4 One-Hit Wonders You Might Not Know Were Covers

One-hit wonders tend to have the right “it” factor to catapult bands and musicians to short-lived fame. And some of those solitary hits were covers of other artists’ songs. Let’s look at just four historic one-hit wonders that were really cover songs! A few of these might just surprise you.

1. “Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm

“Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm was all over the radio when the rock band released it in 2001. However, some might not know that the original song was produced by someone else in a completely different genre.

“Smooth Criminal” was originally produced by King of Pop Michael Jackson in 1988. The OG version was a pop R&B smash hit. However, the two songs couldn’t sound more different… in a good way.

2. “Pass The Dutchie” by Musical Youth

This reggae new wave hit was a big one for Musical Youth in 1982. Surprisingly, despite sounding so seamless and natural for the British-Jamaican band, “Pass The Dutchie” was written by musicians other than Musical Youth.

This cover is unique because it’s actually a blend of three different songs. Elements from “Rule The Nation” by U Roy, “Pass The Kouchie” by Mighty Diamonds, and “Gimme The Music” by U Brown make up the entirety of “Pass The Dutchie”.

3. “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor

Many one-hit wonders out there were incognito covers, but this song was pretty famously a cover of a Prince classic. However, the younger generation might be uninformed! This iconic song was originally written by Prince for his Family band back in 1985.

The differences between the original track and the O’Connor cover are quite notable. Prince sang this song from the perspective of a jilted lover. O’Connor, on the other hand, sang the song from the perspective of a daughter to her mother.

4. “Der Kommissar” by After The Fire

This British rock tune took the world by storm in 1982. After The Fire’s version of the song became an international hit and managed to reach no. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

However, After The Fire’s version is actually a cover of an Austrian new wave song by Falco. The original version was released just one year earlier and enjoyed quite a bit of fame in Europe, but not nearly as much as After The Fire’s version.

Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns

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