only to find out later that they're a cover version. Does this ever happen to anyone else???

Two memorable ones of mine:

"Neon Lights". For years I was only familliar with the U2 version off of their album Pop which I had had mistakenly thought was their own until I heard the original by Kraftwerk.

verdict: Kraftwerk version>>>>>>>>>>> U2.


"Thirteen". I initially heard this as b-side off of Garbage's debut album and to this day it remains my favorite of mine. It blew my mind to hear later that it was originally composed by Big Star in the 70's.

verdict: I still love the Garbage version better. So, so good.

i'm terrified to hear garbage doing big star

I think the song sounds so much better from a girl's point of view. Really.


Won't you let me walk you home from school
Won't you let me meet you at the pool
Maybe Friday I can
Get tickets for the dance
And I'll take you

Won't you tell your dad, "Get off my back"
Tell him what we said about "Paint It Black"
Rock 'n Roll is here to stay
Come inside where it's okay
And I'll shake you.

Won't you tell me what you're thinking of.
And would you be an outlaw for my love
If it's so, then, let me know
If it's "no," well, I can go.
I won't make you.

I was gonna say "Respect", but that's kinda a different category, huh?

I was a pre-teen metalhead. Therefore, the first version of
"You Really Got Me" that I remember hearing was Van Halen.
And yeah, I thought it was theirs.

"Move It On Over" I originally thought was a George Thorogood original. (again)

This type of thing doesn't really happen anymore, because now I always check the writing credits on songs I like... so that I can search out other songs by the same writer.

EDIT:
And, of course both Slade songs that Quiet Riot had big hits with, I thought were QR originals: "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Mama We're All Crazee Now".

Was unaware of Bo Diddley's original during many years of groovin' to the NY Dolls "Pills". Never woulda dreamt it was a cover, 'cuz it's sooooo them.

I also originally thought "Girls Talk" was a Dave Edmunds original.

Always thought E-Cost wrote "(What's So Funny) About Peace, Love & Understanding." I guess Nick Lowe did, though right?

Too lazy to get on allmusic.

Correct.
It was on the last Brinsley Schwarz albumL The New Favourites Of...; a 5-star record in my book.

What's even better is when some hippie-art-school-punk scrawls "What's So Funny 'Bout PL&U" in magic market on the art-fag dorm bulletin board and attributes it to E-Cost.

gonna get to close to you by queensryche..... didnt know it was a cover.

same here with the Elvis

Righteous Brothers, Unchained Melody -- I've been told this is from a movie, but I still refuse to believe it.They had some awesome b-sides from that first album, but wasn't this a b-side off their second? Yeah, looks like it was a B-side to "Push It".

I thought "Love Buzz" was originally by Nirvana, rather than by Shocking Blue, until recently.

huh, you learn something new every day... I thought the same thing!

lol! I was gonna mention this in Spade Kitty's album poll for '78. That year an appreciation for Van Halen was one of the separators of "us" and "them". And any VH fan that had never heard the Kinks were immediately made objects of scorn and ridicule. Yep. A rock snob then, now, and always.

And, of course, to prove the error of my ways, I had many blindspots of my own:

I thought "Strychnine" was an original by the Cramps and "Cinderella" was an original by DMZ. Very impressed when I discovered both were by the Sonics.

And it also blew me away to find out Alice Cooper's "Sun Arise" (from Love It To Death) was't an original, but a Rolf Harris song.

Speaking of Alice Cooper and misconceptions, Billion Dollar Babies was the first album I ever bought, and I remember poring over the liner notes and photographs trying to figure out which member of the band was the chick. I ended up coming to the conclusion that Alice must've been the behind-the-scenes female mastermind who wrote all the songs.

Thought Ted Leo wrote Prince's 'Since (Yo)U Been Gone'.

So... I'm a video editor who does a lot of highlights cut to trendy songs... and you wouldn't believe how many people think The Wallflowers first recorded "Heroes". I want to crush their heads.

You oughta hear the original.

is this a joke?
i'm bad with board sarcasm.

but speaking of prince, i thought Sinead wrote "nothing comares 2 U"

"some kind of wonderful." not by those ass-clowns in grand funk railroad, the original by the soul brothers six destroys.

a couple of otis redding tracks. of course, "respect," and, much more recently, "hard to handle." got to give props to aretha, but the black crowes can suck it.

poptodd, i also had a george thorogood experience, i heard the original "one bourbon one scotch one beer" pretty recently. much love for john lee hooker.

nirvana turned me on to the vaselines, the meat puppets original "lake of fire," and leadbelly. speaking of leadbelly, the original "black betty" isn't as good as the cover. lets hear it for ram jam.

I'm embarrassed to admit it but I thought that the Red Hot Chili Peppers originally did "Higher Ground". Now I hate them for ruining a great song.

It's blown me away that Alice Cooper did a cover version of "Sun Arise"!

Having only heard the Rolf Harris version its difficult to imagine what it might sound like.

Is Rolf Harris the "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" guy?

Yeah, he had a few number 1 hits (in the UK at least) in the 60's. 'Jake The Peg', 'Two Little Boys', 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport', 'Sun Arise' etc....

'With a Girl Like You' performed by Alex Chilton -- I heard the original version many years later (The Troggs).

From the New Rose 100 comp...excellent!