30 hit songs you didn’t know were covers
Beyoncé, David Bowie, Jennifer Lopez, Metallica, and No Doubt are among the artists that have found huge success by reinventing someone else’s tune
When it comes to music, we often assume that artists write all of their own lyrics and material. But sometimes that hit single you really love is actually a cover. It turns out that a lot of musicians—Beyoncé, David Bowie, and Metallica to name a few—have had massive success with their own renditions of someone else’s songs. No judgment—it’s just often surprising when we find that out.
The following list is mostly composed of cover songs that became big hits—and, in some cases, became more popular than their original incarnation. This revelation can also lead to discovery of the original track and more joy for the listener. But you can really go down the rabbit hole with this stuff—not only will you learn that the following songs are covers, but you’ll sometimes discover that the “original” was a cover itself and possibly written by someone else entirely.
This list is in chronological order
