First recorded by Paul Kelly (unreleased 1973).
Hit versions by Jackie Moore (R&B #92 1978), Karla Bonoff (US #19/MOR #3 1982), Ronnie McDowell (C&W #10 1983).
Also recorded by Paul Kelly (1993).
From the wiki: “‘Personally’ was first recorded in 1973 by its composer Paul Kelly, with Gene Page producing, for Kelly’s Don’t Burn Me album. However, the track was not released at that time. Kelly re-recorded the song in 1993 for the album Gonna Stick and Stay (see above).
“The first released version of ‘Personally’ was recorded in 1978 by R&B singer Jackie Moore, best-known for her gold single 1970 song ‘Precious, Precious’ (#30, 1971). Moore’s single, ‘Personally’, peaked at a disappointing #92 on the R&B chart, not even charting on the Billboard Hot 100.
“The song was later covered in 1982 with greater success by Karla Bonoff (‘Tell Me Why‘, ‘All My Life‘) and charted in the US Top 20. A 1983 cover by country singer Ronnie McDowell charted Top 10 on the US Country Singles chart.”
First recorded (as an outtake) by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1976, released 2010).
Commercially-released by Greg Kihn (1979), Gary “U.S.” Bonds (1982).
Also recorded (live) by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1980, released 1998).
From the wiki: “‘Rendezvous’ was written by Bruce Springsteen during the recording sessions for the Darkness On The Edge of Town album but was not included in the album’s final release because Bruce felt it could interrupt the sonic intensity of the album.
“After making a guest appearance with The Knack at L.A.’s The Troubadour club in October 1978, Springsteen first offered the group ‘Rendezvous’ or ‘Don’t Look Back’ for their debut album, Get the Knack, but later had second thoughts thinking his own ‘Rendezvous’ recording would be included in the final mix of Darkness On The Edge of Town and requested they not record it.
“After his appearance with The Knack the group’s Bruce Gary recalls, ‘I asked Bruce if he had any songs that The Knack might use in our stage show, and he offered two unreleased numbers, ‘Rendezvous’ and ‘Don’t Look Back.’ The band selected ‘Don’t Look Back,’ which was ‘Knackified’ and recorded in one take at MCA Whitney studios in April, 1979. The tune was originally scheduled to appear on the Get The Knack album, but was pulled at the request of Springsteen’s management in order to allow him to release the song first.’ (But that did not happen. Ironically, the Knack’s ‘Don’t Look Back’ would ultimately be released first … in 1992 on the compilation album Retrospective, six years before the official release of Springsteen’s own studio recording on Tracks in 1998.)
“Bruce ultimately offered ‘Rendezvous’ to another Springsteen devotee, Greg Kihn (‘because I liked the way he did ‘For You’ on that early album’), who released it in 1979 on the Greg Kihn Band album With the Naked Eye.
“‘Rendezvous’ was covered again in 1982 by Gary ‘U.S.’ Bonds with a recording produced by Springsteen, a Bonds devotee, and Stevie Van Zandt, and backed by Springsteen’s E Street Band. After recording the album, Columbia Records had Bruce Springsteen remove his vocals from the tracks he backed on Bond’s On The Line album (distributed by competitor EMI Records), with some rerecorded with Van Zandt. Even so, Springsteen can still be heard on several of the tracks, including ‘Rendezvous’, but he is not credited in the original liner notes.
Written and first recorded (as “Lay It On Me Right Now”) by Na Allen (1970).
Hit version by Hot Sauce (US #96/R&B #35 1972).
From the wiki: “‘Bring It Home (And Give It To Me)’ – not to be confused with the Sam Cooke song, ‘Bring It Home to Me’ – was written by Na Allen, Denise LaSalle’s brother, and recorded first by him in 1970 under the song’s original title, ‘Lay It On Me Right Now’. Hot Sauce (in reality, Rhonda Washington) was discovered by Irene Perkins, wife of soul singer and Detroit radio disc-jockey Al Perkins, and the 1972 cover titled ‘Bring It Home (And Give It To Me)’ was the group’s first recording for the fledgling Volt record label.”
Written and first recorded by The B-52’s (1978).
Hit version by The B-52’s (US #56/CAN #1/UK #7 1980 |UK #12/AUS #3 1986).
From the wiki: “‘Rock Lobster’ was written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson, two members of The B-52’s. It was produced in two versions, one by DB Records released in 1978 (and backed with ’52 Girls’), and a re-recording which was part of the band’s 1979 self-titled debut album, released by Warner Bros.
“The song became one of the B-52’s signature tunes and it helped launch the band’s success. The DB Records single version lasts 4’37” and is rawer and faster than the 1979 Warner single version. (The 1979 single version itself is an edit from the album version released in 1979, which lasts about seven minutes and contains an extra verse.) It has, however, almost the same lyrics of the second version, just including some extra lines in the listing of marine animals.”
Written and first recorded by Ian Hunter (UK #14/AUS #29 1975).
Also recorded by Shaun Cassidy (1980).
Other hit version by Great White (US #5/UK #83 1989).
From the wiki: “‘Once Bitten, Twice Shy’ was written in 1975 by Ian Hunter (‘Ships‘), from his debut solo album Ian Hunter. The single peaked at #14 on the UK Singles Chart.
“‘Once Bitten’ was first covered by Shaun Cassidy on his 1980 LP, Wasp. In 1989, the song was covered again, by Great White, on their fourth album …Twice Shy. It was this version released as a single that peaked Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989.”
First recorded (as a demo) by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1970).
Hit version by Lynyrd Skynyrd (US #19 1973 |UK #31 1976).
From the wiki: “‘Free Bird’ was first recorded in 1970 as a demo. Allen Collins’s girlfriend, Kathy, whom he later married, asked him, ‘If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?’ Collins noted the question and it eventually became the opening line of ‘Free Bird’. According to guitarist Gary Rossington, for two years after Collins wrote the initial chords, vocalist Ronnie Van Zant insisted that there were too many chords for him to create a melody in the mistaken belief that the melody needed to change alongside the chords. After Collins played the unused sequence at rehearsal one day, Van Zant asked him to repeat it, then wrote out the melody and lyrics in three or four minutes.
“‘Free Bird’ quickly became a part of Skynyrd’s live set. The guitar solos that finish the song were added in originally to give Van Zant a chance to rest, as the band was playing several sets per night at clubs at the time. Soon after, the band learned piano-playing roadie Billy Powell had written an intro to the song; upon hearing it, they included it as the finishing touch and had him formally join as their keyboardist.
First recorded by Men at Work (1980).
Hit version by Men at Work (US#1/CAN #1/UK #1/IRE #1/AUS #1 1981).
Based on “Kookaburra”.
From the wiki: “‘Down Under’ was written by the group’s co-founders, Colin Hay and Ron Strykert. It was originally released in 1980 as the B-side to their first local single titled ‘Keypunch Operator’, on a self-released vinyl single distributed only in Australia.
“This early version of ‘Down Under’ has a slightly different tempo and arrangement than the later Columbia release. After signing to the U.S. label, Columbia, the song was re-recorded. This more well-known version was then released in October 1981 as the third single from their debut album Business as Usual (1981).
Based on “Long As You Know You’re Living Yours” by Keith Jarrett (1974).
Hit album version by Steely Dan (1980).
From the wiki: “During the two-year span during which the album Gaucho was recorded, Steely Dan was plagued by a number of creative, personal and professional problems: MCA, Warner Bros. and Steely Dan waged a three-way legal battle over the rights to release the album; during the course of the Gaucho sessions, while walking home late one Saturday night, Becker was hit by a car and sustained multiple fractures in one leg, a sprain in the other leg, as well as other injuries.
“On top of all that, after the Gaucho album was released, Jazz musician Keith Jarrett threatened the band with legal action for the writing credit to the title song ‘Gaucho’. Jarret won, with his name added to the songwriting credits beginning with the release of the Citizen Steely Dan 1972-1980 box set in 1993.”
Co-written and first recorded (as “C’est en septembre”) by Gilbert Becaud (1978).
Hit version by Neil Diamond (US #17/MOR #2/CAN #15/AUS #23/NZ #19 1979).
From the wiki: “‘September Morn’ was adapted from ‘C’est en septembre’ (‘In September’) co-written by Gilbert Becaud (‘Let It Be Me‘) and Neil Diamond (‘Red Red Wine‘, ‘I’m a Believer‘), with original French lyrics by Maurice Vidalin. It was first recorded by Becaud in late 1978 for release in France in January, 1979. Diamond would release ‘September Morn’ as his lead promotional single for the album September Morn in late 1979.
“Becaud began collaborating with Neil Diamond in the 1970s, together writing ‘Love on the Rocks’, ‘Mama Don’t Know’, and Becaud was among Diamond’s collaborators for the soundtrack music to The Jazz Singer. Becaud was a popular French singer-songwriter whose dynamic stage act and charismatic crooning earned him the soubriquet ‘Monsieur 100,000 volts’; he also wrote more than 400 songs, the best-known of which, ‘Et Maintenant’ (1962), (translated as ‘What Now My Love‘) was recorded by numerous singers, including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Shirley Bassey.”
First recorded by Bay City Rollers (1973).
Hit version by Bay City Rollers (1974 |US #1/CAN #1/GER #2 1975).
From the wiki: “‘Saturday Night’ was written and produced by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, and first recorded by Bay City Rollers – with lead vocals by Nobby Clark – in 1973 with no apparent chart impact. The song was then re-recorded by the Rollers’ for their 1974 UK album Rollin’ with lead vocals by Nobby’s replacement, Les McKeown. At the end of 1975, ‘Saturday Night’ was released as a single in America and it hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1976.
“Not that the Bay City Rollers weren’t without hits in the UK (they had ten Top-10 hits, including two #1’s, on the UK Singles chart) but their biggest hit in the US was never released as a single in their home country and did not chart.”
First single release by Yvonne Elliman (US August 1975).
Also recorded by Richard Kerr (UK August 1975), Kim Carnes (1975).
Hit versions by Batdorf & Rodney (US #69 1975), Helen Reddy (US #19/MOR #2/CAN #27 1975) and Barry Manilow (US # 9/UK #42 1978).
From the wiki: “The first song composed by Richard Kerr (‘Mandy‘, 1971) and Will Jennings (‘Back in the High Life Again’, 1987) as a team, ‘Somewhere in the Night’ appeared on four 1975 album releases: You Are a Song by Batdorf & Rodney and Rising Sun by Yvonne Elliman both released in June 1975, No Way to Treat a Lady by Helen Reddy released July 1975, and Kim Carnes’ November 1975 eponymous album release. The Yvonne Elliman version was released as a US single in August 1975, which also saw the release of a ‘Somewhere in the Night’ single in the UK recorded by the song’s co-writer Richard Kerr.
Written and first recorded by Kris Kristofferson (US #26/MOR #4/CAN #21 1971).
Other hit versions by Roger Miller (C&W #28 1971), Tompall & the Glaser Brothers (C&W #2 1981).
From the wiki: “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” is a song written and recorded by Kris Kristofferson for his 1971 album The Silver Tongued Devil and I. Released as a promotional single, Kristofferson’s recording did not chart as a country single, but did crossover to the Hot 100 (#28) and Adult Contemporary (#4) charts.
“The song was also released in 1971 by Roger Miller, who included it on his album The Best of Roger Miller and using ‘Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)’ as a promotional single in July 1971, charting in the Country Top-30.
First single release by R.B. Greaves (US #82 April 1970).
Also released by Johnny Rivers (US #94 August 1970).
Other hit version by James Taylor (US #3/MOR #7/CAN #2/UK #42 September 1970).
“Like a shy kid at a prom dance, ‘Fire and Rain’ had stood on the sidelines all year [after being first recorded in December 1969], waiting for its moment. In the spring, Warner Brothers had hesitated to release the song to radio. With its subdued tone and elliptical lyrics, it wasn’t an odds-on favorite to be a hit … The label also hesitated when soul singer R.B. Greaves, who’d had a major hit the year before with ‘Take a Letter, Maria’, released a cover of ‘Fire and Rain’. No one wanted [James] Taylor competing against his own song.
First recorded as “Let’s Get Together Soon” by Dusty Springfield (1970).
Hit version by Sharon Paige with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (US #42/R&B #1 1975).
From the wiki: “‘Hope That We Can Be Together Soon’ was written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and was first recorded by Dusty Springfield (as ‘Let’s Get Together Soon’) for her 1970 album A Brand New Me (which was also produced by Gamble and Huff) but not released as a single. It scored a hit, though. when in 1975 it was covered and released by Sharon Paige with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes as the second promotional single from the album To Be True.”
Written and first recorded by J.J. Cale (1966).
Hit versions by Eric Clapton (US #18 1970), J.J. Cale (re-recording US #42 1972), Eric Clapton (re-recording Rock #4/UK #99 1988).
Also recorded by The Pioneers (as “Let It All Hang Out” 1971), Chet Atkins (1972), Sergio Mendes (1972), Maggie Bell (1974), The Jerry Garcia Band (1980), Pretty Lights (2009).
From the wiki: “J.J. Cale wrote ‘After Midnight’ in 1966 and first released it as single (on Liberty Records) the same year with no apparent chart success. But, the song would become the catalyst for his future success.
“When Eric Clapton was working with Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell introduced Eric to Cale’s music. Among the songs that attracted Clapton’s attention, ‘After Midnight’ became the first to be released. It appeared on his 1970 self-titled debut album and was released as a single in late 1970, peaking at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Cale was unaware of Clapton’s 1970 recording until it became a radio hit. He recalled to Mojo magazine that when he heard Clapton’s version on his radio, ‘I was dirt poor, not making enough to eat and I wasn’t a young man. I was in my thirties, so I was very happy. It was nice to make some money.’ Cale’s friend and producer Audie Ashworth then encouraged J.J. to capitalize on the success of ‘After Midnight’ by recording a full album, Naturally, released in 1972. A re-recording by Cale of ‘After Midnight’ was taken from the album as a promotional single in 1972, peaking at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Written and first recorded by The Melodians (JAM #1 1970).
Other hit version by Boney M. (US #30/UK #1/CAN #9/AUS #1/IRE #1/GER #1 1978).
From the wiki: “The Melodians’ original version of the song appeared in the soundtrack album of the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, making it internationally known. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalm 137 and Psalm 19 in the Bible [KJV]: ‘By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion… ‘
First recorded by Jimmy Cliff (1970, released 1976).
Hit versions by The Pioneers (UK #5 1971), Brownville Station (US #57 1973).
From the wiki: “‘Let Your Yeah Be Yeah’ was written by Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff who first recorded the song in 1970 but which went unreleased until 1976.
“Vocal trio The Pioneers recorded their version, co-produced by Cliff, in 1971. It peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart. In 1973, ‘Let Your Yeah Be Yeah’ was recorded by the US rock band Brownsville Station (‘Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room’) for their album Yeah!. Released as a single, it was the band’s second song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #57.”
First recorded by Marilyn Sellars (US #37/C&W #19 1974).
Other hit versions by Gloria Sherry (IRE #1 1978), Lena Martell (UK #1 1979), Cristy Lane (C&W #1/CAN #10/NZ #5 1981).
From the wiki: “‘One Day at a Time’ was written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson (although Kristofferson was a bit embarrassed with this co-credit; recalls he merely shared the same room while Marijohn wrote it, perhaps helping out with a lyric line one or two). It has been recorded by over 200 artists and has reached #1 in several countries.
“The song was first recorded by Country singer Marilyn Sellars in 1974 and released as a single to modest success. Irish singer Gloria Sherry, performing professionally as ‘Gloria’, recorded ‘One Day at a Time’, releasing it as a single in August 1977. Her recording remained on the Irish charts for the rest of the year, throughout 1978 and well into 1979 – peaking at #1 (over a year after it had first entered the chart) and spent a total of 90 weeks in the Irish Top 30 – the longest run by any song in Irish chart history. Meanwhile, Lena Martell’s 1979 recording topped the UK singles chart.
First recorded by Randy Crawford (1976).
Hit versions by Nancy Wilson (R&B #47 1977), Mary McGregor (MOR #29 1978), Charlene (US #97 1977 |US #3/MOR #7/C&W #60/UK #1/CAN #1/IRE #1/AUS #1 1982).
Also recorded by The Temptations (1984).
From the wiki: “‘I’ve Never Been to Me’ is the title of a ballad, written and composed by Ron Miller and Kenneth Hirsch in 1976 and first recorded by Randy Crawford on her 1976 album Everything Must Change. The song is best known as lyrically formatted for a female vocalist (see below for male-oriented arrangement) and as such is addressed to a desperate wife and mother who would like to trade her prosaic existence for the jet-setting lifestyle the song’s narrator has led.
“Nancy Wilson’s cover was the first version of the song to be released as a single, serving as the title track of her June 1977 album, reaching #47 on the Billboard’s R&B chart.
“Charlene’s ‘I’ve Never Been to Me’ had two releases between 1976-1977. The first, in 1976 for her debut album, the self-titled Charlene, was recorded with a spoken bridge. (This would be the version that saw its subsequent re-release in 1982.) When her next album, Songs of Love, was released six months later, the song was added without the spoken bridge. It was this version that was first released as a promotional single, in September 1977, and it became Charlene’s third consecutive single to stall in the lowest reaches of the Hot 100 in Billboard (#97).
“Meanwhile, in February 1978, a mid-tempo recording of ‘I’ve Never Been to Me’ by Mary McGregor was released as the advance single from her In Your Eyes album> It became a modest hit, reaching #29 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.
Written and first recorded (as a demo) by Pete Townshend (1971).
Hit versions by The Who (US #34 1971), Limp Bizkit (US #71/UK #18/AUS #4/NZ #5/SWE #1/SPN #1 2003).
From the wiki: “‘Behind Blue Eyes’ was originally written by Pete Townshend for his aborted Lifehouse project. According to Townshend, the song’s origin happened after a Who concert in Denver on 9 June 1970. Following the performance, Townshend became tempted by a female groupie, but he instead went back to his room alone, possibly as a result of the teachings of his spiritual leader, Meher Baba. Upon reaching his room, he began writing a prayer, the first words being ‘When my fist clenches, crack it open …’
“The song is sung from the point of view of the main villain of Lifehouse, Jumbo. The lyrics are a first-person lament from Jumbo, who is always angry and full of angst because of all the pressure and temptation that surrounds him, and the song was intended to be his ‘theme song’ had the project been completed.
“The version of ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ on the original Who’s Next album was the second version the band recorded; the first was recorded at the Record Plant in New York on 18 March 1971 and features Al Kooper on Hammond organ. It would not be released until 1995, as a bonus track on the CD reissue of Who’s Next. The released album version of ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ was recorded 8 July 1971 at Olympic Studios in London.
Co-written and first recorded by Donny Hathaway (XMAS #11 1970).
Other popular versions by Gladys Knight & The Pips (1980), Yutaka Yokokura (1988), Gloria Estefan (1993).
From the wiki: “‘This Christmas’ is a well-known Christmas song originally recorded by R&B singer-songwriter Donny Hathaway (under the stage name ‘Donny Pitts’) and released as a single in 1970, peaking that year at #11 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart.
“In 1980, Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded ‘This Christmas’ for their holiday album That Special Time of Year, re-released in 2013 on The Classic Christmas Album. Japanese jazz artist Yutaka Yokokura’s recording was one of several Christmastime songs by various artists included on the 1988 holiday compilation album The GRP All Star Christmas Collection. Gloria Estefan, in 1993, included ‘This Christmas’ on her holiday album Christmas Through Your Eyes.”
Written and first recorded by Yellow Magic Orchestra (1979).
Hit versions by Greg Phillinganes (R&B #77/DANCE #4 1985), Eric Clapton (UK #15 1987).
Also recorded by Michael Jackson (1982, released 2010), Ryuichi Sakamoto & Bernard Fowler (1987), The Human League & Yellow Magic Orchestra (1993).
From the wiki: “‘Behind the Mask’ is a Synth-Pop song by electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, written by member Ryuichi Sakamoto and first produced as an instrumental in 1978 for a Seiko watch commercial. It was later released in 1979 as part of the band’s Solid State Survivor album with English lyrics added by Chris Mosdell. Sakamoto already had the melody line when he asked poet and lyricist Mosdell to write lyrics, which Mosdell based on the imagery of a Japanese traditional Noh mask, combined with a poem by Irish poet W.B. Yeats called, ‘The Mask’.
First recorded by The Osborne Brothers and Marc Wiseman (1972).
Hit album version by Eagles (1974).
From the wiki: “Even though Eagles were attempting by 1974 to move beyond the Country-Rock label with which they had been tagged, the group were still happy to record this Bluegrass-y tune penned by singer-songwriter Paul Craft and first recorded in 1972 by The Osborne Brothers and Marc Wiseman (‘Dueling Banjos’). Bernie Leadon was one of the top banjo players in the country and his playing is featured throughout the song, along with Glenn Frey’s slide guitar and Randy Meisner’s lead vocals.”
Co-written and first recorded by Steve Goodman (1971).
Hit versions by David Allan Coe (C&W #8/CAN #4 1975), Doug Supernaw (C&W #60 1994).
From the wiki: “‘You Never Even Called Me by My Name’ was written by Steve Goodman and John Prine. (Prine requested that he be uncredited on the song, as he thought it was a ‘goofy, novelty song’ and didn’t want to ‘offend the country music community.’)
“Goodman released the song on his eponymous 1971 debut album Steve Goodman to little acclaim. It was more famously covered by country music singer David Allan Coe on his 1975 album Once Upon a Rhyme. It was the third single release of Coe’s career and became his first Top Ten hit.”
