Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Category: Rock

1970s, Rock

Tangled Up in Blue

First recorded by Bob Dylan (1974, released 1991).
Hit version by Bob Dylan (US #31 1975).
Also recorded by Bob Dylan (1984).

From the wiki: “‘Tangled Up in Blue’ was written by Bob Dylan, and first appeared on the album Blood on the Tracks in 1975. Released as a single, ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone ranks it #68 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. According to The Telegraph, Dylan said ‘I wanted to defy time … When you look at a painting, you can see any part of it altogether. I wanted that song to be like a painting.’ Dylan had been influenced by his then-recent study of painting and the Cubist school of artists, who had sought to incorporate multiple perspectives within a single plane of view. Dylan has often stated that the song took ‘ten years to live and two years to write.’

“‘Tangled Up in Blue’ was one of five songs on Blood on the Tracks that Dylan initially recorded in New York City in September 1974 and which was then re-recorded in Minneapolis in December that year; the later recording became the album track and single. One of the September 1974 outtakes was released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991.

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1960s, Rock

Shanghai Noodle Factory

First recorded and released by Jay & the Americans (1967).
Hit album version by Traffic (1968).

From the wiki: “‘Shanghai Noodle Factory’, ostensibly about the business of music being in conflict with the needs of a musician, was written by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Jimmy Miller, and Larry Fallon sometime between Winwood’s departure from the Spencer Davis Group and his co-founding of the band Traffic in the spring of 1967. But, ‘Shanghai Noodle Factory’ would first be recorded by the group Jay & the Americans (‘Come A Little Bit Closer’, ‘Cara Mia’, ‘This Magic Moment‘) and released in October 1967 as the B-side to the non-charting single ‘French Provincial’.

“Coincidentally, it was co-writer and Traffic (and former Spencer Davis Group) producer Jimmy Miller who helmed the Jay & the Americans recording session.

“Traffic would record its own version of Winwood’s song during the group’s final studio sessions in early 1968. Traffic’s ‘Shanghai Noodle Factory’ would then be released in December 1968 in the UK (February 1969 in the US) as the B-side of the non-charting single ‘Medicated Goo’ and appear on the 1969 album Last Exit.”

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1970s, Rock

Givin’ It Up For Your Love

Written and first recorded by Jerry Williams (1979).
Hit version by Delbert McClinton (US #8/MOR #35/CAN #10 1981).

From the wiki: “Jerry Lynn Williams’ big break as a songwriter came when Delbert McClinton recorded a cover of ‘Givin’ It Up For Your Love’, first recorded by Williams in 1979 for his album Gone. Williams would go on to write for Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Clint Black, and contributed two songs, ‘Real Man’ and ‘I Will Not Be Denied’, to Bonnie Raitt’s 1989 Grammy Award-winning album Nick of Time. Williams also helped Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan write the song ‘Tick Tock’.

“Born in 1948, Williams had dropped out of school at age 14, working Texas roadhouses with his own band, The Epics. He later toured with Little Richard’s band until authorities discovered Williams’ age and sent him home. Williams says he learned to play lead guitar from a fellow band member, Jimmy James – better known as Jimi Hendrix.

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1970s, Rock

Rock and Roll Love Letter

Written and first recorded by Tim Moore (1975).
Hit version by Bay City Rollers (US #28/CAN #6/AUS #9/GER #13 1976).

From the wiki: “‘Rock and Roll Love Letter’ is the second single from American Tim Moore’s second album, Behind the Eyes, written by Moore. Moore’s original version when released as a promotional single in 1975 did not chart. But, ‘Rock and Roll Love Letter’ was later covered in 1976 by the band Bay City Rollers, and that version became a Top 40 hit.”

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1960s, Rock

I’ll Follow the Sun

First recorded by The Silver Beetles (1960).
Hit album version by The Beatles (EP UK #5 1965/SWE #4 1965).

From the wiki: “‘I’ll Follow the Sun’ was written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It appears on the Beatles for Sale album in the UK and on Beatles ’65 in the US, but was written long before. A version recorded in 1960 can be found in the bootleg record You Might As Well Call Us the Quarrymen.

“When asked about the lyrics, McCartney would recall, ‘I wrote that in my front parlour in Forthlin Road. I was about 16. ‘I’ll Follow The Sun’ was one of those very early ones. I seem to remember writing it just after I’d had the flu and I had that cigarette. I remember standing in the parlour, with my guitar, looking out through the lace curtains of the window, and writing that one.’

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1970s, Rock

Squeeze Box

First recorded (as a demo) by Pete Townshend (1974).
Hit version by The Who (US #16 1975 |UK #10/CAN #1/AUS #1 1976).

From the wiki: “‘Squeeze Box’ was written by Pete Townshend, and was originally intended for a Who television special planned in 1974. The lyrics are couched in sexual double entendrés. In the planned performance of the song, the members of the band were to be surrounded by one-hundred semi-naked women playing ‘squeezeboxes’ – a colloquial expression for accordions and concertinas – as the song was played.

“Townshend first recorded demo of the song featured a farfisa arrangement, as well as with bluegrass banjos. When the anticipated TV special did not materialize, The Who recorded ‘Squeeze Box’ and the song was released as the first single from The Who by Numbers in 1975 in the US and 1976 in the UK. ‘Squeezebox’ became an international hit, becoming the band’s first-ever Top-10 hit in Britain since 1972.

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1980s, Rock

Walking on Sunshine

First recorded by Katrina & the Waves (1983).
Hit version by Katrina & the Waves (US#9/UK #8/CAN #3/IRE 2/AUS #4 1985).

From the wiki: “‘Walking on Sunshine’ was written by Kimberley Rew for Katrina & the Waves’ 1983 debut album of the same name. The band recorded – at their own expense – an LP of their original material designed to be sold at gigs. The album was shopped around to various labels, but only Attic Records in Canada responded with an offer.

“Consequently, although Katrina & the Waves were based in England, the first album, Walking On Sunshine, was released only in Canada. The title track garnered enough critical attention and radio play (especially for the title track) to merit a Canadian tour and a follow-up album in Canada (Katrina and the Waves 2, in 1984).

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1970s, Rock

4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Written and first recorded by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (1973).
Hit version (as “Sandy”) by The Hollies (US #85/GER #22/NZ #12/NETH #9 1975).

From the wiki: “‘4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)’, often known just as ‘Sandy’, was written in 1973 by Bruce Springsteen and first appeared as the second song on the album The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle. Van Morrison’s influence can be heard in Springsteen’s songwriting about his hometown, closely paralleling Morrison’s romanticism of his hometown, Belfast, Ireland.

“No singles were released from The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle … except in Germany – the first-ever Springsteen 7-inch issued outside the United States – where Springsteen’s ‘Sandy’ met with no apparent chart success.

“However, ‘Sandy’ became the first song written by Springsteen to chart, anywhere, when The Hollies’ cover version, released in April 1975, hit #85 in the US, and charted higher in a few other international markets (e.g. Top-10 in the Netherlands). While not a big hit unto itself, The Hollies’ use of “Sandy” presaged other artists mining the early Springsteen songbook for material, a notion that would soon be exploited to much greater commercial success by Manfred Mann and others.

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1970s, Rock

No No Song

Written and first recorded by Hoyt Axton (1974).
Hit version by Ringo Starr (US #3/CAN #1 1975).

From the wiki: “Ringo Starr’s cover of Hoyt Axton’s and David Jackson’s ‘No No Song’ was included on Starr’s 1974 album Goodnight Vienna. The song was released as a single in the US in January 1975, becoming a #1 hit in Canada and a #3 hit in the US. Harry Nilsson provided backing vocals.”

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1970s, Rock

Happiness is Just Around the Bend

First recorded by Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express (1973).
Hit version by The Main Ingredient (US #35/R&B #7/CAN #51 1974).
Also recorded by Cuba Gooding, Sr. (1983), Altern-8 (1991).

From the wiki: “‘Happiness is Just Around the Bend’ was written by Brian Auger and first recorded in 1973 by Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express. A cover recording in 1974 by The Main Ingredient charted in the US Top 40, peaking at #35, and the R&B Top 10, peaking at #7.

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1970s, Rock

Video Killed the Radio Star

First recorded by Bruce Wooley & the Camera Club (1978).
Hit version by The Buggles (US #40/UK #1/CAN #6/AUS #1/IRE #1/ITA #1/SWE #1/JPN #1 1980).

From the wiki: “‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1978, and was first recorded by Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for the album English Garden.

“Horn, Downes and Woolley wrote ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ in an hour of one afternoon in 1978, six months before it was first recorded. Horn has said that the short story ‘The Sound-Sweep’, in which the title character – a mute boy vacuuming up stray music in a world without it – comes upon an opera singer hiding in a sewer, provided inspiration for ‘Video’, and he felt ‘an era was about to pass.’ Horn claimed that the German synth-group Kraftwerk was another influence of the song: ‘…It was like you could see the future when you heard Kraftwerk, something new is coming, something different. Different rhythm section, different mentality.’

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1960s, Rock

Let’s Live for Today

First recorded (as”Piangi Con Me”) by The Rokes (1967).
First recorded (in English) by The Rokes (1967).
Also recorded (and first released) by The Living Daylights (1967).
Hit version by The Grass Roots (US #8 1967).

From the wiki: “The song that would become ‘Let’s Live for Today’ was originally written by David Shapiro and Ivan Mogul in 1966, with Italian lyrics and the Italian title of ‘Piangi Con Me’ (translated as ‘Cry with Me’). At the time, Shapiro was a member of The Rokes, an English beat group who had relocated to Italy in 1963. Following its success on the Italian charts, plans were made to release ‘Piangi Con Me’ in the United Kingdom and as a result, the song was translated into English and given the new title of ‘Passing Thru Grey’. However, the song’s publisher in Britain, Dick James Music, was unhappy with the lyrics of “Passing Thru Grey” and decided that they should be changed.

“Michael Julien, a member of the publisher’s writing staff, was assigned the task of composing new words for the song and it was his input that transformed it into ‘Let’s Live for Today’. Before the Rokes could release the song in the UK, however, another British group, The Living Daylights, released a version of it. Ultimately, neither The Living Daylights nor The Rokes would reach the charts with their recording of the song.

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1970s, Rock

Devil Woman

First recorded by Kristine (1975).
Hit version by Cliff Richard (US #6/UK #9 1976).

From the wiki: “‘Devil Woman’ was written by Terry Britten and Christine Holmes (singer of the Family Dogg, ‘Arizona‘) and was first recorded by Holmes under the name ‘Kristine’. It became a #9 UK hit in June 1976 for Cliff Richard, and was his first single to reach the Top 20 in the US. The song is told from the point of a view of a man jinxed from an encounter with a stray cat with evil eyes, and his discovery that the psychic medium (a Gypsy woman) whose help he sought to break the curse was the one responsible for the curse in the first place. Richard supposedly was hesitant to cut it until he modified some lyrics to play down the occult theme.”

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1960s, Rock

Fox on the Run

First recorded by Manfred Mann (US #95/UK #5 1968).
Also recorded by The Country Gentlemen (1970).
Other hit version by Tom T. Hall (C&W #9 1976).

From the wiki: “Note: NOT the mid-’70s hit by Sweet. ‘Fox on the Run’ was first recorded by Manfred Mann as a single issued 29 November 1968. It was introduced to Bluegrass by Bill Emerson and quickly became a Bluegrass favorite, first recorded in that genre by The Country Gentlemen in 1970. In 1976, ‘Fox on the Run’ was covered by Country music singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall whose recording peaked in the US Country Top-10, its highest-charting US performance.”

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1970s, Rock

Do Ya

First recorded by The Move (B-side US #93/UK #7 1972).
Also recorded by Utopia (1975).
Hit version by Electric Light Orchestra (US #24/CAN #13/GER #42 1977).

From the wiki: “‘Do Ya’ was written by Jeff Lynne in 1971 and was first recorded by British Rock band The Move in 1972 when Lynne was a member of the group. The final Move line-up of 1972 that first recorded ‘Do Ya’ was the trio of Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan; together, they rode the Move’s transition into the Electric Light Orchestra. Released on a maxi single along with ‘California Man’ and ‘Ella James’, ‘Do Ya’ proved to be the Move’s farewell disc, and the only song recorded by the group to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 – albeit as a B-side. (The Move had ten UK Top 20 hits before its breakup.)

“ELO formed during The Move’s latter years to accommodate Wood’s and Lynne’s desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones. ELO’s sixth album, the platinum-selling A New World Record, became their first UK Top 10 album when it was released in 1976. It contained the hit singles ‘Livin’ Thing’, ‘Telephone Line’, ‘Rockaria!’ … and ‘Do Ya’, a re-recording of the Move song, that charted Top 30 in the US in 1977.

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1990s, Rock

Stay (I Missed You)

First recorded (as a demo) by Lisa Loeb (1992).
Hit version by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories (US #1/MOR #5/CAN #1/UK #6/AUS #6 1994).

From the wiki: “‘Stay (I Missed You)’ was written by singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb. It was released in May 1994 as the lead single from the original motion-picture soundtrack for Reality Bites. ‘Stay’ was originally conceived by Loeb in 1990. Loeb, who had attended Berklee School of Music in Boston for a summer session after graduating from Brown University, formed a full band called Nine Stories in 1990.

“The band, named after a book by J.D. Salinger, included Tim Bright on guitar, Jonathan Feinberg on drums, and Joe Quigley on bass. Loeb began working with producer Juan Patiño to make the cassette Purple Tape in 1992. It included the earliest recordings of later popular tracks such as ‘Do You Sleep?’, ‘Snow Day’, ‘Train Songs’, ‘It’s Over’ and ‘Stay (I Missed You)’. Loeb sold the violet-colored cassette to fans at gigs and used it as a sonic calling card to music industry gatekeepers.

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1970s, Rock

Billy, Don’t Be a Hero

First recorded by Paper Lace (US #96/UK #1 1974).
Other hit version by Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods (US #1 1974).

From the wiki: “‘Billy, Don’t Be a Hero’ was written by two British song writers Mitch Murray and Peter Callander, was first a hit in the UK for Paper Lace (‘The Night Chicago Died’); some months later it was covered in the US by Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods who scored a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

“In the song, a young woman is distraught that her fiancé chooses to leave the area with Army recruiters and go with them to fight. Because the song was released in 1974, it was associated by some listeners with the Vietnam War, though it actually does not reference a specific ‘war’.”

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1970s, Rock

Baby, I Love Your Way

First recorded by Peter Frampton (1975).
Hit versions by Peter Frampton (US #12/UK #45/CAN #3 1976), Will to Power (US #1 1988), Big Mountain (US #6/UK #2/EUR #1 1994).

From the wiki: “‘Baby, I Love Your Way’ was written by Peter Frampton, and first released in September 1975 on the his self-titled studio album Frampton. A live version of the song was later released on Frampton’s 1976 multi-platinum album Frampton Comes Alive!, and it charted Top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1988, the group Will To Power had a US #1 hit with a medley of this and ‘Free Bird’. Big Mountain hit #6 in the US and #2 in the UK with ‘Baby, I Love Your Way’ in 1994, from the soundtrack to Reality Bites.”

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1970s, Rock

Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)

Written and first recorded by Moon Martin (1978).
Hit version by Robert Palmer (US #14/CAN #1/AUS #13/NZ #20 1979).

From the wiki: “‘Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)’ was written by Moon Martin (‘Cadillac Walk’) and first recorded for his 1978 album Shots From a Cold Nightmare. A year later the song was covered by Robert Palmer for his 1979 album Secrets and went on to become a US and Canadian hit. The main difference between Moon’s version and the cover by Robert Palmer is that Palmer’s version is in major key while Moon’s is in minor, making Martin’s original arrangement sound more ominous.”

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1970s, Rock

One Man Band

First recorded by Roger Daltry (1973).
Hit version by co-writer Leo Sawyer (US #96/UK #6 1974).

From the wiki: “‘One Man Band’ is a song first recorded in 1973 by The Who’s lead singer, Roger Daltrey, for his debut solo album Daltrey. It was written by David Courtney and Leo Sayer (‘The Show Must Go On‘, ‘More Than I Can Say‘), and features Daltrey’s Acoustic guitar strumming. According to Daltrey, it ‘reminiscences of Shepherd’s Bush’ (a place in west London where Daltrey had grown up and where The Who were formed) and became one the albums highlights; later being released as a single in its own right in some European territories but without any US chart success.

“The song was covered by the co-writer, Leo Sayer, a year later (1974) for his solo album Just a Boy and was also released as a single which later became one of Sayer’s biggest UK hits.”

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1960s, Rock

Arizona

First recorded by The Family Dogg (B-side 1969).
Hit version by Mark Lindsay (US #10 1969).

From the wiki: “‘Arizona’ was written by Kenny Young (‘Under the Boardwalk’, Drifters, 1964; ‘Just a Little Bit Better’, Herman’s Hermits, 1964) and popularly recorded by former Paul Revere & the Raiders member Mark Lindsay (‘Indian Reservation‘) in 1969. The song was, however, first recorded April-May 1969 by the UK folk-rock group The Family Dogg and was first released as the B-side to the single ‘A Way of Life’.

“Albert Hammond (‘To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before‘) and Steve Rowland met for the first time at a concert in Madrid in 1964. In 1966, The Family Dogg was formed by the duo along with the participation of the singers Mike Hazlewood and Pam Zooey Quinn. The debut album, A Way of Life, was released in 1969; the title track became a #6 hit in the UK Singles Chart. Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin were guest musicians on this album, along with Elton John. Hammond and Hazlewood would go on to co-write ‘Gimme Dat Ding’ (The Pipkins) and ‘The Air That I Breathe‘ (The Hollies).

“After leaving Paul Revere & the Raiders in 1969, Lindsay began to record solo records and to produce records before retiring from performing to serve as head of A&R for United Artists records. Lindsay contributed to the recordings of artists such as Gerry Rafferty (on ‘Baker Street’), Kenny Rogers, and others. His later accomplishments also included composing jingles for commercials (including Baskin-Robbins, Datsun, Kodak, Pontiac and Levi’s among others) and scores for motion pictures.”

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1960s, Rock

Old Brown Shoe

First recorded (as a demo) by The Beatles (January 1969).
Also recorded (as a solo demo) by George Harrison (February 1969).
Hit album version by The Beatles (April 1969).

From the wiki: “‘Old Brown Shoe’ was written by George Harrison and would be released by The Beatles as the B-side to ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’. The song was recorded during the sessions for the Abbey Road album, first by the group over a three-day period while participating in a Let It Be film session at Apple Studios in January 1969. Harrison then made a multi-tracked solo demo (featuring only piano and electric guitar) at EMI Studios on 25 February 1969. There is some controversy over whether Harrison played bass on the completed album version, recorded in April 1969. In a two-part Creem interview (published in December 1987 and January 1988), Harrison appears to confirm he played bass on the recording:

‘Creem: You also told me you played bass on ‘Old Brown Shoe’.
George: It’s like a lunatic playing.
Creem: It sounds like McCartney was going nuts again.
George: That was me going nuts. I’m doing exactly what I do on the guitar.'”

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1970s, Rock

Beth

First recorded (as “Beck”) by Chelsea (c. 1971).
Hit version by KISS (US #7 1977).

From the wiki: “‘Beth’ was co-written (as ‘Beck’) by drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Stan Penridge in 1971 before Criss had joined KISS, while he and Penridge were members of the band Chelsea. (‘Beck’ was the nickname of fellow Chelsea member Mike Brand’s wife, Becky, who would call often during practices to ask Mike when he was coming home.) ‘Beck’ was first recorded sometime around 1971 by Chelsea but now appears only as a bootleg.

“In its next incarnation, the song became a last-minute addition to the 1977 album, Destroyer, released in 1977. According to Bill Aucoin, the manager of KISS at that time, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley did not want ‘Beth’ on the album because it was not a typical KISS song. Aucoin insisted on keeping the song on the record. During the recording sessions for the song, Criss was the only KISS member in the studio, making it the only group song that features no instrumental performances by any other member of the band. Criss is backed by a piano and a string orchestra, a stark departure from the hard rock-oriented band.

“‘Beth’ was first released as the B-side to ‘Detroit Rock City’ but radio stations, particularly one in Atlanta, Georgia, began playing it more than the A-side and the B-side, ‘Beth’, quickly became a highly-requested selection. Kiss and Casablanca Records then reissued ‘Beth’ as the A-side with ‘Detroit Rock City’ as the B-side. The single went Gold in the United States (the first KISS single to do so) in January 1977. Both producer Bob Ezrin and band member Simmons were also credited with changing the song’s title to ‘Beth’ when recorded by KISS.”

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1970s, Rock

The Show Must Go On

Co-written and first recorded by Leo Sayer (UK #2/IRE #3 1973).
Other hit version by Three Dog Night (US #4 1974).

From the wiki: “‘The Show Must Go On’ was written by Leo Sayer and David Courtney and first recorded by Sayer in 1973, becoming his first hit recording and was included on Sayer’s debut album Silverbird. The song uses a circus theme as a metaphor for dealing with the difficulties and wrong choices of life. Early in Sayer’s career, he performed it dressed and made up as a pierrot clown.

“The song was covered by Three Dog Night, whose version was released in 1974, and became the group’s final Top 10 US recording. In Sayer’s version, the last line of the chorus is ‘I won’t let the show go on’. Three Dog Night sang it as ‘I must let the show go on’, which Sayer was reportedly not happy about.”

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