Last updated on May 11, 2020
“what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun“.……
Throughout music’s extensive history, it’s been common practice for an artiste to sample a song that was a hit for someone else or probably adopt its famous hooks. Growing up, there were certain songs we grew up to like with no idea of we knowing they there were covers or samples from other popular songs. We put the spotlight on 18 famous records you probably didn’t realize were covers or samples below.
1. I AIN’T MAD AT CHA by 2pac (1996)
I Ain’t Mad at Cha by the late Tupac Amaru Shakur appeared on his last studio album All Eyez on Me before the revered rapper got murdered. The beat for this song was largely influenced by Debarge’s A Dream, which was recorded and released in 1983.
2. C U WHEN YOU GET THERE by Coolio (1997)
Sampled from one of the oldest instrumental in the history of music, Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey Jr.) infused rap with Johann Pachelbel‘s melodious Canon in D Major released in 1694. C U When U Get There appeared on Coolio‘s album Nothing To Lose in 1997.
3. CHANGES by 2pac (1998)
Released as a posthomous single to outdoor some of the unfinished works of 2pac, Changes addresses the politics behind racism. Using Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs’ The Way It is (1980), a top charting music was released in 1998.
4. LIVE YOUR LIFE by T.I Feat Rihanna (2008)
Live Your life by Clifford Joseph Harris (T.I) features a significant sample from O-zone’s popular song Dragostea Din Tei which was released in the year 2003.
5. WITHOUT YOU by Mariah Carey (1993)
Originally written and sang by a Band called Badfinger ( Tom Evans and Pete Ham) in the late 60s, Without You was officially released on the album “No Dice” in 1970. Exactly 23 years after the original release, Mariah Carey took this powerful ballad and made it hers when she made a version of it on her album the “Music Box” released in 1993.
6. I’LL BE MISSING YOU by Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans (1996)
l’ll be Missing You was a very popular song written and sang by Puff Daddy in memory of the late Christopher Wallace (Notorious BIG) in the year 1997. However, the harmonious combination of snare, voilin and piano was sampled from the song Every Breath I Take by a group called The Police in 1983.
7. DIED IN YOUR ARMS TONIGHT by Smitty (2007)
Cutting Crew, a pop rock band in England, released (I Just) Died in Your Arms as the lead single from their first studio album called the “Broadcast” in 1986. With an increased tempo, fused with hip-hop beats Smitty together with Rick Ross and T-pain in 2011 made it a classic.
8. POWER OF LOVE by Celine Dion (1993)
“The Power of Love” is a song originally recorded by American singer Jennifer Rush in 1984. The song peaked at number one on the UK Single Chart in October 1985 and became the biggest-selling single of the year in the United Kingdom. Celine Dion covered “The Power of Love” for her third English-language studio album, The Colour of My Love in (1993).
9. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS by Mariah Carey (1997)
Released in 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, Agent Provocateur, “I Want To Know What Love is” hit number one in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It is Foreigner’s biggest hit to date. Mariah Carey made a cover of this song and released it as the second single from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009)
10. UPTOWN GIRL by Westlife (2000)
Written and performed by American musician Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl” was released on September 29, 1983, on his ninth studio album An Innocent Man (1983). The song reached number one in Ireland, Mexico and the United Kingdom, and became the biggest selling single of 2001 when Irish boy band, Westlife made a cover of it.
11. LONELY by Akon (2004)
The song was first released on Bobby Vinton’s 1962 album Roses Are Red. Using sped-up samples from Bobby Vinton’s song, Akon released “Lonely” as a single in 2005 and it was his first worldwide hit. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and Germany as well.
12. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU by Whitney Houston (1992)
“I Will Always Love You” is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Her version of the song was released in 1974 as a single. In 1992, R&B singer Whitney Houston recorded a new arrangement of “I Will Always Love You” as the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, her film debut. Whitney’s version of “I Will Always Love You” is the best-selling song by a female artist of all time as well as one of the best-selling songs of all time.
13. LEAN ON ME by Michael Bolton (1993)
“Lean on Me” is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bill Withers. It was released in April 1972 as the first single from his second album, Still Bill. In 1993, Michael Bolton made a cover of the song and it appeared on his ninth album, The One Thing.
14. LOVE IS ALL AROUND by Wet Wet (1994)
“Love Is All Around” is a song recorded by English rock band the Troggs. The song was first released as a single in the UK in October 1967. Wet Wet Wet’s cover, for the soundtrack to the film, Four Weddings and a Funeral, was an international hit and spent 15 consecutive weeks at the number one spot on the UK Singles Chart.
15. FOREVER YOUNG by Jay-Z (2009)
“Forever Young” is a song from Alphaville’s 1984 debut album of the same name. The single was a hit in Northern Europe and other European German-speaking countries. In 2009, Jay Z released a rework of the song maintaining it’s original melody and called it Young Forever.
16. WILD THOUGHTS by DJ Khaled (2017)
The song was initially produced by Wyclef Jean and Jerry Duplessis (both of Fugees) as Maria Maria and was released in 1999. A mid-tempo pop song, “Wild Thoughts” which consists of Latin percussion, acoustic guitar lines and riffs that interpolate the 1999 hit single was made by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller in 2017.
17. UNTIL THE END OF TIME by 2pac (2001)
Until the End of Time” is a posthumous single from 2Pac. The song was very successful and was a big contributor to the album (Until the End of Time) going 4x Platinum. The song’s beat is a sample of Mr. Mister’s Broken Wings which was released as the lead single from their second album Welcome to the Real World. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1985.
18. MANDY by Westlife (2003)
“Brandy“, later called “Mandy“, is a song written by Scott English and Richard Kerr. It was originally recorded by English in 1971 and reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. Mandy” was covered by Westlife in 2003 and was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, Turnaround.
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