Althouse: "10 Classic Recordings that are Actually Cover Versions."

January 26, 2021

"10 Classic Recordings that are Actually Cover Versions."

AND: Here's the country version.

111 comments:

rhhardin said...: Brandenburg Concerto cover, piano 4 hands, arr Max Reger; 1/26/21, 11:33 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: The second half was interesting and new to me. I love these undercover cover stories. Axs TV does lists like this with video which is fun too. But the hostess is hard to watch, because she stands so funny and always wears the same dress design in different colors. Weird.; 1/26/21, 11:37 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I was aware of the originals for "Twist and Shout", "It's All Over Now", and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". I was aware some of the others were covers, but not who did the originals. The most surprising one for me was "Needles and Pins".; 1/26/21, 11:42 AM
YoungHegelian said...: Jackie DeShannon seemed to have provided songs for others to cover at an alarming rate.; 1/26/21, 11:44 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Fascinating. I remember a few of those songs in both the original and the covered version. Nina Simone in particular was a favorite of my parents. The Isley brothers too.

Note...how many of the originals were recorded by black groups. In those days, most major radio stations didn't play "black" (or described by another word) music. There were the black stations and the white stations. So if you wanted to hear those, you either lived near an area with a station that catered to the urban black demographic and catered to young people who really were sick of Frank Sinatra and their parent's stodgy music and Paul Anka. British invasion happened(I wasn't that impressed by those early groups)then those songs and music were 'allowed to be heard' because white guys.

Such a shame because there were so many talented groups, musicians, singers that were just not heard and had their music basically ripped off by white artists.; 1/26/21, 11:50 AM
Gahrie said...: Such a shame because there were so many talented groups, musicians, singers that were just not heard and had their music basically ripped off by white artists.

A similar phenomena occurred when Rap became a thing. Only the rappers ripped off Black musicians and White musicians.; 1/26/21, 11:54 AM
dustbunny said...: I’m partial to Harold Ramos covering the Crystal’s Dah Doo Ron Ron as an English lesson in Stripes. Later in the film the soldiers March to Manfred Mann’s Do Wah Diddy. It’s easy to get the Do Wahs and Dah Doos confused.; 1/26/21, 11:58 AM
Jeff Gee said...: The guy pronounces Jack Nitzsche's last name "Neech." I always thought it was pronounced "Neech-y," like Friedrich Nietzsche. Or was Friedrich also a Neech?? Have I been mispronouncing BOTH of them for 50 plus years? I pronounced "Haley's Comet" like it was "Hailey's Comet" and John Hersey like the chocolate bar for decades so it would not be unprecedented.; 1/26/21, 12:01 PM
Yancey Ward said...: On the second one, the country crossovers- I knew all of them were covers and knew who did the original in all but one case- "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain". The funny thing is just a couple of Sundays ago I was in the car with my mother when Don Gibson's version of "I Can't Stop Loving You" played on Willie Nelson's channel on Sirius, and she remarked that she Ray Charles' version was better- I actually pointed out that Gibson actually wrote the song- something she didn't know even though her knowledge of country music far surpasses mine, though I am getting better since Willie's Roadhouse the one Sirius channel we can agree to listen to outside of the 1960s- she hates the 80s channel, Lithiu channel and, Liquid Metal- the ones I like to listen to.; 1/26/21, 12:03 PM
virgil xenophon said...: To me the all-time #1 example of the cover being more famous than the original is the cover the band Alien Ant Farm did of the Michael Jackson song "Smooth Criminal."; 1/26/21, 12:08 PM
Francisco D said...: A terrific Lauren Hill cover is Killing Me Softly but the original was not Roberta Flack who made it a mega-hit. The original was Lori Lieberman.

Artists who cover others' tunes used to get a lot of criticism, especially in the 60's when British and American rockers covered the work of Black musicians. However, a lot of covers are better than the originals (e.g., kd Lang doing Leonard Cohen) and I think of them as tributes rather than rip-offs.; 1/26/21, 12:09 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Speaking of the Swinging Blue Jeans, here's their 1964 version of "You're No Good" (a 1973 #1 for Linda Ronstadt) and the 1963 original by Dee Dee Warwick.; 1/26/21, 12:11 PM
LordSomber said...: A personal favorite is "I Go to Pieces" -- the first Peter and Gordon hit not written by McCartney/Lennon. Actually penned by Del Shannon, it works much better as a country song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibNqFLdwdS4; 1/26/21, 12:12 PM
Joe Smith said...: What did I learn?

Jackie DeShannon was a hottie and I'd never heard of her...; 1/26/21, 12:12 PM
WK said...: Santana cover of Fleetwood Mac “Black Magic Woman”.. bigger hit than original.; 1/26/21, 12:13 PM
daskol said...: I prefer the Peter, Paul and Mary version of "Don't Think Twice" to Dylan's. And the Byrds' version of "Tambourine Man." Chew on that.; 1/26/21, 12:13 PM
Gahrie said...: I prefer the Peter, Paul and Mary version of "Don't Think Twice" to Dylan's. And the Byrds' version of "Tambourine Man." Chew on that.

The only Dylan song that is better by Dylan than someone (anyone?) else is "How does it Feel".

My favorite Dylan cover is "All Along the Watchtower" by Hendrix.; 1/26/21, 12:18 PM
Ann Althouse said...: How can you not know the Jackie DeShannon song "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

Also The Byrds covered the Jackie DeShannon song "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe."; 1/26/21, 12:18 PM
Just some rando on the interwebz said...: When Otis Reading heard Aretha Franklin do a cover of his song Respect, he said something like "She took my song" because he knew right away that it was going to be a hit and would in the future be associated with her.; 1/26/21, 12:19 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "However, a lot of covers are better than the originals"

Indeed. One of the things I like to use Youtube for is comparing different versions of the same song- I do this almost every day at some point for some song that has caught my attention during the day. For example, I did this yesterday for the song "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia which was a cover for her. I decided I liked her version the best, though.

Of course, there are original versions that you think could never be topped- I would have thought that for Dolly Parton's version of her own song "I Will Always Love You", but then Whitney Houston did it better.; 1/26/21, 12:20 PM
Gahrie said...: (e.g., kd Lang doing Leonard Cohen)

Her (She is still a her?) cover is good, but I prefer Wainwright's.; 1/26/21, 12:21 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Nothing touches DEVO'S "Satisfaction".; 1/26/21, 12:21 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: I think the criticism of white cover artists is a bit overdone. Back then, everybody covered: The song was the thing, not the performer's own catlog. "Your Hit Parade" had an in-house group to cover the hits. I emember researching what was the top 20 the week an Aunt got married for her 50th anniversary, and half of the songs were in the list in two different versions.

Heck, look at the Beach Boys first live album. They already had enough material to do more than a show, but sang covers of "Monster Mash", "Long Tall Texan", "The Wanderer", Little Old Lady From Pasadena" "Johnny B. Good" & "Graduadion Day" instead. That's what bands on gigs did: Play the hits.; 1/26/21, 12:25 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Yancey Ward said...

On the second one, the country crossovers- I knew all of them were covers and knew who did the original in all but one case- "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain".

Yeah, I would have sworn that Willie wrote that one, especially since that was the record that put him over commercially. Shows you how weird the music business can be when you consider that about a decade earlier Willie wrote "Hello Walls" which was a huge hit for Faron Young and "Crazy" which was a monster hit for Patsy Cline.; 1/26/21, 12:28 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Ann Althouse said...

How can you not know the Jackie DeShannon song "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

I'm more knocked out that she co-wrote "Bette Davis Eyes".; 1/26/21, 12:33 PM
dwshelf said...: They might have included House of the Rising Sun, a traditional song first recorded by Woody Guthrie well before the Animals popularized the version we came to know well.

In Guthrie's version, the narrator's father was simply a drunkard, not a gambler.; 1/26/21, 12:38 PM
Francisco D said...: Gahrie said... My favorite Dylan cover is "All Along the Watchtower" by Hendrix.

Absolutely!

As far as Hallelujah covers go, I would place Wainwright behind kd Lang, Jeff Buckley and John Cale.; 1/26/21, 12:38 PM
MadisonMan said...: I thought everything was a remake of Pachebel's Canon.; 1/26/21, 12:41 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Like I wrote, I knew Nelson's version was a cover, I just didn't know who had done it before him. And, yes, the business is weird like that. I am often surprised to find that a great songwriter/singer didn't write the songs they recorded. Just to give an example, for the longest time I thought Nelson had wrote "Always on My Mind", even though I was well familiar with Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley's earlier versions- it sounds like a Nelson song- and I just assumed he decided to record one of own compositions as a cover. I only learned my mistake a few months ago.; 1/26/21, 12:41 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "I'm more knocked out that she co-wrote "Bette Davis Eyes".

You should check out her recording of her own song- it is available on Youtube. Carne's version is a far superior arrangement.; 1/26/21, 12:47 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: The reason that there were so many 'covers' of songs is because the originals were directed to a narrow audience in the days of Segregation. Artists didn't get the wide coverage that they do today. So...many/most people didn't know there was an original.

That doesn't make it bad or malicious. It just was. Some of the covers were better than the first song. Some not so much.; 1/26/21, 12:51 PM
Joe Smith said...: "How can you not know the Jackie DeShannon song "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

One of the best rhymes ever: 'Love' and 'Too little of.'

"Shows you how weird the music business can be when you consider that about a decade earlier Willie wrote "Hello Walls" which was a huge hit for Faron Young and "Crazy" which was a monster hit for Patsy Cline."

Willie wrote huge hits that others made popular before he decided to start singing. Many times he recorded them later in life.; 1/26/21, 12:52 PM
Jay Vogt said...: ... Needles and Pins.

Nice but kind of an odd song. The Searchers and Jackie DeShannon did it. Of course, she's always great. What as interesting to me is that in the Searcher's version, the guitar sound of John McNally went on to influence the guitar sound of Roger McGuinn making up the Byrds sound(I've noted my appreciation of him here recently). Then, of course, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did it. . . . of course! Why wouldn't they?

Whatever you think of Sonny Bono, that guy knew what he was doing.; 1/26/21, 12:54 PM
Earnest Prole said...: They might have included House of the Rising Sun

Waylon’s “House of the Rising Sun” recorded in 1964, months before the Animals’ version, and his desperate live version from 1976: Trust me.; 1/26/21, 12:57 PM
daskol said...: Van Morrison's "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" is my favorite version, a beautiful song, but hasn't got the pathos and anger and misery of Bob's version. It's a really different song, wistful almost compared to vicious and rueful.; 1/26/21, 12:57 PM
daskol said...: I first heard a sample of it on the Beck song "Jackass," and didn't learn until years later it was a Dylan song. Things were so much more mysterious before the web.; 1/26/21, 12:59 PM
Earnest Prole said...: The reason that there were so many 'covers' of songs is because the originals were directed to a narrow audience in the days of Segregation.

Segregation or not, songs have always moved back and forth between black and white artists. For example, the most authentic black bluesman, Robert Johnson, performing before purely black audiences in the Deep South, would include showtunes written by whites in his performances.; 1/26/21, 1:06 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: The Searchers had a great two album comeback in the 80s that also had some good covers: Almost Saturday Night & September Gurls forex.; 1/26/21, 1:06 PM
rcocean said...: Louie Armstrong used to do great covers of pop songs. "Its a wonderful world" "hello dolly" "you rascal you" "Mack the Knife".

The Mills brothers and Nate King Cole also had lots of hits covering "White" popular music.; 1/26/21, 1:10 PM
rcocean said...: IRC "House of the Rising Sun" is old song that was not written By Guthrie. Its a traditional folk song.; 1/26/21, 1:11 PM
rcocean said...: Woody Guthrie was a commie who lived in NYC. He was a fake, who played a Oklahoma good ol' boy. Jes' folks. hahaha.; 1/26/21, 1:12 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Yancey Ward said...

You should check out her recording of her own song- it is available on Youtube. Carne's version is a far superior arrangement.

I did and I agree about the Carnes version. But, I'm biased, I graduated HS in '81 and that song has always been one of those that sort of defined the 1980's for me.; 1/26/21, 1:14 PM
dwshelf said...: Waylon’s “House of the Rising Sun” recorded in 1964, months before the Animals’ version, and his desperate live version from 1976: Trust me.

Both of those are excellent (and I had never heard them before).; 1/26/21, 1:14 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Without bothering to dig out my Joel Whitburn reference I know is around here somewhere, I would guess at least half of all #1 hits in the past 75 years were cover versions in one form or another.; 1/26/21, 1:14 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @DBQ,

The reason that there were so many 'covers' of songs is because the originals were directed to a narrow audience in the days of Segregation

While of course racism played a part in the movement of songs from black "ethnic" audiences to bigger white audiences, it was, I think, more about "ethnic markets" than race per se. An example of this comes after the British Invasion with the Folk Rock movement, where a bunch of white mainstream rock bands (e.g. Byrds, Grateful Dead) cover songs from hillbilly & country acts that no one had heard of (e.g. the Byrds doing the Louvin Brothers' "I Like the Christian Life").

There are lots of examples from earlier popular music where it went from ethnic to general audience, such as the Andrews Sisters' re-packaging of the Yiddish song Bei Mir Bist Du Shein.; 1/26/21, 1:14 PM
Kay said...: The Crack Emcee said...
Nothing touches DEVO'S "Satisfaction".
1/26/21, 12:21 PM

Nope, but the Residents’ version comes close.; 1/26/21, 1:18 PM
LordSomber said...: I think Josh White may have done the earliest recorded version of "House of the Rising Sun."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Ueo7r2nbA

His son did several versions as well.; 1/26/21, 1:18 PM
dwshelf said...: Woody Guthrie was a commie who lived in NYC

How else would he have known that New York City water tastes like turpentine?

I for one am available to return to a time when music could be appreciated independent of ideology, even when the music was ideologically motivated (as was Guthrie's [and Seeger's]).; 1/26/21, 1:22 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Respect Otis Redding - The Rationals - Aretha Franklin. Scott Morgan killed on that tune. You didn't go to U of M if you didn't know that one. Take a listen to I Need You as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfFU4UHVKsg; 1/26/21, 1:23 PM
PM said...: In '63, clearly remember washing my face, radio on, when I heard the Searchers new song "I Want To Hold Your Hand". World, and head, about to explode.; 1/26/21, 1:24 PM
richlb said...: One of the first podcasts I fell in love with was called "Coverville". It was a very thorough analysis of lesser known cover songs with comparisons to their more famous originals. They also would feature occasional "Originalville" episodes where they took famous songs that were covers and compared to the originals.; 1/26/21, 1:26 PM
dwshelf said...: I think Josh White may have done the earliest recorded version of "House of the Rising Sun."

A quick check shows that it was recorded several times before Guthrie's 1941 version. Josh White recorded it in 1942. The importance of the various recordings is surely a matter of opinion.; 1/26/21, 1:27 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: YoungHegelian While of course racism played a part in the movement of songs from black "ethnic" audiences to bigger white audiences, it was, I think, more about "ethnic markets" than race per se.

Oh I agree totally! It wasn't racism in and of itself, although that did play a part because there were people who just would not listen to "black" music. The music was niche music for the ethnic centers.

It is all about marketing and money. You play to the audience that will actually buy your product.

Many swaths of the country, in the 1950's or 60's, didn't have large ethnic market presences, or much cross over, so the 'mainstream' music was what the promoters promoted.

Growing up in California, we had a pretty diverse and even eclectic selection of ethnic music of listen to, as opposed to someone in rural Midwest. Country/Western/Mexican/Japanese (I had friends who listened),Black music, Funk, East Bay Grease :-), Rock, Surfer, Acid Rock you name it...it was on the radio.

AND we had Wolfman Jack with his high powered station in Rosarita Mexico...playing everything the standard (segregated) stations would not play.; 1/26/21, 1:28 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: The first white band signed to a Motown label. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhkFgklKcT0
The Underdogs 1966.; 1/26/21, 1:28 PM
dwshelf said...: Oh I agree totally! It wasn't racism in and of itself, although that did play a part because there were people who just would not listen to "black" music. The music was niche music for the ethnic centers.

I just don't remember a time when there was no Nat King Cole.

They sure played it on my radio stations.; 1/26/21, 1:31 PM
rcocean said...: Like the old boomers here, I appreciate the chance to say:

"I love black people. And I stand four-square against Racism"

And

"Isn't it sad what they did back 70 years ago. that was really bad".

Thank you.; 1/26/21, 1:41 PM
rcocean said...: I really like Oprah. She's great!; 1/26/21, 1:42 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Yep the Animals popularized the version we came to know well. But it was another guy who hung around there with a big mustache who first did that arrangement of it. Dylan was laughing about the Animals having the hit and then the same thing happened to a lot of his songs. For me hearing Elton John singing “Pinball Wizard” really stuck in my young mind. My mind was blown soon enough to learn it too was a cover.; 1/26/21, 1:43 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: I prefer Dollys version of i will always love you. Just do.; 1/26/21, 1:44 PM
Joe Smith said...: "It is all about marketing and money. You play to the audience that will actually buy your product."

Bobby Caldwell agrees : ); 1/26/21, 1:48 PM
Joe Smith said...: "I prefer Dollys version of i will always love you. Just do."

I heard Whitney's version first and it was a showstopper.

Then I heard Dolly sing it and I agree.

Dolly's version is more personal and heartfelt, not arranged like Whitney's to bring the house down before intermission...; 1/26/21, 1:51 PM
PM said...: DBQ, thanks for the Wolfman shout-out.
Who could forget that raspy-ass voice?; 1/26/21, 1:54 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Yep the Animals popularized the version we came to know well. But it was another guy who hung around there with a big mustache who first did that arrangement of it.

Dave Van Ronk.; 1/26/21, 1:55 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: White performers of the day honored and revered the black performers whose songs they did. Then Fats and BB and others turned around and recorded Beatles songs as covers! But about the whites. The reverence they had for the blues, from the Beatles and Clapton up through ZZ Top and then Tom Petty and now The Killers -- they all love the blues and the artists who made it. By recording covers right away, like they did back in the day, the white artists created a revenue stream for the writer greater than if they had to rely on "colored radio" for the royalties. So white artists were helping their fellow musicians and practicing a nice early form of anti-racism by giving the songs greater exposure, and establishing revenue from white stations that went to black song writers.; 1/26/21, 2:00 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Who could forget that raspy-ass voice?; 1/26/21, 2:08 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: dwshelf ..."I just don't remember a time when there was no Nat King Cole"

Nat King Cole was more 'mainstream', white acceptable type of music. Your 1950'-60's Parent's type of music. Lawrence Welk.

Motown and Chicago sound is the type of music that was not being played. Hard Rock, Blues, Soul music, the things that the British Invasion were eventually covering were not played until the white guys from England got popular.; 1/26/21, 2:09 PM
Charlie Currie said...: "Joe Smith said...
What did I learn?

Jackie DeShannon was a hottie and I'd never heard of her..."

In 1965 I slow danced with Jackie DeShannon at Ciro's on the Sunset Strip. I was there as part of the Byrds groupie entourage - she with a couple of suits. A friend who knew I had a crush on her pointed her out at a table across the dance floor. Being the brash young man of 18 I was, I strode across the dance floor and asked her if she would like to dance. She looked at her companions who both kinda shrugged an nodded ok. So, she stood up, with the assistance of my gentlemanly hand and we danced.; 1/26/21, 2:16 PM
Charlie Currie said...: Click on my icon and you will see the 18 year-old me who wooed Jackie DeShannon.; 1/26/21, 2:18 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Legend has it that a jukebox jobber made a mistake in the late 1950s and stocked an Ocean Drive bar jukebox with R&B records.

So was born Carolina Beach Music.; 1/26/21, 2:22 PM
Joe Smith said...: "So, she stood up, with the assistance of my gentlemanly hand and we danced."

Great story : ); 1/26/21, 2:27 PM
effinayright said...: Blogger The Crack Emcee said..

Nothing touches DEVO'S "Satisfaction".
************

Great pick, Crack!

I've always loved the kid putting the fork in the toaster.; 1/26/21, 2:40 PM
effinayright said...: "So, she stood up, with the assistance of my gentlemanly hand and we danced."
***********

On the floor? In the round?; 1/26/21, 2:41 PM
alanc709 said...: "Without You" by Harry Nilsson. I rarely like the remake more than the original, but Harry Nilsson's version is much better than the Badfinger original.; 1/26/21, 2:53 PM
Unknown said...: https://secondhandsongs.com/; 1/26/21, 2:54 PM
Rick.T. said...: Dolly's version is more personal and heartfelt...
——————-
I think most everybody, my fans, know the reason that I wrote it. I worked with a show called "The Porter Wagoner Show." It was the No. 1 syndicated show in country music back in the '60s and '70s, and I started working with Porter in 1967. I was with Porter for seven years, and I learned so many things from Porter. We had one of those relationships where we were just so passionate about what we did; it was like fire and ice. We kind of butted heads all the time, but we loved each other.... Well, five years passed, and I was still in the show. We were having big hit duets. It was his show, and I understood all that, but I still wanted to go. So we were going around and around with that. So, finally, I thought, "How am I gonna make him understand how much I appreciate everything, but that I have to go? He won't listen to me. He's not listening to reason when I want to go!" So I went home and I thought, "Well, what do you do best? You write songs." So I sat down and I wrote this song.

I took it back to the office the next day. I said, "Porter, sit down. I've written something I think you need to hear." I started singing "I Will Always Love You," and he started crying. When I finished, he said, "Well, hell! If you feel that strong about it, just go on — providing I get to produce that record because that's the best song you ever wrote."; 1/26/21, 2:56 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Dust Bunny Queen said...

Motown and Chicago sound is the type of music that was not being played. Hard Rock, Blues, Soul music, the things that the British Invasion were eventually covering were not played until the white guys from England got popular.

Depends on where you lived. Elvis Presley spent a lot of his Memphis years listening to WDIA, the first radio station in the US targeted exclusively towards African Americans.; 1/26/21, 3:05 PM
Rick.T. said...: “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was a hit or charted three times at least:

Marvin Gaye
Gladys Knight and the Pips
Credence Clearwater Revival; 1/26/21, 3:06 PM
FullMoon said...: Pat Boon's cover of Little Richard's Tutti Frutti will bring tears to your eyes.

I guarantee it.; 1/26/21, 3:38 PM
rcocean said...: "I'll always love you" and the role was originally intended for Babs Striesand. Thank God, Whitney got the part and the song. She's 10x better than babs ever would've been. I like dolly's version but Houston made it "Her song", the one she's always be remembered for. perfect fit of voice and song.; 1/26/21, 3:41 PM
FullMoon said...: Byrd's Tamborine Man too happy.

Dylan's a alcoholic/drug addict, lost everything, gotta get high in order to forget about today until tomorrow. Tomorrow, when misery returns and has to hit it again.; 1/26/21, 3:43 PM
rcocean said...: Pat Boone isn't bad. His covers were OK, and he was a better actor/TV performer than Chucky checker or little Richard. But simply as a singer, he wasn't there equal.; 1/26/21, 3:43 PM
FullMoon said...: Dolly said Whitney's version way better than hers.; 1/26/21, 3:44 PM
rcocean said...: Best cover of a pop song is "Stardust" by Nat King Cole. I never liked the Beatles "Twist and Shout" too hysterical and over the top.; 1/26/21, 3:45 PM
who-knew said...: I heard Linda Ronstadt's version of I Will Always Love You and I think that hold up really well against both Dolly and Whitney. I'm a big fan of covers and thing a lot of artists would do well to include them on their albums, even if they are great songwriters in their own right.; 1/26/21, 3:46 PM
rcocean said...: Parton isn't given enough credit for her great voice. She has a version of "Sweet Music Man" with Allison Krauss where she sings like an angel. Very lovely voice.; 1/26/21, 3:47 PM
FullMoon said...: I would rate Pat Boone as an actor somewhere between Frankie Avalon and Marlon Brando.; 1/26/21, 3:49 PM
rcocean said...: when will i be loved is a great cover by Rondstat. "Unchained melody" - the greatest version has to be by the Righteous brothers. 50 million views on Youtube!; 1/26/21, 3:51 PM
alfromchgo said...: "Jackie DeShannon seemed to have provided songs for others to cover at an alarming rate."

Smart lady that is where the continuing income is.; 1/26/21, 3:52 PM
Gahrie said...: The best modern cover is "Hurt" By Johnny Cash.; 1/26/21, 4:13 PM
Steven said...: The best modern cover is "Hurt" By Johnny Cash.

What I came into the comments to say.; 1/26/21, 4:48 PM
Francisco D said...: A vastly underrated group called "Was Not Was" coveredPapa Was a Rolling Stone. Excellent!; 1/26/21, 4:56 PM
Joe Smith said...: "Dolly said Whitney's version way better than hers."

Sure it was...for both histrionics and putting loads of cash in Dolly's pocket : ); 1/26/21, 4:59 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: I watched the Porter Wagoner (and Dolly) Show on CBC Saturday night. He Had the Liberace touch with the outfits. All Star Spirit -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g86522nb28 name them all and win a prize?; 1/26/21, 5:02 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: BUMBLE BEE said...

I watched the Porter Wagoner (and Dolly) Show on CBC Saturday night. He Had the Liberace touch with the outfits.

That was the late, great Nudie Cohn!

And yes, it's kind of ironic that they're called Nudie Suits.; 1/26/21, 5:17 PM
virgil xenophon said...: Francisco D @12:09PM/

Agree about the "tribute" viz "cover" bit. The bandConcrete Blond did a nice job on the song "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen being a favorite of mine.; 1/26/21, 5:21 PM
Yancey Ward said...: NorthOfTheOneOhOne,

It is for me, too- I was freshman in high school when it was released. I still listen to it on youtube all the time and it pops up in pretty much in any playlist I click on. Youtube knows me well.; 1/26/21, 5:22 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Dolly Parton is that rare combination- a great singer and a great song writer, but Houston was just a different level of vocalist.; 1/26/21, 5:24 PM
dwshelf said...: The best modern cover is "Hurt" By Johnny Cash.

Yes, I thought to post this myself!; 1/26/21, 5:33 PM
virgil xenophon said...: NorthOfTheOneOhOne & DBQ/

Being age 76 I grew up as a teenager in the 50's listening late-nite to long-distance AM radio on my big box maroon Zenith parked on my bedstand(the kind w. the large circular gold anodized dial on the front) Listened to both WDIA & Wolfman Jack down on the border oppo Del Rio religiously. That monster pirate radio station Wolfman broadcasted from came in loud & clear all the way in East Central Illinois where we lived as if it were next door!; 1/26/21, 5:44 PM
Fernandinande said...: Cream's 1968 version of Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues".; 1/26/21, 7:31 PM
Scotty, beam me up... said...: “If Not For You” by Olivia Newton-John in 1971 is a song that I remember being a catchy tune. Imagine to my surprise that it had been written & recorded by Bob Dylan in 1970. I knew of Dylan for only his big hits from the 1960’s, not something tender like this. An even bigger surprise was hearing the George Harrison version only a couple of years ago on The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM. Until the Beatles Channel came on several years ago, I didn’t really listen to too much of the Beatles’ solo songs. I didn’t know Harrison had recorded this song for his “All Things Must Pass” album in 1970. Listening to the Beatles Channel made me examine their solo works and enjoy songs that I had overlooked for 4 decades.; 1/26/21, 8:05 PM
DavidD said...: I never liked Manfred Mann’s version of Blinded by the Light.

When I finally heard Springsteen’s original version I knew why.; 1/26/21, 8:24 PM
Robert Cook said...: "Nothing touches DEVO'S 'Satisfaction.'"

The Residents' cover of it is even more extreme and was earlier, too...but Devo's version is more enjoyable.; 1/26/21, 8:32 PM
FullMoon said...: Marilyn Manson
I Put a Spell on You.
Very soothing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4_5IbOlGoA&ab_channel=EmmanuelReyes; 1/26/21, 8:32 PM
Rick.T. said...: Summertime Blues

Eddie Cochran
Blue Cheer
Alan Jackson; 1/26/21, 9:21 PM
William said...: The songs with the most covers become standards. The whole concept of "covers" is relatively recent. I don't think Hoagy Carmichael or Johnny Mercer worried much about the covers selling more than their versions. I think the business model was to have your song recorded by as many artists as possible.....Louis Armstrong actually commissioned Hoagy Carmichael to write particular songs for his repertoire. Black artists seem to have had a partifular affinity for some of his songs. Hoagy was a Republican lawyer from Indiana. Go figure.; 1/26/21, 10:09 PM
William said...: I wonder which is the most covered song of all time. My guess is that it's between Stardust and My Funny Valentine.; 1/26/21, 10:10 PM
William said...: I can't think of any rock songs that I like to listen to when I'm alone and contemplating life and loss while partaking of sipping whiskey.; 1/26/21, 10:12 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: I wonder which is the most covered song of all time. My guess is that it's between Stardust and My Funny Valentine.

At one time it was definitely Stardust. I wouldn't be surprised if Yesterday hadn't nudged it out by now.

Stardust, though, a song so iconic that Sinatra didn't even have to sing the chorus.; 1/26/21, 10:42 PM
Largo said...: Speaking of "Mack the Knife"...

I cannot recommend to highly the album Lost in the Stars -- a set of twenty popular Weill/Brecht tune each covered by a different artist, including

Marianne Faithful: "Ballad of the Soldier's Wife"
Tom Waits: "What Keeps Mankind Alive"
Lou Reed: "September Song"
Sting: "Mack the Knife"

Very eclectic.; 1/27/21, 5:29 AM
Sam L. said...: Thank you, ANN!!! A great way to start my day!; 1/27/21, 10:59 AM