1963 R&B Classic, Reinvented by a Rock Icon, Became a No. 1 Heartbreak Anthem Years Later
Fans are often surprised to learn that popular chart-topping tracks are actually covers of an original released years before. Music iconLinda Ronstadt took a 1963 R&B classic and made it her own, and became the only cover to top the Billboard charts.
Dee Dee Warwick released her first-ever single, "You're No Good," which was written by Clint Ballard Jr. It was also co-produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and released under Jubilee Records. The track was a success for the singer and landed at No. 117 on the charts.
The track was shortly covered by another artist, Betty Everett, for Vee-Jay Records that had better succcess that Warwick's. The head of the recording label was looking for new tracks and originally intended the song for Dee Clark, but felt it was too negative against women. He instead gave it to Everett, and it peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
The following year, the UK band Swinging Blue Jeans recorded their cover after the drummer's girlfriend brought it to their attention. Their version landed at No. 97 on the charts.
It wasn't until years later that the track gained immense fame when it was reinvented by Ronstadt in 1974. "You're No Good" became a heartbreak anthem thanks to Ronstadt, with its lyrics about talking about a singer who's glad she broke up with her ex. She details him as having been "no good."
Before it was officially recorded for her 1974 album Heart Like a Wheel, Ronstadt first began performing the track during her live shows at the suggestion of her bandmate Kenny Edwards. Recording "You're No Good" for the album was a last-minute decision and an "odd coincidence." It was recorded in early July, with Ronstadt and the group having originally intended it to be an R&B track close to the original. After one recording, Ronstadt vetoed it.
"It was just the wrong groove for me. I don't think I knew how to phrase around [the players], certainly no fault of theirs. They were fantastic," she said.
After some debate by Capitol Records, "You're No Good" became the lead single for the album and topped the charts. It landed at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 and internationally, becoming the most successful cover of the track. Her album, Heart Like a Wheel, would also go double platinum and earn a Grammy nomination.
Despite the success of the track and its becoming a breakthrough rock classic, Ronstadt had her reservations about the track. She told the Los Angeles Times that, "I thought the production on 'You're No Good' was very good but [that] I didn't sing it very well. As a song it was just an afterthought. It's not the kind of song I got a lot of satisfaction out of singing."
Related: 1967 Folk-Pop Ballad, Written by a Teenager, Became a Melancholy Anthem Decades Later
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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 11:38 AM.