5 More ‘90s Songs That You Maybe Didn’t Know Were Covers

Time for another edition of cover songs that are far more famous than the original versions that inspired them.

Here’s a new batch of hits from the ‘90s that you might not have known were covers. And I admit, there are probably a few songs here that you did know were covers.

But have you heard the original versions? Did you know that Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” was first recorded in Danish? That Sinead O’Conner’s biggest hit was born from the ashes of Morris Day and the Time? Well, I guess you know now.

Whoops. Spoiler alert. My bad. Anyway, the point is, here are few more covers that charted in the ‘90s, and the stories and recordings behind them.

1. Torn

In 1997, Australian soap opera actress Natalie Imbruglia had an international hit with “Torn”, topping the charts in multiple countries, peaking at #3 in the U.S., and selling four million copies.

“Torn” cemented Imbruglia as one of the decade’s great one-hit-wonders. But the song itself already had a pretty extensive recorded history before reaching her.

In fact, it was a sizable hit in Europe, twice over, before it got to Imbruglia. “Torn” was originally conceived in 1991 by a team of songwriters–Americans Scott Cutler and Anne Preven alongside Phil Thornalley, a British songwriter, producer, and short-term member of another one-hit wonder called Johnny Hates Jazz. (Thornalley actually joined the English synth-pop group in 1988, just after they released the only song they’re actually known for.)

Lis Sorenson (1993)

Together, Cutler, Preven and Thornalley formed an alt-rock group called Ednaswap. Though Ednaswap is said to have performed “Torn” during live performances in the early 90’s, the first recorded version of the tune was a 1993 Danish release by Lis Sørensen under the title "Brændt" (which is directly translated as “Burnt”). Sørensen’s version was a hit in Denmark.

Ednaswap (1995)

In 1995, Ednaswap recorded the first English version of “Torn”, but it was never released as a single.

Trine Rein (1996)

It did, however, inspire a 1996 cover by American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein. This version was a hit, reaching the Top 10 in Norway.

Natalie Imbruglia (1997)

But it was Imbruglia’s version–produced by Thornalley–that made “Torn” into a global smash. Imbruglia debuted in the top spot on the singles charts in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, and Sweden and spent 11 consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. Hot 100 Airplay Chart.

2. Nothing Compares 2 U

Prince wrote a ton of hit songs for a ton of other people. We could (and probably will) put together an entire article on just that. So I don’t think I’m blowing any minds when I say that he wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U”.

I admit, this borders on common knowledge among rock geeks. But…that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve heard the actual original version of this tune. Yes, Prince wrote it. Yes, Sinead O’Connor recorded the untouchable, devastating, and definitive version of this tune. But neither released the original.

That honor belongs to a group called The Family.

The Family emerged from the ashes of Morris Day and the Time.

Morris Day simultaneously enjoyed a close association and fierce rivalry with Prince. Even as the Purple One rose to fame on the strength of his own recordings, he suffered from extreme songwriting prolificacy. He addressed the issue by using other artists as vehicles for his new tunes. The Time was one such vehicle.

And the Time’s spotlight performances in Prince’s hugely successful Purple Rain film marked the height of their popularity. It was also the beginning of the end. Bristling to escape Prince’s creative control, Morris Day departed The Time for a solo career.

Prince (1984)

Seeking another outlet for his songwriting excess, Prince gathered the remaining members of The Time and formed The Family. In 1984, Prince had recorded a demo of “Nothing Compares 2 U”. His version would not be officially release until 2018, well after his death.

The Family (1985)

So the first official version was actually this 1985 cut by The Family. It was not released as a single and received zero attention.

Sinead O’Connor (1990)

Five years later, Irish singer Sinead O’Connor took Prince’s otherwise unknown song into the studio and turned it into an absolute powerhouse. It was the lead single on her second record, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.

Powering her sophomore release to more than 7 million in sales, it became a chart-topper in Ireland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

During that year’s Billboard Music Awards, it was named the #1 song in the world.

3. Don’t Turn Around

Ace of Base was massive…for like two years. In late ‘93, Ace of Base announced their arrival with the chart-topping debut single, “The Sign”. They followed it up early the next year with another Top 5 hit.

But this one was a cover of a fairly well-traveled song. In fact, most of the artists who recorded “Don’t Turn Around” before Ace of Base were quite a bit more famous. But that didn’t stop the ABBA-esque quartet from topping its predecessors.

Before we get to the recorded versions, let’s start with the songwriters. “Don’t Turn Around” was written by two of the most successful songwriters of all time–Albert Hammond and Diane Warren.

Albert Hammond wrote “The Air That I Breathe” by the Hollies, had his own hit with “It Never Rains in Southern California” and sired the future guitarist of The Strokes.

Diane Warren wrote or co-wrote “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship, “Rhythm of the Night” by DeBarge, “If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher, “Blame it On the Rain” by Milli Vanilli, “Un-Break My Heart” by Toni Braxton, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, and like a billion other songs.

Anyway, together, they wrote “Don’t Turn Around” and the first version was recorded by the Queen of Rock and Roll.

Tina Turner (1986)

Tina’s version of “Don’t Turn Around” was a B-side to a hit single called “Typical Male”. It was not a hit in its own right. But it did inspire a cover version by soul singer Luther Ingram.

Luther Ingram (1987)

Luther Ingram released his version in 1987 to minimal success, but it did gain the attention of a veteran reggae group called Aswad. The following year, they released their own version.

Aswad (1988)

Releasing “Don’t Turn Around” as a single off of their 11th studio album, Aswad scored a #1 hit in the U.K. Though subsequent versions were recorded by Bonnie Tyler (1988) and Neil Diamond (1991), it stands to reason that the Aswad version is the one that most directly inspired Ace of Base.

Ace of Base (1993)

Ace of Base included a dance-pop take of “Don’t Turn Around” on their 1993 debut, and released it as their second single in early ‘94. It became a radio hit, peaking at #1 in Canada, #3 in the U.S., and #5 in the U.K. And say what you want about Ace of Base, but theirs is the definitive version of this oft-recorded tune.

4. I Go Blind

*There is no official music video for this song, so instead, here’s the scene from Friends where Monica admits that she made out with a Blowfish.

Hootie and the Blowfish formed in 1986, but toiled for nearly a decade in obscurity before their alt-country debut exploded onto the charts in 1994. With Cracked Rear View, Hootie charted four Top 20 singles on the way to a 22x platinum certification.

Hootie and the Blowfish enjoyed one of the most successful debut albums of all time. So it’s not surprising that they found it difficult to measure up on their sophomore release.

Hootie and the Blowfish (1995)

Though the 1996 release–Fairweather Johnson–came out of the gate with strong sales, it quickly tailed off the charts without unleashing a major single. However, Hootie did land a hit that year from the soundtrack to the era-defining sitcom Friends.

“I Go Blind” reached #2 on the Adult Top 40 chart and #22 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

It was actually a cover of a song recorded the year Hootie was formed.

54-40 (1986)

Canadian band 54-40 recorded the original version in 1986, and released it on their debut album.

Their version of “I Go Blind” garnered significant college radio play in Canada. And 54-40 is among the top 50 Canadian acts of all time. But they are virtually unknown in the U.S.

5. If I Ruled the World

Today, Nas is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers who ever lived. In 1994, his landmark debut album–Illmatic–was received warmly by critics but sold only modestly. It was the lead single from his second album that truly put Nas on the commercial map.

Nas (1996)

In 1996, Nas released “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” featuring Lauryn Hill of the Fugees. “If I Ruled the World” reached #53 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #17 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #1 on the U.K. Hip Hop/R&B charts.

But the groundbreaking rapper borrowed his best-known tune from another pillar of the genre.

Kurtis Blow (1985)

Kurtis Blow was already a charting success in the early ‘80s for hits like “The Breaks” and “Christmas Rappin” when he released “If I Ruled the World” in 1985.

It was a Top 5 hit for Blow, and one of his last before the old-school hero moved into production.

Nas and Hill combined Blow’s hit with the beat from “Friends” by Whodini.

Lauryn Hill borrowed a bit from “Walk Right Up to the Sun” by the Delfonics.

Together, they launched one of the definitive hip hop tunes of the era.

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Of course, I’ll be back soon with another edition of Songs That You Maybe Didn’t Know Were Covers. Until then, hit me with some of your favorites from the ‘90s.