# people that got popular with a cover song.(first hit)



## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

Canadian country singer teybey comes to mind.


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## TubeStack (Jul 16, 2009)




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## TubeStack (Jul 16, 2009)




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## keto (May 23, 2006)

There are lots and lots of singers in particular, who all you every heard from them ever was covers. Rod Stewart comes to mind. Speaking of Rod, I don't believe anything of Jeff Beck's that's been played much on radio was his writing.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Turned me off the band. Much later became huge fan. But never of this.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

*First* hit? That's tough. Probably more common in the early R'nR years?
Beatles, Stones, Elvis?

I'll put up _Get Ready_ by Rare Earth.


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## reckless toboggan (Mar 9, 2019)

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Wikipedia


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

reckless toboggan said:


> Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Wikipedia


They only do covers, that's their schtick.


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## reckless toboggan (Mar 9, 2019)

sulphur said:


> They only do covers, that's their schtick.


Yes, and they are popular for it and a cover was their first hit...


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

The first thing Clapton wrote that was a hit was 1975’s Wonderful Tonight https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-eric-clapton-songs-that-clapton-actually-wrote/


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

This was a cover of a song by Richard Berry.




And while it wasn't necessarily the entire basis for their early popularity, if you look through their first few albums, much of the Beatles' early output was covers. _ Beatlemania_ has 14 songs on it, 6 of which are covers. The_ Twist & Shout_ album had some more, and the title track was a cover of an Isley Brothers tune. As an up and coming band in Hamburg they covered a lot of tunes.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

There are probably a ton of early blues artists or 50’s artists that had hits with covers. There were so many standards and traditional songs that were used over and over by several artists.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)




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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

The Stones' version of "It's All Over Now" was their first number one hit. 

Doctor And The Medics had a huge hit with a cover of "Spirit in the Sky" - probably the worst thing that could have happened to them, career wise, as people who bought the album based on the single would have been largely disappointed. It was a great album, but nothing like "Spirit in the Sky".


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)




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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

KapnKrunch said:


> Turned me off the band. Much later became huge fan. But never of this.


I agree that their version of “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” was a terrible version of an excellent song.

I never gained an appreciation of their music later.

I do acknowledge the talent in the band but the songs leave me cold.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Soft Cell. Tainted Love was a cover. Original by Gloria Jones in the 60's.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Milkman said:


> I agree that their version of “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” was a terrible version of an excellent song.
> 
> I never gained an appreciation of their music later.
> 
> I do acknowledge the talent in the band but the songs leave me cold.


I think you will enjoy "The Bathroom Sessions" on YouTube. Try this one, about a window-washer confronting his mortality...


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## TubeStack (Jul 16, 2009)




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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)




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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

DaddyDog said:


> Soft Cell. Tainted Love was a cover. Original by Gloria Jones in the 60's.


...add this to Soft Cells' extended version with the Supremes' (baby, baby) Where Did Our Love Go and it was_ two_ covers.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)




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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




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## JayK (Feb 18, 2020)

Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe?


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## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)




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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)




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## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

JayK said:


> Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe?


Yes most of Hendrix music were covers.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Most? Not really. Some of his popular songs were covers but he wrote a ton of original material.


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## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

JBFairthorne said:


> Most? Not really. Some of his popular songs were covers but he wrote a ton of original material.


 Look at his greatest hits album. The songs people have herd and can relate to Hendrix. A lot of covers.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

You said most of Hendrix’s MUSIC was covers. You didn’t say most of his greatest hits were covers. His music was not mostly covers. Even saying his hits were mostly covers is a bit of an exaggeration. That’s all I’m saying.

Personally, off the top of my head, more of his popular original songs come to mind than his covers.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Youngbloods "Get Together."


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

This has some interesting bits...man were they young.

[h://video]


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Katrina and the Waves original...famous limo driver in the video.

[h://video]


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Close to their first hit...Thanks David.

[h://video]


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

And not just _any_ cover, a Dylan cover.


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

[h://video]


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)




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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Gotye was probably thrilled they had a hit with this, because it became a bigger hit for him as well.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)




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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Soft Cell - Tainted Love (written by Ed Cobb, originally performed by Gloria Jones)

Pop Will East itself - Love Missle F1-11 (original by Sigue Sigue Sputnik) and Orgone Accumilator (original by Hawkwind)

The Damned - Jet Boy Jet Girl (original by Eltom Montello, which shared a backing track with the classic Sa Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand; essentially an English version of that song with new lyrics).

Maralyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (original by The Eurythmics)

NIN - Dead Souls (sure they/he were somewhat popular before, but this cover of the somewhat obscure Joy Division track being on the Crow soundtrack primed the public awareness of them just in time for Downward Spiral and the first single 'Closer,' named after/referencing another JD record incidentally, came out)

The Revolting Cocks - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy (original Rod Stewart)

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence (Beatles) and The Passenger (Iggy Pop) - they were well loved in punk circles but these got them more mainstream radio play

The Slits - I Heard it through the Grapevine (written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong; most popular, but not the first, performance was by Marvin Gaye). It is the only Slits track I have ever heard on Canadian radio (ironically it was the song so called expert Alan Cross on the Women in Rock episode of The Ongoing History of New Music, which is a hilarious feminism fail - if your goal for the episode, as stated, was to 'prove women can rock' then play one of their originals, dumbass). They also covered Man Next Door by John Holt and the Paragons, but it was a lesser known B Side despite huge niche cult favour among Slits and Reggae fans.


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