Which bands became massively popular for covering songs rather than recording originals?
10.06.2025 02:19
“You’re So Vain” was written by Carly Simon. “You’re So Vain” has also been covered by Liza Minnelli and Faster Pussycat
Tina Turner
“Private Dancer” was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.
Shirelles
“Daydream Believer” was written by John Stuart.
Eric Clapton
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“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“I’m a Believer” was written by Neil Diamond.
“Johnny B. Goode” and “Little Queenie” were written by Chuck Berry.
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“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
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?
“Love Will Keep Us Alive” was written by John Capaldi, Paul Carrack and Peter Vale.
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Doobie Brothers
“It’s So Easy” and “That’ll Be the Day” were written by Buddy Holly, who performed the songs with his band the Crickets.
“You Send Me” and “Good Times” were written by Sam Cooke.
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“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.
“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
“I Really Want to Know You” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“An Old-Fashioned Love Song,” “The Family of Man” and “Out in the Country” were written by Paul Williams.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
“Georgia on My Mind” was written by Hoagy Carmichael and made popular by Ray Charles.
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The Blues Brothers were a cover band comprised of SNL stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
“Help!” was the band’s fourth single, a cover of a Beatles song.
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.
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“Red, Red Wine” was written by Neil Diamond.
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.
Counting Crows
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"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.
Disturbed
Carole King
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And now, without further ado, here are artists who didn’t write some of their best songs…
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.”
"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.
Aretha Franklin
“Tell Him” was written by David Foster and performed as a duet with Barbara Streisand.
“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.
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“Big Yellow Taxi” was written by Joni Mitchell.
“This Is It” was written by Paul Anka with Michael Jackson. Paul Anka was suggested by T. Stephen Cornelius in the comments.
The songs above were suggested by Geoff Morton in the comments.
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“Roll Over Beethoven,”“Rock & Roll Music” and “Sweet Little Sixteen” were written by Chuck Berry, the Shakespeare of early rock ’n’ roll.
“River Deep, Mountain High” was written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.
“All By Myself” was written by Eric Carmen.
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Johnny Cash
“Mr. Tambourine Man” was written by Bob Dylan.
#MUSIC #ROCK #MRBMUSIC #MRBROCK
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Elvis Presley
"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" was written by Anne Bredon and originally recorded by Joan Baez.
“Hush” and “Down in the Boondocks” were written by Joe South.
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.
Sergei Rachmaninoff deserves a credit for “All By Myself.”
Paul Revere and the Raiders
“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
"Out in the Country" was written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols.
Paul Carrack wrote “Love Will Keep Us Alive.”
“Rock Me Baby” was written by blues legend B. B. King.
“Somewhere Out There” by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“We Gotta Get Out of This Place” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and mentioned by John Aughinbaugh in the comments.
“Like a Rolling Stone” was written by Bob Dylan and had the perfect title for the band.
“Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” was written by professional songwriter Desmond Child in collaboration with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
Bon Jovi
Judy Collins
“Long, Long Time” was written by Gary White.
“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.
“Shambala” was written by Daniel Moore.
Cheap Trick
Celine Dion
“Bring It on Home to Me” was written by Sam Cooke.
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.
“Woodstock” was written by Joni Mitchell.
“Not Fade Away” was written by Buddy Holly and became one of the Grateful Dead’s standards.
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” was written by Smokey Robinson.
by Michael R. Burch
“A Change Is Gonna Come,” “Chain Gang,” “Cupid” and “Shake” were written by Sam Cooke.
THREE DOG NIGHT
Deep Purple started out wanting to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone" according to Ritchie Blackmore.
“Different Drum” was written by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees and it became her first hit.
“You’re No Good” was a rock version of the R&B song written by Clint Ballard Jr.
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.
Three Dog Night is a rarity among great rock bands in that it never, to my knowledge, wrote one of its greatest hits…
“Eli’s Coming” was written by Laura Nyro.
"Speed King" borrows from Haydn’s “String Quartet in C.”
“Blinded by the Light” was written by Bruce Springsteen.
Lynn Anderson
Tom Jones
“Immortality” was written by the Bee Gees (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb) and performed with the Bee Gees providing backing vocals.
“Rag Doll” was written by Holly Knight, Richard Vallance, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
“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.
“Lucille” was a cover of a Little Richard song.
“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.”
“Ol’ 55” was written by Tom Waits.
“Summertime Blues” was written and recorded by Eddie Cochran (and covered by many other artists). Suggested by Michael Gibbs in the comments.
Carly Simon
“Heartbreak Hotel,” his first #1 hit, was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden.
“T for Texas” was written by Jimmy Rodgers.
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.”
Carole King
“Peasant Valley Sunday” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Osmonds
Kiss
“On Broadway” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“Five Bridges” was a cover of a song by The Nice.
“I’m Gonna Love You Too” was written by Buddy Holly.
Quiet Riot
Jimmy Webb wrote the much-lampooned “MacArthur Park” as noted by Ronny Hoff in the comments.
“Lighting Strikes” was written by Richard Supa.
“Hungry” and “Kicks” were written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
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
“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”!
“Long Tall Sally” was written by Little Richard, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell and Enotris Johnson.
“Hound Dog” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded in 1952 by Big Mama Thornton.
“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.
Billy Joe Royal
“Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)” was written by Allen Toussaint.
“Twist and Shout” was written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was a hit for the Top Notes and the Isley Brothers.
“School Days” was written by Chuck Berry.
“Love Is a Battlefield” was written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman.
“Good Times” was written by Sam Cooke.
“Chains” was written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
“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.
“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was written by Jim Steinman, who is most famous for his collaborations with Meatloaf.
Procol Harum
My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean) was the Beatles’ first single, a traditional song.
Paul Williams wrote three hit songs for The Carpenters and three more for Three Dog Night.
The English version of “Ring Ring” was translated by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody.
“The Show Must Go On” was written by Leo Sayer.
“Never,” “All Eyes,” “There’s the Girl,” “Tall. Dark, Handsome Stranger,” and “I Love You” were written
“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.
Patti Smith
“One Fine Day” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“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.
Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman
“Everybody’s a Masterpiece” was written by George S. Clinton and Richard Reicheg.
“Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally performed by Little Willie Littlefield.
“The Tide Is High” was written by John Holt and performed by his Jamaican group The Paragons.
Eagles
“I Hate Myself For Loving You” was written by professional songwriter Desmond Child with Joan Jett
“Poor Poor Pitiful Me” was written by Warren Zevon.
“Tumbling Dice” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
“Better Be Good to Me,” “One of the Living” and “(Simply) The Best” were written or co-written by Holly Knight.
DEEP PURPLE
Paul Williams wrote three hit songs for Three Dog Night.
Marilyn Manson
“Shout” was also a hit for the Isley Brothers.
“(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 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.
"Easy to Be Hard" was written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni for the “Hair” musical.
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!
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.
Sha Na Na was ever and always a cover band!
Carole King is one of the world’s best and most prolific songwriters.
“After Midnight” and “Cocaine” were written by JJ Cale.
Yes
Milli Vanilli
Heart
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.
“Days of Future Passed” was a cover of a Moody Blues song.
AC/DC
“Darlin’” and “Time to Get Alone” were written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
“Black Magic Woman” was written by Peter Green, the lead guitarist for Fleetwood Mac.
“Both Sides Now” was written by Joni Mitchell.
“Rock Me on the Water” was written by Jackson Browne.
“Black and White” was a 1954 folk song written by David I. Arkin (the father of actor Alan Arkin) and Earl Robinson.
“Someone to Watch Over Me” was written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin.
“Don’t Know Much” by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“Difficult To Cure” was an uptempo guitar-based reworking of Beethoven's “Ode To Joy.”
In the comments Rick Deguchi mentioned that most of Linda Ronstadt’s hits were covers.
“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!
“I Was Made For Loving You” was written by songwriter pros Desmond Child and Vini Poncia.
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.
“Go Away Little Girl” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Otis Redding
“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.
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.
“Back in the U.S.A” was written by Chuck Berry.
Home Free is an a cappella cover band.
Barry Manilow
“What About Love” was written by Brian Allen, Sheron Alton and Jim Vallance.
“Pink” was written by Glen Ballard, Richard Supa and Steven Tyler.
“Think Twice” was co-written by Peter Sinfield of King Crimson and Bucks Fizz producer Andy Hill.
“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.
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.
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.”
“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.
“Livin’ on the Edge” was written by Mark Hudson, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
“Proud Mary” was written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival at the time.
“Puppy Love” was written by Paul Anka.
“Ooh Baby Baby” was written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore, and originally performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
“Your Song” was written by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
“All Along the Watchtower” was written by Bob Dylan.
“Joy To The World” and “Never Been to Spain” were written by Hoyt Axton.
"Whole Lotta Love" was nicked from “You Need Love” by Willie Dixon, which Robert Planet later admitted. A court ruled in Dixon’s favor.
“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.
THE ROLLING STONES
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was written by veteran songwriter Diane Warren.
"Til There Was You" written by Meredith Wilson for his musical The Music Man.
“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.
“We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Let Me Be the One” and “Rainy Days and Mondays” were written by Paul Williams.
“It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” was written by Paul Anka and originally performed by Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
Jimmy Webb wrote “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman” as noted by Ronny Hoff in the comments.
Animals
Glen Campbell
Grand Funk Railroad
“Pieces of April” and “Til’ the World Ends” were written by Dave Loggins.
“A Love So Beautiful” was written by Roy Orbison.
“Send In the Clowns” was written by Stephen Sondheim.
“Doh Wah Diddy Diddy” was written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded by The Exciters.
“Paint it Black” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard and originally performed by the Rolling Stones.
Milli Vanilli (pictured above) gets a dishonorable mention for not actually singing the songs they covered!
Richard Harris
"Since I've Been Loving You" is nearly identical to “Never” which was written by Bob Mosley and recorded by Moby Grape.
Drifters
Monkees
“Money (That’s What I Want)” was written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford.
“Crazy” was written by Desmond Child with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
Partridge Family
“Cum On Feel The Noize” was written by Slade members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea.
Michael Jackson
“Baby Please Don’t Go” was written by legendary blues guitarist Big Joe Williams.
“Mama Told Me Not to Come” was written by Randy Newman.
“Love is a Rose” was written by Neil Young.
Chiffons
“You Belong to Me” was co-written by Carly Simon and Michael McDonald.
"Sure as I'm Sitting Here" was written by John Hiatt.
Grateful Dead
Righteous Brothers
“I Get a Kick Out of You” was written by Cole Porter.
Pentatonix is an a cappella cover band.
Michael Bolton
“Love in Vain” was written by legendary bluesman Robert Johnson.
ABBA
“She’s a Lady” remains Tom Jones’s biggest hit in the United States.
“Alison” and “Girls Talk” were written by Elvis Costello.
“Peaceful Easy Feeling” was written by Jack Tempchin.
“The Sound of Silence” was written by Paul Simon and first performed by Simon and Garfunkel.
“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.
“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.”
LED ZEPPELIN
Pat Benatar
“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.
“Take It Easy” was the Eagles’ debut hit and it was co-written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey.
Blondie
“I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You”) was written by country legend Hank Williams Sr.
“Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox” were written by Carl Perkins.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “You’re My Soul and Inspiration” were written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“Amazing” was written by Richard Supa and Steven Tyler.
“Lalena” was written and performed by Donovan.
“Twistin’ the Night Away” was written by Sam Cooke.
“One” was written by the great Harry Nilsson.
Eric Carmen
The Beatles started out as a cover band and never stopped covering songs: 21 of their first 46 recorded tracks were cover songs.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
“The Loco-Motion” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
"The Flame" was a power ballad written by British songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham.
“Up on the Roof” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” were written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Byrds
“Heat Wave” was written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team.
“Turn, Turn, Turn” was written by Pete Seeger in 1959 and was based on the Bible, specifically the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.
“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.
Aerosmith
"Blue Bayou" was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and originally performed by Roy Orbison.
“Call me the Breeze” was written by JJ Cale.
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.
Bruce Springsteen
“Jersey Girl” was written by Tom Waits.
Linda Ronstadt
Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Don’t Bring Me Down” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Frank Sinatra
“Suzanne” was written by Leonard Cohen.
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” was written by Cole Porter.
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 BEATLES
“War Machine” was written by professional songwriter Jim Vallance.
“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.
Rod Stewart
“My Back Pages” was written by Bob Dylan and suggested by Paul Smith in the comments.
“Hurt” was written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
Santana
Manfred Mann
The band also borrowed from Bach, Rossini, Strauss and Tchaikovsky.
“Because You Loved Me” was written by Diane Warren.
UB40
The Who
"Liar" was written by Russ Ballard of Argent.
“Dizzy Miss Lizzie,” “Bad Boy” and “Slow Down” were written by Larry Williams.
“I Write the Songs” was actually written by Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys! This dichotomy was mentioned in the comments by Nigyl Nissan.
As I go, I will reveal which two famous singers lied like dogs, thanks to their songwriters!
“Sweet Georgia Brown” was a jazz standard.
“House of the Rising Sun” was a traditional folk/blues song.
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was written by Bob Dylan.
“Baby It’s You” was written by Burt Bacharach, Barney Williams and Mack David.
Carly Simon
“Already Gone” was written by Jack Tempchin and Robb Strandlund.
“Because the Night” was written by Bruce Springsteen.
The Carpenters
“I Wanna Be Your Man” was written by Lennon/McCartney.