Have you ever sang along to a song for decades, only to find out that the artist behind the track was not who you assumed it was? It’s a very, very common phenomenon. This writer thought “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes was a Cher song for entirely too many years. (Please don’t bully me.) That being said, these seven songs have constantly tripped up fans of the artists who wrote them and the artists who didn’t actually write them. Let’s dive into seven songs that fans mistakenly think were made by other artists!
1. “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” is Not a Credence Clearwater Revival Song
“Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” sounds like it could be a Credence Clearwater Revival song. In fact, a lot of CCR fans falsely assume that it’s part of their discography. However, this 1972 track was actually recorded and popularized by the British band The Hollies. In fact, the song became a hit for The Hollies mere months before CCR released their very last album.
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2. “A Horse With No Name” is Not a Neil Young Song
If Neil Young wrote “A Horse With No Name”, few would be surprised. Many listeners already think that Young wrote the catchy and iconic 1971 folk-rock tune. However, that is not the case. In one of the most common cases of songs that fans mistakenly think were made by other artists, “A Horse With No Name” was actually written by Dewey Bunnell and released by the band America.
3. “Stuck In The Middle With You” is Not a Bob Dylan Song
Sometimes, you learn something new when researching music facts to write about. This writer was fooled by the belief that “Stuck In The Middle With You” was a Bob Dylan song. In my defense, it really does sound a lot like Bob Dylan during the 1970s. However, this 1973 song was originally written by Joe Egan and Gerry Raggerty of the band Stealers Wheel.
[See Bob Dylan Live With Willie Nelson In 2024]
4. “The Freshmen” is Not a Third Eye Blind Song
Diehard Third Eye Blind fans know that the 1996 song “The Freshmen” isn’t part of their discography. However, more casual fans may have mistakenly attributed the track to the alt-rock band, namely because it sounds sort of similar to “Slow Motion”. The song was actually released by The Verve Pipe in Australia.
5. “Cats In The Cradle” is Not a Cat Stevens Song
This song sounds like your typical Cat Stevens song. It also has the word “cat” in its title, which likely caused a mild short-circuiting event in a lot of listeners’ brains. The 1974 folk rock hit is really by Harry Chapin.
6. “No Matter What” is Not a Beatles Song
Beatles megafans know that “No Matter What” is not their song, but more casual listeners have made the mistake of thinking so. This 1970 song was released around the time that The Beatles’ Let It Be was released, so the mix-up was certainly understandable. “No Matter What” was released by the Welsh band Badfinger.
7. “Stacy’s Mom” is Not a Bowling For Soup Song
Bowling For Soup and Fountains Of Wayne had their heydays around the same time, and they have both released similar-sounding music. However, this comedic indie-rock tune about a hot mom was released by Fountains Of Wayne, not Bowling For Soup.
Photo by John Pratt/Keystone
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