♫ - Loving you is easy 'cause you're beautiful ♫
Okay, and we're recording (nervous laughter).
So, every one of us has a favorite song,
that one track that inspires and energizes you
every single time you hear it.
Because of that, we feel a connection to the artist
because we can identify with what they were thinking
when they recorded the song
from their own thoughts and emotions.
But, what you might not know is
that some of the most famous songs that we've come to love
were actually covers, originally written and performed
by someone else.
So, today I gathered some of the most famous songs
that were made famous by an artist
who did not originally create them.
So, here they are:
"Ten Famous Songs You Didn't Know Were Covers".
Number one is "Hurt" by Johnny Cash.
Johnny Cash was a country singing star
known for creating several original classics.
However, he also recorded plenty of covers
during his career.
In fact, one of the songs he was most famous for
was the song "Hurt", released in 2003,
which was originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails in 1994.
It was a stand-out track for the group,
and struck a chord with Cash,
who asked lead singer, Trent Reznor, if he could cover it.
Reznor, being flattered by the request, allowed it,
and Cash ended up making a version
that was more famous than the original.
Reznor has even said
that he prefers Cash's version to his own,
referring it to a girlfriend that he lost
but remembers fondly.
The song is especially heartbreaking
because it's one of the last tracks that Cash sang
before his death in 2003.
The music video collects footage from Cash's entire career
in what feels like a memorial video for the artist.
"Hurt" is a very emotional song
that brings up all kinds of feels,
so if you're going to listen to it
I highly recommend you do so with a box of tissues nearby.
Number two is "Sweet Dreams" by Marilyn Manson.
Marilyn Manson, the shock rocker,
is known for his outlandish stage persona
and for creating powerfully moody original songs.
However, one of his most famous songs, "Sweet Dreams"
that was released in 1995, was originally recorded
by the band "The Eurythmics" in 1982.
The original song was an electronic, bouncy dance theme
that was typical for the decade,
but Manson's version of the song
is much more dark and disturbing.
He turned the song into a haunting slow descent into madness
turning the sentiment 'sweet dreams'
into the stuff of nightmares.
But despite how haunting it was,
the song launched Manson into the mainstream,
becoming a staple on MTV.
Interestingly, the music video for this song
knocked out Michael Jackson's "Thriller"
as the scariest music video of all time.
I remember seeing this music video as a kid
and being legitimately terrified by it.
Then again, the movie "Jaws" back then terrified me as well,
so maybe I was just sensitive kid.
Number three is "Dazed and Confused" by Led Zeppelin.
Back in the late '60's,
Jimmy Page was all for finding his musical talent,
ready to emerge on the scene
with his fellow bandmates as Led Zeppelin.
But while opening for the band "Yardbirds",
Jimmy Page came across a fellow artist named Jake Holmes,
who performed the song "Dazed and Confused" in 1967.
The song was a folk track that struck a chord with Page,
who only one year later, in 1968,
produced a similarly-sounding song with the same name.
Surprisingly, Holmes was not credited for his music,
which eventually led to a copyright battle
between him and Zeppelin.
But Led Zeppelin's famous catalogue of songs
are known for pulling inspiration from other songs.
Even their earliest works take from Blues music.
Zeppelin pioneered heavy metal by taking Blues music,
turning the speakers up to eleven
and playing it like a champ in tight pants.
Except those pants left nothing to the imagination.
Number four is "Respect" by Aretha Franklin.
Aretha Franklin is an amazing artist
that started singing gospel music,
but embarked on a secular career
hitting it big on the Billboard.
She was kind of like the 1960's Katy Perry.
Her R&B hits, like "Natural Woman" and "Think",
showcase her incredible vocal talent,
but her most famous and often-played song
is the anthem for female empowerment, "Respect".
"Respect" was released by Franklin in 1967
and became an instant chart-topping hit.
But, that song was originally recorded
two years prior, in 1965, by Otis Redding.
Redding had written the song for another artist
but when the band failed to produce
a decent version of the song,
he decided to record it himself.
The song wasn't as big of a hit as Franklin's version was,
nor did it include the bridge portion,
where she spells out "respect".
The song has endured as not only a catchy pop hit,
but a song for women
who demand the respect that they deserve.
It's the spelling it out part that made it popular.
I'm telling you. It's just so fun.
♫ R-E-S-P-E-C-T ♫
Sorry, I'll stop.
Number five is "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls.
In the early 2000's, a new artist was
about to burst onto the scene in all of her pop glory,
named Tori Alamaze.
Alamaze had spent the prior ten years
working as a makeup artist in Detroit
for various artists such as Outkast, Busta Rhymes, and TLC.
After signing a deal with Universal Records
to produce some solo work,
she released her first single "Don't Cha".
The song was produced with the help of CeeLo Green
and was expected to be a huge success.
However, upon its release in 2004,
it was met with a faint reaction
and her label dropped her.
The track ended up being given to
The Pussycat Dolls, and just one year later,
in 2005, "Don't Cha" was released by the all-girl group
becoming an instant chart-topper.
The song launched the group into the mainstream
where they went on
to sell over 54 million records worldwide.
So, remember kids, follow your dreams
because one day, someone might come along,
take your dream, and do it better than you. And--
Wait, that's not right.
Number six is "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley.
Known affectionately as "The King",
Elvis Presley is a Rock 'n Roll legend.
He was a defining pop culture figure in the 1950's,
and led the way for many future pop stars
who would make women weak in the knees.
But Elvis was never shy about covering music,
even covering Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti"
for white audiences.
So, it should be no surprise that
one of his all-time biggest hits
was not his own.
Elvis released "Hound Dog" in 1956,
but it was originally recorded by the legendary
Willie Mae Thornton, also known as "Big Mama", in 1952.
Elvis's version became incredibly popular,
partly due to Big Mama's version being slower,
and the fact that Elvis
had a controversial and exciting stage presence.
You know, Big Mama's version was a way for women
to berate exploitative men,
while Elvis ended up using the song and his fame
to exploit all of the women
who would eventually throw themselves at him.
Now that's irony.
Number seven is "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell.
"Tainted Love" is a famous song
that everyone knows very well,
that was a huge hit in the 1980's.
The band Soft Cell released the song in 1981
and to this day people still associate them with the song.
However, although they made it popular,
the song was actually first recorded
seventeen years earlier, in 1964,
by Gloria Jones.
A singer and songwriter from California,
she made her way into working with Motown,
that gave her a solid career in the 1960's and '70's.
But just before her time at Motown, she wrote and performed
the song "Tainted Love" in her own soulful way.
She became popular in Northern England,
and inspired Marc Almond and David Ball,
who created Soft Cell and recorded their own
hit version of the song.
There is literally nothing more '80's than this song,
except maybe spandex and neon lights,
two things I'm big fans of!
Number eight is "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann.
Manfred Mann is a pop band from London, England,
who is famous for their song "Blinded by the Light".
They released the song in 1976,
but they were not the first to sing it.
American legend, Bruce Springsteen, originally
recorded the song in 1972,
but despite being a bigger star than Manfred Mann,
this particular song fell by the wayside
to his other big hits.
While developing the album "Greetings from Ashbury Park",
Springsteen wrote the song "Spirit in the Night"
and "Blinded by the Light",
however both songs failed to become successful.
Then, just four years later
Manfred Mann changed up a few lyrics
and added their own musical flourish,
and made the song a hit.
"Blinded by the Light"?
More like "blinded by the inability
to make this song a hit"!
Am I right, Springsteen?
Ohhhh!
I'm just kidding. He's fantastic.
Number nine is "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia.
Back in the 1990's, there were a lot of one hit wonders
that hit radio stations.
One of those hit songs was Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn".
Starting as a model and then getting into music,
she released the song "Torn"
as part of her album, "Left of the Middle" in 1997.
The song was a worldwide hit, but--
You guessed it,
was a cover song that was
actually recorded two years earlier, in 1995
by alternative rock band, Ednaswap.
The track was produced by the label "East West",
who wanted the group to produce a more poppy acoustic album.
However, the band did not agree with the label
and ended up leaving them.
This led to the track falling
into Natalie Imbruglia's hands,
where it became what the label always wanted: a pop hit.
Truthfully, I never liked the song very much,
nor most of the music from the '90's.
Yeah, I know I'm in the minority.
You don't like it? Come at me, brah!
And, number ten, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
by Cyndi Lauper.
Cyndi Lauper is a pop star
who's best known for her hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".
During the late '70's, Lauper was found by David Wolfe
who brought her into Portrait Records
to record her first solo album.
What resulted was the album "She's So Unusual"
from 1983, which includes some of her biggest hits
including the hit, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".
But, as it turns out, Robert Hazard wrote and recorded
the same song four years earlier, in 1979.
Hazard had a broad career
working with various styles of music
without much recognition.
Lauper, on the other hand,
ultimately built a strong pop career
and continues to write and perform music.
Just as a side note, does anyone else find it odd
that a guy wrote "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"?
It sounds like something a creepy uncle would say
at a family get-together, after he had a few too many.
"Girls just wanna have fun, am I right?" (deep laughter)
That's it for this time, guys.
If you enjoyed this video
you should definitely check out the collaboration
I just did with Anthony from "Ten Second Songs".
It's a sick video where he sings some amazing tracks
by CeeLo, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Aerosmith, and more,
and I give you some amazing facts about those tracks
that you didn't know.
So, if you wanna check that out,
I'll put an annotation on the screen and in the description
and, trust me, you're gonna wanna do that.
It's pretty cool.
As always, if you enjoyed this video,
be sure to give that "like" button a click,
and if you want to see future videos from me,
be sure to click that red "subscribe" button
because I upload every Tuesday and Saturday.
Have a great day, guys, and I will see you next time.
Peace!
(horn chime)
(electronic dance music)