Cover of a song released before the original

Maybe this thread has been done before, I couldn't find it. What songs have been released as a cover by an artist before the original artist releases their version?

The one that I was thinking of was In The Sun by Joseph Arthur from 2000, but released by Peter Gabriel in 1997.

 

Joseph Arthur's version:

 

The only two others I can think of that are both pretty famous.....but I thought these songs were actually given to the artist, and then Prince/Springsteen just eventually recorded the songs themselves. That's definitely different than PG/JA above.

Nothing Compares 2 U (The Family/Prince)
Because The Night (Patti Smith/Springsteen)

 

There are a bunch of early (pre-first album) Joni Mitchell songs which others covered in the late 60s, but which she never released in her "original" until later-- in some cases much later, like just last year, finally,within her Archives Vol. I.

 

Wild Horses ~ Flying Burrito Bros

 

If the cover is released first, isn’t it “the original” by definition?

 

Magic Bus ~ The Pudding

 

I Wanna Be Your Man ~ The Rolling Stones

 

no...in my example, Joseph Arthur wrote the song in the 1996-1997 era, didn't release it on his first album, was signed to Real World (PG's record label), and recorded his second album in 2000. PG took In The Sun and released it on a compilation album in 1997. The song was never intended to be for PG, but he covered it.

 

Does this count?

Roy Orbison recorded "I Drove All Night" but it went unreleased until long after Cyndi Lauper's version. As much as I love Roy, I prefer Cyndi's version.

 

Yes. For example, the Beatles' version of "I Call Your Name" isn't a cover, since Lennon/McCartney wrote it, but it's not the original version, either. Billy J. Kramer's version is the original, coming out nearly a year before the Beatles' version.

 

There is always One In Every Crowd Howling at The Wind!

 

Didn't Marvin Gaye record I Heard it Through the Grapevine first but it was released after Motown had already released two other versions?

 

Most of Bob Dylan’s Basement Tape acetate songs.

“Mississippi” done by Sheryl Crow.

Wasn’t Garth Brook’s EDIT: it was Billy Joel’s “To Make You Feel My Love” out before Dylan’s? Maybe.

FURTHER EDIT: Yes it was, a year before.

 

This isn't a terribly uncommon phenomenon. Carole King went back and recorded her own "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Natural Woman" long after they'd been hits for others. Same with the aforementioned Joni Mitchell. Some songwriters have cut entire albums of hit songs they wrote for others.

EDIT: Or are you specifically asking about songs where the original version was recorded first, but released after other versions?

 

I guess “released” is the key word here. Although The Beatles recorded it in 1969, Aretha released her version of “Let It Be” in early 1970 before The Beatles version came out.

 

Maybe in this case

 

Didn't Gladys Knight & The Pips do it in 1966?

 

Peter Noone’s version of David Bowie’s Oh You Pretty Things is one obvious example.

 

Marvin did it first but Berry Gordy owed Gladys Knight a favour so put her's out first.

 

Wouldn't a better way to ask this be: "Songs where the songwriter(s) released their own version after at least one other artist's version"?

 

Ah so it was in the can for near 2 years?

 

Yep, that's the way Berry rolled!

 

Elton John - Your Song

First version released was by Three Dog Night.

 

Paul Simon's "Red Rubber Ball" was released by The Cyrkle before Simon & Garfunkel could record it.