Sometimes a cover becomes so famous that the original almost disappears.

A new artist changes the arrangement, delivers a definitive vocal or simply reaches a much larger audience. Years later, millions of listeners assume that version was the song’s beginning.

Often, it was not.

Here are 25 famous recordings that are covers, along with the artists who got there first.

1. Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You

Original: Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton wrote and released I Will Always Love You in 1974. Whitney Houston’s enormous 1992 version transformed the country ballad into one of the biggest vocal pop records ever made.

2. Johnny Cash – Hurt

Original: Nine Inch Nails

Trent Reznor wrote Hurt for Nine Inch Nails’ 1994 album The Downward Spiral. Johnny Cash’s stark 2002 interpretation became so powerful that many later listeners encountered his version first.

3. Amy Winehouse – Valerie

Original: The Zutons

Valerie was first released by Liverpool band The Zutons in 2006. Amy Winehouse’s vocal on Mark Ronson’s funkier version soon became the recording most people associate with the song.

4. Soft Cell – Tainted Love

Original: Gloria Jones

Gloria Jones recorded Tainted Love in the 1960s. Soft Cell reinvented it as icy synth-pop in 1981 and created the globally familiar version.

5. Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Original: Robert Hazard

Robert Hazard wrote and recorded the song before Cyndi Lauper transformed it into a colourful pop anthem and one of her signature records.

6. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – I Love Rock ’n Roll

Original: The Arrows

The Arrows recorded I Love Rock ’n Roll in the 1970s. Joan Jett’s harder, swaggering version became the song that conquered the world.

7. UB40 – Red Red Wine

Original: Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond wrote and recorded Red Red Wine in the 1960s. UB40’s reggae version completely changed its feel and became an international hit.

8. Sinéad O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U

Original recording: The Family; written by Prince

Prince wrote Nothing Compares 2 U, and a version was first released by his side project The Family. Sinéad O’Connor’s 1990 recording made it a global standard.

9. Aretha Franklin – Respect

Original: Otis Redding

Otis Redding wrote and released Respect in 1965. Aretha Franklin reworked it two years later and turned it into something larger, sharper and culturally enduring.

10. Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower

Original: Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan released All Along the Watchtower in 1967. Jimi Hendrix’s electric interpretation arrived soon afterwards and became one of rock music’s definitive covers.

11. Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah

Original: Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen wrote and released Hallelujah in 1984. Jeff Buckley’s haunting 1994 version helped shape the way later generations heard the song.

12. Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World

Original: David Bowie

Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance introduced many younger listeners to a David Bowie song originally released in 1970.

13. Alien Ant Farm – Smooth Criminal

Original: Michael Jackson

Alien Ant Farm turned Michael Jackson’s sleek pop original into an energetic rock hit in the early 2000s.

14. Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

Original: Eurythmics

Eurythmics made Sweet Dreams a synth-pop classic. Marilyn Manson later rebuilt it as something darker and heavier.

15. The Fugees – Killing Me Softly

First released by: Lori Lieberman

Lori Lieberman recorded Killing Me Softly with His Song before Roberta Flack made it a major hit. The Fugees then introduced the composition to another generation in the 1990s.

16. George Harrison – Got My Mind Set on You

Original: James Ray

James Ray recorded the song in the early 1960s. George Harrison turned it into a glossy late-1980s pop-rock hit.

17. Natalie Imbruglia – Torn

Original recording: Ednaswap

Torn existed before Natalie Imbruglia’s breakthrough version. Ednaswap, whose members co-wrote the song, recorded it before Imbruglia made it a worldwide hit.

18. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Blinded by the Light

Original: Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded Blinded by the Light for his debut album. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band later turned it into a much bigger commercial hit.

19. The Beatles – Twist and Shout

First recorded by: The Top Notes

The Isley Brothers had a successful early version, but The Top Notes recorded the song first. The Beatles’ raw performance then became one of its most famous interpretations.

20. Led Zeppelin – Babe I’m Gonna Leave You

Earlier recording: Joan Baez; written by Anne Bredon

Led Zeppelin discovered the song through Joan Baez’s recording, while the composition itself was written by Anne Bredon.

21. Rod Stewart – The First Cut Is the Deepest

Original writer and early release: Cat Stevens; first released recording by P.P. Arnold

The song has a complicated early history. Cat Stevens wrote it and recorded his own version, while P.P. Arnold’s recording was released first. Rod Stewart later produced one of the best-known versions.

22. Santana – Black Magic Woman

Original: Fleetwood Mac

Before Fleetwood Mac became globally associated with Rumours-era pop-rock, Peter Green’s version of the band recorded Black Magic Woman. Santana later transformed it into a Latin-rock classic.

23. Elvis Presley – Hound Dog

Earlier hit: Big Mama Thornton

Big Mama Thornton recorded Hound Dog several years before Elvis Presley’s version became one of the defining records of early rock and roll.

24. Tina Turner – Proud Mary

Original: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival released Proud Mary in 1969. Ike & Tina Turner later transformed the song with a slow-burning introduction and explosive soul-rock arrangement, creating another definitive version.

25. Harry Nilsson – Without You

Original: Badfinger

Badfinger wrote and recorded Without You, but Harry Nilsson’s dramatic version turned the song into an international standard. Mariah Carey later introduced it to another generation.

Why do cover versions sometimes become bigger than the original?

A great song can survive a complete change of genre.

Tainted Love moved from northern-soul favourite to synth-pop. Red Red Wine became reggae. Hurt moved from industrial rock into the world of Johnny Cash. I Will Always Love You moved from country into a huge cinematic power ballad.

The composition stays recognisable while the emotional framing changes.

That is why cover versions are such a great way to explore music history. Start with the famous version, trace it backwards and you often discover an entirely different genre, era and group of artists.