Gender-Swapped Covers: 10 Songs That Changed Meaning

Gender-swapped cover songs often play it safe, simply changing pronouns like ‘he’ to ‘she’ to avoid rocking the boat. But gender is a powerful lens, and sometimes, just flipping the perspective completely transforms a song’s meaning.

This list dives into ten cover songs where a change in the singer’s gender, sometimes with lyrical tweaks, created a whole new interpretation – and maybe even a better version than the original.

10 “Respect” by Aretha Franklin

Originally by Otis Redding

It’s tough to capture the immense cultural impact of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” Ranked number one on Rolling Stone’s 2021 list of the 500 greatest songs, it became a defining anthem for both civil rights and feminism. After Aretha’s powerful rendition, Otis Redding could only remark that she was a friend who took his song.

“Respect” shows how a gender swap alone can drastically alter a song’s message, even without major lyrical changes. While Redding’s version missed key elements like the spelling out of R-E-S-P-E-C-T and the famous sax solo, the central demand is the same. But what does it mean for a man to demand respect from his partner? It lacks the broader societal punch.

Redding’s original depicts a rather cynical, transactional relationship: he provides the money, and asks for ‘respect’ (wink, wink) in return. Aretha’s version flips this entirely. She doesn’t need his money; she has her own. For her, respect means an equal partnership, not a transaction. One song is about a woman fulfilling her role; the other is about a woman knowing her inherent worth.^[1]

9 “Tumbling Dice” by Linda Ronstadt

Originally by The Rolling Stones

For The Rolling Stones, the lyrics to “Tumbling Dice” were almost an afterthought. Keith Richards mentioned the song was initially written without vocals, using what they called ‘vowel movement’ – essentially just humming sounds over the track.

The final lyrics emerged from Mick Jagger chatting with his housekeeper about gambling. So, “Tumbling Dice” became a story about a womanizing gambler, lacking a deep personal connection for its writers.

Linda Ronstadt’s band often played the song during rehearsals. When she decided to record it, none other than Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics out for her (imagine that pre-internet!). She famously changed the opening line from “Women think I’m tasty /but they’re always tryin’ to waste me” to the stark “People try to rape me/always think I’m crazy.” Set against the song’s groovy rhythm, this confrontational line hits hard.

Ronstadt later explained it was a commentary on fame: “When you’re exposed to a wide segment of the public, somebody’s trying to violate you in some way…” She felt this was intensified in modern times with online trolls. A song initially lacking depth transformed into a powerful feminist statement that feels even more relevant today.^[2]

8 “Fire” by The Pointer Sisters

Originally by Bruce Springsteen

“Fire” was one of three Bruce Springsteen compositions that became Top 20 hits for other artists before The Boss scored his own. Springsteen was reportedly not thrilled about The Pointer Sisters’ success with the song. It’s unclear why this particular cover bothered him, especially since he wasn’t against disco, having collaborated with artists like Donna Summer.

Regardless of his feelings, The Pointer Sisters did Springsteen (and the song) a massive favor. They rescued “Fire” from potential modern critique by altering a few crucial words. Springsteen’s lines, “I’m pulling you close/You just say no/You say you don’t like it/But girl, I know you’re a liar,” become “You’re pullin’ me close/I just say no/I say I don’t like it/But you know I’m a liar.”

This small change flips the meaning entirely: what sounded predatory becomes playful coyness. The shift from potentially aggressive to innocent is striking. The Pointer Sisters’ version arguably saved the song, giving it a necessary transformation.^[3]

7 “Tonight’s the Night” by Janet Jackson

Originally by Rod Stewart

Janet Jackson masterfully carved out her own identity, separate from her famous family, often using themes of sexual liberation. This exploration peaked on her 1997 album, The Velvet Rope, which also delved into her struggles with depression and solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. It was a forward-thinking, danceable, and ambitious work.

Rod Stewart’s original “Tonight’s the Night” is quite generic, a basic framework for a song about intimacy. Janet could have chosen almost any similar tune to reimagine. Its bare-bones nature allowed her, with just a few pronoun shifts, to make the song’s message intriguingly ambiguous. She switches between addressing a man (“Cause I love you, boy”) and a woman (“Cause I love you, girl”).

This could imply a threesome or celebrate bisexuality. Either way, it’s a clear nod to the LGBTQIA+ community, much like the album’s track “Free Xone.” In 2001, Janet told Ebony, “I don’t mind people thinking that I’m gay… People are going to believe whatever they want… I love people regardless of sexual preference, regardless of race.”^[4]

6 “Gloria” by Patti Smith

Originally by Van Morrison

“Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.” This has to be one of the most iconic opening lines in music history. As Patti Smith continues, “My sins are my own; they belong to me,” the slow-burning piano builds into the unmistakable bassline of “Gloria,” transforming a garage rock classic into proto-punk incarnate.

Smith’s version is so lyrically distinct that the shifted perspective and inherent subversiveness are impossible to ignore. It stretches the definition of a cover song. While Van Morrison’s original was pure simplicity, Smith crafted an epic punk manifesto.

She used the original song as a skeleton, layering her own poetry, largely from a piece called “Oath” written years earlier as a rejection of her religious upbringing. This explains the significant lyrical differences. Yet, when the original lyrics reappear, the lust directed at the titular woman remains, but now from a woman’s perspective. Despite the changes, the raw power of “Gloria” shines through, proving its indelible identity.^[5]

5 “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse

Originally by The Zutons

Amy Winehouse’s take on “Valerie” became so iconic it completely overshadowed the original by Britpop band The Zutons. For many, Winehouse’s version *is* the song. Part of its allure might stem from the curiosity of why Winehouse is singing what sounds like a love song to another woman. The real reason is less dramatic.

The cover was recorded for producer Mark Ronson’s project album, which featured deliberately unconventional covers, like Ol’ Dirty Bastard tackling Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” Winehouse chose “Valerie,” proving Ronson wrong when he initially couldn’t envision it with her voice. Although credited to Ronson featuring Winehouse, her performance defines it.

As for the specific lyrics about Valerie’s troubles (“Did you get a good lawyer?”), they refer to The Zutons’ frontman Dave McCabe’s then-girlfriend, Valerie Star, a celebrity makeup artist in NYC. She couldn’t join him in Liverpool due to legal issues in the U.S. involving driving offenses and assaulting an officer. So, while the reason for the cover is straightforward, the story behind the original lyrics is quite wild.^[6]

4 “Under My Thumb” by Tina Turner

Originally by The Rolling Stones

Tina Turner is a true master of the cover song, transforming CCR’s “Proud Mary” into an R&B powerhouse and lending class to Massive Attack’s “Unfinished Sympathy.” Given her history of covering male artists, choosing the most impactful gender-swapped cover is tough, but “Under My Thumb” carries such heavy baggage it demands attention.

The original Rolling Stones song is infamous, partly due to its association with the tragic Altamont Free Concert in 1969. During the Stones’ performance of this very song, concertgoer Meredith Hunter was murdered near the stage. You can hear Mick Jagger pause the song on live recordings, reacting to the violence. This event marked a symbolic end to the ’60s peace and love era.

The song itself, a man bragging about controlling a woman, already walked a fine line, saved only by a arguably tongue-in-cheek tone. But linked to a real-life murder, that cheekiness evaporated, leaving something much darker. In this context, Tina Turner’s 1975 disco-funk version, flipping the narrative to female domination, felt like a necessary and powerful response. It was a statement reclaiming control.^[7]

3 “Black Steel” by Tricky feat. Martina Topley-Bird

Originally by Public Enemy

Producer Mark Saunders called Tricky’s debut album Maxinquaye “the most bizarre record I’ve ever worked on.” Tricky’s unique approach led to unconventional choices, like covering Public Enemy’s “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” with female vocalist Martina Topley-Bird. This resulted in Topley-Bird singing lines like “I’m a black man,” a detail that famously confused Beavis and Butthead.

The gender ambiguity is clearly intentional. Tricky’s version shortens the title to “Black Steel” and focuses on the identity statement. In the original, the line “They could never understand that I am a black man” is just part of the first verse. Topley-Bird’s looping, haunting delivery transforms it into the song’s climax, a narrative twist. This disorientation is amplified by industrial rock elements and a Bollywood sample, creating a unique trip-hop/industrial/Bollywood fusion.

Topley-Bird features heavily on Maxinquaye, sometimes more than Tricky himself. Tricky told The Guardian, “it’s my mum speaking through me; a lot of my lyrics are written from a woman’s point of view.” This theme, along with gender-bending visuals (like the single’s cover art featuring Tricky in makeup), has been consistent throughout his career.^[8]

2 “He’s Funny That Way” by Bob Dylan

Originally by Margaret Whiting, but most associated with Billie Holiday

The 2018 compilation EP Universal Love featured classic love songs reimagined as queer anthems. While artists like Kesha and St. Vincent contributed, Bob Dylan’s inclusion stands out wonderfully. His take on the standard “He’s Funny That Way,” famously sung by Billie Holiday, is particularly noteworthy.

Dylan, though an icon of ’60s activism, has been more reserved about his views in recent decades. Seeing him take part in this project was significant. Producer Robert Kaplan shared with The New York Times that Dylan agreed quickly and even suggested the song himself. “It wasn’t just ‘yes, I’ll do this,’” Kaplan recalled. “It was ‘hey, I have an idea for a song.’”

Given Dylan’s reclusive nature, glimpsing his personality is rare. His song choice here feels clever and slightly cheeky. Singing about a man being ‘funny that way’ plays on the old-fashioned, coded euphemism for being gay, adding a layer of gentle humor and affirmation to the track.^[9]

1 Tori Amos’s Strange Little Girls Album

Originally by various artists

Tori Amos is renowned for her inventive covers that delve into identity. Her 2001 album Strange Little Girls is a powerful artistic statement built entirely on this concept. Every song on the album was originally written and performed by men.

Amos transforms these songs simply by singing them from a female perspective, keeping the lyrics identical. For example, her cover of Eminem’s intensely misogynistic “’97 Bonnie and Clyde” forces the listener to confront the violence from the victim’s viewpoint, making her more than just a detail in a disturbing fantasy. The Beatles’ “Happiness is a Warm Gun” becomes a sprawling meditation on gun violence, its title taking on new, grim interpretations when sung by a woman.

Adding another layer, Amos created a distinct female persona for each track, visually represented in the album art, without explaining the connections. Why is Slayer’s “Raining Blood” embodied by a French Resistance fighter? Why does The Velvet Underground’s “New Age” correspond to a librarian type? Even Amos embraced the mystery, telling Rolling Stone, “a different woman seemed to have access to me… there was an exchange.” The album masterfully uses the gender swap to provoke questions about perspective, identity, and the meaning embedded in art.^[10]

Bonus 1 “Nothing Compares 2U” by Sinead O’Connor

Originally by Prince

Sinead O’Connor’s version of “Nothing Compares 2U” is undeniably iconic, arguably one of the greatest recordings ever. While it’s a gender-swapped cover, it doesn’t radically challenge gender norms in the way others on this list do, so it gets a bonus spot. Prince’s original version was a deep cut from a side project, largely forgotten until O’Connor’s heart-wrenching rendition became a global smash in 1990. Interestingly, the song’s success influenced Prince himself; in 1993, he re-recorded it as a duet with Rosie Gaines, effectively shifting his own version closer to the female perspective O’Connor had popularized. It’s rare for a cover to be so powerful it actually alters the original artist’s approach.^[11]

Bonus 2 “Where the Wild Roses Grow” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds feat. Blixa Bargeld

Originally by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue

The original duet between the dark prince Nick Cave and pop princess Kylie Minogue on “Where the Wild Roses Grow” was an unexpected triumph from Cave’s 1995 Murder Ballads album. It’s a chillingly beautiful torch song about a killer and his victim.

However, given their vastly different careers, Cave and Minogue rarely perform together. When Cave tours, Blixa Bargeld (of German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten) sometimes steps in to sing Kylie’s part. This live version introduces a fascinating homoerotic tension, especially during lines like “Her lips were the color of the roses… all bloody and wild,” often emphasized by a shared embrace between Cave and Bargeld. This alternate, gender-flipped performance adds another layer of dark complexity to the song and can be found on Cave’s B-Sides and Rarities compilation.^[12]

These ten songs (plus a couple of bonuses!) demonstrate the surprising power of a simple gender swap in music. By changing the voice, artists can uncover new depths, challenge assumptions, and sometimes create something even more resonant than the original.

What are your favorite gender-swapped covers? Did they change the song’s meaning for you? Leave your comment below!