17 songs you probably didn't know were covers 🎶
Who knew they made their fame off a great cover?!
Last updated 19th Aug 2021
It may come as a surprise, but many of the best songs around are actually covers and before you protest, here are some of the hits from the past few decades which we're pretty sure you never knew were covers!
Here are some of our favourite songs that we play on Magic which made it big the second time, or even third time around.
1. COVER: Natalie Imbruglia - Torn (1997)
'Torn' appeared on Natalie Imbruglia's debut album, but the singer's biggest hit was actually a cover of Ednaswap's single in 1995!
ORIGINAL: Ednaswap - Torn (1995)
2. COVER: Ace of Base - Don't Turn Around (1994)
Ace of Base's 1994 hit was actually Tina Turner's single from eight years before.
ORIGINAL: Tina Turner - Don't Turn Around (1986)
3. COVER: Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1983)
This song was so iconic for Cyndi, that it's easy to forget it was actually a cover of Robert Hazard's track in 1979!
ORIGINAL: Robert Hazard - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1979)
4. COVER: Soft Cell - Tainted Love (1981)
'Tainted Love' was an 80s classic for Soft Cell, which was actually written and performed by American singer-songwriter Gloria Jones in the 60s!
ORIGINAL: Gloria Jones - Tainted Love (1965)
5. COVER: Sinead O’Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (1990)
This was a huge hit for Sinead O'Connor, but it was actually a cover of a song by The Family, a band formed by Prince and one of the first signed to his record label, Paisley Park Records.
ORIGINAL: The Family - Nothing Compares 2 U (1985)
6. COVER: The Bangles - Manic Monday (1985)
'Manic Monday' was written by Prince, and intended for the group Apollonia 6, but after its poor performance, he offered the track to The Bangles two years later. It hit No.2 in the UK and US.
ORIGINAL: Apollonia 6 - Manic Monday (1984)
7. COVER: Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now (1987)
'I Think We're Alone Now' continues to be covered today, but it was originally sung by Tommy James & The Shondells; although it was a big hit for Tiffany in the 80s.
ORIGINAL: Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We're Alone Now (1967)
8. COVER: All-4-One - I Swear (1994)
'I Swear' was the track that brought All-4-One onto everyone's musical radar, but the track was actually sung by country singer John Michael Montgomery the year before.
ORIGINAL: John Michael Montgomery - I Swear (1993)
9. COVER: Blondie - The Tide Is High (1980)
Blondie made this song so iconic, that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was their original track. But it was in fact performed by Jamaican ska group The Paragons in the 60s.
ORIGINAL: The Paragons - The Tide Is High (1967)
10. COVER: Boyzone - Love Me for a Reason (1995)
One of our favourite songs from Ronan and the boys was actually a cover of 70s track 'Love Me For A Reason' by Johnny Bristol.
ORIGINAL: Johnny Bristol - Love Me For A Reason (1974)
11. COVER: Boyzone - Words (1996)
Boyzone actually made a lot of their fame from covers! Their 1996 hit 'Words' was a cover of the Bee Gees' track from the 70s.
ORIGINAL: Bee Gees - Words (1977)
12. COVER: Westlife - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted (2000)
Yep, not an original either! 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted' was originally performed by soul singer Jimmy Ruffin in 1967.
ORIGINAL: Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted (1967)
13. COVER: Westlife - Seasons in the Sun (1999)
Our favourite boybands really love their cover songs! 'Seasons in the Sun' was a Christmas No.1 for Westlife, but it was a cover of the Terry Jacks track from the 70s.
ORIGINAL: Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun (1974)
14. COVER: Salt-n-Pepa - Whatta Man (1993)
Often, it just takes a new take on the song to make it a hit. When 'What a Man' was given to Linda Lyndell in 1968, it reached No.50 on the Billboard R&B chart; but when Salt 'N' Pepa performed it in '93, it became a commercial success.
ORIGINAL: Linda Lyndell - What a Man (1969)
15. COVER: Kylie - On A Night Like This (2000)
This 2000 hit for Kylie was the second single from her seventh album 'Light Years', but was originally written for Pandora the year before. Needless to say, it was a greater success for the superstar Ms Minogue!
ORIGINAL: Pandora - On A Night Like This (1999)
16. COVER: Take That - Could It Be Magic (1992)
This song has been covered and covered again! Written by Barry Manilow in 1973, it was later covered by Donna Summer, then most famously Take That in the early '90s.
ORIGINAL: Barry Manilow - Could It Be Magic (1973)
17. COVER: Robbie Williams - She's The One (1998)
'She's The One' won an Ivor Novello Award in 1997, but then Robbie nabbed it for himself the year later! It went on to win a BRIT Award for Single of the Year and Best British Video for Robbie in 2000.
ORIGINAL: World Party - She's The One (1997)
Listen to more of the great cover songs you love on Magic Radio, on the Magic app, on a DAB Digital Radio, on 105.4FM in London, on TV or at magic.co.uk.
Check out some of the biggest girls bands of all time:
The Supremes
Who doesn't love The Supremes? Founded as the Primettes in 1959, the Supremes were one of the most successful Motown acts, and one of America's most successful vocal group to date, with 12 Number 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100!
The various line-up changes throughout the years make it hard to pinpoint which was the most popular, but Mary Wilson was an original member until the end, and the group also launched the career of Diana Ross until she went solo in 1970. They had a whole host of incredible hits, like 'Baby Love', 'You Keep Me Hanging On', 'Can't Hurry Love' and 'River Deep, Mountain High', but probably their most well-known song is 'Stop In The Name Of Love'.
The Pointer Sisters
When you think of 70s girl bands, The Pointer Sisters are right up there are the top of the list. With huge hits like 'Jump (For My Love)', 'Slow Hand' and a cover of 'Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves', the US group are still beloved today.
Originally made up of sisters June, Bonnie, Anita and Ruth Pointer, the group have also performed with Ruth's daughter Issa Pointer and granddaughter Sadako Pointer. Their most well-known hit is 'I'm So Excited'.
Sister Sledge
Another American girl group who kept it in the family is Sister Sledge, whose career spanned the 70s, 80s and 90s - and are still active today. Made up of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim and Kathy Sledge, they also sang with Tanya Tiet who joined the group in 2012.
Their most well-known songs are 'He's The Greatest Dancer', 'Lost In Music' and 'Thinking Of You', but their most popular song has got to be 'We Are Family'.
The Bangles
The Bangles were one of the biggest bands of the 80s, regardless of gender. Hailing from Los Angeles, they saw enormous success with a string of Top 10 hits like 'Manic Monday', 'Walk Like An Egyptian' and 'In Your Room'.
Their most enduring song, however, has got to be 'Eternal Flame', which was not only a huge song for The Bangles but also helped to launch the career of 90s girl band Atomic Kitten, who covered the song.
Atomic Kitten
Speaking of whom... British girl band Atomic Kitten burst onto the scene in the late 90s with a whole host of hits, including covers 'The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)' originally by The Paragons and the aforementioned 'Eternal Flame' by The Bangles.
The line-up has also been hit with controversy through the years, after original member Kerry Katona left the group to be replaced by Jenny Frost, alongside Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon, but they reunited for ITV2 series The Big Reunion in 2013. Their biggest hit was 'Whole Again'.
Eternal
Another British girl group who owned the 90s was Eternal, originally made up of sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, with Kéllé Bryan and Louise Redknapp completing the line-up. Louise left after the release of their debut album in 1994 to focus on a solo career, and Kéllé left in 1998.
Thought of as the UK's answer to En Vogue, Eternal had a whole host of hits like 'Stay', 'Power of a Woman' and 'Oh Baby I...', as well as contributing to the soundtrack of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1996 with 'Someday'. Their biggest hit was 'I Wanna Be the Only One', which featured BeBe Winans and earned the band a MOBO Award.
En Vogue
This brings us onto the brilliantly attitude-drenched En Vogue, who sold more than 20 million records worldwide. They have also won seven MTV Video Music Awards three Soul Train Awards, two American Music Awards, and seven Grammy nominations! Also, their name literally means 'In Fashion' – you can't get much cooler than that. Although they had plenty of hits like 'Free Your Mind', 'My Lovin'' and 'Hip Hop Lover', probably their most well-known song is 'Don't Let Go (Love)'.
TLC
With over 71 million records sold worldwide, TLC are thought to be one of the best-selling American girl groups of all time! With an original line-up of Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins, Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes and Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas, they saw huge success with hits like 'Waterfalls', 'Unpretty' and 'Creep'. But their biggest hit was 'No Scrubs', which still gets plenty of radio airplay!
B*Witched
In a completely different change of gear, we can't leave out Irish girl group B*Witched who were also huge in the 90s and also took part in The Big Reunion with Atomic Kitten and Eternal!
Sisters Edele and Keavy Lynch, along with Lindsay Armaou and Sinéad O'Carroll, had a huge amount of success with their happy-go-lucky vibe and Irish influences, seeing success with hits like 'Rollercoaster', 'To You I Belong' and 'Blame It on the Weatherman', but it was 'C'est La Vie' that has made the group go down in history.
Sugababes
Formed in 1998 and split in 2011 with no original members left, the Sugababes certainly attracted a lot of tabloid attention for their constant line-up changes! When it came to their tunes though, the British band had some of the catchiest ones around. Some of their biggest hits included 'Round Round', 'About You Now' and 'Too Lost In You' which appeared on the Love Actually soundtrack - but their biggest hit was 'Push The Button'.
Bananarama
This British girl group have a listing in The Guinness Book of World Records as the all-female group with the most chart entries in the world - pretty impressive! Between 1982 - 2009, Bananarama saw 28 of their singles reach the Top 50 of the UK chart.
Original members Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward and Siobhan Fahey carried on until 1988 when Siobhan left to make group Shakespears Sister, and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan who left in 1991. Their biggest hits were 'Cruel Summer', 'Robert De Niro's Waiting' and 'It Ain't What You Do', but their most enduring song was a cover of Dutch band Shocking Blue's 'Venus'.
All Saints
All Saints were actually founded as All Saints 1.9.7.5, but the group were quickly dropped by their first label. They later signed to London Records under their new name, and have now sold over 12 million records – great motivational story for any budding musicians out there!
Their best known line-up is Melanie Blatt, Shaznay Lewis and sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton. One of their biggest hits was 'Pure Shores', which appeared on the soundtrack to 2000 film The Beach, but their most popular song has got to be 'Never Ever'.
Mary Mary
Founded in 1998, Mary Mary broke onto the scene with the uplifting 'Shackles (Praise You)', which is pretty much the pioneering song of contemporary gospel music! Although they've seen great success throughout their career, it remains their best-known song.
Destiny's Child
Originally named 'Girl's Tyme', Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle have now sold over 60 million records worldwide under the name of Destiny's Child! With reunion rumours rife pretty much once a year after their spectacular set at Bey's headline Coachella slot in 2018, fans would love to see another album from Destiny's Child.
With enduring hits like 'Survivor', 'Bootylicious', 'Independent Woman' and 'Bills', Destiny's Child became the poster girls for female empowerment, something which was echoed in their biggest hit, 'Say My Name'.
Spice Girls
Don't worry, we were getting to them... Victoria, Mel, Geri, Mel and Emma just have to hold our title for the best girl band of all time! 'Spice Up Your Life', 'Viva Forever', 'Say You'll Be There'… it doesn't get much catchier than the Spice Girls. Everybody now: 'YOOOOOO....'
Read more:
Take That: Everything you need to know about the 90s heartthrobs
10 of Robbie Williams' biggest songs of all time