5 Songs That Bob Seger Made His Own Even Though He Didn’t Write Them

Bob Seger established himself as one of the premier songwriters in the rock era during his illustrious career. But Seger also made sure to honor the work of other writers with outstanding interpretations of their work.

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Seger often put a definitive stamp on these tracks. It’s understandable if some folks didn’t realize he wasn’t the writer. Here are five covers done by Seger that he made his own.

“Nutbush City Limits” from ‘Beautiful Loser’ (1975)

It wasn’t all that common in the 70s for male rock artists to do covers of songs that were first made popular by female singers. That didn’t stop Bob Seger from honoring this classic that was written and sung by Tina Turner. “Nutbush City Limits” refers to Turner’s Georgia upbringing. The Michigan-bred Seger didn’t worry too much about any geographical differences. This song, released on the 1975 album Beautiful Loser, represents the first time that the Silver Bullet Band came together in full behind Seger. You can immediately hear the chemistry.

“Old Time Rock And Rokk” from ‘Stranger In Town’ (1978)

This one is a bit of a cheat, we admit. According to Bob Seger, he did have something to do with writing this track that’s become one of his signature songs over the years. He was sent a demo by members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, the group that often split duties with the Silver Bullet Band on his classic albums of the 70s. According to Seger, he wrote most of the lyrics for the song, with the refrain being the only thing in place when he first heard it. (This has been disputed by others.) In any case, he didn’t take credit, making “Old Time Rock And Roll” technically one of his most effective covers.

“Shame On The Moon” from ‘The Distance’ (1982)

Some songs surprise you in terms of their status as a big hit single. Not that “Shame On The Moon” isn’t a fantastic song, performed brilliantly by Bob Seger and the backing musicians, with pianist Billy Payne deserving special mention for his standout work. It’s just that it’s a somewhat subtle track that fought its way to No. 2 in 1982 (without a video to promote it). Rodney Crowell wrote it and first recorded it in 1981. Crowell was never happy with the final verse in the original version. But Seger heard something special in the song, from start to finish, and honored it with a soulful vocal.

“Shakedown” from ‘Beverly Hills Cop II Soundtrack’ (1987)

Here’s another case where the personality and charisma that Bob Seger displays on the microphone make it hard to believe that he didn’t write the song. Instead, it came to him on a plate from Keith Forsey and Harold Faltermeyer, who put it together for the soundtrack of Beverly Hills Cop II. Seger almost missed out on the opportunity to record the song. Glenn Frey, whose work on “The Heat Is On” led to a big smash single for the first Beverly Hills Cop film, turned down the song for the sequel. Seger jumped in and ended with a No. 1 pop single, the only one of his career.

“Blind Love” from ‘The Fire Inside’ (1991)

Bob Seger clearly admired the writing of Tom Waits, as he covered a couple of his songs throughout the years. In fact, one of Waits’ songs got away from Seger, causing him some consternation. “Downbound Train” was originally on Seger’s radar. But Rod Stewart beat him to it (allegedly after Stewart had heard about Seger’s interest in the song) and turned it into a major smash. “Blind Love” is far better than your typical consolation prize. It’s one of the more country-oriented songs in the Waits catalog. And Seger gives it a bravura vocal performance to put it across.

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