51 Songs You Didn't Know Are Covers 

Fun fact about “New York, New York”: later, Liza Minnelli would play the role of Lucile Austero on Arrested Development. In one episode, she’s at a bar with Michael Bluth, played by Jason Bateman. Tobias Funke, played by David Cross, starts singing “New York, New York” for karaoke. Liza’s character rolls her eyes and remarks to Michael, “Everyone wants to be Frank Sinatra.” as a reference to everyone associating the song with him instead of her.

Here's a highly regional one: In 1978 the famous East German band Karat released the song "Über sieben Brücken mußt du gehn" (You need to go above seven Bridges). In 1980, famous West German singer Peter Maffay went to a concert of Karat and asked them if he can record his own version of the song which they agreed to. Because the East German Ministry of Culture didn't allow Karat to go on West German TV, the version of Peter Maffay became the standard version in the West. This is also the reason that many people in the (former) West think that Peter Maffays version is the original. Meanwhile the original by Karat is the standard version in the (former) East. Maffay and Karat also have performed this song together on multiple occations since the German reunification in 1990.

Fun Fact: The Strangeloves, the original performers of "I Want Candy," also wrote "Sorrow" and gave it to the McCoys!

The 'Love today' on mambo #5 was actually so funny lol

David Bennett uploads, and I click on my notification. Best music channel around.

I was absolutely astounded by learning that New York New York was from the late seventies. Wow. I'd always assumed that was from the fifties.

”Amsterdam” by David Bowie is a cover of the French song ”Amsterdam” by Jacques Brel. It was actually the B-side to Bowie’s single "Sorrow". Although, Scott Walker recorded it in English before Bowie.

english-language covers of hit songs are real fertile ground. laura branigan's biggest hits ("gloria" and "self control") are both covers of italian hits by umberto tozzi and raf respectively. similarly there's yellow magic orchestra's "behind the mask" turning up with michael jackson and eric clapton, with radically rewritten lyrics, largely because keyboardist greg phillinganes was a fan

8:20 those two superstar songs are identical. Totally the record labels playing some games.

Today I learnt The Beatles covered a song originally sung by Lando Calrissian-- I mean uhh Billy Dee Williams. I also learnt Billy Dee Williams was a singer before he became a big actor! The more you know! My pick for a song not many people might know as a cover is Ulver's cover of Solitude by Black Sabbath, which sounds like a completely different song. I had no idea until i happened to read the writing credits for the song on the Wikipedia page for Shadows of the Sun!

Thing about Just Call Me Angel is that here in the US quite a lot of us actually think of the Juice Newton version first.

Please make a video about *ALL* Beatles' covers, including the Live at Beeb ones 🥰

Richard Carpenter composed the piano introduction in The Carpenters' cover of Close To You. This made their cover unique. The original piano composer Burt Bacharach didn't have the intro.

"Comme d'habitude" was also covered by Bowie, kind of with "Life on Mars?". He based it more on "My way". That being said, he had tried covering "Comme d'habitude" before Anka but was rejected by the authors (they thought Bowie wasn't famous enough...).

"Guitar Song" by Texas is an English re-written version of a French song, "Je t'aime... moi non plus" released in 1967. The 1969 version was the first foreign-language song to reach number 1 in the UK and was actually banned in many countries for being too erotic.

Songwriters, or at least those who hold the rights to the songs, LOVE cover version. Mailbox money.

"(They Long To Be) Close To You" always remembers me of the Simpsons. 😂Marge has a new doorbell with that song's tune, but it's stuck and goes on repeat. The whole neighborhood gets angry about it

One relatively underrated Beatles cover is Money That's What I Want. Lennon did a good job with that imo

Lando Calrissian wrote a Beatles song. I don't know what to do with that information.

The story behind Life on Mars and My Way is legendary.

I've always found it interesting that with how Bjork's music sounds, that her biggest hit would be a straightforward cover that sounds just like the original

Gladys Knight and the Hollies, Billy Preston, Salt n Pepper Wow mindblown

I knew that "My way" was a cover of a french song, but seeing the French singer doing a very energetic (and campy) stage show was a fun surprise. Edit: so this led me down a rabbit hole of Claude François' TV performances , and oh boy, the european pop/schlager scene in the 70s was something else lol It's him with four female backing dancers and they're wearing NOTHING but BIKINIS and high heels!§! He is fully dressed in a tuxedo (and high heels too) and together they do a very choreographed and synchronized disco dance.

I’ve heard Paul Gambaccini say that The Twist was based on an earlier song called Whatcha Gonna Do by Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters.

13:35 I love these so much David. Check out Roy Clark's live version of The Great Pretender. Would love an episode dedicated to some of Clark's interpretations.

At 0:54 the version Tainted Love you played isn’t the original. The Vixen version was recorded in the 70s with Marc Bolan.

A common move in the k-pop industry is to purchase the rights to english-language songs and have them translated. Two examples I think of are "press it" by taemin (originally for bruno mars) and "lucifer" by shinee (originally by bebe rexha)

I'm most familiar with the Phil Collins version of You Can't Hurry Love, but apparently that's a cover.

I am way more familiar with the Warwick version of "I Say a Little Prayer". It looks like in the US and Canada, that was actually the more successful version. And also, the version in the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding" (sung by the cast, I guess) is much closer to the Warwick version than the Franklin version.

The version of "A Taste of Honey" that I'm most familiar with was by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. For "Angel of the Morning," it's the version by Merrilee Rush.

"Who let the dogs out" has a rather more complicated history, and it is hard to say who wrote it. The 99% invisible podcast dedicated a whole episode to it, ep#389.

I knew most of these but I was surprised by Bucks Fizz/Tina Turner and The Buggles being trumped by their own co-writer! If I see a David Bennett video upload, I clear time and space to watch it ASAP!

...The one we all know, and... er... "love"...

I don't think you've mentioned "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" yet, it was originally by Klaatu and covered by The Carpenters

I don't know if they were already in the previous videos and I forgot about them, but how about "Désenchantée" which was a great hit by Kate Ryan but originally by Mylène Farmer. Then there's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" which was originally by Cher, but the Nancy Sinatra version got more popular especially due to its use in Tarantino's "Kill Bill".

Wow, a 25 min. video. This will be about 1,5 hours to watch with all the new songs and music rabbitholes it introduces me to while watching😂

there are few songs that people overlook when it comes to covers If Paradise Is Half As Nice by Amen Corner - the original was: Il Paradiso by Patty Pravo Scende la Pioggia by Gianni Morandi - the original was: Elenore by The Turtles Les Champs-Élysées by Joe Dassin - the original was: Waterloo Road by Jason Crest Suddenly You Love Me by the Tremeloes - the original was: Uno Tranquillo by Riccardo Del Turco Jesamine by The Casuals - the original was: When Jezamine Goes - The Bystanders Everlasting Love by Love Affair - the original was: Everlasting Love - Robert Knight Let's Live for Today by The Grass Roots - the original was: Piangi con me by The Rokes (also Be Mine Again by The Skope is first English version) Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks - the original was: Le moribond by Jacques Brel Jackie by Scott Walker - the original was: La chanson de Jacky by Jacques Brel Amsterdam by Scott Walker - Amsterdam by Jacques Brel

"Our Lips are Sealed" would have similar circumstances to "Video Killed the Radio Star." The song was cowritten by Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall. The Go-go's version was released first in 1981 followed by Fun Boy Three version in 1983. Both versions are superb.

Thanks David. I'm glad your channel is flourishing, it's one of my favourites.

"Cold Blows the Wind" by Ween is a modernized English version of folk song "The Unquiet Grave."

Led Zeppelin may have called other people's songs their own work but you have to admire Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones playing them live left handed

Great video as always! I think the best covers are the ones that take a swing in a completely new direction. I think Elvis Presley was the best at this, check out his covers of ‘promised land’, ‘my babe’, ‘you’ve lost that loving feeling’, and a personal favourite, his version of ‘my way’. I’ve always loved how Sinatra’s version sounded like a celebration of life, while Elvis’s sounds like a funeral

You can tell that you're a RU-vidr when you accidentally type "Bill Haley & His Coments". 😂

51 Songs You Didn't Know Are Covers...if you're under 30. :)

You touch on it slightly during the Frank Sinatra segment. But "translation covers" are actually really common. So you find songs translated both to and from English. To name one or two examples, Alphaville's "Forever Young" was covered by Czech Karel Gott twice, first in Czech as "Být stále mlád" in 1999, and then in German as "Für immer jung" in 2000. Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" is a cover of the Ednaswap song "Torn" and while Ednaswap had performed the song live, the first recording was by Danish singer Lis Sørensen under the Danish name "Brændt" (Burned) in 1993. I think this has been mentioned either by you or maybe Rick Beato. The Uriah Heep song "Lady in Black" was "covered" by the Faroese band Les Îles Féroé as "Brimbardu klettar", I say "covered" in quotation marks as one, it has a third chord to the song (so instead of just i and VII it uses i, VII, and v) and the lyrics are brand new. So, yeah, translation covers might be a video idea in and off itself.

Bryan Ferry's version of Let's Stick Together was probably more influenced by Canned Heat's version called 'Let's Work Together' which got to no. 2 in the British charts in 1970.

“It’s now or never” by Elvis is actually a cover of the italian (neapolitan) song “O sole mio” by Edoardo di Capua

In the UK it was Jonathan King who had a hit with a cover of Hooked on a Feeling. He very cleverly used to find catchy European songs then redo them himself and release them under pseudonyms. Another classic by him was of course Una Paloma Blanca, which in turn was covered by the Wurzels with their excellent 'I'm a Cider Drinker'!

Still no rhcp’s cover of stevie wonder’s higher ground ?

Hi, I knew about Inversions of chords but i only just found out about "voicings" 😮 Please make one of your amazing videos! CONGRATULATIONS on 1M subscribers!!

Okay, maybe the pronounciation of the Ö in Björk isn't 100% correct (still close though!), but I tip my hat to you for giving it a good go!

Always interesting and insightful 🙏🏼

16:50 Also, 80s Country singer Juice Newton covered "Angel Of The Morning" in 1981.

I always thought the original version of Angel of the Morning was the one by Juice Newton. There are a TON of versions of this out there, but I wasn't aware of the Shaggy one.

Was Valerie already included? Winehouse cover, Zutons original

14:40 I was sure I was hearing the 2nd theme of "Londonderry Air"

20:35 Ah yes, the Housemartins featuring a young Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook on bass 😄

The photos of some of the albums/singles me laugh quite a bit

So with 3 videos of these kind, I start to wonder. How many of the all the TOP 10 songs are actually originals or covers.

Didn’t Scott English co-write and record “Brandy” a year before Bunny Walters’ version? I could be wrong.

Mr. Big's version of Wild World is a cover from the Cat Stevens original.

Brandy was released in 1971 by Scott English, Bunny Walters' version is from 1972

Mr Postman also covered by The Carpenters

One song that's isn't really a cover but instead was rewritten is "Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. Originally the songwriter/producer Jim Steinman released it in 1981 as "Stark Raving Love". The first, and most memorable, part of the song is identical.

I love these videos because it exposes me to so many new songs and artists that peek my interest. More videos like this please 🙏

The Marvel X-Men style cover art of *Renegades Of Funk!* by *_Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force_* was done by - of all people - by Bob Camp! (+) (+) - If you don't know about *Ren & Stimpy,* then I can but pity you...

And the funny thing is that these covers are usually better than the originals, except maybe the direct covers 😉

I will always hear Willie Nelson’s voice when I think of “You Were Always on my Mind”

Jake Holmes co-wrote with Bob Gaudio The Four Seasons' Genuine Imitation Life Gazette.

If you're doing one more of these, you could include The Orange Theme by German trance duo Cygnus X, a reworking of Wendy/Walter Carlos' theme from The Clockwork Orange film, which was a reworking of Henry Purcell's funeral music for Queen Mary from 1794.

Can we get Radiohead to cover The Beatles and blow David's tiny mind?

The definitive version of Fly Me to the Moon is surely Julie London’s?!

Yet again, I’m more familiar with the originals than the covers. 😬 I don’t think I’m THAT old!

David Bennett's videos are in the cream of the crop for pop music. That's why I watch and subscribe. But he does himself a disservice by choosing to include the phrase "that you didn't know" in his video's titles. It fundamentally miscategorizes his videos. Such a click-bait title indicates that the video is targeted towards a different market, towards shallow 20-somethings who ACTUALLY don't know that Big Time Rush's "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" is a cover of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by a group who performed in Liverpool long ago. WE, David Bennett's audience, are NOT those people, and it's rather insulting to us to be lumped in with the know-nothings. Whenever I watch one of these "that you didn't know are covers" videos, there is ALWAYS at least ONE song that I did NOT know is a cover. And that's why I watch. I'm guaranteed to learn something. But when the older record is by The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, or The Kinks, where does Professor Bennett get the nerve to say "You Didn't Know" about the original? More often, the result is "An Old Record That I Didn't Know Had Been Covered", as it's the NEWER version of which I'm unaware. I think a long time ago Bennett used a title more like "... That You May Not Know Are Covers". That title is friendlier and less presumptuous.

If two different artists are given the same song by its writer, I wouldn't consider the second one a cover. As in the case with the Tina Turner hit What's love got to do with it. Both her and Bucks Fizz recorded their separate versions independently of each other. But that's just my opinion.

Best version of 'My Way' is by Sid Vicious! 😜

[15:18] Björk - It’s Oh So Quiet (Horst Winter cover) [16:24] Shaggy - Angel of the Morning (Evie Sands cover). Check out the cover by Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet feat. Natalia Przybysz.

Didn't David Bowie get asked to write the lyrics to my way and have his efforts rejected.

If you go to Mick Jackson's Wikipedia entry, it says, "Not to be confused with Michael Jackson."

Nice list. I did _fairly_ well in my internal "Oh yes I did" competition ;) But a good few novel ones to me. Also, and no offence to Beatles fans everywhere [I've seen yous, I know yous're out there] ... but often with those early Beatles covers I prefer the originals. Mr Postman being a prime example :) Some of these also made me think there's potential for a _"songs that were re-recorded in another language, but by the original singer"_ list... [ether to English, or from] I can think of a fair few, tho I'll omit them from this comment as that might spoil any surprises. :)

What’s next? You’re going to tell me that “Funkytown” wasn’t originally by Pseudo Echo?”

Not so fun fact, The First Cut is the Beepest is about a young girl loosing her flower way too early.

First allow me to say I hate that term, cover. It is quickly argued that it is used to give credit to the original recording artist. I say, no. It is used to steal the thunder of the newest recording. If you listen to these examples you may come to the conclusion, as I have, that the "cover" version is very much better than the original version and is the real reason the song became a hit. Also, I have never heard of the Metropolitan Opera House "covering" Giuseppe Verdi when they perform Rigoletto. How old does a work need to be before a new performance is not a "cover?" I hate that term.

Love buzz by nirvana is a cover of a very obscure dutch rock Band called shocking blue

I only knew of about 10 of those.

So Close to you wasn’t originally by Alan Partridge?

If people legitimately think "Please Mr. Postman" and "Act Naturally" are Beatles originals then that's a fricking problem

It is pronounced as Vega not Bega, being Spanish originated naming.

Mambo #5 is the worst earworm ever

I will always blame it on the boogie. Always.

Was Hans Zimmer in that band?

I think the "didn't know" depends on how old you are. We old-fogies knew most of them 😉

I always thought Tom Jones’s voice was annoying.

Patricia Kaas is Swiss, not French.

Interesting that Led Zep are renowned for copyright claims but we're happy to be inspired themselves. Maybe they will sue Greta Van Fleet proactively 😂

♫♪♫ And then I go and spoil it all by doing something like explooode you ♫♪♫♫♪

I must be ancient, I’m much more familiar with the originals in many cases.

Yo new vid

Shake A Tail Father?

What do you mean, "regrettably"? Who Let the Dogs Out is a great song.