Can I Use Princesses Don'T Cry Lyrics For A Cover?

When I first started posting covers from my bedroom, I learned quickly that lyrics are part of the composition copyright — so singing 'Princesses Don't Cry' isn't the same as writing your own song. If you’re just doing an audio cover and uploading to Spotify or Apple Music, you’ll need a mechanical license (that’s what covers the right to reproduce and distribute the composition). In the U.S. there’s a compulsory license system that makes covers possible, but you still must follow the rules and pay the statutory royalties; services like Songfile, DistroKid, or a rights agency handle most of the tedious parts.

If you want a video, expect sync issues. A mechanical license does not include synchronization rights, so posting a video may require permission directly from the publisher. On platforms like YouTube, many publishers rely on Content ID to claim the video and collect revenue — you can often post, but ads and monetization will be controlled by the rights owner. Also: never change the lyrics without permission, and be careful using karaoke/backing tracks unless they’re licensed for covers. Practical step: look up the song’s publisher in ASCAP/BMI/PRS databases or via the music rights lookup tools, then approach them or use a licensing service. That saved me time and headaches when I started covering songs I loved.

I’m more of a casual performer who loves sharing covers on socials, so I learned some of this by trial and error. If your plan is simple — record yourself singing 'Princesses Don't Cry' and post it on Instagram stories or a private SoundCloud link — you’ll probably be fine for a one-off, but anything you distribute publicly or monetize needs proper licensing. First, identify whether the song is still under copyright: most modern songs are. If it is, you need a mechanical license for audio distribution (Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp). For streaming or selling covers, services like Loudr, Easy Song Licensing, or your distributor can secure that license and handle royalty payments.

Video is where it gets sticky: sync rights for pairing music with visuals rarely come included in blanket cover licenses. YouTube often enforces those rights via Content ID, meaning the publisher can claim the video and either monetize it themselves or block it in certain countries. If you want to rearrange or rewrite lines of 'Princesses Don't Cry', don’t do it unless you contacted the publisher and got explicit permission — changing lyrics counts as creating a derivative work. Also keep in mind backing tracks and instrumental stems may have their own licenses. My tip: credit the original writers in your post, use a licensing service if you’re serious, and expect that revenue might end up going to the original rights holders — which is fair, because they wrote the song.

Short and practical from someone who loves doing covers casually: yes, you can usually sing and post a cover of 'Princesses Don't Cry', but you need to handle copyright properly. For audio-only distribution (streaming, downloads) get a mechanical license through your distributor or a service like Songfile or Easy Song Licensing, and pay whatever royalties are required. Don’t change the lyrics unless you’ve contacted the publisher — altered lyrics are a derivative work and need permission.

For videos, you’ll likely need a sync license, and on YouTube the publisher might claim the video via Content ID (ads and revenue could go to them). Live performances are normally covered by venue licenses (ASCAP/BMI/PRS), but always check. If you want to avoid headaches, contact the publisher or use a platform that handles cover licensing for you — and always credit the songwriter in your description.

I get that itch to belt out a favorite song in the shower or on a livestream, so here's what I do when I want to cover something like 'Princesses Don't Cry'. The short practical bit up front: singing a cover on its own (audio only) usually requires a mechanical license if you plan to distribute it online or sell it. You can often get that through services like Songfile, Easy Song Licensing, or through your distributor (some place like DistroKid or CD Baby offers cover song/license options). Don’t change the lyrics unless you get explicit permission — altering lyrics is creating a derivative work and that’s generally off-limits without consent.

If you want to put a video of your cover on YouTube or TikTok, that’s a different beast. A mechanical license doesn’t grant sync rights (the right to pair the song with video). Many publishers allow covers on YouTube and Content ID will either let it stay up while directing ads/revenue to the rights holder, or it might be blocked. My rule of thumb: assume you’ll need to either accept Content ID claims or reach out to the publisher for a sync license if you want control over the video monetization or to change the lyrics. Also remember live gigs are usually covered by the venue’s public-performance license (ASCAP/BMI/PRS etc.), so that’s less of a worry.

So yeah — you can probably cover 'Princesses Don't Cry', but check who owns the publishing, grab the right mechanical license for audio, avoid lyric tweaks without permission, and expect video platforms to involve additional permissions or automatic claims. When in doubt, credit the songwriter in your description and try a polite message to the publisher — sometimes they’re surprisingly reasonable.