10 songs you probably didn't know were covers 🎶

It may come as a surprise to you that many of the best songs around are in fact covers. With some songs being covered and re-released within just a year of one another, some of these originals date back to the 1960s. From the Pussycat Dolls to Westlife, and even Britney Spears, some of these are bound to surprise you...

So, get your volume turned up and prepare to sing and dance along, as we take you through some of the biggest hits from the past few decades that have been covered by popular artists.

1. DJ Sammy feat. Yanou & Do - 'Heaven'

Starting us off is the iconic 'Heaven' by DJ Sammy, featuring vocals from Dutch singer Do. With a slow AND club version both released back in November 2001, it's safe to say the track took the noughties by storm. What fans may not have known, however, is that that track was in fact a cover of a song of the same name, released by none other than Bryan Adams in 1985.

LISTEN: Bryan Adams - 'Heaven' (1985)

LISTEN: DJ Sammy feat. Yanou & Do - 'Heaven' (2001)

2. York - 'On the Beach'

Released by German electronic duo York back in 1999, we have the summer-vibe track 'On the Beach'. Thanks to a catchy guitar riff that originated in Chris Rea's 1986 song of the same name, this bop hit the Number 4 spot in the UK Singles Chart by June 2000.

LISTEN: Chris Rea - 'On the Beach' (1986)

LISTEN: York - 'On the Beach' (1999)

3. The Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes - 'Don't Cha'

Yes... You read that correctly. The world renowned Pussycat Dolls 2005 ANTHEM 'Don't Cha' is in fact a cover. Just one year prior to The Pussycat Dolls' release of the song, ex-OutKast backing vocalist Tori Alamaze released it as her debut single. After some dissatisfaction with the track's performance, her label soon gave up the rights.

A touch of Nicole Scherzinger and a sprinkle of Busta Rhymes, the track hit the Number 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart.

LISTEN: Tori Alamaze - 'Don’t Cha' (2004)

LISTEN: The Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes - Don’t Cha (2005)

4. Westlife - 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted'

Released in the year 2000 by popular Irish back Westlife, this melodic track was in fact a cover of Jimmy Ruffin's 1966 song 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted'.

LISTEN: Jimmy Ruffin - 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted' (1966)

LISTEN: Westlife - 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted' (2000)

5. Sugababes - 'Freak Like Me'

Who can forget this iconic bop?! The Sugababes took the charts by storm back in 2002 when they released 'Freak Like Me', which debuted at the Number 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the girls' first single to do so. The track was in fact a cover of Adina Howard's 1995 song of the same name, which also hit the Number 1 spot back in the day.

LISTEN: Adina Howard - 'Freak like Me' (1995)

LISTEN: Sugababes - 'Freak like Me' (2002)

6. No Doubt - 'It’s My Life'

Yes, it's true! No Doubt's 2003 bop 'It's My Life' is in fact a cover. The original was released but 19-years prior by English band Talk Talk.

LISTEN: Talk Talk - 'It’s My Life' (1984)

LISTEN: No Doubt - 'It’s My Life' (2003)

7. Destiny’s Child - 'Emotion'

Destiny's Child's track 'Emotion' was released in 2001, and was a cover of Samantha Sang's 1978 song of the same name, which featured the legendary Bee Gees.

LISTEN: Samantha Sang with The Bee Gees - 'Emotion' (1978)

LISTEN: Destiny’s Child - 'Emotion' (2001)

8. Jamelia - 'Superstar'

Yep! Jamelia's iconic 2003 bop 'Superstar' was in fact a cover of Christine Milton's track which was released just one year prior. Jamelia's cover peaked at the Number spot on the UK Chart, with Christine's spending several weeks at Number 1 on the Danish Singles Chart.

LISTEN: Christine Milton - 'Superstar' (2002)

LISTEN: Jamelia - 'Superstar' (2003)

9. Kylie Minogue - 'On A Night Like This'

The track 'On A Night Like This' was originally written for Swedish singer Pandora. With the rights soon handed over to Kylie Minogue, she released that track in 2000 and hit the Number 2 spot on the UK Singles Chart.

Revisiting the track, it was later recorded by United DJs vs Pandora in 2007 and released in November of that year.

LISTEN: Pandora - 'On A Night Like This' (1999)

LISTEN: Kylie Minogue - 'On A Night Like This' (2000)

10. Britney Spears - 'My Prerogative' (2004)

The song 'My Prerogative' may be more familiar to you as a classic Britney Spears track - however, the song was actually originally released by Bobby Brown in 1988. Released by the singer 16-years prior to Britney's cover, the track certainly carries just as much swagger.

After Bobby released the track in 1988, it hit the Number 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100, while also reaching Number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. Britney's cover reached Number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.

LISTEN: Bobby Brown - 'My Prerogative' (1988)

LISTEN: Britney Spears - 'My Prerogative' (2004)

Suddenly we're in the mood for a dance... 🎶

Now check out some throwback songs you forgot about:

Now read:

Amazing THROWBACK songs to take you down memory lane

QUIZ: Guess the song from the lyrics

QUIZ: Guess the year of the famous song

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