Entertainment For Lively Minds
The Flip Side
Posted by Lucas Hare on 31 October 2010 - 9:08am.
Someone had to do it. I, like many, am enjoying David Hepworth's thread about ordinary songs transformed by superior cover versions that all but eclipse the original. But what about those songs which you thought you knew...and then you heard the far less famous original?
I'll kick things off. I can't see a way of posting what I believe to be the winner in this category, Mickey Newbury's jaw-droppingly good original studio recording of An American Trilogy, before Elvis turned it into his very own national anthem. So I'll go with this:
I grow very tired of Kim Carnes' Bette Davis Eyes, a sizeable hit in 1981. But I'm very fond of Jackie DeShannon's original from 1974:
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Here's another one
From 1959:
The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
I never knew this was the original until recently.
The Four Seasons were ace
Here's another one, though in this case I'd say the Seasons' original is better than the more famous cover.
Silence is Golden
Was also a Four Seasons song. And a b-side at that.
HBO must like this one
It was featured in both The Sopranos and Six Feet Under:
Never knew this one was the original until about 15 years ago
Nor this
Merry Clayton...
...the first person to record 'It's in His Kiss'.
Bette Davis Eyes
This is slightly off-topic and off-colour, but Mrs Pants has just made me spill coffee on the duvet by announcing that, until hearing that version just now, she'd always thought this song contained the line All the boys think she's a spaz.
Sadly not on YouTube or Spotify
But the comedy version Marty Feldman Eyes by Bruce "Baby Man" Baum is my favourite.
Snippet & lyrics here http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=6865
Rodders in reverse
On The Hep's original thread I posited the notion that Mr Rod Stewart is the finest interpreter of Dylan known to humanity. However, although Rod's version of "Sweetheart Like You" is fine and mellow, The Zim's original is sly, laconic but twinkly-eyed.
The Only Way Is Up
Not sure which I like more, but this is very different to Yazz & The Plastic Population's version
The Word theme tune
Marshall Crenshaw - You're My Favorite Waste Of Time
The Beatles´ Isley Brothers´ cover that was first made by
The Top Notes. My brain hurts.
Never knew these were covers
Jimmy Webb - Galveston
Labi Siffre - It Must Be Love
Jimmy Webb
...was a songwriter in the 60s before he started recording himself, if I'm not mistaken. He also wrote Wichita Lineman, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, McArthur Park among others.
He did
And also 'Up Up and Away In My Beautiful Balloon', which just seems a bit out of place compared to the others (maybe this is something to do with the 'sung by Sinatra' of 'used to sing at Primary School' voices in my head)
Had no idea
Bette Davis Eyes was a cover. Kim Carnes version is sublime, the definitive version.
Had no idea
Bette Davis Eyes was a cover. Kim Carnes version is sublime, the definitive version.
Double posting
I thought you only worked in mono, Phil.
Like it!
Haha!
I found
a list here - http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_coversongs.html - and realised I'm old enough to be surprised that some of them had been remade.
But I never knew this was originally a Springsteen number. I think the Manfred Mann one belongs in the other list.
Jose's Knife Cover
I Still like Jose Gonzales version of Heartbeats
But still love The Knife's original
Tainted
Great thread, here's one of my favourite originals, pretty well know I guess.
Not Corduroy?
Thought this was a product of pure Britpop...then in the US one day, turned on the radio...
A Pedant writes
From 2 years earlier
China Girl
I knew this one but it still sounds odd, because the other version was the one I knew.
Never knew this was a cover
From 1962 apparently not the 1980's by G Harrison
Got My Mind Set On You James Ray
It's on one of these two-- the "You Heard it Here First" series
http://www.amazon.com/Heard-First-Original-Versions-Famous/dp/B001CDF040...
http://www.amazon.com/Heard-First-Original-Versions-Famous/dp/B0030BEU52...
some more
Rock n Roll Classic
a Motown anthem
and even more
I'm on a roll
This one surprised me.