Songs You Never Knew Were Covers: 'You're No Good'

No one will ever doubt Linda Ronstadt's place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her vocal performance on her 1975 number one smash 'You're No Good' went platinum and was one of the year's biggest selling singles.

But until now, you may have never known it was a cover song that had three versions hit the charts before her.

'You're No Good' was written in 1963 by Clint Ballard. Fabled record producers Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller gave the song to fledgling rhythm and blues singer Dee Dee Warwick, who had mild success of the Billboard R&B charts with it. The original had kind of a cha-cha feel to it, and little of Ronstadt's energy.

Later that same year, Betty Everett (remember 'The Shoop Shoop Song'?) slowed it down even more, added a little jazzy bossa nova tilt to it and rode up to number five on the R&B charts with her version. This take is closest to Linda's in terms of sassy style, but it still lacks the oomph.

In the midst of the British Invasion, English bands were lapping up old American R&B songs like a thirsty bloodhound. A Liverpool band called The Swinging Blue Jeans that had already had a major hit with 'Hippy Hippy Shake' in 1963 got hold of the song and gave it the Merseybeat sound popularized in the wake of the Beatles, and took to number three on the British charts.

Their take, while snappy, takes away the soulful female hurt of the previous versions.

Oh, and here's the unmistakable original -- live in 1976.