Secondhandsongs May 2026
| Feature | SecondHandSongs | Discogs | WhoSampled | Spotify | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Cover versions & origins | Physical releases | Samples & remixes | Streaming playback | | Metadata | Song lineage, original artist | Catalog numbers, pressing details | Breakbeats, loops | User playlists | | Search by Cover | Yes (best-in-class) | Limited | Yes (samples only) | No (algorithmic suggestions only) |
In the modern age of streaming, we often take for granted that a song belongs to the person singing it. But if you have ever heard a famous track and thought, “Wait, this sounds like a different era,” or “Isn’t this originally by someone else?” —you have stumbled into the fascinating world of cover versions. Enter SecondHandSongs . This unique, community-driven database is the Internet’s definitive guide to who covered whom, creating a vast musical family tree that spans over a century of recorded sound. What is SecondHandSongs? Launched in 2003 by Dutch music enthusiast Arnoud Raskin, SecondHandSongs is a user-built website dedicated to tracking the origin and evolution of songs. Unlike traditional music databases (like AllMusic or Discogs) that focus on albums and artists, SecondHandSongs focuses exclusively on the song as a living entity. secondhandsongs
Next time you hear a song that sounds like it belongs to a different decade, don’t just Shazam it. Go to SecondHandSongs. Find the original. Then follow the cover tree down a rabbit hole of obscure B-sides, unexpected jazz covers, and hilarious parodies. You will never listen to a "hit song" the same way again. | Feature | SecondHandSongs | Discogs | WhoSampled
