It happens all the time, probably a lot more than we realize. A song is written for an artist, or even by an artist, and it turns out the voice it was originally intended for just doesn’t do the song any justice. Sometimes an artist or songwriter is just too stubborn to let the song go. Other times, the art comes first, and that’s when magic happens. And thank god for covers, or some of our most cherished songs might never have been.
Some of our favorite hits started in the hands of another artist, or even several. Sometimes the original wasn’t all that bad, and other times we are SO grateful it was rerecorded by someone else. You decide which is which from the following list.