Original Songs

Donate To GopherHole
Dave Edmunds first recorded Queen of Hearts and it reached #11 on the British charts:

Of course, Juice Newton's version crossover hit big in the U.S.:
 

Suspicious Minds, I guess was originally released by writer Mark James according to Wikipedia. Probably my favorite Elvis song. I like to don my TCB necklace and perform some Elvis moves when it plays.
Fine Young Cannibals
Dwight Yoakam
 
Last edited:

If You Don't Know Me By Now
Written for Patti LaBelle, but she evidently passed on it. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals) recorded it. Covered by Simply Red and hit number one on the Billboard Charts.
 

My favorite cover of "Suspicious Minds" is this 1982 effort from Gary Glitter off the B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation) album. It cracks me up. I haven't pulled it off the shelf forever (it's vinyl and I'm too lazy to mess around with the turntable). The song has aged better than Mr. Glitter's persona.

 



How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? written by Barry and Robin Gibb and covered by Al Green.

One cover deserves another.
Al Green Take Me to the River, covered by The Talking Heads
 

One of the more interesting and convoluted paths from original to hit is the song “It’s All in the Game”.The journey began in 1911 when Charles G Dawes (who later was VP under Calvin Coolidge) wrote “Melody in A Major”. In the age of sheet music, it gained a certain popularity. Eventually, violinist Fritz Kreisler made it a standard in his performances. Here’s a recording from 1924:


“Melody in A Major” had many interpreters including Tommy Dorsey in the early 40’s. In 1951, noted lyricist, Carl Sigman used the melody for a song he called “It’s all in the Game”. It was recorded by several artists from Bettie Clooney to Tommy Edwards. Edwards version had some success.

Then in 1958, Edwards dusted off and decided to update “It’s all in the Game” with an obvious nod to Doo Wop infused Rock ‘n Roll. It went to number one. “It’s all in the Game” continued to draw attention and remain a cool ballad. (Dave Marsh listed a 1979 version by Van Morrison in his top 1000 songs}. Side Note: Carl Sigman also wrote “Ebb Tide” which another story for another day.

 


Nokomis noted The Searchers cover of “Love Potion #9”. One of many Liverpool bands with skiffle roots, the Searchers hit the US charts with several covers during the British Invasion. (They also had an US hit with their own “Sugar and Spice” but that’s another tentacle).

The Searchers first US hit was 1964’s “Needles and Pins”. Written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono for Jackie DeShannon. DeShannon charted with the song in May 1963. Then came the Brits and the Searchers version swept to #13 in March ’64. In 1986, Tom Petty also rode “Needles and Pins” to the top 40.

Anyway, DeShannon quickly became a British fave, touring with the Beatles and falling for Jimmy Page (the couple even wrote a hit for Marianne Faithful). She also found time to write another hit for The Searchers; “When You Walk into the Room”.

Local Angle: DeShannon was born in Kentucky and grew up in Illinois wanting to be Buddy Holly. She signed with a Gone Records while in high school. DeShannon’s singing at a local show headlining Eddie Cochren impressed the Albert Lea rocker and he convinced her come to LA during the Wrecking Crew era. Over the year’s she’s hit the charts as a singer and especially as a song writer including everything from “Dum Dum” for Brenda Lee and being a co-writer of 1982’s “Bette Davis Eyes” for Kim Carnes.

variety.com

Singer-Songwriter Jackie DeShannon Remembers the Late-1950s L.A. Music Scene

Singer-Songwriter Jackie DeShannon Remembers the Late-1950s L.A. Music Scene
variety.com variety.com

The Original

The Searchers

Tom Petty
 



A song for Labor Day: "Sixteen Tons".

In 1947, Merle Travis wrote and recorded Sixteen Tons drawing attention from the Feds.

In 1955, defying the Feds, Tennessee Ernie Ford's version was a massive hit including being #1 on the pop charts. According to the attached article it sold 20 million copies.

heraldcourier.com

'Sixteen Tons': How Tennessee Ernie Ford came to record his greatest hit

Tennessee Ernie Ford’s career-defining song — for fans from casual to adamant — is the megahit “Sixteen Tons,” but how he came to sing it represents one of the most
heraldcourier.com heraldcourier.com

Country musician Merle Travis, who performed on Ford’s first album, wrote “Sixteen Tons” in 1946 about the plight of coal miners in his native Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. However, the U.S. government considered it possibly seditious and placed Travis on a watch list because it claimed the song supported organizing workers and Communism, said Ernie Ford’s son, Jeffrey Buckner “Buck” Ford.

Fast forward to 1955, when Ernie Ford was approaching the zenith of his career. Travis — a close friend and label mate at Capitol Records — was scheduled to appear on his live show.

“Merle Travis opted out at the last minute because the government came in and told NBC that Merle Travis could not sing these songs and included in the songs he couldn’t sing was ‘Sixteen Tons,’” Ford said. “Merle Travis refused to be on the show, one of dad’s closest friends, because he refused to be told what to sing.”


The government was even more horrified to learn Ford planned to record the song, to fulfill his recording contract.
“When it was discovered he had done the song and intended on recording it, he was told flat out at Capitol Records — his producers Lee Gillette and Ken Nelson were told flat out by the House Un-American Activities Committee in L.A. — this will kill Ernest Ford’s career,” he recalled. “This song was written by a known Communist, a man who has professed seditious concepts against the United States of America, and if Ernie Ford sings this song it will be the last song of his career.”
Click to expand...

Merle:

Tennessee:
 

I came across Woody Guthrie’s version of House of the Rising Sun and fell down the rabbit hole. Some version of the song has been around since the 16th century, it seems and has been recorded by a wide scope of artists. Quick version, first recorded version was called Rising Sun Blues by Clarence Tom Ashley and Gwen Foster in 1933:
Roy Acuff recorded a version in 1938:

Woody Guthrie in 1941:

Leadbelly in 1944:
Andy Griffith, 1959:

Nina Simone, 1962:
youtu.be

House of the Rising Sun - Nina Simone [Bitter End cafe 1968] HD

For entertainment purposes only. ENJOY!
youtu.be youtu.be
And of course, The Anomals:
https://youtu.be/Ejaf15U4V6c
 
Last edited:

Because of the music documentaries thread I was looking up Janis Joplin. She has one called Janis: Little Girl Blue, which I recall was very interesting. (Too lazy to post it in that thread. Maybe it's already in there.) So, I really liked Piece of My Heart and wasn't aware that a couple years earlier it was done by Erma Franklin, sister of Aretha.

Also a Joss Stone cover, a singer who does a good job on covers, but not up to the task on this one.

 

Did you know that Behind Blue Eyes was actually a song by The Who before Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit covered it?

😊

In all seriousness....Limp Bizkit's cover of Faith (originally by George Michael) rules. Way better than the original.

 



"Train From Kansas City" written by the prolific duo of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich:

Neko Case 2004:


The Shangri-Las 1965:

 

Ignatius L Hoops said:
"Train From Kansas City" written by the prolific duo of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich:

Neko Case 2004:


The Shangri-Las 1965:

Click to expand...
Neko Case is one of my all time favorite performers and that is just such a stunning version of this song. Knew it was a cover but never knew it was those two who wrote or who it was for.
 

As I mentioned in Old Music, Toots Hibbert died. Here's his song Pressure Drop, followed by covers by The Clash, The Specials, Ben Harper and Jack Johsnon. Last but not least is a performance with Willie Nelson.




 
Last edited:

Frink said:
As I mentioned in Old Music, Toots Hibbert died. Here's his song Pressure Drop, followed by covers by The Clash, The Specials, Ben Harper and Jack Johsnon. Last but not least is a performance with Willie Nelson.
Click to expand...
Going the other way, here's Toots & the Maytals doing Country Roads.


 

Nokomis said:
Going the other way, here's Toots & the Maytals doing Country Roads.


Click to expand...
That's the song he was performing when an idiot hit him in the head with a bottle. I think he was 70 at the time. Messed him up for years.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Dave Edmunds first recorded Queen of Hearts and it reached #11 on the British charts:

Of course, Juice Newton's version crossover hit big in the U.S.:
Click to expand...
I completely forgot about Dave Edmunds doing that song. Dave had some good songs before MTV came around.
 

Usually it's the younger generation covering the older, but here is a reversal:

Todd Snider, Alright Guy


Covered by Jerry Jeff Walker, who has made it a live staple:


And if you like either of them (and/or Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires) here is a youtube clip that always brings a huge smile to my face. Funny story. Great classic song with a special guest.

 

And if you like either of them (and/or Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires) here is a youtube clip that always brings a huge smile to my face. Funny story. Great classic song with a special guest.

Really, really good. Thank you for posting that.
 

Angel Olsen is a goddess. Here is her take on the Tom Petty original (with help from Hand Habits).

Tom's Original:
 
Last edited:

I've been recently diving down the deep well of Americana, which is where I came across Guy Clark's song, "L.A. Freeway", which I only became aware of was a modest hit for Jerry Jeff Walker. Both versions deserve many listens, although I think I'm partial to Guy's version:
Guy's original:

Jerry Jeff Walker:
 

Ope3 said:
Usually it's the younger generation covering the older, but here is a reversal:

Todd Snider, Alright Guy


Covered by Jerry Jeff Walker, who has made it a live staple:


And if you like either of them (and/or Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires) here is a youtube clip that always brings a huge smile to my face. Funny story. Great classic song with a special guest.

Click to expand...
As I was watching this, I was trying to jog my memory as to who had turned the song into a hit and I came across this article, which was pretty awesome-Jerry Jeff Walker seems like a very cool guy:
www.tennessean.com

'Mr. Bojangles' couldn't have happened without the radio

This edition of "Story Behind the Song" is a first for the series: We're not speaking to the writer of the song, but the artist who made it a hit.
www.tennessean.com
 

"L.A. Freeway", which I only became aware of was a modest hit for Jerry Jeff Walker. Both versions deserve many listens, although I think I'm partial to Guy's version:

I like the Jerry Jeff. Both good.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
"L.A. Freeway", which I only became aware of was a modest hit for Jerry Jeff Walker. Both versions deserve many listens, although I think I'm partial to Guy's version:

I like the Jerry Jeff. Both good.
Click to expand...

Steve Earle included it on his Guy Clark tribute album as well:

 

Got to confess, the chorus in the Jerry Jeff one locks it in for me. Gets a little louder and hooks me in. It's a good song.
 

Fan of Ray Williams posted some "Blue Eyed Soul" (Righteous Brothers) on the Old Music thread. Here's some more "Blue Eyed Soul" from the Walker Brothers whose "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More" reached #13 in April of '66. The Walker Brothers were an Los Angeles group who successfully invaded the UK market as seen in this clip from Ready Steady Go!

"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More" was written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. Gaudio was the keyboardist and song writer for the Four Seasons. Crewe and Gaudio teamed up in the early sixties writing a string of hits. Four Season's lead singer Frankie Vallie did a solo version of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More" in 1965 that went no where. Then came the Walkers.

Loneliness is the cloak you wear
A deep shade of blue is always there


The original:
 

Ignatius L Hoops said:
Fan of Ray Williams posted some "Blue Eyed Soul" (Righteous Brothers) on the Old Music thread. Here's some more "Blue Eyed Soul" from the Walker Brothers whose "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More" reached #13 in April of '66. The Walker Brothers were an Los Angeles group who successfully invaded the UK market as seen in this clip from Ready Steady Go!
Click to expand...

Good documentary if interested.
www.imdb.com

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006) ⭐ 7.2 | Documentary, Biography, Music

1h 35m | Not Rated
www.imdb.com www.imdb.com
 

Forgot how much I liked this cover of the Box Tops "Letter" by Joe Cocker with Leon Russell. Leon keeps his cool on during the video. Box Tops also had a hit with Cry Like A Baby. Didn't know they were from Memphis. Cocker is really good in this. Fricking orchestra behind him.

 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom