Classic Rock Covers That Will Surprise You

You don't know a cover is a cover until you know... obviously. My knowledge of classic rock covers has grown over the years. When I was in high school, I had no idea that "Smokin' in the Boys Room" was a cover of Brownsville Station. It's embarrassing to admit now, but then... I didn't know and when I found out, I was surprised.

An email from a WCSX listener, Karen, came to me. She said, "'Black Magic Woman' by Santana. I had no idea this was a cover." Karen, you're not alone. A lot of people wouldn't think that this signature song from Santana actually stems back to the Peter Green days of Fleetwood Mac. You can read the Story Behind the Song HERE. Here's an old af video of Fleetwood Mac performing the song with Peter Green.

Let's check out some more songs that just might surprise you.

A couple of years ago, a WCSX caller told me that Foghat's "I Just Want to Make Love to You" was a cover. I found out Etta James had charted with the song, but hers wasn't the first either. The song goes back to Muddy Waters in 1954. "I Just Wanna Make Love to You" was written by the great Willie Dixon. The song was originally released as "Just Make Love to Me". All of rock really is rooted in the blues.

Foghat ROCKS this live performance on Midnight Special.

I read that Van Halen's "Ice Cream Man" was a cover and I almost fell over. Blues man, John Brim, originally wrote and performed "Ice Cream Man" in 1953. A ton of other bands have covered the song since then, but almost all of the covers came AFTER the Van Halen cover in 1978. Sadly, Van Halen never made a video for "Ice Cream Man," but enjoy all the amenities of the Rockmaster video.

"Jet Airliner" from Steve Miller Band is another of our classic rock covers. I didn't know this until maybe four years ago. lol... I am just being honest. Maybe you already knew, maybe you're surprised. This is classic rock cover that I did not see coming. If you haven't heard the Paul Pena original, I suggest you check it out.

I remember watching American Idol and seeing Daughtry perform "Higher Ground" and the judges were blown away. I sat there thinking, "You guys aren't familiar with the Red Hot Chili Pepper's song?" I knew about the RHCP song, but I didn't know about the Stevie Wonder original. Like I said, "You don't know until you know." This is EARLY RHCP... released in 1989 before Blood Sugar Sex Magic. Side note: Flea is wearing Heidelberg pants.

Here's a pic of the Red Hot Chili Peppers from a couple of years ago so we can see how they've changed over 30 years. :) I hope you enjoyed a look at these classic rock covers! Have a song that surprised you was a cover? Let me know: Doni@wcsx.com