Which bands became massively popular for covering songs rather than recording originals?
Last Updated: 18.06.2025 07:37
The Blues Brothers were a cover band comprised of SNL stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
Celine Dion
“I Wasn’t Born To Follow” was written by Carole King and covered by the Byrds in the movie Easy Rider. Suggested by Michael Macbean in the comments.
Deep Purple started out wanting to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone" according to Ritchie Blackmore.
“Not Fade Away” was written by Buddy Holly and became one of the Grateful Dead’s standards.
“Immortality” was written by the Bee Gees (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb) and performed with the Bee Gees providing backing vocals.
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“I’m a Believer” was written by Neil Diamond.
“One” was written by the great Harry Nilsson.
As I go, I will reveal which two famous singers lied like dogs, thanks to their songwriters!
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I will furthermore reveal the remarkable song that became the last hit single for both Roy Orbison and Cyndi Lauper, and the last number one single for Celine Dion. Can you guess the title? If so, can you guess who wrote in, and why?
Frank Sinatra
“Think Twice” was co-written by Peter Sinfield of King Crimson and Bucks Fizz producer Andy Hill.
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Eric Carmen
“House of the Rising Sun” was a traditional folk/blues song.
Judy Collins
“Puppy Love” was written by Paul Anka.
“Love Will Keep Us Alive” was written by John Capaldi, Paul Carrack and Peter Vale.
Carly Simon
How did you as a human being change while growing up?
“You’re No Good” was a rock version of the R&B song written by Clint Ballard Jr.
“Hallelujah” was written by Leonard Cohen. “Hallelujah” has also been covered by Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bolton, Bono, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Judith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, K.D. Lang, Willie Nelson, Pentatonix, Elvis Presley, Regina Spektor, Rufus Wainwright, and pretty much every singer under the sun!
LED ZEPPELIN
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“River Deep, Mountain High” was the band’s third single, a cover of an Ike & Tina Turner classic written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry.
Yes
Some of the best songs and biggest hits below were written by professional songwriters like Paul Anka, Chuck Berry, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Sam Cooke, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Holly Knight, Cole Porter, Little Richard, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, Neil Sedaka, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, J.D. Souther, Jim Vallance, Tom Waits, Diane Warren, Hank Williams Sr., Brian Wilson and Neil Young.
What is one thing which you cannot stop however hard you try?
“I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You”) was written by country legend Hank Williams Sr.
The Who
“Tell Him” was written by David Foster and performed as a duet with Barbara Streisand.
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“We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Let Me Be the One” and “Rainy Days and Mondays” were written by Paul Williams.
“Peasant Valley Sunday” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“Johnny B. Goode” and “Little Queenie” were written by Chuck Berry.
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Eagles
“Eli’s Coming” was written by Laura Nyro.
“Shout” was also a hit for the Isley Brothers.
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“The Show Must Go On” was written by Leo Sayer.
Their album Girl You Know It’s True went 6x platinum and they not only didn’t write the songs, they didn’t sing a single note!
“Call me the Breeze” was written by JJ Cale.
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“My Back Pages” was written by Bob Dylan and suggested by Paul Smith in the comments.
“Pink” was written by Glen Ballard, Richard Supa and Steven Tyler.
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” was written by Cole Porter.
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“I Wanna Be Your Man” was written by Lennon/McCartney.
“Proud Mary” was written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival at the time.
“Pieces of April” and “Til’ the World Ends” were written by Dave Loggins.
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“Ring of Fire” was written by June Carter. Ironically, in Johnny Cash’s biggest hit, “I Walk the Line,” he promised to always be faithful to his wife. But his second-biggest hit, “Ring of Fire,” was written by his mistress at the time, who later became June Carter Cash.
“Cum On Feel The Noize” was written by Slade members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea.
“Not Fade Away” was written by Buddy Holly. It was the first song the Stones performed on The Mike Douglas Show in the US in 1964.
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“War Machine” was written by professional songwriter Jim Vallance.
“I Really Want to Know You” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
ABBA
“I Get a Kick Out of You” was written by Cole Porter.
“Big Yellow Taxi” was written by Joni Mitchell.
“Rock Me Baby” was written by blues legend B. B. King.
“Georgia on My Mind” was written by Hoagy Carmichael and made popular by Ray Charles.
Guns ’N’ Roses
Sam Cooke had his start as the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers, recording gospel songs like “Peace in the Valley.” Aretha Franklin also had her start in gospel and was influenced by Sam Cooke to pursue a career in mainstream popular music.
“What About Love” was written by Brian Allen, Sheron Alton and Jim Vallance.
“Black Night,” the band’s first original single, was not all that original. According to Roger Glover, it “was nicked from the bass line in Ricky Nelson's ‘Summertime’ and then proceeds to play the bassline riff on his grand piano.”
"Liar" was written by Russ Ballard of Argent.
“Red, Red Wine” was written by Neil Diamond.
J.D. Souther either wrote or co-wrote a number of Eagles’ hits, including “Heartache Tonight,” “Victim of Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “How Long (Has This Been Going On)” and “Best of My Love.”
“The Loco-Motion” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“Black and White” was a 1954 folk song written by David I. Arkin (the father of actor Alan Arkin) and Earl Robinson.
The songs above were suggested by Geoff Morton in the comments.
“Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman belong here. They wrote songs for a looong list of top names back in the 70s including New World, Sweet, Gary Glitter, Mud, Racey, Suzi Quatro and Smokie. They were instrumental in bringing many bands and solo musicians onto the charts, including Patti Smith and Lita Ford, and they provided number one hits in the US for Toni Basil, Nick Gilder and Pat Benatar.” — Bogdan Kadziola in the comments
“Tumbling Dice” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
“Lucille” was a cover of a Little Richard song.
“I Was Made For Loving You” was written by songwriter pros Desmond Child and Vini Poncia.
“I Drove All Night” was a remarkable song, being the last hit single for Roy Orbison and Cyndi Lauper, and the last number one single for Celine Dion.
Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman
“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was written by Jim Steinman, who is most famous for his collaborations with Meatloaf.
“Mama Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Fernando,” “SOS,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, “Ring Ring,” “Honey Honey,” “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” “The Name of the Game” and “Waterloo” were either written primarily by Stig Anderson or he contributed and was credited as a songwriter. Anderson contributed so much to the group that he’s been called “the fifth member of ABBA.” It should be noted that other members of the band also contributed to the songs in question.
“Doh Wah Diddy Diddy” was written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded by The Exciters.
"The Flame" was a power ballad written by British songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham.
“Twist and Shout” was written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was a hit for the Top Notes and the Isley Brothers.
“Because You Loved Me” was written by Diane Warren.
“Kentucky Woman” was written and originally performed by Neil Diamond. It was Deep Purple’s second single in 1968 and reached #38 in the USA.
“Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox” were written by Carl Perkins.
DEEP PURPLE
Lynn Anderson
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” was written by Smokey Robinson.
"Blue Bayou" was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and originally performed by Roy Orbison.
“Because the Night” was written by Bruce Springsteen.
#MUSIC #ROCK #MRBMUSIC #MRBROCK
Otis Redding
“Bring It on Home to Me” was written by Sam Cooke.
“Like a Rolling Stone” was written by Bob Dylan and had the perfect title for the band.
“Someone to Watch Over Me” was written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin.
Paul Revere and the Raiders
Three Dog Night may be the most successful major band that usually covered songs written by others, and theirs was an eclectic ensemble of songwriters.
“Not Fade Away,” “Oh Boy” and “Rave On” were originally performed by Buddy Holly and his band the Crickets. “Oh! Boy” and “Rave On” were both written by Sonny West and Bill Tilghman.
“Shambala” was written by Daniel Moore.
“Lalena” was written and performed by Donovan.
On an amusing note (pardon the pun), Barry Manilow did write songs but didn’t write “I Write the Songs,” which was written by Bruce Johnson of the Beach Boys. Forgiving him for writing that song and giving it to Barry Manilow would test the compassion and grace of a saint.
“The Tide Is High” was written by John Holt and performed by his Jamaican group The Paragons.
“Private Dancer” was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.
Sergei Rachmaninoff deserves a credit for “All By Myself.”
“Hound Dog” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded in 1952 by Big Mama Thornton.
Glen Campbell
“Hungry” and “Kicks” were written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“Don’t Bring Me Down” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Bad Medicine,” “I’d Die for You” and “Keep The Faith” were written by professional songwriter Desmond Child in collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
Home Free is an a cappella cover band.
Byrds
“I Hate Myself For Loving You” was written by professional songwriter Desmond Child with Joan Jett
Kiss
In the comments Rick Deguchi mentioned that most of Linda Ronstadt’s hits were covers.
"Whole Lotta Love" was nicked from “You Need Love” by Willie Dixon, which Robert Planet later admitted. A court ruled in Dixon’s favor.
“Suzanne” was written by Leonard Cohen.
“Both Sides Now” was written by Joni Mitchell.
“Heat Wave” was written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team.
"Sure as I'm Sitting Here" was written by John Hiatt.
THREE DOG NIGHT
“Blinded by the Light” was written by Bruce Springsteen.
Trivia fans may be interested to know that Three Dog Night introduced Hoyt Axton, John Hiatt, Dave Loggins, Randy Newman and Paul Williams to the larger musical world. Also, that Hoyt Axton’s mother was Mae Boren Axton, who co-wrote Elvis Presley’s first #1 hit, “Heartbreak Hotel,” and introduced the 19-year-old Elvis to Col. Tom Parker, his longtime manager.
Carly Simon
“Go Away Little Girl” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“Roll Over Beethoven,”“Rock & Roll Music” and “Sweet Little Sixteen” were written by Chuck Berry, the Shakespeare of early rock ’n’ roll.
"Try a Little Tenderness" was written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods; it had previously been performed by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Otis Redding (with an arrangement by Isaac Hayes and backed by Booker T. and the M.G.’s). Three Dog Night used the Isaac Hayes arrangement for its cover of the song.
“Long Tall Sally” was written by Little Richard, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell and Enotris Johnson.
“You’re So Vain” was written by Carly Simon. “You’re So Vain” has also been covered by Liza Minnelli and Faster Pussycat
“I’m Gonna Love You Too” was written by Buddy Holly.
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“T for Texas” was written by Jimmy Rodgers.
Animals
Elvis was mentioned by T. Stephen Cornelius in the comments as an artist who never wrote his songs, or at least not any famous ones of which I am aware that he wrote on his own.
“Joy To The World” and “Never Been to Spain” were written by Hoyt Axton.
“Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” was written by professional songwriter Desmond Child in collaboration with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
"Since I've Been Loving You" is nearly identical to “Never” which was written by Bob Mosley and recorded by Moby Grape.
“Jersey Girl” was written by Tom Waits.
“Twistin’ the Night Away” was written by Sam Cooke.
"Out in the Country" was written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols.
Counting Crows
Shirelles
AC/DC
Led Zeppelin was mentioned in previous comments by Robert Shirley as “one of the world’s biggest bands and biggest ‘borrowers.’ Their covers and borrowing have been greatly chronicled.”
“Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally performed by Little Willie Littlefield.
“A Change Is Gonna Come,” “Chain Gang,” “Cupid” and “Shake” were written by Sam Cooke.
Santana
“Dizzy Miss Lizzie,” “Bad Boy” and “Slow Down” were written by Larry Williams.
Linda Ronstadt
“I Drove All Night” was written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg in the style of Roy Orbison, and Orbison recorded the song in 1987 but did not release it before his death the following year. Orbison’s demo was later engineered and produced by Jeff Lynne of ELO fame and it became a hit in 1992, reaching number seven in the UK and earning a Grammy in the US. In the meantime “I Drove All Night” was covered in 1989 by Cyndi Lauper and it became her last top ten single, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Celine Dion released her cover in 2003 and it reached number one in Canada, Belgium and Sweden, and number two on the US Dance Club chart. It would be her last number one single.
“You Belong to Me” was written by Carly Simon. “You Belong to Me” has also been covered by Chaka Khan (feat. Michael McDonald) and Jennifer Lopez.
“Already Gone” was written by Jack Tempchin and Robb Strandlund.
“Mama Told Me Not to Come” was written by Randy Newman.
Aretha Franklin
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” was credited to singer Gary Brooker, lyricist Keith Reid and organist Matthew Fisher but the melody is unmistakably Bach’s “Air on the G-String”!
“River Deep, Mountain High” was written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" was written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975. This was suggested in the comments by Geoff Morton.
“Up on the Roof” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” were written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
"Til There Was You" written by Meredith Wilson for his musical The Music Man.
“Woodstock” was written by Joni Mitchell.
The Carpenters
Doobie Brothers
“Hurt” was written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
“Take It Easy” was the Eagles’ debut hit and it was co-written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey.
“Words of Love,” “That’ll Be The Day,” “Peggy Sue” and “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” were written by Buddy Holly and originally performed by Holly with his band the Crickets. The Beatles were originally the Beetles, an obvious tip of the cap to the Crickets. John Lennon and Paul McCartney credited Holly with inspiring them to write songs.
“The Lemon Song” was directly lifted from “Killing Floor” by Chester Burnett aka Howling Wolf. Although Led Zep's version did insert Robert Plant's not-so-subtle double entendre involving the dispersal of lemon juice. — James Raines in the comments
“All By Myself” was written by Eric Carmen.
“Lighting Strikes” was written by Richard Supa.
“Ol’ 55” was written by Tom Waits.
Milli Vanilli
Three Dog Night is a rarity among great rock bands in that it never, to my knowledge, wrote one of its greatest hits…
The Beatles started out as a cover band and never stopped covering songs: 21 of their first 46 recorded tracks were cover songs.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
“Don’t Know Much” by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
"Speed King" borrows from Haydn’s “String Quartet in C.”
“It’s So Easy” and “That’ll Be the Day” were written by Buddy Holly, who performed the songs with his band the Crickets.
“Sweet Georgia Brown” was a jazz standard.
“Love Is a Battlefield” was written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman.
Michael Bolton
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was written by veteran songwriter Diane Warren.
Cheap Trick
Osmonds
“Turn, Turn, Turn” was written by Pete Seeger in 1959 and was based on the Bible, specifically the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.
“An Old-Fashioned Love Song,” “The Family of Man” and “Out in the Country” were written by Paul Williams.
Bruce Springsteen
Michael Jackson
“Alison” and “Girls Talk” were written by Elvis Costello.
“The Sound of Silence” was written by Paul Simon and first performed by Simon and Garfunkel.
“Peaceful Easy Feeling” was written by Jack Tempchin.
As for major individual artists, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, George Jones, George Strait, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Rihanna didn’t write any of their major hits, to my knowledge. Elton John wrote music but Bernie Taupin typically composed his lyrics. I have seen the great Janis Joplin included in such lists incorrectly, because she wrote “Mercedes Benz” by herself and “Down on Me” with Eddy Head, and those are two great songs. Aretha Franklin usually recorded songs written by others, but she wrote the excellent “Think” which rose to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Rock Steady,” which reached #9.
Chiffons
THE BEATLES
In the comments Rick Deguchi mentioned that many of Elvis’s biggest hits were covers, including “Hound Dog,” “It’s Now or Never,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Suspicious Minds,” “All Shook Up,” “Love Me Tender” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight.”
HONORABLE MENTION: Alien Ant Farm, Big Bang, Tony Bennett, Bowling for Soup, BTS, Captain & Tennille, Cher, Patsy Cline, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Francis, iKON, KISS, Manfred Mann and The Earth Band, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Ricky Martin, Monsta X, Patti Page, Rascal Flatts, Ratt, Sha Na Na, Stray Kids, Seventeen, Barbra Streisand
Sha Na Na was ever and always a cover band!
“Rock Me on the Water” was written by Jackson Browne.
Carole King is one of the world’s best and most prolific songwriters.
“Baby It’s You” was written by Burt Bacharach, Barney Williams and Mack David.
“After Midnight” and “Cocaine” were written by JJ Cale.
“I Write the Songs” was actually written by Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys! This dichotomy was mentioned in the comments by Nigyl Nissan.
“Different Drum” was written by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees and it became her first hit.
“Crazy” was written by Desmond Child with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
“When Will I Be Loved” was a country-rock version of a song written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers. It became Ronstadt’s first #1 song on the country charts.
Milli Vanilli (pictured above) gets a dishonorable mention for not actually singing the songs they covered!
Three Dog Night, circa 1972. Back L–R: Joe Schermie, Floyd Sneed, Michael Allsup and Jimmy Greenspoon. Front L–R: Danny Hutton, Cory Wells and Chuck Negron.
“All Along the Watchtower” was written by Bob Dylan.
Grateful Dead
Paul Williams wrote three hit songs for Three Dog Night.
Quiet Riot
“Better Be Good to Me,” “One of the Living” and “(Simply) The Best” were written or co-written by Holly Knight.
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was written by Bob Dylan.
“Long, Long Time” was written by Gary White.
“You Send Me” and “Good Times” were written by Sam Cooke.
Jimmy Webb wrote “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman” as noted by Ronny Hoff in the comments.
Marilyn Manson
“School Days” was written by Chuck Berry.
Disturbed
Bon Jovi
Pentatonix is an a cappella cover band.
“One Fine Day” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Tina Turner
"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" was written by Anne Bredon and originally recorded by Joan Baez.
My original answer did not include individual singers, but I received so many excellent suggestions in previous comments that I have expanded it. And solo singers do, of course, employ bands. Session musicians form bands, however temporary. Again, I am interpreting the question broadly. If that freaks someone out, no one is forcing them to read — so “no harm, no foul” as we used to say in pickup basketball games.
“Early Yes one-upped Vanilla Fudge with long covers of I See You (6:47), Every Little Thing (5:47), Something’s Coming (7:09), No Opportunity Necessary (4:45), Everydays (6:05), and America (10:30).” — Don Campbell in the comments.
Righteous Brothers
“Back in the U.S.A” was written by Chuck Berry.
Drifters
Billy Joe Royal
Aerosmith
“Amazing” was written by Richard Supa and Steven Tyler.
“A Love So Beautiful” was written by Roy Orbison.
Eric Clapton
“Daydream Believer” was written by John Stuart.
“Poor Poor Pitiful Me” was written by Warren Zevon.
Partridge Family
Paul Carrack wrote “Love Will Keep Us Alive.”
“Wonderful World” was written by Sam Cooke, Herb Alpert and Lou Adler. “Wonderful World” has also been covered by Herman’s Hermits, Otis Redding, Johnny Nash and the trio of Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and James Taylor.
Paul Williams wrote three hit songs for The Carpenters and three more for Three Dog Night.
Heart
“It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” was written by Paul Anka and originally performed by Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
“Heartbreak Hotel,” his first #1 hit, was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden.
Monkees
“Love in Vain” was written by legendary bluesman Robert Johnson.
“Difficult To Cure” was an uptempo guitar-based reworking of Beethoven's “Ode To Joy.”
“Paint it Black” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard and originally performed by the Rolling Stones.
“Money (That’s What I Want)” was written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford.
“(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden” was written by Joe South, who was suggested in the comments by Chuck B. To show what a small world it is, when Lynn Anderson appeared on the Johnny Carson show, he asked her the name of a young country artist to keep an eye on. Lynn named Beth Harris, who is now my wife, Beth Harris Burch. Beth moved to Nashville and cut an album, but her manager ripped her off and she decided to retire and become a full-time mom to our son Jeremy.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “You’re My Soul and Inspiration” were written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“Darlin’” and “Time to Get Alone” were written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
Blondie
Manfred Mann
UB40
“Hallelujah” was written by the famous songwriting team of Roger Greenway and Roger Cook. It was Deep Purple’s fifth consecutive single to be a cover song.
Patti Smith
THE ROLLING STONES
“My Way” was originally a French song called "Comme d’habitude” composed by Jacques Revaux with French lyrics by Giles Thibaut and Claude Francois. Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics.
“Hush” and “Down in the Boondocks” were written by Joe South.
“Summertime Blues” was written and recorded by Eddie Cochran (and covered by many other artists). Suggested by Michael Gibbs in the comments.
Barry Manilow
“On Broadway” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
Rod Stewart
Grand Funk Railroad
Procol Harum
“Hush” was written by Joe South and originally performed by Billy Joe Royal. “Hush” was Deep Purple’s first single in 1968 and reached #4 in the USA. It was the band’s highest-charting single, along with “Smoke on the Water.”
“Your Song” was written by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
“Rag Doll” was written by Holly Knight, Richard Vallance, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
Richard Harris
“Chains” was written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Jimmy Webb wrote the much-lampooned “MacArthur Park” as noted by Ronny Hoff in the comments.
Carole King
“Five Bridges” was a cover of a song by The Nice.
“Spanish Harlem,” one of my all-time favorite songs, was written and first performed by Ben E. King. Aretha changed the lyrics slightly to make the girl a bit darker, if I remember correctly.
"Easy to Be Hard" was written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni for the “Hair” musical.
“Love is a Rose” was written by Neil Young.
Carole King
“Mr. Tambourine Man” was written by Bob Dylan.
“Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)” was written by Allen Toussaint.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
“Never,” “All Eyes,” “There’s the Girl,” “Tall. Dark, Handsome Stranger,” and “I Love You” were written
There are also great songs penned by songwriting teams like Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the Bee Gees, George and Ira Gershwin, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney, and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“You Belong to Me” was co-written by Carly Simon and Michael McDonald.
by Michael R. Burch
The band also borrowed from Bach, Rossini, Strauss and Tchaikovsky.
Tom Jones
“Good Times” was written by Sam Cooke.
And now, without further ado, here are artists who didn’t write some of their best songs…
Pat Benatar
“Ooh Baby Baby” was written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore, and originally performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean) was the Beatles’ first single, a traditional song.
“This Is It” was written by Paul Anka with Michael Jackson. Paul Anka was suggested by T. Stephen Cornelius in the comments.
“Baby Please Don’t Go” was written by legendary blues guitarist Big Joe Williams.
“Somewhere Out There” by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“She’s a Lady” remains Tom Jones’s biggest hit in the United States.
“Please Mr. Postman” was written by Robert Bateman, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman and Brian Holland. The song was a hit for the Marvelettes.
Most bands have done cover songs, but these famous bands covered more than most: Three Dog Night (never wrote any of their biggest hits), Deep Purple (their first five singles were covers), the world’s most successful cover band, the Beatles (21 of their first 46 recorded tracks were cover songs), the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.
“Send In the Clowns” was written by Stephen Sondheim.
Please note that I am not “condemning” anyone for recording songs they didn’t write, as someone suggested in previous comments. I am simply answering a question that I find interesting. Some of the best songs ever recorded were covers, including the magnificent “Without You” by Harry Nilsson (originally written and recorded by Badfinger) and any number of covers by Elvis, Whitney, Celine, et al.
The English version of “Ring Ring” was translated by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
“Everybody’s a Masterpiece” was written by George S. Clinton and Richard Reicheg.
“Black Magic Woman” was written by Peter Green, the lead guitarist for Fleetwood Mac.
“Days of Future Passed” was a cover of a Moody Blues song.
“Livin’ on the Edge” was written by Mark Hudson, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Help!” was the band’s fourth single, a cover of a Beatles song.
Johnny Cash
“We Gotta Get Out of This Place” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and mentioned by John Aughinbaugh in the comments.
Elvis Presley