How Many of These Songs Did You Know Were Covers? Quiz

Answer: Leonard Cohen

"Hallelujah" was not a major hit upon its initial release in 1984. Then, John Cale covered the song in 1991. Cale added piano and sang different lyrics from Cohen's original version of the song. It was John Cale who made the song famous. Now, there are over 300 known covers of the song.

Jeff Buckley's is the most famous. Unfortunately, Jeff Buckley never lived to see his version of "Hallelujah" become a hit. He recorded the song in 1994, but the song did not become a top 10 hit until 2007, 10 years after Buckley's untimely death. Now, Jeff Buckley's version of the song is considered one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded. It's a shame he never lived to know that.

Answer: The Eurythmics

The Eurythmics' version of the song was a huge hit. It was the song that knocked the Police's "Every Breath You Take" off the top of the charts after that song had enjoyed 8 weeks at #1. But some of us 90's babies grew up on the Marilyn Manson version of the song, which was also a hit. Manson's version was a lesser hit than the original, but hard rock/metal fans don't tend to care about chart performances. Personally, I prefer Marilyn Manson's version of the song.

Answer: Bob Dylan

Jimi Hendrix released his version of the song six months after Dylan did. It was Hendrix's version of the song that became a top 20 hit and was ranked #47 and Rolling Stones list of top 500 songs of all-time.

Answer: Scotch and Soda

Dave Guard, one of the founding members of the Kingston Trio, is credited with writing "Scotch and Soda." But he didn't actually write it. He heard it when he visited his girlfriend's house. His girlfriend's parents heard the song at a hotel piano lounge, and they liked the song so much that they asked the piano player to write it down for them so it would be "their song." Their song got the attention of Dave Guard, who then brought it to the Kingston Trio. In court, Dave Guard fought to have his named credited as the writer of the song, and he won. In reality, the actual writer of the song is unknown.

"Tom Dooley" was written by a poet named Thomas Land. Grayson and Whitter were the first to record the song in 1929. Frank Proffit, often misattributed as the original source of the song, recorded it in 1943. Neither of those versions were a hit. The Kingston Trio recorded released their version of the song in 1958, with some verses edited out, the chorus edited, and the tempo slowed down. Their version of the song has sold 6 million copies worldwide.

"M.T.A." was written by Jacqueline Steiner and Bess Lomax Hawes. It was written as part of an election campaign for Walter O'Brien, who was running for mayor in Boston. The song was written to protest a Subway exit fare increase. It tells the story of a man who could not get off the train because he couldn't afford the new fare. The song is ridiculous if you think about it, because why on earth would Charlie's wife give him a sandwich instead of a nickel? Nonetheless, the Kingston Trio version of the song became a hit. The Kingston Trio changed the name from Walter to George O'Brien, to avoid being seen as socialists.

"Where Have All The Flowers Gone" was written by Pete Seeger, who was the first to record it in 1955. The Kingston Trio heard it at a Peter Paul and Mary concert and decided they had to record their own version. The Kingston Trio traded their rights to the song "Lemon Tree" to Peter Paul and Mary, in exchange for "Where Have All The Flowers Gone." It was a good trade for the Kingston Trio. Their version of the song was a hit.

The Kingston Trio rarely wrote their own songs. The exception was John Stewart, who was part of the 2nd version of the group. He wrote quite a few songs, and even a few hits.

Answer: Bob Dylan

"Knockin' On Heaven's Door" started off as a short folk song with merely 2 verses and doing the chorus twice. Guns 'n Roses took the song and expanded on it, adding some "Hey Hey Hey's" in the chorus, a guitar solo, a spoken part, and a call and response section at the end of the song. Guns N' Roses owned this song, and this is my favorite cover song of all time.

Answer: Bob Dylan

This is the third Bob Dylan song in this quiz. Quite a few of his songs were popularized in covers. "Blowin' in the Wind" was the first song Dylan ever released. His version wasn't a hit. Peter, Paul, and Mary covered the song and their version of the song reached #2 on the Billboard charts.

Unlike the other Dylan songs in this quiz, I actually prefer the Dylan version to the cover.

Answer: Nick Lowe

It's debatable whether this is a true cover song, since Costello did record his version of the song before Lowe. Personally, I believe that if you didn't write the song, you covered. Lowe produced Costello's first five albums.

Answer: Brownsville Station

Brownsville Station's version of the song was a top 5 hit in the U.S. and Canada. It was a bigger hit than Motley Crue's version, but people who grew up in the 80's or later may be more familiar with the Crue's version. Motley Crue are a far better known band to younger generations than Brownsville Station.

The song was famously featured in the Ramones' Movie "Rock and Roll High School."

Answer: Fruit Bats

The Fruit Bats released "When U Love Somebody" in 2003 on their 2nd album mouthfuls. They also released a funny music video for the song. The Decemberists covered the song on their 2011 Itunes Sessions recordings, helping it reach a bigger audience. The Decemberists played the song live at quite a few shows on their "King is Dead" tour.

Answer: Hello

"New York Groove" was originally part of the British glam movement. The original version of the song, written by Russ Ballard and performed by Hello, was a top 10 hit in the U.K. Then Ace Frehley covered the song on his first solo album, making it a top 20 hit in the U.S.