Some of the most iconic songs in music history almost belonged to someone else entirely. A songwriter pens a tune with a specific voice in mind, the original version comes and goes without much notice, and then, sometimes years later, another artist picks it up and turns it into a cultural touchstone. These stories reveal just how much interpretation matters in music, and how a great song can wait patiently for the right performer to finally unlock its potential.
What follows are eight songs that were written or originally recorded for one artist, only to become forever associated with someone else. Each one carries its own quirky backstory of missed opportunities, quiet coincidences, and second chances.
1. Nothing Compares 2 U
Prince wrote this haunting ballad in 1984 and gave it to his side project The Family, who wrote it for his project, The Family, featured on its 1985 debut album. The track barely registered with audiences at the time, and the album containing it sold poorly, leaving the song essentially forgotten for half a decade.
Everything changed in 1990 when Sinéad O’Connor recorded her own stripped-down version for her sophomore album. It was her version that turned “Nothing Compares 2 U” into a massive global hit, with the song soaring to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1990. The song has since been ranked among Rolling Stone’s greatest songs of all time, and O’Connor’s raw, emotional delivery is now what most people picture when they hear it.
2. I Will Always Love You
Dolly Parton wrote and recorded this song in 1973 as a heartfelt goodbye to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, releasing it herself and even taking it to number one on the country charts twice in the 1970s. It was a deeply personal composition, written entirely for her own voice and her own story.
Nearly two decades later, Whitney Houston recorded a soaring, gospel-inflected version for the 1992 film The Bodyguard. Houston’s rendition became one of the best-selling singles of all time and is now widely regarded as her signature song, so much so that many younger listeners have no idea Parton wrote and originally sang it as a quiet, understated country ballad.
3. Respect
Otis Redding wrote “Respect” for himself in 1965, recording it as a demand from a hardworking man asking his partner for a little consideration when he comes home. His version was a modest hit on the R&B charts and reflected his own perspective and phrasing.
Aretha Franklin transformed the song two years later, flipping the meaning and adding the now-famous “sock it to me” backing vocals along with the spelled-out chorus. Her 1967 version became an anthem for both the civil rights movement and feminism, earning her a Grammy and cementing “Respect” as one of the defining songs of the era, completely eclipsing Redding’s original in cultural memory.
4. Hound Dog
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote “Hound Dog” specifically for blues singer Big Mama Thornton in 1952, and her version topped the R&B charts the following year. It was a gritty, blues-driven track built around her powerful, no-nonsense delivery.
Elvis Presley heard a lounge act’s version of the song years later and recorded his own take in 1956, turning it into a rock and roll sensation that became one of his signature hits and helped define the sound of early rock music. Presley’s version sold millions of copies and remains the one most people associate with the song, even though it was written years earlier with an entirely different artist in mind.
5. Alone
Songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly originally recorded this song themselves under the band name i-Ten for their 1983 album Taking a Cold Look. “Alone” is a song written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who recorded it under the name i‑Ten for their 1983 album Taking a Cold Look. The release attracted little attention, and the song quietly disappeared into obscurity.
Four years later, the rock band Heart recorded a bigger, more dramatic version for their album Bad Animals. The definitive version of the song was recorded by American hard rock band Heart for their 1987 album Bad Animals. Heart’s version reached number one in the United States and Canada. Heart’s soaring rendition, powered by Ann Wilson’s powerhouse vocals, became one of the defining rock ballads of the 1980s.
6. Torn
Songwriter Anne Preven wrote “Torn” in 1991 as a solo composition for herself, later performing it with her band Ednaswap. “Torn” is a song written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley in 1991 as a solo song for Preven. Before Ednaswap even released their own recording, the song was covered in Danish by Lis Sørensen and later in English by Norwegian singer Trine Rein, with none of these versions making much international impact.
Everything changed in 1997 when Natalie Imbruglia recorded “Torn” as her debut single, guided by producer Phil Thornalley, one of the song’s original co-writers. Her version was produced by Thornalley; it peaked at number one on the singles charts of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, and Sweden, as well as on three US Billboard charts. Imbruglia’s version sold over four million copies worldwide. Most listeners today assume it was written specifically for her, unaware of the winding path it took through several other artists first.
7. Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Robert Hazard wrote “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” in the late 1970s and recorded it himself with a very different tone, from a male perspective looking to pick up women rather than the celebratory anthem it later became. His version circulated modestly among fans of his regional rock scene but never broke through commercially.
Cyndi Lauper reworked the lyrics and delivery for her 1983 debut album, turning it into a joyful declaration of independence for women. The song became her breakthrough single, reaching the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually becoming one of the most recognizable pop anthems of the decade, completely overshadowing Hazard’s original version in the process.
8. Piece of My Heart
Songwriters Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy wrote “Piece of My Heart” with Van Morrison in mind, but he turned it down to focus on his own material. “Piece of My Heart” is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by American gospel and soul singer Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin’s version became a solid R&B hit, reaching the top ten and earning her a Grammy nomination, though it remained relatively unknown outside soul music circles.
The song reached far wider audiences after Janis Joplin recorded it with Big Brother and the Holding Company for their 1968 album Cheap Thrills. The song came to mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin on lead vocals covered the song in 1968 for the album Cheap Thrills and had a much bigger hit, after which Franklin’s version was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Joplin’s raspy, ferocious delivery turned the song into a rock classic, and it remains one of her most enduring performances decades after her death.
What ties all eight of these songs together is a simple truth about music: a great melody or lyric doesn’t belong to just one voice. Sometimes the right performer needs time to find the song, and sometimes a completely different interpretation is what turns a forgotten track into something unforgettable. These stories are a reminder that behind almost every classic hit, there’s often a quieter, earlier version that history nearly passed by.
