Which bands became massively popular for covering songs rather than recording originals?
08.06.2025 03:06
“An Old-Fashioned Love Song,” “The Family of Man” and “Out in the Country” were written by Paul Williams.
“Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman belong here. They wrote songs for a looong list of top names back in the 70s including New World, Sweet, Gary Glitter, Mud, Racey, Suzi Quatro and Smokie. They were instrumental in bringing many bands and solo musicians onto the charts, including Patti Smith and Lita Ford, and they provided number one hits in the US for Toni Basil, Nick Gilder and Pat Benatar.” — Bogdan Kadziola in the comments
“Daydream Believer” was written by John Stuart.
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"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" was written by Anne Bredon and originally recorded by Joan Baez.
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was written by veteran songwriter Diane Warren.
“What About Love” was written by Brian Allen, Sheron Alton and Jim Vallance.
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Carly Simon
I will furthermore reveal the remarkable song that became the last hit single for both Roy Orbison and Cyndi Lauper, and the last number one single for Celine Dion. Can you guess the title? If so, can you guess who wrote in, and why?
“I Wasn’t Born To Follow” was written by Carole King and covered by the Byrds in the movie Easy Rider. Suggested by Michael Macbean in the comments.
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“Heat Wave” was written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team.
“Jersey Girl” was written by Tom Waits.
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The English version of “Ring Ring” was translated by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody.
“Summertime Blues” was written and recorded by Eddie Cochran (and covered by many other artists). Suggested by Michael Gibbs in the comments.
“Not Fade Away” was written by Buddy Holly. It was the first song the Stones performed on The Mike Douglas Show in the US in 1964.
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“Tell Him” was written by David Foster and performed as a duet with Barbara Streisand.
“We Gotta Get Out of This Place” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and mentioned by John Aughinbaugh in the comments.
J.D. Souther either wrote or co-wrote a number of Eagles’ hits, including “Heartache Tonight,” “Victim of Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “How Long (Has This Been Going On)” and “Best of My Love.”
Otis Redding
“Somewhere Out There” by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
Procol Harum
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“Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally performed by Little Willie Littlefield.
“Suzanne” was written by Leonard Cohen.
“Baby Please Don’t Go” was written by legendary blues guitarist Big Joe Williams.
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“You Belong to Me” was written by Carly Simon. “You Belong to Me” has also been covered by Chaka Khan (feat. Michael McDonald) and Jennifer Lopez.
Milli Vanilli (pictured above) gets a dishonorable mention for not actually singing the songs they covered!
“Good Times” was written by Sam Cooke.
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“Mama Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Fernando,” “SOS,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, “Ring Ring,” “Honey Honey,” “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” “The Name of the Game” and “Waterloo” were either written primarily by Stig Anderson or he contributed and was credited as a songwriter. Anderson contributed so much to the group that he’s been called “the fifth member of ABBA.” It should be noted that other members of the band also contributed to the songs in question.
“One Fine Day” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
UB40
Three Dog Night may be the most successful major band that usually covered songs written by others, and theirs was an eclectic ensemble of songwriters.
Jimmy Webb wrote “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman” as noted by Ronny Hoff in the comments.
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Glen Campbell
Jimmy Webb wrote the much-lampooned “MacArthur Park” as noted by Ronny Hoff in the comments.
Grand Funk Railroad
“Hallelujah” was written by the famous songwriting team of Roger Greenway and Roger Cook. It was Deep Purple’s fifth consecutive single to be a cover song.
“Amazing” was written by Richard Supa and Steven Tyler.
“Think Twice” was co-written by Peter Sinfield of King Crimson and Bucks Fizz producer Andy Hill.
Linda Ronstadt
“You’re No Good” was a rock version of the R&B song written by Clint Ballard Jr.
Bruce Springsteen
“Ring of Fire” was written by June Carter. Ironically, in Johnny Cash’s biggest hit, “I Walk the Line,” he promised to always be faithful to his wife. But his second-biggest hit, “Ring of Fire,” was written by his mistress at the time, who later became June Carter Cash.
Chiffons
“Blinded by the Light” was written by Bruce Springsteen.
Pentatonix is an a cappella cover band.
“Pieces of April” and “Til’ the World Ends” were written by Dave Loggins.
Byrds
“Call me the Breeze” was written by JJ Cale.
"Speed King" borrows from Haydn’s “String Quartet in C.”
“I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You”) was written by country legend Hank Williams Sr.
“Never,” “All Eyes,” “There’s the Girl,” “Tall. Dark, Handsome Stranger,” and “I Love You” were written
“Shambala” was written by Daniel Moore.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Sergei Rachmaninoff deserves a credit for “All By Myself.”
“Alison” and “Girls Talk” were written by Elvis Costello.
Guns ’N’ Roses
“Lighting Strikes” was written by Richard Supa.
Three Dog Night is a rarity among great rock bands in that it never, to my knowledge, wrote one of its greatest hits…
“Big Yellow Taxi” was written by Joni Mitchell.
Eric Clapton
Bon Jovi
“The Sound of Silence” was written by Paul Simon and first performed by Simon and Garfunkel.
"Whole Lotta Love" was nicked from “You Need Love” by Willie Dixon, which Robert Planet later admitted. A court ruled in Dixon’s favor.
“My Back Pages” was written by Bob Dylan and suggested by Paul Smith in the comments.
Carly Simon
“You Belong to Me” was co-written by Carly Simon and Michael McDonald.
“Hush” and “Down in the Boondocks” were written by Joe South.
“All By Myself” was written by Eric Carmen.
“River Deep, Mountain High” was the band’s third single, a cover of an Ike & Tina Turner classic written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry.
“Dizzy Miss Lizzie,” “Bad Boy” and “Slow Down” were written by Larry Williams.
“I Really Want to Know You” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
“Hurt” was written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
“Baby It’s You” was written by Burt Bacharach, Barney Williams and Mack David.
Lynn Anderson
Paul Revere and the Raiders
“Send In the Clowns” was written by Stephen Sondheim.
“A Love So Beautiful” was written by Roy Orbison.
“Words of Love,” “That’ll Be The Day,” “Peggy Sue” and “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” were written by Buddy Holly and originally performed by Holly with his band the Crickets. The Beatles were originally the Beetles, an obvious tip of the cap to the Crickets. John Lennon and Paul McCartney credited Holly with inspiring them to write songs.
“Twistin’ the Night Away” was written by Sam Cooke.
“I Wanna Be Your Man” was written by Lennon/McCartney.
“I Drove All Night” was a remarkable song, being the last hit single for Roy Orbison and Cyndi Lauper, and the last number one single for Celine Dion.
“Roll Over Beethoven,”“Rock & Roll Music” and “Sweet Little Sixteen” were written by Chuck Berry, the Shakespeare of early rock ’n’ roll.
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was written by Bob Dylan.
Eric Carmen
The Blues Brothers were a cover band comprised of SNL stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
“Black Night,” the band’s first original single, was not all that original. According to Roger Glover, it “was nicked from the bass line in Ricky Nelson's ‘Summertime’ and then proceeds to play the bassline riff on his grand piano.”
“I’m Gonna Love You Too” was written by Buddy Holly.
“Hungry” and “Kicks” were written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“Wonderful World” was written by Sam Cooke, Herb Alpert and Lou Adler. “Wonderful World” has also been covered by Herman’s Hermits, Otis Redding, Johnny Nash and the trio of Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and James Taylor.
The Who
“Long, Long Time” was written by Gary White.
"Blue Bayou" was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and originally performed by Roy Orbison.
Sam Cooke had his start as the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers, recording gospel songs like “Peace in the Valley.” Aretha Franklin also had her start in gospel and was influenced by Sam Cooke to pursue a career in mainstream popular music.
“Doh Wah Diddy Diddy” was written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded by The Exciters.
My original answer did not include individual singers, but I received so many excellent suggestions in previous comments that I have expanded it. And solo singers do, of course, employ bands. Session musicians form bands, however temporary. Again, I am interpreting the question broadly. If that freaks someone out, no one is forcing them to read — so “no harm, no foul” as we used to say in pickup basketball games.
“Crazy” was written by Desmond Child with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
“Black and White” was a 1954 folk song written by David I. Arkin (the father of actor Alan Arkin) and Earl Robinson.
Carole King
“Johnny B. Goode” and “Little Queenie” were written by Chuck Berry.
“Love in Vain” was written by legendary bluesman Robert Johnson.
“The Loco-Motion” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
"Try a Little Tenderness" was written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods; it had previously been performed by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Otis Redding (with an arrangement by Isaac Hayes and backed by Booker T. and the M.G.’s). Three Dog Night used the Isaac Hayes arrangement for its cover of the song.
“I Hate Myself For Loving You” was written by professional songwriter Desmond Child with Joan Jett
“Pink” was written by Glen Ballard, Richard Supa and Steven Tyler.
“Ooh Baby Baby” was written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore, and originally performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
ABBA
“Lucille” was a cover of a Little Richard song.
“Early Yes one-upped Vanilla Fudge with long covers of I See You (6:47), Every Little Thing (5:47), Something’s Coming (7:09), No Opportunity Necessary (4:45), Everydays (6:05), and America (10:30).” — Don Campbell in the comments.
“My Way” was originally a French song called "Comme d’habitude” composed by Jacques Revaux with French lyrics by Giles Thibaut and Claude Francois. Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics.
Patti Smith
“I’m a Believer” was written by Neil Diamond.
“It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” was written by Paul Anka and originally performed by Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
“I Get a Kick Out of You” was written by Cole Porter.
“Better Be Good to Me,” “One of the Living” and “(Simply) The Best” were written or co-written by Holly Knight.
Most bands have done cover songs, but these famous bands covered more than most: Three Dog Night (never wrote any of their biggest hits), Deep Purple (their first five singles were covers), the world’s most successful cover band, the Beatles (21 of their first 46 recorded tracks were cover songs), the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.
The Carpenters
Milli Vanilli
“I Write the Songs” was actually written by Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys! This dichotomy was mentioned in the comments by Nigyl Nissan.
Michael Jackson
“Someone to Watch Over Me” was written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin.
There are also great songs penned by songwriting teams like Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the Bee Gees, George and Ira Gershwin, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney, and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
Carole King is one of the world’s best and most prolific songwriters.
Doobie Brothers
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” was written by Cole Porter.
Monkees
“Livin’ on the Edge” was written by Mark Hudson, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
“Love Is a Battlefield” was written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman.
"The Flame" was a power ballad written by British songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Their album Girl You Know It’s True went 6x platinum and they not only didn’t write the songs, they didn’t sing a single note!
THREE DOG NIGHT
“We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Let Me Be the One” and “Rainy Days and Mondays” were written by Paul Williams.
“Turn, Turn, Turn” was written by Pete Seeger in 1959 and was based on the Bible, specifically the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.
Please note that I am not “condemning” anyone for recording songs they didn’t write, as someone suggested in previous comments. I am simply answering a question that I find interesting. Some of the best songs ever recorded were covers, including the magnificent “Without You” by Harry Nilsson (originally written and recorded by Badfinger) and any number of covers by Elvis, Whitney, Celine, et al.
“Darlin’” and “Time to Get Alone” were written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
“Help!” was the band’s fourth single, a cover of a Beatles song.
Animals
“Eli’s Coming” was written by Laura Nyro.
"Sure as I'm Sitting Here" was written by John Hiatt.
“Twist and Shout” was written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was a hit for the Top Notes and the Isley Brothers.
Sha Na Na was ever and always a cover band!
Santana
THE ROLLING STONES
“Cum On Feel The Noize” was written by Slade members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea.
“Don’t Know Much” by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“I Was Made For Loving You” was written by songwriter pros Desmond Child and Vini Poncia.
“Ol’ 55” was written by Tom Waits.
“Chains” was written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Marilyn Manson
“Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” was written by professional songwriter Desmond Child in collaboration with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
"Since I've Been Loving You" is nearly identical to “Never” which was written by Bob Mosley and recorded by Moby Grape.
Judy Collins
“She’s a Lady” remains Tom Jones’s biggest hit in the United States.
“War Machine” was written by professional songwriter Jim Vallance.
Counting Crows
“Lalena” was written and performed by Donovan.
“After Midnight” and “Cocaine” were written by JJ Cale.
Manfred Mann
“House of the Rising Sun” was a traditional folk/blues song.
Aerosmith
“Please Mr. Postman” was written by Robert Bateman, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman and Brian Holland. The song was a hit for the Marvelettes.
“Not Fade Away,” “Oh Boy” and “Rave On” were originally performed by Buddy Holly and his band the Crickets. “Oh! Boy” and “Rave On” were both written by Sonny West and Bill Tilghman.
“Red, Red Wine” was written by Neil Diamond.
“This Is It” was written by Paul Anka with Michael Jackson. Paul Anka was suggested by T. Stephen Cornelius in the comments.
“Everybody’s a Masterpiece” was written by George S. Clinton and Richard Reicheg.
Kiss
"Out in the Country" was written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols.
Disturbed
“Tumbling Dice” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” was credited to singer Gary Brooker, lyricist Keith Reid and organist Matthew Fisher but the melody is unmistakably Bach’s “Air on the G-String”!
“Georgia on My Mind” was written by Hoagy Carmichael and made popular by Ray Charles.
Richard Harris
“Sweet Georgia Brown” was a jazz standard.
“Kentucky Woman” was written and originally performed by Neil Diamond. It was Deep Purple’s second single in 1968 and reached #38 in the USA.
“Immortality” was written by the Bee Gees (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb) and performed with the Bee Gees providing backing vocals.
“River Deep, Mountain High” was written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.
As for major individual artists, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, George Jones, George Strait, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Rihanna didn’t write any of their major hits, to my knowledge. Elton John wrote music but Bernie Taupin typically composed his lyrics. I have seen the great Janis Joplin included in such lists incorrectly, because she wrote “Mercedes Benz” by herself and “Down on Me” with Eddy Head, and those are two great songs. Aretha Franklin usually recorded songs written by others, but she wrote the excellent “Think” which rose to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Rock Steady,” which reached #9.
THE BEATLES
The Beatles started out as a cover band and never stopped covering songs: 21 of their first 46 recorded tracks were cover songs.
“Love Will Keep Us Alive” was written by John Capaldi, Paul Carrack and Peter Vale.
Rod Stewart
“Joy To The World” and “Never Been to Spain” were written by Hoyt Axton.
“All Along the Watchtower” was written by Bob Dylan.
The band also borrowed from Bach, Rossini, Strauss and Tchaikovsky.
Trivia fans may be interested to know that Three Dog Night introduced Hoyt Axton, John Hiatt, Dave Loggins, Randy Newman and Paul Williams to the larger musical world. Also, that Hoyt Axton’s mother was Mae Boren Axton, who co-wrote Elvis Presley’s first #1 hit, “Heartbreak Hotel,” and introduced the 19-year-old Elvis to Col. Tom Parker, his longtime manager.
Home Free is an a cappella cover band.
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" was written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975. This was suggested in the comments by Geoff Morton.
"Easy to Be Hard" was written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni for the “Hair” musical.
“Take It Easy” was the Eagles’ debut hit and it was co-written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey.
“The Tide Is High” was written by John Holt and performed by his Jamaican group The Paragons.
“A Change Is Gonna Come,” “Chain Gang,” “Cupid” and “Shake” were written by Sam Cooke.
“Because You Loved Me” was written by Diane Warren.
“Money (That’s What I Want)” was written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford.
“School Days” was written by Chuck Berry.
“You’re So Vain” was written by Carly Simon. “You’re So Vain” has also been covered by Liza Minnelli and Faster Pussycat
“Puppy Love” was written by Paul Anka.
Eagles
"Liar" was written by Russ Ballard of Argent.
“Black Magic Woman” was written by Peter Green, the lead guitarist for Fleetwood Mac.
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” was written by Smokey Robinson.
Tom Jones
Righteous Brothers
LED ZEPPELIN
Heart
Yes
Paul Williams wrote three hit songs for The Carpenters and three more for Three Dog Night.
In the comments Rick Deguchi mentioned that many of Elvis’s biggest hits were covers, including “Hound Dog,” “It’s Now or Never,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Suspicious Minds,” “All Shook Up,” “Love Me Tender” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight.”
“The Show Must Go On” was written by Leo Sayer.
Johnny Cash
Frank Sinatra
“You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Bad Medicine,” “I’d Die for You” and “Keep The Faith” were written by professional songwriter Desmond Child in collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
“(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden” was written by Joe South, who was suggested in the comments by Chuck B. To show what a small world it is, when Lynn Anderson appeared on the Johnny Carson show, he asked her the name of a young country artist to keep an eye on. Lynn named Beth Harris, who is now my wife, Beth Harris Burch. Beth moved to Nashville and cut an album, but her manager ripped her off and she decided to retire and become a full-time mom to our son Jeremy.
Barry Manilow
In the comments Rick Deguchi mentioned that most of Linda Ronstadt’s hits were covers.
“Go Away Little Girl” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“Hallelujah” was written by Leonard Cohen. “Hallelujah” has also been covered by Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bolton, Bono, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Judith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, K.D. Lang, Willie Nelson, Pentatonix, Elvis Presley, Regina Spektor, Rufus Wainwright, and pretty much every singer under the sun!
“Like a Rolling Stone” was written by Bob Dylan and had the perfect title for the band.
“Because the Night” was written by Bruce Springsteen.
“Mama Told Me Not to Come” was written by Randy Newman.
"Til There Was You" written by Meredith Wilson for his musical The Music Man.
“Peasant Valley Sunday” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“Woodstock” was written by Joni Mitchell.
“Difficult To Cure” was an uptempo guitar-based reworking of Beethoven's “Ode To Joy.”
Cheap Trick
“It’s So Easy” and “That’ll Be the Day” were written by Buddy Holly, who performed the songs with his band the Crickets.
Carole King
“Mr. Tambourine Man” was written by Bob Dylan.
“Different Drum” was written by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees and it became her first hit.
The songs above were suggested by Geoff Morton in the comments.
“T for Texas” was written by Jimmy Rodgers.
“I Drove All Night” was written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg in the style of Roy Orbison, and Orbison recorded the song in 1987 but did not release it before his death the following year. Orbison’s demo was later engineered and produced by Jeff Lynne of ELO fame and it became a hit in 1992, reaching number seven in the UK and earning a Grammy in the US. In the meantime “I Drove All Night” was covered in 1989 by Cyndi Lauper and it became her last top ten single, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Celine Dion released her cover in 2003 and it reached number one in Canada, Belgium and Sweden, and number two on the US Dance Club chart. It would be her last number one single.
“Your Song” was written by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Shirelles
Three Dog Night, circa 1972. Back L–R: Joe Schermie, Floyd Sneed, Michael Allsup and Jimmy Greenspoon. Front L–R: Danny Hutton, Cory Wells and Chuck Negron.
“Already Gone” was written by Jack Tempchin and Robb Strandlund.
As I go, I will reveal which two famous singers lied like dogs, thanks to their songwriters!
Paul Carrack wrote “Love Will Keep Us Alive.”
“On Broadway” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
“You Send Me” and “Good Times” were written by Sam Cooke.
Tina Turner
“Bring It on Home to Me” was written by Sam Cooke.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
“Rock Me on the Water” was written by Jackson Browne.
Pat Benatar
“Don’t Bring Me Down” was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Drifters
“Proud Mary” was written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival at the time.
Deep Purple started out wanting to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone" according to Ritchie Blackmore.
“Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)” was written by Allen Toussaint.
“Poor Poor Pitiful Me” was written by Warren Zevon.
Partridge Family
“Both Sides Now” was written by Joni Mitchell.
Led Zeppelin was mentioned in previous comments by Robert Shirley as “one of the world’s biggest bands and biggest ‘borrowers.’ Their covers and borrowing have been greatly chronicled.”
“Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox” were written by Carl Perkins.
“Days of Future Passed” was a cover of a Moody Blues song.
My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean) was the Beatles’ first single, a traditional song.
“Private Dancer” was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.
“Peaceful Easy Feeling” was written by Jack Tempchin.
Paul Williams wrote three hit songs for Three Dog Night.
“Hound Dog” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded in 1952 by Big Mama Thornton.
DEEP PURPLE
“Paint it Black” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard and originally performed by the Rolling Stones.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “You’re My Soul and Inspiration” were written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
AC/DC
Blondie
“When Will I Be Loved” was a country-rock version of a song written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers. It became Ronstadt’s first #1 song on the country charts.
“Rock Me Baby” was written by blues legend B. B. King.
“Up on the Roof” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” were written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was written by Jim Steinman, who is most famous for his collaborations with Meatloaf.
“Hush” was written by Joe South and originally performed by Billy Joe Royal. “Hush” was Deep Purple’s first single in 1968 and reached #4 in the USA. It was the band’s highest-charting single, along with “Smoke on the Water.”
Aretha Franklin
“Heartbreak Hotel,” his first #1 hit, was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden.
Osmonds
“Spanish Harlem,” one of my all-time favorite songs, was written and first performed by Ben E. King. Aretha changed the lyrics slightly to make the girl a bit darker, if I remember correctly.
“Long Tall Sally” was written by Little Richard, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell and Enotris Johnson.
Elvis was mentioned by T. Stephen Cornelius in the comments as an artist who never wrote his songs, or at least not any famous ones of which I am aware that he wrote on his own.
Celine Dion
On an amusing note (pardon the pun), Barry Manilow did write songs but didn’t write “I Write the Songs,” which was written by Bruce Johnson of the Beach Boys. Forgiving him for writing that song and giving it to Barry Manilow would test the compassion and grace of a saint.
And now, without further ado, here are artists who didn’t write some of their best songs…
“Love is a Rose” was written by Neil Young.
Elvis Presley
HONORABLE MENTION: Alien Ant Farm, Big Bang, Tony Bennett, Bowling for Soup, BTS, Captain & Tennille, Cher, Patsy Cline, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Francis, iKON, KISS, Manfred Mann and The Earth Band, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Ricky Martin, Monsta X, Patti Page, Rascal Flatts, Ratt, Sha Na Na, Stray Kids, Seventeen, Barbra Streisand
“Back in the U.S.A” was written by Chuck Berry.
“The Lemon Song” was directly lifted from “Killing Floor” by Chester Burnett aka Howling Wolf. Although Led Zep's version did insert Robert Plant's not-so-subtle double entendre involving the dispersal of lemon juice. — James Raines in the comments
Quiet Riot
Billy Joe Royal
Michael Bolton
Some of the best songs and biggest hits below were written by professional songwriters like Paul Anka, Chuck Berry, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Sam Cooke, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Holly Knight, Cole Porter, Little Richard, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, Neil Sedaka, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, J.D. Souther, Jim Vallance, Tom Waits, Diane Warren, Hank Williams Sr., Brian Wilson and Neil Young.
“Not Fade Away” was written by Buddy Holly and became one of the Grateful Dead’s standards.
“Shout” was also a hit for the Isley Brothers.
Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman
“Rag Doll” was written by Holly Knight, Richard Vallance, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
“One” was written by the great Harry Nilsson.
“Five Bridges” was a cover of a song by The Nice.
Grateful Dead