Polk, Tigerland, Louisiana, 1966/7

 

lol...

 

This one is a two-fer the "na na na" thread also...