How well do you know some of the music world’s most iconic songs? Even when we know the words by heart, some tunes contain lesser-known histories, only reaching the heights of fame with a killer cover. The eight songs below were created by artists you might not expect, ranging from indie bands to global superstars.
I Will Always Love You
Whitney Houston and her unbeatable pipes deliver an iconic rendition of this ballad, rife with the emotion of someone vowing to remember a person they’re leaving behind. Not all fans of the song know, however, that the musician who penned the heartfelt lyrics was not Houston, but country and pop legend Dolly Parton. Initially released in 1974 on Parton’s album Jolene, the singer’s soulful rendition is accompanied by the twang of guitars and banjos for a slightly more low-key, country feel than the bravado-filled vocals of Houston’s version.
Ring of Fire
The smooth and resonant baritone of Johnny Cash made for an irresistible recording of Ring of Fire, but it was a co-writing team of his second wife, June Carter Cash, and singer-songwriter Merle Kilgore, who first brought the tune into being. While both writers each had their own careers recording music, their song was first recorded by Carter Cash’s sister Anita Carter on her 1962 album Folk Songs Old and New under a slightly different title, (Love’s) Ring of Fire. Carter’s voice soars to notes high above her brother-in-law’s performance of the song, and features instrumentals more understated than the upbeat mariachi-style horns of Cash’s recording.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
From 1983 on, Girls Just Want to Have Fun was not just a hit single, but a declaration for girls everywhere to embrace their own desires and pursue what brings them joy. The encouraging lyrics of the song are most well-known when sung by ’80s star Cyndi Lauper, but it was rock musician Robert Hazard who created them. The original rendition of Girls Just Want to Have Fun with Hazard’s vocals, and a much harder rock sound than Lauper’s synthesizer, was recorded in 1979.
I Love Rock n Roll
Rocker Joan Jett was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for the sweet electric guitar and passionate appreciation of her favored music genre in her rendition of I Love Rock ‘N Roll with her band, the Blackhearts. However, before Jett’s take, there was Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker, the singer/bassist and guitarist of British band The Arrows. Merrill and Hooker wrote and recorded I Love Rock ‘N Roll six years before Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released the cover that made it famous, with their writing said to be a response to the Rolling Stone’s 1974 chart-topper It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It), emphasizing that The Arrows not only liked rock ‘n roll, but loved it.
Nothing Compares 2 U
Fierce activist and singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor reached a wide audience singing Nothing Compares 2 U. The woeful tune about a lover’s loneliness in the wake of a separation was O’Connor’s leading single on her most commercially successful album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, but the song was written five years prior to her version’s smashing success by a different, yet still highly influential, name in music — Prince. Created for and released by Prince’s band, the Family, in 1985, the group’s vocal duo of St. Paul and Susannah Melvoin created a melancholic track humming with strings and synth.
Respect
There’s nothing like Aretha Franklin’s voice to put you in a lively, empowered mood, and her absolute command of the lyrics and rhythms in the song Respect is an especially effective pick-me-up. Despite its power, her arrangement is not the song’s original recording, and much of the feminist commentary and advocacy tied to its lyrics were not embedded in the tune’s conception. Respect was brought to the music world by Otis Redding as a single off his 1965 album, Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul, full of jaunty horns and the soul musician’s gritty vocals.
Untouchable
Taylor Swift sings sweetly of a million little stars in Untouchable, but her country pop sound is actually a new take on a song from the band Luna Halo. The original resides as the second track on their self-titled album, which was released only a year prior to Swift’s arrangement, and approaches the heartfelt yearning of the lyrics from a tougher, rock-heavy angle. While the music of the Nashville-based group might find a smaller audience, their songwriting chops produced a song streamed and loved by millions of Swifties.
Valerie
Amid Amy Winehouse’s versatile and successful career in jazz, R&B, and soul music, the song Valerie is a highlight. A collaboration with musician Mark Ronson, the track’s stirring set of vocals and lively arrangement of instruments made it popular across playlists and radio stations. Credit for this catchy tune, however, goes to the band The Zutons. The English rock band recorded Valerie for their second album, Tired of Hanging Around, in 2006, after lead singer Dave McCabe wrote the hit in a flash of inspiration in a taxi cab.
Double the musical artists means double the fun! The popularity of these covers proves that it’s always worth it to look closer at the lyrics and melodies we know and love — there might be another musical genius behind them.
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