5 Hits From the ’80s You Might Not Have Known Were Covers

The ‘80s was an era in music as distinct as any in history. Bands and artists made bold sounds with synthesizers and programmed drums that redefined pop music. Innovation and ingenuity in some cases outweighed instrumental, songwriting, or singing ability.

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But you might be surprised to find out just how many of the smash songs from the ‘80s were actually low-key covers of songs that were either minor hits or completely forgotten. Here are five covers that became signature songs for the artists who delivered them.

“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes from Mistaken Identity (1981)

You could make a case that no song helped ‘80s music define its sound in the early part of the decade as much as “Bette Davis Eyes.” That’s probably why so few people to this day realize it’s actually a cover of a 1974 song that was co-written and recorded by Jackie DeShannon. There’s not much resemblance between the original and Carnes’ take, outside of the lyrics and the tune. Carnes and her producer Val Garay juiced things up with a killer synth riff and some white-noise percussion, an approach that set the template for many other ‘80s smashes to come.

“Tainted Love” by Soft Cell from Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981)

This one failed as a single in two previous decades before striking ‘80s gold. An artist named Gloria Jones, who hailed from America but made her name as a soul singer in Great Britain, first recorded it as a B-side in 1965. Jones tried again with the song in 1976 after the original had gained popularity in London clubs. It didn’t chart then either. But it gained just enough exposure to put it in the orbit of Marc Almond, the leader of Soft Cell. His go-for-broke arrangement and emotive vocal delivery earned him and his band fame on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Shame on the Moon” by Bob Seger from The Distance (1982)

Seger usually managed to sneak a cover or two onto his records, and he put such a stamp on them that it was easy to miss that they were first done by somebody else. “Shame on the Moon” rolled all the way to No. 2 on the charts at an extremely competitive time in pop music, despite not having a video and boasting a restrained arrangement and somewhat opaque lyrics. Give credit to Seger for hearing something in a relatively unassuming country song written and recorded a few years earlier by the great Rodney Crowell.

“Always Something There to Remind Me” by Naked Eyes from Burning Bridges (1983)

Enough time had passed to ensure that 1983 audiences mostly didn’t know “Always Something There to Remind Me” had been taken to the Top 40 in the U.S. and the UK by two separate artists (R.B. Greaves and Sandie Shaw, respectively). The song was written by none other than Burt Bacharach and Hal David, so you’d think that more people would have known it just based on that. Credit goes to Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher of Naked Eyes, as they did such an effective job of dropping that indelible melody into such a colorful arrangement it seemed like a completely new track.

“Everytime You Go Away” by Paul Young from The Secret of Association (1985)

Hall & Oates’ 1980 album Voices included four Top-30 hits, including the chart-topping “Kiss on My List.” Thus, it’s understandable that “Everytime You Go Away,” written by Hall, wasn’t chosen as a single. Paul Young entered his 1985 album The Secret of Association as a fast-rising UK star who was looking for a U.S. breakthrough. Why not turn to Hall & Oates, since Young was doing his own spin on their pop-tinged blue-eyed soul. Benefiting from great instrumental turns from Pino Palladino on bass and John Turnbull on electric sitar, as well as from Young’s full-throated vocal, the song soared to No. 1 in America.

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