10 Famous Pop Songs You Didn't Realise Were Covers

Because sometimes the originals aren't necessarily the best...

King Harvest Dancing in the Moonlight
Perception

It is a widely held belief that covers of popular songs are just, well, a bit crap. An artist producing their own version of a well-loved successful song is usually a recipe for disaster and, more often than not, leads to unfavourable comparisons between the classic and their sub-par effort.

However, there is a sub-section of covers that deserve everybody's respect: those which are so popular, they are able to supersede the original. This usually occurs in one of two ways: taking either an obscure song that very few people have heard before, or choosing an old song that has fallen out of popularity over the years.

Certain notable covers have managed to dramatically alter the genre of the original and, as well as introducing them to a whole new audience, often them given them an entirely new meaning. In some cases, the original purpose of the song is the complete opposite of the cover's.

There are even some examples of a cover becoming so successful that they have helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest musicians of all time. Ever heard of Elvis Presley or The Beatles? You might not have not they not found some coat-tails to ride on.

10. Dancing In The Moonlight - Toploader

As one of the greatest one-hit-wonders of all time, Toploader’s version of Dancing in the Moonlight from their debut album Onka’s Big Moka has become a staple of party soundtracks worldwide.

Originally written and recorded in 1972 by French-American rock band King Harvest, it became a minor hit reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite this, King Harvest’s subsequent releases failed to live up to Dancing in the Moonlight’s success, causing the band to split soon after.

This was paralleled by Toploader’s fate, who similarly couldn’t live up to their initial success and were dropped from their original record label.

Following a six-year-hiatus and a change in line-up, they returned in 2011 with Only Human, their third studio album, and followed up with 2017’s Seeing Stars. Both were met with a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike.

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Student, part-time freelance writer, holder of many questionable opinions and impassioned hater of Lord Of The Rings (disagree? Find me on Twitter, @JoshSandy)