10 Songs You Could Have Sworn Were Sang by Somebody Else

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives (Getty)

Nothing is more embarrassing than telling a crowd of people your favorite Beatles song before realizing it isn’t even a Beatles song. There are plenty of songs you could’ve sworn were sang by somebody other than the people who actually wrote them, and sadly those mistakes tend to come out publicly. To help you avoid future embarrassment, we have some of the most commonly mistaken songs for which people tend to get the artist wrong. Here’s hoping we got these right, or we’re both going to hell.

Stone Temple Pilots – Creep

You thought it was: Nirvana

It’s the painfully depressing grunge sound with the mix of the raspy vocals that make you think it came from Kurt Cobain.

America – A Horse With No Name

You thought it was: Neil Young

There was a lot of controversy over America’s greatest hit, being that the style and vocals sound almost unparalleled to Neil Young.

Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing

You thought it was: Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan paved the way for a lot of artists, so many that he has countless composers whose music is mistaken for his, including Tom Petty and the song below.

Stealers Wheel – Stuck in the Middle With You

You thought it was: Bob Dylan

We don’t know much of Stealers Wheel, but we know this one like the back of our hands (or whatever body part you study for hours each day). We could say they, too, rode the coattails of Dylan influence to get popular, but then again we don’t know them that well. But it is conveniently their biggest hit.

The Band – The Weight

You thought it was: Allman Brothers Band

A lot of these bands were hard to tell apart because they were cut from the same cloth. While it’s important to know the difference, it’s more important to just enjoy them all because that kind of music isn’t coming back around anytime soon.

Jimmy Buffet – Come Monday

You thought it was: James Taylor

It’s the swanky vocals that seem to be commonly misconstrued, but then again people under the age of 40 didn’t know Jimmy wrote anything other than Margaritaville as far as they’re concerned.

The Hollies – Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)

You thought it was: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence always had that unmistakable sound, but then again, so did The Hollies, we thought.

Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl

You thought it was: The Rolling Stones

The vocals sound hauntingly like Mick Jagger. Many Stones songs have been mistaken as Bob Dylan’s and others of that time. They claim the similarities were never their intention, but they’re also very aware. They did play on the same small bill at the recent Desert Trip, and Dylan does have a hit called Like a Rolling Stone. You do the math.

Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You

You thought it was: David Bowie

Though he’s gone, people will not soon quit mistaking this awesome hit for a Bowie classic. If you want to hear something amazing, check out Seu Jorge’s Portuguese tribute covers of Bowie from The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou soundtrack.