Here are three iconic rock songs that have been released by more than one artist. Even as these songs have aged, they haven’t failed to find their audience.
“I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
It’s hard to imagine a world where Joan Jett doesn’t sing this song. Interestingly enough, though, “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” was first recorded by The Arrows in 1976.
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After discovering this song, Jett wanted to record it with her band at the time, The Runaways. The band didn’t really jive with it, so she ended up releasing two versions: One with two Sex Pistols members in 1979 and one with her band The Blackhearts in 1981.
“Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” by Guns N’ Roses
Originally, this song was written for the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid in 1973. Bob Dylan first released it as a single, and it became a huge international hit for him. Since then, it’s been covered by a number of artists, but the Guns N’ Roses’ version is by far one of the most popular.
The hard rock band released their version in 1990, which peaked at No. 18 on the US Billboard Chart. When it was released as a single from the group’s 1991 album, it gave them a No. 1 hit in Ireland.
“You Really Got Me” by Van Halen
This song was Van Halen’s debut single in 1978 and has since remained one of their most popular songs. What a lot of modern fans might not know, though, is that this song was actually originally released by The Kinks as a single in 1964.
Apparently, before Van Halen was a super-famous rock band, the group would listen to a lot of The Kinks’ music. When David Davies, The Kinks’ lead guitarist, heard Van Halen’s version, however, he thought it was “flashy.”
“…When I heard the guys’ [Van Halen’s] version of it, I felt, you know, ‘This sounds really flashy,’” he told Kevin Dodds. “But it depicted the era, didn’t it? In that it was in the era when stadium rock was big, and guitars were flashier, and tight trousers, and swanky..”
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