A Few Popular Songs by Destiny’s Child That Are Remakes
Destiny’s Child is the greatest-selling female girl group of all time, and for good reason. The group broke records but also serve as symbolism for female empowerment with their music. With body-positive hits like “Bootylicious,” hits like “Say My Name,” and anthems like “Survivor,” their music became the soundtrack to fans’ experiences. They also paid tribute to classics, re-recording a few songs by other artists.
“Sail On” is a remake of a song written and performed by Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie wrote “Sail On” for his group the Commodores for their 1979 album Midnight Magic. The song was released as the first of three singles from the album. “Sail On” was produced by both Commodores and James Anthony Carmichael. It reached the Top 10 on both the US and UK music charts in the same year. Richie later re-recorded the song with Tim McGraw for his 2012 album, Tuskegee.
But over a decade before McGraw’s version, Destiny’s Child got their hand on it for their debut album. On the song, Beyoncé sings lead, with Kelly Rowland as co-lead on some of the vocals. Though “Sail On” was never released as an official single, the group performed the song several times live, especially early on in their career. Some of their most famous performances of “Sail On” include Motown Live in 1999, and Jam in the Park in 2001.
Their self-titled debut album won the group the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year. It spent 26 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, and peaked at No. 76, making it a moderate success.
The album eventually sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. It was met with generally favorable reviews.
“Emotions” is a remake of a song by an Australian singer
The Destiny’s Child remake of “Emotion” was first recorded by Australian singer, Samantha Sang. It tells three stories of three sad emotions: loss, betrayal, and loneliness. Sang’s version reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. The song was recorded by The Bee Gees in their own rendition in 1994 as part of their Love Songs album. The actual album was never released, but their remake was featured on a greatest hits collection in 2001.
The same year The Bee Gees released their greatest hits collection featuring their version of the song, Destiny’s Child released their version as a single from their third album, Survivor. “Emotion” was released as the album’s fourth single, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The accompanying music video has Beyoncé, Rowland, and Michelle Williams all experiencing different trials in the versus they sing. In Rowland’s verse, she deals with a love interest moving away. Beyoncé discovers a man cheating on her, and Williams deals with the loss of her grandmother. The video is shot in a split camera mode until the ladies meet up in the end to console one another.
Survivor was a massive commercial success. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week, selling 663,000 copies, and remained at No. 1 for two consecutive weeks. The album earned Destiny’s Child two Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best R&B Album.
