10 Rock + Metal Songs You Didn’t Know Were Covers
Wait a minute… Gamma Ray didn’t write “Gamma Ray”? In this Loud List, we’ll take you through 10 songs you probably thought were originals, but are covers which became far more successful.
When Nirvana took the stage for their iconic Unplugged session, the seminal grunge band performed some of the most transformative covers in rock history. Kurt Cobain’s approach to David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World,” the Meat Puppets’ “Lake of Fire” and others have transcended music, but four years earlier, Nirvana released a cover as their first official single. “Love Buzz” is widely known as a Nirvana track, but it was actually written by Dutch band Shocking Blue for their 1969 album, At Home.
Black Sabbath’s 1970 debut album is hailed as the moment heavy metal was born, but some fans forget that Sabbath only wrote five originals for the record. Sabbath’s first single, “Evil Woman,” was written and recorded by American blues rock band Crow in 1969, actually making it to No. 19 on the Hot 100 chart. Black Sabbath’s version, however, didn’t chart in the U.S. at all.
Ramones fans have always celebrated the band’s covers of “Surfin’ Bird” and “Do You Wanna Dance?” but it’s easy to forget that “California Sun” wasn’t a Ramones original. Before the Ramones sped up and amplified the rhythm and blues cut in 1977, it was recorded by Joe Jones in 1960. “California Sun” was also covered by the Rivieras, peaking at an impressive No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Check out these 10 Rock + Metal Songs You Didn’t Know Were Covers in the Loud List above.
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