Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Category: 1960s

1960s, Rock

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

First recorded (as a demo) by George Harrison (1968).
Hit album version by The Beatles (1968).
Also recorded by Kenny Rankin (1976), Jeff Healey (1990), Jake Shimabukuro (2004), Tom Petty & Jeff Lynne (2004).

https://youtu.be/wagTIytC5xo

From the wiki: “Inspiration for the song came to Geroge Harrison when reading the I Ching, which, as Harrison put it, ‘seemed to me to be based on the Eastern concept that everything is relative to everything else… opposed to the Western view that things are merely coincidental.’ Taking this idea of relativism to his parents’ home in northern England, Harrison committed to write a song based on the first words he saw upon opening a random book. Those words were ‘gently weeps’, and he immediately began writing the song.

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1960s, Rock

Revolution

First recorded (as a demo) by The Beatles (1968).
Hit version by The Beatles (US #12 1968).
Also recorded by The Beatles (as “Revolution 1”) (1968), The Beatles (as “Revolution #9”) (1968).

http://youtu.be/sPi4Bkh8H_o

From the wiki: “Around the fourth week of May 1968, The Beatles met at Kinfauns (George Harrison’s home in Esher) to demonstrate their compositions to each other in preparation for recording their next studio album. During his time in Rishikesh, India, that past February, John Lennon decided to write a song about the recent wave of social upheaval. He recalled, ‘I thought it was about time we spoke about it [revolution], the same as I thought it was about time we stopped not answering about the Vietnamese war. I had been thinking about it up in the hills in India.’ A bootleg recording from the informal Esher session shows that ‘Revolution’ had two of its three verses intact. The line referencing Mao Zedong was added to the lyrics in the studio. During filming of a promotional clip later that year, Lennon told the director that it was the most important lyric of the song. Lennon had changed his mind by 1972, saying ‘I should have never put that in about Chairman Mao.’

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1960s, R&B

Baby It’s You

First recorded by The Shirelles (US #8/R&B #3 1961).
Other hit versions by Smith (US #5 1969), The Beatles (album 1963 |US #67/UK #7 1995).
Also recorded by The Carpenters (1970), Elvis Costello & Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit (1984, released 1995).

From the wiki: “‘Baby It’s You’ was written by Burt Bacharach, Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (elder brother of lyricist Hal David). The song was originally titled ‘I’ll Cherish You’, but was re-written at the request of Dixon who produced the track that the Shirelles released as a single in 1961. The group’s vocals were added directly to Bacharach’s demo recording.

“Dixon’s vocal arrangements for the Shirelles’ recording proved influential in subsequent versions, including that of The Beatles who performed ‘Baby It’s You’ as part of their stage act from 1961 until 1963 before recording it on February 11, 1963 for their first album, Please Please Me. Not released as a single in 1963, ‘Baby It’s You’ was re-released as both a CD single and a vinyl single in 1995 in the UK and the US, peaking at #7 in the UK and #67 in the US.

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1960s, Rock

Little Bit o’ Soul

First recorded by The Little Darlings (1965).
Hit version by The Music Explosion (US #2 1967).
Also recorded by The Ramones (1983).

From the wiki: “‘Little Bit o’ Soul’ was written in 1964 by British songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis, and originally recorded by Coventry band The Little Darlings. Carter first met Lewis while both were at school, where they formed a skiffle band in the 1950s called LVI. In 1961 their band, Carter-Lewis & the Southerners, released ‘Back on the Scene’ as a single but the group never broke through. The Southerners main claim to fame remains the brief stint Jimmy Page did as their lead guitarist.

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1960s, Soul

Save Me

Based on “Help Me (Get the Feeling)” by Ray Sharpe & The King Curtis Orchestra (1966).
Also recorded (as “Help Me”) by Owen Gray (1966).
Inspired by “Gloria” by Them (1964).
Hit album version by Aretha Franklin (1967).
Also recorded by Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger With The Trinity (1968), Nina Simone (1969).
Also recorded (as “Instant Groove”) by King Curtis (1969).

From Vinyl Witness: “One of the more interesting musical reinventions in 60′s Soul & Pop is ‘Help Me’ by Ray Sharpe with the King Curtis Orchestra. The track is revered among collectors as one of the first appearances by a young James ‘Jimi’ Marshall Hendrix on guitar. Jimi Hendrix at the time was in King Curtis’s band, who backed Sharpe on this track. In addition to the early notoriety, the song went on to have unexpected second and third lives.

“‘Help Me’ began as a simple progression from King Curtis, Atlantic Records’ go-to band leader at the time. It was based on the recent hit, ‘Gloria‘, by Them.

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1960s, Pop

He’s a Rebel

First recorded by Vikki Carr (US #115/AUS #5 1962).
Hit version by The Crystals née The Blossoms (US #1/UK #19 1962).

From the wiki: “‘He’s a Rebel’ was written by Gene Pitney (‘Town Without Pity’, ‘Only Love Can Break a Heart’), and was originally intended for The Shirelles to record but they declined. Instead, Snuff Garrett produced the first recording of ‘He’s a Rebel’ for Vikki Carr that would be released as her debut single. It did not go well, ‘bubbling under’ the Hot 100 but peaking Top-5 in Australia.

“Phil Spector, then employed as Liberty Records’ West Coast A&R head (the same labeled where Garrett was employed), also heard the same Pitney demo being played for Carr. Instinctively knowing the song could be a big hit, Spector promptly resigned from his position at Liberty to avoid any conflict-of-interest, intending to release the song on his own Philles Record label.

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1960s, Reggae/Ska

A Message to You, Rudy

First recorded (as “Rudy, A Message to You”) by Dandy (1967).
Hit version by The Specials (UK #10/IRE #19/AUS #29/NZ #29/NETH #22 1979).
Also recorded by Barenaked Ladies (demo 1988), Amy Winehouse (2008).

From the wiki: “‘A Message to You, Rudy’ is a 1967 rocksteady song written by Dandy Livingstone. The song, originally entitled ‘Rudy, A Message to You’ later achieved broader success when, in 1979, The Specials’ cover reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart. Veteran trombone player Rico Rodriguez played on both Livingstone’s 1967 and The Specials’ 1979 recordings.

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1960s, Folk

Four Strong Winds

Written by Ian Tyson and first recorded by Ian & Sylvia (1963).
Also recorded by The Kingston Trio (1963).
Hit versions by Bobby Bare (C&W #3 1965), Neil Young (US #61/UK #57 1978).

From the wiki: “‘Four Strong Winds’ was written by Canadian songwriter Ian Tyson and first recorded by Tyson and his folk singing partner, Sylvia Fricker. Released as a single in September 1963, preceding the Four Strong Winds album release in April 1964. the song did not generate any chart momentum. It was then recorded by The Brothers Four in a version that ‘bubbled under’ the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1963.

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1960s, Rock

Good Times

First recorded by The Easybeats (1968).
Also recorded (as “Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight”) by Hindu Love Gods (1984, released 1986).
Hit version by INXS with Jimmy Barnes (US #47/AUS #2 1987 |UK #18 1991).

From the wiki: “‘Good Times’ was released by Australian group The Easybeats (‘Friday On My Mind’, 1966) as a single in December 1968, with guest vocals by Steve Marriot. The song was written for them by famed songwriting and production duo George Young and Harry Vanda. Legend has it when first broadcast on BBC radio ‘Good Times’ was reputedly heard by Paul McCartney on his car radio; McCartney apparently rang the ‘Beeb’ immediately to request a repeat playing.

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1960s, Rock 'n Roll

Keep on Dancing

First recorded by The Avantis (1963).
Hit versions by The Gentrys (US #4 1965), Bay City Rollers (UK #9 1971).
Also recorded by Pink Lady (1977).

From the wiki: “‘Keep on Dancing’ was written by written by Allen A. Jones and Willie David Young, and was first recorded in 1963 by The Avantis (not to be confused with the surf rock band with the same name), a black vocal trio from Memphis, Tennessee, who modeled themselves after the Isley Brothers, and who had toured with, and befriended, the Gentrys.

“The Gentrys’ 1965 cover is notable for the fact that it is actually one short recording repeated in order to stretch the record out to the length of the typical pop single of its day. The second half of the song, after the false fade, beginning with Gentrys drummer Larry Wall’s drum fill, is the same as the first.

“Don Crews and Chips Moman remembered a song, ‘basically a ballad,’ that Chips had cut with the Avantis and leased to Argo Records. ‘We made two or three takes, trying to get something,’ Don recalled. ‘We left it up to the fellows to come up with something,’ and somewhere along the line the band speeded up the song’s tempo. Chips said, ‘Let’s put it down and see what happens,” Don continued. ‘We made one run to get a level, about half the tune, and then recorded it. It came out at a minute and thirty seconds. I said, ‘That’s too short.’ So we just faded it out and spliced the first verse on again.'” – Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios, by Roben Jones, 2010

“In 1971, the Bay City Rollers covered the song as their debut single and their version charted at #9 in the UK. In 1977, Japanese girl duo Pink Lady recorded a Japanese-language version of the song on their debut album Pepper Keibu.”

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1960s, Soul

Knock on Wood

Co-written and first recorded by Eddie Floyd (US #28/R&B #1 1966).
Other hit versions by Otis Redding & Carla Thomas (US #30/R&B #8/UK #35 1967), David Bowie (1974 UK #10/IRE #4), Ami Stewart (US #1/UK #6/CAN #1/ 1979).

From the wiki: “Written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper, ‘Knock on Wood’ was first recorded in 1966 by Eddie Floyd. According to Floyd, the line ‘It’s like thunder, lightning, the way you love me is frightening’ was inspired by a thunderstorm that was occurring the afternoon the song was written with Cropper, the famed Stax guitarist, in a Memphis hotel room.

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1960s, Country

Elvira

Written and first recorded by Dallas Frazier (US #72/CAN #27 1966).
Also recorded by Kenny Roger & The First Edition (1970), Rodney Crowell (C&W #95 1978).
Other hit version by The Oak Ridge Boys (US #5/MOR #8/C&W #1/CAN #26/AUS #87/NZ #13 1981).

From the wiki: “Songwriter Dallas Frazier penned ‘Elvira’ in 1966 and included it as the title track of the album he released that year. A number of recording artists, most notably Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, also recorded the song through the years, to varying degrees of success. Frazier’s own version peaked at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.

“In 1978, alternative country recording artist Rodney Crowell recorded a cover of ‘Elvira’ (with ‘Ashes by Now’ on the B-side) that became a minor C&W hit. However, Crowell’s version did have its fans — most notably The Oak Ridge Boys. In 1980, when the group began planning for their upcoming album, Fancy Free, the Oaks decided to cover the song.

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1960s, Soul

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher

First recorded (as “(My Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”) by The Dells (1967, released 1968).
Also recorded (as”(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher”) by Otis Redding (1967 |B-side R&B #30 1969).
Hit versions by Jackie Wilson (US #6/R&B #1 1967 |UK #11 1969), Canada Goose (US #90/CAN #44 1970), Rita Coolidge (US #2/UK #48/AUS #6 1977).

From the wiki: Chess Records’ in-house writers and producers Gary Jackson and Raynard Miner wrote ‘(My Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher’, which was initially recorded by The Dells (‘Oh, What a Night’) in February 1967. However, their recording was not released until May 1968 on the album There Is. Another writer, Gary Jackson, made some changes to the song, and this version, retitled ‘(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher’ was recorded by Otis Redding for Atco Records prior to his passing in December 1967. It would be posthumously released in 1969, 18 months later, as the B-side to ‘Free Me’.

“Jackson also pitched the song to producer Carl Davis at Brunswick Records. When Brunswick artist Jackie Wilson recorded his vocal track, Davis recalls, the song – now titled ‘(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher’, had been arranged ‘like a soul ballad. I said that’s totally wrong. You have to jump and go with the percussion … If he didn’t want to sing it that way, I would put my voice on the record and sell millions.’ After hearing Davis’s advice, Wilson cut the lead vocal for the new up-tempo ‘Higher and Higher’ arrangement in a single take.

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1960s, Pop

One

Written and first recorded by Nilsson (1967).
Also recorded by Al Kooper (1968).
Hit versions by Three Dog Night (US #5/CAN #4 1969), Johnny Farnham (AUS #1 1969).

From the wiki: “‘One’ was written by Harry Nilsson and recorded in 1967. It appeared initially on Nilsson’s third album, Aerial Ballet, released in 1968. Nilsson wrote the song after calling someone and getting a busy signal. He stayed on the line listening to the ‘beep, beep, beep, beep…’ tone, writing the song. The busy signal was expressed musically to become the opening notes of the song.

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1960s, Folk

And When I Die

First released by Peter, Paul & Mary (1966).
Also recorded by Laura Nyro (demo 1966 |1967).
Hit version by Blood, Sweat & Tears (US #2/NZ #1 1969).

From the wiki: “‘And When I Die’ was written by Laura Nyro and first recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1966 after listening to Nyro’s rough demo. The song was one of the first written by Nyro, when she was 17 years old. She then sold the song to Peter, Paul and Mary for $5000, who then recorded the song for their sixth studio album The Peter, Paul and Mary Album.

“Nyro would later produce a studio recording of ‘And When I Die’ for her own 1967 debut album More Than a New Discovery. However, the song is probably best known for the recording by Blood, Sweat & Tears. Their 1969 single release reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

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1960s, R&B

Any Day Now

First recorded (as “Lover”) by Tommy Hunt (unreleased 1961).
Hit versions by (as “Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)”) by Chuck Jackson (US #23/R&B #2 1962), Elvis Presley (B-side US #3 1969), Ronnie Milsap (US #14/C&W #1/CAN #1 1982), Luther Vandross (2001).
Also recorded by Alan Price Set (1965), Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (1966).

From the wiki: “‘Any Day Now’ was written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard in 1961. Co-writer Bacharach (‘Alfie‘,’Make It Easy On Yourself‘,’Message to Michael‘) had orchestrated and recorded the song’s backing track a year before presenting it to Chuck Jackson, formerly of the Del Vikings (‘Come Go With Me‘).

“In the interim, producer Luther Dixon made use of the same backing track to record the arrangement of the song with former Flamingos singer Tommy Hunt (‘I Only Have Eyes For You’, The Flamingos; ‘I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself‘), titled ‘Lover’, using a set of completely different, and uncredited, lyrics. Hunt’s 1961 recording, believed to have been recorded within days of his leaving the Flamingos, went unreleased by Stardust Records (backed with another unreleased track, Big Maybelle’s ‘How Do You Feel Now’).

“When it came time to record Jackson, parts of Hunt’s original singing were still audible at the end of Jackson’s hit version.

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1960s, Rock

Feelin’ Alright?

First recorded by Traffic (US #123 1968).
Hit versions by Joe Cocker (US #69 1969 |US #33/NETH #11 1972), Mongo Santamaria (US #95 1969), Grand Funk Railroad (US #54/CAN #20 1971).
ALso recorded by Three Dog Night (1969), Chairmen of the Board (1970), Jackson 5 (1971).

From the wiki: “‘Feelin’ Alright?’ (also known as ‘Feeling Alright’) was written by Dave Mason of the band Traffic from their eponymous 1968 album, Traffic. Dave Mason wrote this song with the title ‘Not Feelin’ Too Good Myself,’ which is more accurate in terms of the song’s meaning, but less marketable. (Mason explained: ‘It’s just a song about a girl. It’s just another relationship gone bad.’)

“The original Traffic version of the song, filled with the corresponding melancholy, was issued as ‘Feelin’ Alright?’ – the question mark providing a vital clue to the content. Joe Cocker’s version scrapped the punctuation and was issued as ‘Feeling Alright’, which is how it was listed on most subsequent covers. Cocker recorded it in his debut album, With a Little Help from My Friends, in 1969. In its first release in 1969, his cover reached #69 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In a 1972 re-release, the single reached even higher – #33 on the same chart.

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1960s, Folk

Both Sides Now

First recorded (as “Clouds (Both Sides Now)”) by Dave Van Ronk & The Hudson Dusters (1967).
Hit version by Judy Collins (US #8/MOR #3/CAN #6/UK #14/AUS #37/NZ #7 1968).
Also recorded by Fairport Convention (1967), Harpers Bizarre (US #123/MOR #38 1968), Joni Mitchell (1969 | 2000), Herbie Hancock (2007).

From the wiki: “First recorded as ‘Clouds (Both Sides Now)’ (against the writer’s will) by Dave Van Ronk & The Hudson Dusters in 1967, for their one and only album, the song ‘Both Sides, Now’ was written by Joni Mitchell – inspired, she says, by a passage in Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow:

I was reading Saul Bellow’s ‘Henderson the Rain King’ on a plane and early in the book Henderson the Rain King is also up in a plane. He’s on his way to Africa and he looks down and sees these clouds. I put down the book, looked out the window and saw clouds too, and I immediately started writing the song.

“However much she might have disliked Van Ronk retitling ‘Both Sides Now’, Mitchell must have caught his drift. She titled the 1969 album holding her own version of ‘Both Sides, Now’ Clouds.

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1960s, Pop

Sealed with a Kiss

First recorded by Four Voices (US #109 1960).
Other hit versions by Brian Hyland (US #3/UK #3 1962 |UK #7 1975), Gary Lewis & The Playboys (US #11 1968), Bobby Vinton (US #19 1972), Jason Donovan (UK #1/IRE #1/AUS #8/ 1989).

From the wiki: “‘Sealed with a Kiss’ is a song written by Peter Udell and Gary Geld. It was first recorded by The Four Voices in 1960 as a single. It peaked ‘Bubbling Under’ the Billboard Hot 100, at #109.

“In 1962, Brian Hyland, who often performed Udell and Geld’s material, covered the song. Hyland’s single began its run on 6th June 1962 and became a hit, reaching #3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. When re-released in 1975, Hyland’s recording charted in the UK at #7.

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1960s, Rock

A Hazy Shade of Winter

Written by Paul Simon and first recorded by Simon & Garfunkel (US #13/UK #30 1968).
Other hit version (as “Hazy Shade of Winter”) by The Bangles (US #2/UK #11/CAN #3/AUS #7 1987).

From the wiki: “‘A Hazy Shade of Winter’ was written by Paul Simon, recorded and released by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966, and then included on their 1968 album, Bookends (although it also appeared on their Live from New York City, 1967).

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1960s, Pop

Angel of the Morning

First recorded by Evie Sands (1967).
Also recorded by Danny Michaels (1967), Billie Davis (UK 1967), Joya Landis (1968).
Hit versions by Merilee Rush (US #7/UK #55/CAN #1/AUS #1 1968), P.P. Arnold (UK #29 1968), Mary Mason (UK #27 1977), Guys ‘n Dolls (NETH #11 1977), Juice Newton (US #4/C&W #22/CAN #1 1981).

From the wiki: “‘Angel of the Morning’ was written by Chip Taylor (‘Wild Thing‘, ‘I Can’t Let Go‘), and was first offered to singer-actress Connie Francis (‘Who’s Sorry Now’ [1957], ‘Where the Boys Are’ [1961]). Francis turned it down because she thought that it was too risqué(!) for her career.

“Taylor then produced a recording with Evie Sands (‘I Can’t Let Go‘) but the financial straits of Cameo-Parkway Records, who had Sands on their roster, reportedly prevented either that version’s release or its distribution. Other early recordings of the song were made in 1967 by Southern California country music fixture Danny Michaels (produced by Lee Hazlewood for his LHI label) and, in the UK, by vocalist Billie Davis.

“‘Angel of the Morning’ finally became a hit in the spring and summer of 1968 with the recording by Merrilee Rush produced that January at American Sound Studios in Memphis with Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill producing. It charted into the Top 10 in the US, also becoming an international hit. Her recording would earn Rush a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance (Female) in 1969.

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1960s, Country, Pop

By the Time I Get to Phoenix

First recorded by Johnny Rivers (1965).
Hit version by Glen Campbell (US #26/C&W #2/CAN #1 1967).

From the wiki: “‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’ was written by Jimmy Webb (‘Up, Up and Away‘). Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965 on his album Changes it would be made famous by Glen Campbell, appearing as the opening and title track on Campbell’s 1967 album By the Time I Get to Phoenix. Campbell’s recording reached #2 on the US Country Singles chart in 1968, and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and would go on to win two Grammy Awards in 1968: Best Vocal Performance (Male), and Best Contemporary Male Solo Vocal Performance. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) has named ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’ the third most-performed song from 1940 to 1990. Frank Sinatra called it ‘the greatest torch song ever written.’

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1960s, R&B

Up on the Roof

First recorded (as a demo) by Little Eva (1962).
Hit versions by The Drifters (US #5/R&B #4 1963), Kenny Lynch (UK #10 1962), Julie Grant (UK #33 1963), The Cryan’ Shames (US #85 1968), Laura Nyro (US #92 1970), James Taylor (US #28 1980), Robson & Jerome (UK #1 1995).
Also recorded by Carole King (1970).

From the wiki: “‘Up on the Roof’ is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, first recorded as a demo in 1962 by Little Eva – their 14-year old babysitter whose singing career Goffin and King had helped launched with ‘The Loco-Motion’ and who the songwriting pair often used for demos. The song was then recorded and commercially released first by The Drifters in July 1962, becoming a major hit in early 1963, peaking at #5 the week of February 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the US R&B Singles chart.

“In the UK the Drifters’ version of ‘Up on the Roof’ failed to reach the Top 50, being trumped by two local cover versions, sung by, respectively, Julie Grant and Kenny Lynch (‘Mountain of Love‘).

“The Kenny Lynch version, which largely replicated the Drifters’ original, was the more successful, reaching #10 UK. The Julie Grant version, which reached #33 UK, was reinvented as a Merseybeat number. Its producer, Tony Hatch, would later be inspired to write Petula Clark’s iconic hit ‘Downtown’, which itself was originally envisioned as being in the style of the Drifters, with whom Hatch had hoped to place it.

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1960s, Country, R&B

Soul Deep

Originally recorded by Wayne Carson Thompson (1969).
Hit version by The Box Tops (US #18/UK #22/CAN #9/AUS #7 1969), Eddy Arnold (MOR #22/CAN #44 1970).
Also recorded by Gin Blossoms (1994).

From the wiki: “Wayne Carson Thompson performed professionally as ‘Wayne Carson’, and was a Nashville-based musician, producer and songwriter when he wrote and first recorded ‘Soul Deep’ in 1969. Among his other songwriting credits are ‘The Letter’ (also recorded by The Box Tops), ‘Always On My Mind‘, and ‘She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Double)’.

“Covered by the Box Tops in 1969, ‘Soul Deep’ was the third of three singles released from the album Dimensions.”

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