Cover Versions
The earliest cover version of "So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star" was by the British band The Move on their 1968 EP Something Else from The Move, which was recorded live at the Marquee Club in London. Hookfoot, the British group who served as Elton John's backing band for a number of years, also released the song as a single in 1974. The song was covered by Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, as part of the track "Telegram" on their 1976 album Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll.
In 1979, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" was recorded by The Patti Smith Group and released as the third single from their album Wave. The song was also covered by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers during their Southern Accents tour, and it appears on the live album Pack Up the Plantation: Live!
Black Oak Arkansas covered the song on their 1977 The Best of Black Oak Arkansas album, with the song later being included on the Hot & Nasty: The Best of Black Oak Arkansas compilation album in 1993. The Swedish pop group Roxette included the song in their 1993 MTV Unplugged show. In 2006, Les Fradkin released a cover version of the song on his album Goin' Back. Also, the Dutch rock band Golden Earring covered the song as a bonus track on their This Wheel's on Fire CD single. Jon Bon Jovi has also covered the song in live concerts.
Crowded House performed the song (along with "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Eight Miles High") with Roger McGuinn in Los Angeles on April 7, 1989. The performances were released as B-sides on the "I Feel Possessed" CD single.
Counting Crows have been known to perform a few lines from "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" as an introduction to their song "Mr. Jones" during live performances. Pearl Jam have also covered the song a number of times at live concerts.
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam also covered this song in his 2012 American solo tour at the November 18, 2012 show in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the historic Brady Theater and dedicated the song to Oklahoma musician Wayne Coyne of the band The Flaming Lips.
The British rock band Charlie released a song titled "Killer Cut" in 1979, that is essentially a sequel to "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and begins with the lyrics "So you want to be a rock and roll star, well, times have changed/That's all I'll say/You still need an electric guitar but most of all you need that radio, radio play."
90's power pop band Material Issue covered the song during live shows and frequently used it to thank the fans and included a breakdown during which the crowd would sing the song.
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