Cover Songs That Outshined the Originals

Article Contributed by Monica Soriano

Graphic Designed by LJ Portnoy

A cover or rendition being more popular than the original track is actually more common than we would think. A few of the biggest songs that we hear often, some even classics, are not sung by the original singer. This is the case for songs such as “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers, which was originally sung by the British band Busted, as well as “Respect” by Aretha Franklin was originally performed by Otis Redding, and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper was originally performed by Robert Hazard. A cover being more popular than the original does not always mean the original wasn’t good, but rather that it's just more well-known. 

Punk Rock But Make It Disney Friendly

Going through a few of the tracks listed above, it is very clear that this has been happening for many years. You can find some of the most popular songs in every decade that were originally somebody else’s. “Year 3000” by The Jonas Brothers was initially released by the band Busted in 2002 and achieved success on the UK Singles Chart. But it wasn’t until the Jonas Brothers recorded it that the song gained traction in the U.S. This song launched the career of the Jonas Brothers, by changing some lyrics and thus making it Disney friendly they opened doors for themselves and secured radio play. This was the start of the Jonas Brothers' rock sound.

I Will Always Love You…. Dolly

The song that most people would not expect to be a cover is “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, simply because her voice is so intertwined with the track. Her rendition was so powerful that Dolly Parton’s original release is not widely known. There is a heavy contrast between the two songs, Whitney’s felt assertive and bold while Dolly’s felt graceful and reminiscent of a softer love. Both beautiful but it just so happens that Whitney Houstons became popularized after she covered it for the film The Bodyguard which she starred in.

The Beyonce Takeover

A shocking track that was revealed as a remake is “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé, originally performed by BC Jean. It is unimaginable to think that both Beyoncé’s rendition and the original came out in 2008. Beyoncé‘s rendition was so popular that she even recorded this song in Spanish and took over the charts nationally and internationally. There was a dispute between Jean and Beyonce over the song but ultimately it did end up becoming a hit at the hands of Beyonce.

I Keep Dancing On My Own

In order for a cover or rendition, to be more popular than the original many things have to align. First, the timing has to be right, it has to be something that an audience is ready to hear and support. Second, the artist has to be undeniably perfect for the song and do it equally or better than the original. For example, Callum Scott covered Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” in such a gorgeous way that it became a sleeper hit and reinvented the song to the point that he’s assumed to be the original singer. So ideally, artists should add their own flair and not be a simple copy. There have been cases such as “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Respect” that were originally from a male perspective, but once a woman created a rendition and added a different expression or meaning, it became popularized. We see remakes happen all the time in today’s world, whether it’s films or musicals. So, it is not far-fetched to think that the songs of today will be remade in the future, and we can only hope that they are honored beautifully, just as the previous generations have done.

Fast Facts/Honorable Mention Covers 

• “1985” by Bowling For Soup was originally by the band SR-71.

• “Black Magic Woman” by Santana was originally by Fleetwood Mac.