First recorded by R.E.M. (1981).
Hit version by R.E.M. (US #78 1983).
From the wiki: “‘Radio Free Europe’ was written by R.E.M., and was first recorded and released in 1981 as the group’s debut single on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone. The single received critical acclaim, earning the band a record deal with IRS Records. R.E.M. then re-recorded the song for its 1983 debut album on IRS, Murmur.
“R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980. The band quickly established itself in the local scene. Over the course of 1980 the band refined its songwriting skills, helped by its frequent gigs at local venues. One of the group’s newer compositions was ‘Radio Free Europe’. The other members of the band were reportedly awestruck when they heard the lyrics and melodies singer Michael Stipe had written for the song. By May 1981 the band added ‘Radio Free Europe’ to its set-list.”
First recorded by The Textones (1980).
Hit version by The Go-Go’s (US #8/CAN #23/AUS #43/SWE #18/NETH #32 1982).
From the wiki: “‘Vacation’ was written by Karen Valentine and first recorded by her group, The Textones, in 1980 for release in the UK. The Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin recalls [from Songfacts.com]:
”Vacation’ was Kathy’s song, and Kathy was the last Go-Go to join. She joined at the beginning of ’81 and she brought that song with her from her band, The Textones. We really loved the song, but it didn’t really have a chorus. So Charlotte and I ended up working with Kathy a little bit more on the song, and sort of Go-Go-fying it.’
“The Go-Go’s recording charted Top 10 in the US but did not have any impact on the UK Singles chart.”
Written and first recorded by Batteaux (1973).
Hit version by El Chicano (US #40/MOR #22/R&B #98/AUS #54 1974).
From the wiki: “‘Tell Her She’s Lovely’ was written by brothers Robin and David Batteau of the band Batteaux. Robin had previously played violin in the bands Appaloosa, and Compton & Batteau. After signing with personal manager, Richard Flanzer (Roger Daltrey, Manhattan Transfer, Dr. John), Batteaux auditioned for legendary hit maker, Clive Davis. Columbia Records signed the brothers immediately. A May 1973 review, in Billboard magazine, of the group’s performance at the Bitter End in New York, noted:
“Batteaux offers two lead vocalists and a delicate instrumental style that combines electric elements with violin and gentle, rolling rhythms. The material itself was uneven. The group was not; playing and singing were excellent.”
“El Chicano, originally formed by Freddie Sanchez under the name The VIP’s, arose during a period of increasing Chicano consciousness in America. In 1974, the West Coast band would cover ‘Tell Her She’s Lovely’ and chart with it in the US Top 40, their second – and last – Top 40 appearance.”
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 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.”
First released by The Beatles (1969).
Hit album version by The Beatles (1969).
From the wiki: “‘Across the Universe’ was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney.
“The song, the recording of which began in February 1968 and mastered in October 1969, first appeared on a various-artists’ charity compilation album for the World Wildlife Fund, No One’s Gonna Change Our World, released in December 1969. This version had been considered for release as a Beatles’ single but was instead donated to the WWF. In its place, ‘Lady Madonna’ became the group’s next 45.
“This original release would later be included among the tracks assembled for the 1978 Rarities compilation, and again in 1988 with the release of the Past Masters compilations. However, ‘Across the Universe’ would appear, in somewhat different form, in May 1970 on Let It Be, the Beatles’ final released album.
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).
First recorded by The 31st of February (1968).
Hit album version by The Allman Brothers (1972).
From the wiki: “‘Melissa’ was written by vocalist Gregg Allman, but dates beyond The Allman Brothers band’s inception and well-known 1972 recording. It was first written in late 1967, and two demo versions from those years exists, including a version cut by the 31st of February, a band formed by drummer Butch Trucks and which, by 1968, was to include post-Allman Joy/Hour Glass band members Duane and Gregg Allman.
“The song had its genesis after Allman had struggled previously to create any song with substance — ‘Melissa’ was among the first that survived after he tossed nearly 300 attempts. The song’s namesake was almost settled as ‘Delilah’ before ‘Melissa’ came to Allman in, of all places, a grocery store where he was buying milk late one night, as he told the story in his memoir, My Cross to Bear:
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 recorded by The Lover Speaks (UK #58 1986).
Hit versions by Annie Lennox (US #23/UK #2 1995), Nicki Minaj (sampled in “Your Love” US #14/R&B #4/UK #71 2010).
From the wiki: “‘No More I Love You’s’ was written by Joseph Hughes and David Freeman, and was first released by their band, The Lover Speaks, in 1986. Released as a single, the original peaked at #58 on the UK Singles chart. The song was covered almost a decade later by former-Eurythmic Annie Lennox and was the first single released from her second studio album, Medusa.
First recorded by Larry Williams & Johnny Watson with The Kaleidescope (1967).
Bubblin’-Under Hit version by Three Dog Night (US #116 1968).
http://youtu.be/_Z0o_Sp61_g
From the wiki: “The Kaleidoscope (featuring Chris Darrow, Earl Palmer and future Jackson Browne/Warren Zevon sideman David Lindley). Kaleidoscope returned briefly for studio work to back Larry Williams and Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson on their 1967 single ‘Nobody’. (The group would later back Leonard Cohen on ‘So Long Marianne’ and ‘Teachers’ on Cohen’s first album.) ‘Nobody’ would be covered in 1968 by Three Dog Night and released as that group’s very first single.
“Larry Williams was making comeback in the mid-1960s while, at the same time, luring Little Richard back into secular music. Williams produced two Little Richard albums for Okeh Records in 1966 and 1967, returning Little Richard to the Billboard album chart for the first time in ten years. Williams also acted as the music director for the Little Richard’s live performances at the Okeh Club. Bookings for Little Richard during this period skyrocketed. Williams also recorded and released material of his own and with Watson, with some moderate chart success.
Co-written and first recorded by Garry Bonner (1969).
Also recorded by Spice (1969, released 1974).
Hit version by Three Dog Night (US #15/CAN #8 1970).
From the wiki: “‘Celebrate’ was cowritten by Garry Bonner with Alan Gordon, who also cowrote The Turtles’ ‘Happy Together’ and ‘She’d Rather Be With Me’, and first recorded by Bonner in 1969. It was covered in 1969 by Spice, the immediate precursor to the English band Uriah Heep, but went unreleased until 1994’s The Lansdowne Tapes compilation. In 1970, Three Dog Night recorded ‘Celebrate’ for their Suitable for Framing, and released it as the album’s third single.”
First recorded by The Hombres (US #12 1967).
Other hit version by Jonathan King (UK #26 1969).
Also recorded by John Mellencamp (1989).
From the wiki: “Formed in 1966, The Hombres comprised Jerry Lee Masters, Gary Wayne McEwen, B. B. Cunningham, Jr., and John Will Hunter, and ‘Let It All Hang Out’ was written by the four of them. The song’s spoken intro – ‘A preachment, dear friends, you are about to receive on John Barleycorn, nicotine and the temptations of Eve’ – dates to the 1947 novelty recording ‘Cigareetes, Whuskey and Wild, Wild Women’ by Red Ingle and His Natural Seven.
“The song was first covered – with much the same production arrangement – in the UK by Jonathan King (‘Hooked On a Feeling‘, ‘Everyone’s Gone to the Moon’) in 1969, and also appeared on his 1989 compilation album, The Butterfly That Stamped. Yet another cover version was recorded by The Nails in the mid 1980s. The song also appears as a hidden track on John Mellencamp’s 1989 album Big Daddy.
First recorded by Procol Harum (1967).
Hit version by Procol Harum & the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (US #16/UK #22/CAN #7/AUS #4 1972).
From the wiki: “‘Conquistador’ was written by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid, of the British psychedelic Rock band Procol Harum, and originally appeared on the band’s 1967 self-titled debut album. Brooker had written a piece of Spanish-flavored music before the band had officially formed, and Reid decided to write lyrics about a conquistador. This studio arrangement was not released as a single. (The US release of the album contained the hit single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’.)
“Fast-forward to August 1971: Procol Harum is invited to perform with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. ‘Conquistador’ was added to the set with little time to spare, giving the orchestra no time to rehearse. Nonetheless, they began the concert with the song, and the concert was captured on the album Procol Harum Live In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (1972), from which ‘Conquistador’ was the lead promotional single.
First recorded by Steam (US #1/R&B #20 1969).
Also recorded by The Supremes (1970).
Other hit versions by Bananarama (US #101/UK #5 1983), The Nylons (US #12 1987).
From the wiki: “‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ was written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named ‘Steam’ as a throw-away B-side. When the song began to get airplay on the radio and became a hit, the writers hired stand-in musicians to tour as Steam. (So, ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ may be the biggest selling (over 6.5 million copies) B-side recorded by a non existent band in music history.) Leka, et al. wrote a primitive version of the song in the early 1960s when they were members of a band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, The Chateaus, who disbanded after several failed recordings.
“Uncle John’s Fifth Bathroom Reader states that DeCarlo was recording a throwaway ‘flip side – something so bad, no disc jockey would accidentally play it as the ‘A’ side.’ ‘Na Na Hey Hey’ was described by DeCarlo as ‘an embarrassing record … an insult.’ But, Mercury Records decided it was great and released it as an A-side single. Nobody wanted to be identified with the record, however, so it was credited to ‘Steam’.
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 released by Wynonna (Feb 1996).
Hit version by Eric Clapton (US #5/MOR #1/R&B #54/CAN #1/UK #18/AUS #8/NZ #3 July 1996 |JPN #7).
From the wiki: “’Change the World’ was written by Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Six months prior to the release of Eric Clapton’s hit version, the song was released by country superstar Wynonna Judd for her album Revelations, released in February 1996. Wynonna, however, did not release her version as a promotional single (‘To Be Loved By You’ was instead released) despite the popularity of Clapton’s subsequent recording when his recording was released to radio in July 1996.
First released by Trash (UK #27 1969).
Hit album version by The Beatles (1969).
From “One Hit Wonders“: “If you were going to isolate an aspect of the Abbey Road album song cycle and issue it as a single, ‘Golden Slumbers/ Carry That Weight’ would be the obvious pairing. The Beatles clearly had no interest in doing so, but Trash – one of their Apple signings – were encouraged to exploit the potential of the tunes by Apple Corp’s enterprising employee Richard Dilello.
First recorded by Kai Winding (1963).
Hit versions by Irma Thomas (B-side US #52 1964), The Rolling Stones (US #6/AUS #4 1964 |UK #64 1982).
From the wiki: “Session arranger Garry Sherman contacted songwriter friend and colleague Jerry Ragovoy (‘Piece of My Heart‘) after big band trombonist, bandleader, and former Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and Miles Davis sideman Kai Winding had expressed an interest in going in a more commercial, contemporary and rhythmic direction at the onset of the British Invasion. Coming up with a melody was easy, but Ragovoy could think of no lyrics for the song other than ‘time is on my side’ and ‘you’ll be comin’ back to me’. Produced by Creed Taylor and engineered by Phil Ramone, ‘Time Is On My Side’ was also recorded using background vocals by Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, ‘Time Is On My Side’ was released on the Verve Records label in October 1963. It did not chart.
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 Jack Lee (1981).
Hit version by Paul Young (US #22/UK #4/GERM #1/IRE #3/BEL #1 1983).
From the wiki: “‘Come Back and Stay’ was written and first recorded in 1981 by Jack Lee (‘Hanging on the Telephone‘), who had earlier formed the seminal, yet short-lived Los Angeles power pop trio The Nerves.
“In 1983, singer Paul Young released his cover as a single from his album, No Parlez, and it became an international hit, including Young’s first US Top 40, peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.”
Written and first recorded (as a demo) by Paul McCartney (1969).
Hit version by Badfinger (US #7/UK #4 1969).
From the wiki: “Paul McCartney recorded a solo demo of his song on 24 July 1969, when he arrived early for an Abbey Road album session. He sang the double-tracked lead vocal and played all the instruments: he sang and played piano on the first take, sang again and played maracas on the first overdub, drums came third and bass guitar was added last. It took less than an hour to finish.
