Music is an inspiration for many people. Some directors film movies dedicated to their favorite songs, software providers release slots like Michael Jackson King of Pop or DJ Wild available at National Casino Canada. But music also inspires other musicians. They devote their albums to their favorite artists or create cover songs, and some of them even get more popular than original ones. These are the most renowned examples.
Whitney Houston – “I Will Always Love You”
“What? Has anyone else sung this song before Whitney?” – Many people look round their eyes when they learn that one of the singer’s biggest hits is a cover song. Yes, it is. The original I Will Always Love You was a country ballad and was first sung by Dolly Parton in 1974. Since then, the ballad has been re-sung by dozens of artists, but Whitney’s version sounds special because of the singer’s gorgeous voice. Most music lovers first learned the song in 1992 from the movie “The Bodyguard,” where it sounds as the main theme.
Limp Bizkit – “Behind Blue Eyes”
In the noughties, it was a mega-popular track, but the song is much older than we think. Back in the ’70s, the British rockers The Who used to play it on tour. The original version of the song sounds much more dynamic. Fred Durst, on the other hand, sang it in the lyrical and slightly depressing sound characteristic of Limp Bizkit.
The Pussycat Dolls – “Don’t Cha”
Truly talented artists can make a sweet deal out of even a mediocre song by an unknown artist. This is the case. The juicy R&B track Don’t Cha, which The Pussycat Dolls performed so coolly, is actually the first solo song by hip-hop singer Tori Alamaze. The debut wasn’t a success for Tori, so she sold the rights to it to the Universal Music Group music label. There they picked up new hosts for the song – The Pussycat Dolls. In their caring hands the track blossomed and became a hit.
Sinead O’Connor – “Nothing Compares 2 U”
The song did not “take off” for the popular artist but became a hit for the little-known (at that time) singer. Prince wrote and first performed the track for his side project The Family in 1984, and Sinead O’Connor covered it in 1990. Her cover of Nothing Compares 2 U brought her worldwide fame and a wave of critical praise. Only Prince was dissatisfied. In one interview, O’Connor said that she had a tough conversation with the artist, after which she had to literally run away from his house. Fans of the Irish rock diva concluded that Prince was just jealous of her.
Eminem – “Stan”
Unlike Sinead O’Connor, the rapper Eminem became friends with the singer Dido, whose song Thank You was sung in one of his hits. To be precise, not the whole song, but the first verse, making it the chorus, which was sung by the singer herself. Eminem and Dido did not have to share the glory: both the original song and its cover became hits. To cement the creative friendship, the rapper even entrusted Dido the main role in the video for the song Stan. It was her collaboration with Eminem that brought the singer huge popularity in the noughties.
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