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.”
Based on “On Top of Old Smoky” by The Weavers (US #2 1951).
Hit version by Tom Glazer & the Do-Re-Mi Children’s Chorus (1963).
From the wiki: “‘On Top of Spaghetti’ is a ballad and children’s song with the most known performance by folk singer Tom Glazer with the Do-Re-Mi Children’s Chorus in 1963. The song is sung to the tune of ‘On Top of Old Smoky’, first recorded in 1925 by George Reneau and made popular in 1951 by The Weavers. It is the tale of a meatball falling off of a pile of spaghetti and rolling away ‘after somebody sneezed.'”
First recorded by The Sidney Bechet All-Stars (1952).
Hit version by Chris Barber’s Jazz Band (US #5/R&B #28/UK #3/SWE #1 1959).
From the wiki: “‘Petite Fleur’ was written by Sidney Bechet, one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded by the Sidney Bechet All Stars in January, 1952.
“The song became an international hit in 1959 with the UK recording of Chris Barber’s Jazz Band, featuring the clarinet of Monty Sunshine. A Top-5 hit in both the US and UK, ‘Petite Fleur’ also topped the Swedish music sales chart for 12 weeks.”
First recorded by Elvis Presley (US #95 1968).
Other hit version by Elvis Presley vs. JXL (US #50/UK #1/IRE #1/AUS #1/NZ #1/SWE #1 2002).
Also recorded by Mac Davis, co-writer (1973).
From the wiki: “‘A Little Less Conversation’ was written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange, and first performed by Elvis Presley in the 1968 film Live a Little, Love a Little. Davis has stated he’d written the song for Aretha Franklin to record, but that came to naught. ‘Conversation’ became a minor 1968 hit in the US for Presley when released as a single. Presley re-recorded the song in June 1968 for the soundtrack of his ’68 Comeback Special, with the intent of performing it during the program. Ultimately, it was decided not to use the recording and the song was dropped from the planned special. A 2002 remix by Junkie XL of the later re-recording of the song by Presley became a worldwide hit, topping the singles charts in nine countries and was awarded certifications in ten countries by 2003.”
First recorded (as “El manisero”) by Rita Montaner con Orquesta (1927).
Hit versions by Don Azpiazu & His Havana Casino Orchestra (US #1 1930), Louis Armstrong (US #15 1930), Red Nichols & His Five Pennies (US #5 1931), The California Ramblers (US #5 1931), Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (US #1 1947).
Also recorded by Stan Kenton (1956 |1959), by Stan Kenton & June Christy (1960).
From the wiki: “‘El manisero’, known in English as ‘The Peanut Vendor’, is a Cuban son-pregón composed by Moisés Simons. Together with ‘Guantanamera’, it is arguably the most famous piece of music created by a Cuban musician. ‘The Peanut Vendor'” has been recorded more than 160 times, sold over a million copies of the sheet music, and was the first million-selling 78 rpm of Cuban music. Its success was far-reaching, directly leading to the ‘Rumba craze’ in the US and Europe which lasted through the 1940s.
First recorded by The Wailing Wailers (1965).
Also recorded (as “All in One”) by The Wailers (1970).
Hit version by Bob Marley & the Wailers (UK #5/NZ #1 1977).
From the wiki: “‘One Love’ was written by Bob Marley (with a later credit extended to Curtis Mayfield) and first recorded in a Ska style in 1965 by The Wailing Wailers. The song contains an interpretation of The Impressions’ song ‘People Get Ready’, written by Curtis Mayfield. This version was later included on their first singles compilation The Wailing Wailers in 1966.
“It was rerecorded as part of the 1970 medley ‘All In On’e, which contained reggae reworkings of the Wailers’ early ska songs. Yet another re-recording, in 1977, became a part of Marley’s Exodus album in 1977, and was released as one of that album’s promotional singles charting in the UK Top-10 and topping the music sales chart in New Zealand.
Written and first performed by Anne Bredon (1959).
First commercial recording by Joan Baez (1961).
Also recorded by The Plebs (1964), The Association (1965).
Album hit version by Led Zeppelin (1969).
https://youtu.be/rvZm8B5xhuw
From the wiki: “‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ was written by Anne Bredon née Johannsen in the late 1950s. Bredon appeared on the live Folk music radio show, The Midnight Special, on Pacifica radio’s KPFA singing ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’. A fellow Folk singer guesting on the program, Janet Smith, took up the song and developed it further, playing it live at hootenanny events at Oberlin College, one performance of which was attended by Joan Baez. Baez requested of Smith to send her a recording of her songs, including ‘Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You’, which Baez subsequently began performing herself.
“Vanguard Records, Baez’s label, later sent Smith a letter asking if she had written ‘Babe’. In the meantime, Baez had recorded the song and included it on her In Concert album. Initial pressings listed no writer’s credit for ‘Babe’. The 1964 recording by the Surrey, England, band The Plebs credits ‘Trad arr. Dennis’ but, later the same year, the Joan Baez Songbook rightfully lists Anne Bredon as the author as does the 1965 recording of the song by The Association. (It was the group’s first single release, but had no chart impact.)
First recorded by Sylvester & the Hot Band (1973).
Hit version by Three Dog Night (US #33 1974).
Also recorded by Frankie Miller (1974), Maria Muldaur (1974), B.J. Thomas (1974), Little Feat (1974, released 2000), Allen Toussaint (1976), Levon Helm (1978).
From the wiki: “‘Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)’ was written by Allen Toussaint, and was first recorded in 1973 by Sylvester & the Hot Band for the album Bazaar. In 1974, Toussaint would also produced an album by Frankie Miller, High Life, that included ‘Play Something Sweet’ among six other Toussaint-penned songs featured.
“It was Miller’s version, one among several other productions recorded in 1974 (including covers by B.J. Thomas, and by Maria Muldaur), that attracted the immediate interest of Three Dog Night whose 1974 arrangement would became the only release of ‘Play Something Sweet’ to crack the US Top-40.
“Another recording produced in 1974 was by Little Feat, during the course of the Feats Don’t Fail Me Now recording sessions. This version, however, would not be released until 2000 when it was included in the retrospective compilation Hotcakes & Outtakes: 30 Years of Little Feat.
“Toussaint’s own version of his song made its first appeared on a compilation titled Live at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 1976. Levon Helm would record ‘Play Something Sweet’ for his second album independent of The Band, Levon Helm, in 1978.”
First recorded (as a demo) by The Wink Westerners (1955).
First released by The Teen Kings (1955).
Hit version by Roy Orbison & The Teen Kings (US #59 1956).
From the wiki: “‘Ooby Dooby’ was written by Dick Penner and Wade Moore. The song was first recorded in early 1955 by The Wink Westerners, a group that Roy Orbison had formed in high school, as a demo for Columbia Records which failed to ignite any interest. Later, after forming The Teen Kings during his first semester of junior college, Orbison would re-record ‘Ooby Dooby’ in late 1955. The song was released as the B-side to ‘Trying To Get To You’ by Norman Petty’s Odessa, Texas, Je-Wel records label with no apparent chart impact.
“In 1955, while Johnny Cash toured the Odessa area and played on the same local radio show bill as the Teen Kings, Cash suggested to Orbison that he approach Sam Phillips at Sun Records, home of rockabilly stars including Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Phillips was persuaded to listen to the Teen Kings’ recording. Impressed, Phillips and offered the group a contract in 1956.
First recorded (as “Let’s Talk It Over”) by Lamont Anthony (Dozier) (1960).
Hit version by The Elgins (US #72/R&B #4 1966).
From the wiki: “Lamont Dozier (Lamont Anthony) is best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team responsible for much of the Motown sound and numerous hit records by artists such as Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Isley Brothers. But, Dozier recorded a few unsuccessful records for various Detroit labels (including early Motown subsidiary, Anna) before signing on with Motown in 1962. Anna Records was a short-lived record label, known as a forerunner of Motown, founded in Detroit by sisters Anna and Gwen Gordy (who co-wrote ‘Let’s Talk It Over’) and Roquel Billy Davis in 1959. The label signed such acts as David Ruffin, future lead singer of the Temptations; Joe Tex; Johnny Bristol and his partner Jackey Beavers (the original duo behind the Supremes’ ‘Someday We’ll Be Together‘), and future Motown hit-making songwriter-producer Lamont Dozier (who went by the name Lamont Anthony at the time). Anna Records also hired future Motown star Marvin Gaye as drummer for the label.
First recorded by The American Quartet with Billy Murray (1910).
Hit version by Eddy Arnold (C&W #15 1956).
From the wiki: “‘The Ballad of Casey Jones’ is a traditional song about railroad engineer Casey Jones and his death at the controls of the train he was driving. The song helped preserve the memory of Jones’ feat down through the years in its 40+ versions and enhanced Casey’s legendary status to the extent that he has even become something of a mythological figure like Pecos Bill or Paul Bunyan to the uninformed. Soon after Casey’s death, the song was first sung by engine wiper and friend of Casey’s named Wallace Saunders to the tune of a popular song of the time known as ‘Jimmie Jones’.
“But Saunders never had his original version copyrighted, and thus there is no way of knowing precisely what words he sang. Illinois Central Engineer William Leighton appreciated the song’s potential enough to tell his brothers Frank Leighton and Bert Leighton, who were vaudeville performers, about it. They took it and sang it in theaters around the country with a chorus they added. But apparently even they neglected to get it copyrighted.
“Finally, with vaudeville performers T. Lawrence Seibert credited with the lyrics and Eddie Newton the music it was published and offered for sale in 1909 with the title ‘Casey Jones, The Brave Engineer’, and first recorded in 1910 by Billy Murray’s American Quartet.”
First performed (in Casino Royale) by Dusty Springfield (1967).
First single release by Nina Simone (1967).
Hit versions by Dusty Springfield (US #22/CAN #26 1967), Sergio Mendes & Brazil ’66 (US #4 1968).
Also recorded by Isaac Hayes (1970).
From the wiki: “‘The Look of Love’ was written by Burt Bacharach, and was originally intended to be an instrumental for the James Bond spook, Casino Royale but, later, Hal David added the lyrics. The song was first recorded by Springfield originally for the Casino Royale soundtrack by Phil Ramone, the soundtrack’s engineer, who recorded the song separately from the rest of the film tracks with Springfield accompanied by only piano, saxophone and percussion.
“Springfield re-recorded the song in London the same year with a more full arrangement, releasing the track as the B-side of ‘Give Me Time’. That version charted in the US and Canada. But, prior to the release of Springfield’s single, Nina Simone recorded and released her own version of ‘The Look of Love’ in 1967 for her album Silk & Soul. Simone’s single had no chart impact.
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.”
First recorded by The Joseph Consortium (1968).
Hit versions by Max Bygraves (AUS #1 1970), Jason Donovan (UK #1 1991).
From the wiki: “In 1967, the Head of the music department of Colet Court School, London, asked a then-unknown Andrew Lloyd Webber (and Tim Rice) to compose a song for the boys choir to sing for their end-of-semester concert. First performed as a 15-minute Pop cantata at Colet, Decca Records recorded it in 1969 as part of a concept album after which ‘Any Dream Will Do’ would eventually become a fully-realized stage production, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Following in the wake of the next Lloyd Webber and Rice success, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph received stage productions beginning in 1970; produced first for the stage in the West End in 1973, and opening on Broadway in 1982.”
First recorded (in English) by Cilla Black (US #26/MOR #4/UK #1 1964).
Other hit versions by Daryl Braithwaite (AUS #1 1974), Guys ‘n Dolls (NETH #1/BEL #1 1977), Helen Reddy (US #18/CAN #13/MEX #1 1977).
From the wiki: “The ballad ‘You’re My World’ was originally recorded in 1963 as ‘Il Mio Mondo’ (‘My World’) by Umberto Bindi, who co-wrote the Italian-language version with Gino Paoli. Although the original Italian version was not a hit, even in Italy, the song came to the attention of UK record producer George Martin who commissioned an English-language version to be recorded by his protégée Cilla Black (‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’, ‘Alfie‘, ‘Love of the Loved‘). Black’s second consecutive #1 hit in the UK, ‘You’re My World’ would be the first track by Black to be released in the US. Peaking at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964 (and #4 on the MOR chart), ‘You’re My World’ would be Black’s only US Top 40 hit.
Written and first recorded (as “Quinn the Eskimo”) by Bob Dylan (1967, officially released 1985).
Hit version by Manfred Mann (US #10/UK #1/IRE #1/GER #1 1968).
From the wiki: “‘Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)’ is a folk-rock song written by Bob Dylan and first recorded during The Basement Tapes sessions in 1967 but was not officially released until 1985. (A 1969 live recording of ‘Quinn’ by Dylan, from the Isle of Wight, was released on Self Portrait in 1970). Meanwhile, the song was picked up and recorded by the British band Manfred Mann, who released it under the title “Mighty Quinn”. Manfred Mann first heard it on a bootleg of Dylan recordings, Dylan’s White Album (said to be the ‘mother of all bootlegs’), at Feldmans Music on Charing Cross Road, London. Dylan says the song was inspired by the Eskimo in the Nicholas Ray film The Savage Innocent (1960), symbol of pure freedom on American soil.”
Co-written and first recorded by Eddie Holland (US #76/R&B #27 1964).
Other hit version by Pearl Jam (ROCK #24/ALT #31 1996).
Also recorded by The Who (1965), The Birds (1965), Motörhead (1977).
From the wiki: “‘Leaving Here’ was written in 1963 by Motown songwriters Holland–Dozier–Holland (‘Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)‘, ‘Heat Wave’, ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)’), and was originally released as a single in December 1963 by H-D-H lyricist Eddie Holland. Pearl Jam recorded the song for the 1996 Home Alive compilation album, released to fund women’s self-defense classes, and charted on the Rock and Alternative Rock music charts. The song would later be included on the band’s 2003 Lost Dogs double album of B-sides and rarities.
First recorded (as “Ma blonde est partie”) by Amede, Ophy & Cleoma Breaux (1929).
Hit version by Red Foley (C&W #1 1947).
Also recorded by Waylon Jennings (1958), Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1980), Gary “U.S.” Bonds (1981).
From the wiki: “‘Jolé Blon’ is a traditional Cajun waltz, often called ‘the Cajun national anthem’ because of the popularity it had in Cajun culture’; is considered to be the very first Cajun recording. The song was then later popularized on a nationwide scale by a series of renditions and references in late 1940s country songs. There is some mystery to the song’s origin: According to Cleoma Breaux’s daughter, while Amede Breaux is credited with writing the song, it was his sister, Cleoma, who actually wrote the lyrics and Amede sang the song. Dennis McGee claims the original song was written by Angelas Lejeune as ‘La Fille De La Veuve (The Widows Daughter)’ during WWI and Cleoma simply rewrote the lyrics, allegedly about Amede’s first wife.
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.”
Based on “Every Day of the Week” by The Students (1958).
First recorded (as “The Bristol Stomp”) by Terry & the Applejacks (1961).
Hit version by The Dovells (US #2 1961).
From the wiki: “‘Bristol Stomp’ was written in 1961 by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, two executives with the Cameo-Parkway record label, for The Dovells, an a cappella singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who recorded the song for Cameo-Parkway late that year. ‘The Bristol Stomp’ was originally recorded by a group from Bristol, Pennsylvania, Terry and the Applejacks (Terry was the son of co-writer Dave Appell); the song was based on the earlier ‘Every Day of the Week’ recorded in 1958 by the Cincinnati, Ohio, Doo-wop group, The Students.”
Written and first recorded by Shake Russell & Dana Cooper (1978).
Hit version by Ricky Skaggs (C&W #2/CAN #1 1983).
From the wiki: “‘You’ve Got a Lover’ was written by Shake Russell and was first recorded by Russell and Dana Cooper in 1978 for the album Songs on the Radio, much of which, including ‘You’ve Got a Lover’, was recorded as live broadcasts on radio station KLOL in Houston, TX.
“Covered by Ricky Skaggs in 1983, ‘You’ve Got a Lover’ was released as the fourth single from Skagg’s album Highways & Heartaches (preceded by ‘Heartbroke‘, ‘Highway 40 Blues’, and ‘I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could’), recipient of the 1983 ACM Album of the Year award.”
First recorded by Mindy Carson (US #53 1955).
Hit versions by Gale Storm (US #5 1955), Dean Martin (US #1/UK #1 1956).
From the wiki: “‘Memories Are Made of This’ was written by Terry Gilkyson (‘Marianne’, ‘Bare Necessities’), Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955. It was first recorded and released in September 1955 by Mindy Carson.
“Gale Storm’s 1955 cover was the first chart in the US Top 40. The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin – backed by co-writer Gilkyson & The Easy Riders – in October 1955, becoming a #1 hit on the Billboard chart for six weeks in 1956 and also topping the UK Singles chart.”
Influenced by “(Ain’t That) A Lot of Love” by Homer Banks (1966).
Hit versions by The Spencer Davis Group (US #7/UK #2 1966), Traffic (US #68 1971), The Blues Brothers (US #18 1980).
From the wiki: “Homer Banks was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and, at the age of 16, formed The Soul Consolidators gospel group which toured around the southern states. After military service, Banks returned to Memphis in 1964 where he began a singing career with the small Genie label where he met Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Soon, Stax founder Estelle Axton hired Banks to work at the record shop attached to the company’s Satellite Studios. He stayed for three years, also recording for the Minit label subsidiary of Liberty Records. One of his Minit recordings, ‘(Ain’t That) A Lot of Love’, co-written by Banks and Deanie Parker, provided the basic riff later used by the Spencer Davis Group on their hit ‘Gimme Some Lovin”.
