3 Stunning Covers of Songs That Were More Successful Than the Original Versions

Everybody always wants to hear original music, but there’s something to be said for a good cover. Some of the most iconic songs in music history are covers. I still remember the time I discovered that “Tennessee Whiskey” wasn’t actually originally released by Chris Stapleton. While some might argue that knowing who recorded the song first takes away the magic, I think there’s something to be said for it.

Videos by American Songwriter

“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

Originally recorded by: Dolly Parton

Most people give credit to Whitney Houston for making this song a classic, and honestly, you should. Under her name, “I Will Always Love You” became the best-selling song by a female artist of all time. However, you can’t totally write off Dolly Parton’s influence on this track, which she wrote herself and released in 1974. 

“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper

Originally recorded by: 

The more you learn about this song, the more surprising it gets. Not only was “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” not originally written and recorded by Cyndi Lauper. It was also written by a man before Lauper got her hands on it and tweaked some of the lyrics. For example, here’s a snippet of the original first verse.

“My boy, what do you want from your life? / Father dear, you are the fortunate one / Girls just wanna have fun / Yeah, girls just wanna have fun.”

Robert Hazard wrote and released his own version of the ’80s anthem, and when you hear it, the song’s meaning feels entirely different.

“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley

Originally recorded by: Leonard Cohen

Although “Hallelujah” was originally written and recorded by Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley’s version gave the song a new surge of popularity and even reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart in 2008.

A friend of Buckley’s told The Atlantic, “[Jeff] gave us the version we hoped Leonard would emote, and he wasn’t afraid to sing it with absolute reverence. Jeff sang it back to Leonard as a love song to what he achieved, and in doing so, Jeff made it his own.” 

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