History Main / FirstAndForemost

* Music/{{Aerosmith}} and Music/MichaelJackson covered "Come Together", and both versions, especially since the latter's death, still get airplay, but The Beatles' original from ''Music/AbbeyRoad'' is still the most popular.
* Music/TheBeatles' ''everything'', with the exceptions of Music/JoeCocker's version of [[Series/TheWonderYears "With a Little Help]] [[RealSongThemeTune From My Friends"]], Music/{{Aerosmith}}'s version of "Come Together", Music/EarthWindAndFire's "Got To Get You Into My Life", and possibly Rosanne Cash's take on "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", which was a #1 CountryMusic hit in 1989. Other than that, nearly ''all'' of their songs have been covered many, ''many'' times, and ''all'' of them have remained Beatles songs.

* Music/EltonJohn's recording of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" sold over a million copies and hit #1 in ''Billboard'' while the original version was never even released as a single, yet it's the original artist who people continue to associate with the song. The fact that the song originated on Music/TheBeatles' iconic ''[[Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand Sgt. Pepper]]'' album is probably a factor.
** Elton John's cover of "[[Music/{{Tommy}} Pinball Wizard]]", by Music/TheWho, similarly charted higher than the original recording, and even displaced it in radio play for many years before classic rock radio rediscovered the original.

* Music/DonHenley's "The Boys of Summer" was a Top 10 smash hit in 1984 and remains a popular song on classic hits radio stations. Music/TheAtaris cracked the Top 40 with their pop-punk version in 2003 and their cover still gets some airplay on adult hits radio, but Henley's version is the most well-known.

* Music/GloriaEstefan had a minor hit with a cover of Music/CaroleKing's "It's Too Late" in 1995. However, within a few years radio stations went back to playing King's 1971 original version.

* Music/ThePretenders' iconic ballad "I'll Stand by You" has been famously covered by Music/GirlsAloud, Music/CarrieUnderwood and Music/{{Shakira}}, but the Pretenders' original has proven to be the most enduring and still gets airplay to this day.

** An example covering a re-recording of one of Elton's own songs: "Candle in the Wind 1997", which memorialized Princess Diana, charted higher than both the original (which wasn't released as a single in the US and just missed the Top 10 in the UK) and a mostly-forgotten 1986 live version (which reached #6 in the US), was the biggest hit of 1997 according to ''Billboard'', and is ''the'' biggest-selling song of the ''Billboard'' chart era. However, within a few years, classic rock and adult hits radio had rediscovered the original, and the original gets nearly all the airplay to this day.

* The Music/JeffHealey Band's "Angel Eyes" was a Top 5 hit in 1989 and remains an iconic contemporary blues track decades later. Paulini topped the Australian charts with her 2004 cover, the song's co-writer John Hiatt has recorded two of his own versions, and New Grass Revival's cover has been a staple of their compilations, but no cover has been to displace the original version.

* Music/{{Cascada}}'s cover of "What Hurts the Most" failed to displace the definitive version by Music/RascalFlatts.

* Music/{{Sugarland}}'s 2008 cover of The Dream Academy's 1985 smash hit "Life in a Northern Town" is all but forgotten, especially since the duo is now more likely remembered for [[OvershadowedByControversy their 2011 concert that ended with a stage collapse that killed seven people.]] Similarly, "Sunchyme", Dario G.'s 1997 dance take on the song, topped both the Hot Dance Club Songs and Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts in the US as well as hitting #2 on the UK Singles chart, but has since faded into obscurity.
* The SpeedyTechnoRemake of Music/DuranDuran's "Ordinary World" by UK trance act Music/{{Aurora|Duo}} (not to be confused with [[Music/AuroraSinger the Norwegian singer]]) was a worldwide hit in the early Noughties and was even featured in the ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' series. However, within a few years radio stations switched back to playing Duran Duran's original version, which remains one of their most well-known songs.

* The Communards, Jimmy Somerville's band after leaving Bronski Beat, had a sizable hit with their version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" in UsefulNotes/TheEighties. Since then, however, Thelma Houston's '70s version has overshadowed it, though both CoveredUp the original by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

* The SpeedyTechnoRemake of Music/DuranDuran's "Ordinary World" by UK trance act Music/AuroraDuo (not to be confused with [[Music/AuroraSinger the Norwegian singer]]) was a worldwide hit in the early Noughties and was even featured in the ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' series. However, within a few years radio stations switched back to playing Duran Duran's original version, which remains one of their most well-known songs.

* Music/ToriAmos' take on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of the most well-known covers of all time, but of course, everyone still remembers Music/{{Nirvana}}'s original from ''Music/{{Nevermind}}''.

* The SpeedyTechnoRemake of Music/DuranDuran's "Ordinary World" by UK trance act Aurora (not to be confused with [[Music/{{Aurora}} the Norwegian singer]]) was a worldwide hit in the early Noughties and was even featured in the ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' series. However, within a few years radio stations switched back to playing Duran Duran's original version, which remains one of their most well-known songs.

* While Music/RascalFlatts' version of Tom Cochran's 1992 hit "Life is a Highway" is pretty popular, especially due to it appearing on the soundtrack for ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', you'll be hard-pressed nowadays to find it airing anywhere outside the country radio stations.

* There are dozens of versions of "[=MacArthur=] Park", but the original version recorded by actor Creator/RichardHarris remains the most well-remembered (along with its parody, "Jurassic Park" by Music/WeirdAlYankovic). Music/DonnaSummer's disco cover was a #1 smash hit in the late-70s and is remembered enough to remain a mainstay of compilations of her music, but it's still primarily thought of as Harris' song. Music/WaylonJennings covered it twice, with his original cover featuring family group the Kimberlys winning the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, but both of Jennings' versions are obscure outside the classic country crowd in comparision to the original ''or'' the Donna Summer cover.

* Remember the Ataris' cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer?" Well, it never remained more popular than the original for more than a year.

* Music/LeonardCohen's "Suzanne" from ''Music/SongsOfLeonardCohen'' which has been covered by Music/NeilDiamond, the most commercially successful, and everyone else, but remains his song. "Hallelujah" has been less successful; even though most people know who wrote it, very, ''very'' few know what it sounded like before Music/JohnCale took out a verse and stitched in ''three'' from the cutting room floor.
** And then ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' came out. However, Music/JeffBuckley's version (by way of Cale's arrangement) from ''Music/{{Grace}}'' remains the best known.

* There are dozens of recordings of "Day O(The Banana Boat Song)", but Music/HarryBelafonte's 1955 version remains the definitive one to date, though it's [[CoveredUp not actually the original]], as Edric Connor and Louise Bennett both recorded it prior to Belafonte.

* Music/{{Sugarland}}'s 2008 cover of The Dream Academy's 1985 smash hit "Life in a Northern Town" is all but forgotten, especially since the duo is now more likely remembered for [[OvershadowedByControversy their 2011 concert that ended with a stage collapse that killed seven people.]]

* The SpeedyTechnoRemake of Music/DuranDuran's "Ordinary World" by UK trance act Aurora ([[NamesTheSame not to be confused with]] [[Music/{{Aurora}} the Norwegian singer]]) was a worldwide hit in the early Noughties and was even featured in the ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' series. However, within a few years radio stations switched back to playing Duran Duran's original version, which remains one of their most well-known songs.

* No matter how many people cover "Oh Pretty Woman", the version by Music/RoyOrbison is the one that gets nearly all airplay. Music/VanHalen's cover still gets some airplay on classic rock radio, while Music/TwoLiveCrew actually won a Supreme Court case over fair use for their parody of it.

** "Yesterday" from ''Music/{{Help}}'' is statistically one of the most covered songs of all time...but seriously can you name ''any'' cover it without consulting Wiki/TheOtherWiki?

* Music/GunsNRoses covers of [[Music/PaulMcCartney "Live and Let Die"]] and (moreso) [[Music/TheRollingStones "Sympathy for the Devil"]] are significantly less well-known than the originals.

* Music/{{Journey}} first recorded the song "Open Arms" for the 1981 movie ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal''. The song also appeared on their ''Escape'' album. Some covers, such as one by Music/MariahCarey, charted, but Journey's version is still the best known.

* Music/TheCure's "Lovesong" has been covered by dozens of bands, including some major acts. None of these covers have been remembered or loved like the original, even when some of the covers (specifically Music/ThreeEleven and Music/{{Adele}}) have been quite successful.

* There are dozens of recordings of "Day O(The Banana Boat Song)", but Music/HarryBelafonte's 1955 version remains the definitive one to date, though it's [[Covered up not actually the original]], as Edric Connor and Louise Bennett both recorded it prior to Belafonte.

* Both D'Angelo and Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow did versions of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" that got a lot of airplay for a while. Nowadays, Smokey's back.
* None of Music/MarilynManson's covers had any significant staying power. His "Tainted Love" is more popular than the original (by Gloria Jones), but less popular than the Soft Cell cover.

** An example covering a re-recording of one of Elton's own songs: "Candle in the Wind 1997", which memorialized Princess Diana, charted higher than both the original (which wasn't released as a single in the US and just missed the Top 10 in the UK) and a mostly-forgotten 1986 live version (which reached #6 in the US), was the biggest hit of 1997 according to ''Billboard'', and is ''the'' biggest-selling song of the ''Billboard'' chart era. However, within a few years, classic rock and adult hits radio had rediscovered the original and that version gets nearly all the airplay today.