Written and first recorded by Peter McCann (B-side 1976).
Hit version by Jennifer Warnes (US #6/MOR #1/C&W #17 1977).
From the wiki: “‘Right Time of the Night’ had been recorded by its composer Peter McCann for his 1976 self-titled album, and served as B-side for his own 1977 Top Ten hit ‘Do You Wanna Make Love’.
“When it came time for Jennifer Warnes to record material for her 1977 self-titled album, Jennifer Warnes, her first on the Arista label, ‘Right Time of the Night’ was not among the original tracks recorded. Arista president Clive Davis later told Billboard: ‘If a [singer such as] Jennifer Warnes submits an album which is great but lacks a hit single, I and my A&R staff will say: ‘Listen, you need a hit. Because you’re not really going to break off FM airplay’ … So we gave her ‘Right Time of the Night’.’
Written and first recorded by Sutherland Brothers (1972).
Hit version by Rod Stewart (US #58/UK #1/IRE #1/NOR #1 1975 |UK #3 1976).
From the wiki: “‘Sailing’ was written by Gavin Sutherland and recorded by The Sutherland Bros. Band (featuring the Sutherland Brothers Gavin and Iain). Released in June 1972, it can be found on the album Lifeboat but was never released as a single.
“Rod Stewart recorded the song at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, for his 1975 album Atlantic Crossing, and it was subsequently a #1 hit in the UK in September 1975 for four weeks. The single returned to the UK Top 10 a year later when used as the theme music for the BBC documentary series Sailor, about HMS Ark Royal. It remains Stewart’s biggest-selling single in the UK, having been a hit there twice, with sales of over a million copies.
“Stewart’s music video was shot in New York Harbor in 1975 and credited with a 1978 completion date. It also was one of the first to be aired on MTV when the cable music channel launched on 1 August 1981. Despite Stewart’s great popularity in the United States, the song never climbed higher than #58 on the Billboard Hot 100.”
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 Liza Minnelli (1977).
Hit version by Frank Sinatra (US #32/MOR #10/UK #4 1979).
From the wiki: “‘Theme from New York, New York’ (or ‘New York, New York’) is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. It was written for and first performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. The song did not become a popular hit until it was picked up in concert by Frank Sinatra during his performances at Radio City Music Hall in October 1978. (It was not even nominated for the Academy Award for ‘Best Song’). Subsequently, Sinatra recorded it in 1979 for his 1980 Trilogy album, and ‘New York, New York’ became one of his signature songs.
“Despite Sinatra’s version becoming more familiar, original singer Minnelli had two of the tune’s most memorable live performances – during the July 4, 1986 ceremony marking the rededication of the Statue of Liberty after extensive renovations; the other, in the ‘seventh inning stretch’ of a New York Mets game that was the first pro sports event in the New York metro area after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Previously, Minneli also sang ‘New York, New York’ at the 1984 Summer Olympics, in Los Angeles, accompanied by 24 pianos and hundreds of strobe lights.”
Written and first recorded (as the instrumental “Never No Lament”) by Duke Ellington (1940).
Hit versions by Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra (US #7 1943), Duke Ellington (US #8/R&B #1 1943), The Ink Spots (US #2/R&B #1 1943).
From the wiki: “‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’ is a Jazz standard by Duke Ellington. The tune was originally called ‘Never No Lament’ and was first recorded by Ellington in 1940 as a Big-band instrumental. Bob Russell’s lyrics and the new title were added in 1942. Two different recordings of ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’, one by The Ink Spots and the other, an instrumental, by Ellington’s own band, reached #1 on the R&B chart in the US in 1943. Both were Top-10 Pop records, too, along with a #7 hit by Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra, with the Ink Spots’ recording charting highest on the Pop chart.”
Based on “Love Is a Wonderful Thing” written and first recorded by The Isley Brothers (1964 |US #110 1966).
Hit version by Michael Bolton (US #4/MOR #1/UK #23/CAN #2/NZ #12 1991).
From the wiki: “In 1964, the Isley Brothers recorded a song titled ‘Love Is a Wonderful Thing’. Not included on an Isley Brothers album until years later, the song was first released as a single in 1966 with minimal chart impact.
“Michael Bolton’s song, ‘Love Is a Wonderful Thing’, was found to contain similarities to the Isleys’ song that exceeded the title. In 1994, a jury found songwriters Bolton and Andrew Goldmark liable for copyright infringement due to multiple similarities between the two songs. The pair were ordered to pay the Isleys all profits earned from the Bolton single plus 28% of the album profits.”
Written and first recorded by Buddy Holly (1957).
Hit version by The Diamonds (US #13/R&B #12/CAN #47 1957).
Also recorded by The Beatles (1964).
From the wiki: “‘Words of Love’ was written by Buddy Holly and recorded by him on April 8, 1957. Holly sang all the harmonies, with producer Norman Petty double-tracking each part and combining them. The song was not a notable hit for Holly, although it is regarded as one of his most important recordings.
“However, the cover version by the Canadian quartet The Diamonds (‘Little Darlin”, ‘Silhouettes‘), released in May 1957, reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July, making the song Holly’s first hit, though as a composer not performer. (The Crickets’ ‘That’ll Be the Day’ wouldn’t peak on the Billboard charts until Sept. 27, 1957. The Diamonds’ ‘Words of Love’ peaked in July, 1957.)
“‘Words of Love’ was also covered by The Beatles on the album Beatles for Sale. Their association with the song dates back to the group’s earliest days playing The Cavern in 1961 and 1962. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were big Buddy Holly fans; it would be Holly’s songs that first inspired and compelled them to become songwriters.”
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 Paul Simon (1965).
Hit version by Simon & Garfunkel (US #3/UK #17 1966).
From the wiki: “‘I Am a Rock’ was written by Paul Simon, and first recorded by Simon solo as the opening track on his album The Paul Simon Songbook which he originally recorded and released as a solo performance in August 1965 but only in the United Kingdom. Later that year, Simon and Art Garfunkel, as the American pop/folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, re-recorded the song on December 14, 1965, and included it as the final track on their album Sounds of Silence. ‘I Am a Rock’ became the duo’s third Top 5 hit in the US when released as a single in May 1966.”
First recorded by Kathy Kirby (US #88 1965).
Hit version by Cher (US #7/MOR #2 1972).
From the wiki: “‘The Way of Love’ was originally written by Jack Diéval (as ‘J’ai le mal de toi’) in 1960 with French lyrics by Michel Rivgauche for singer Frédérica as an entry in the national elimination rounds of France for the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest. The song, however, was not selected and was evidently not recorded by Frédérica.
“In June 1965, the English rendering, titled ‘The Way of Love’, was recorded in the UK as a single by Kathy Kirby. ‘The Way of Love’ failed to reach the UK Top 50 but did become a regional hit in the United States reaching #88 nationally. Cher’s 1972 recording was produced by Snuff Garrett and was released in February 1972 as the second single from the album Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, spending three weeks in the US Top 10.”
First recorded by Thelma Houston (1973).
Hit version by Diana Ross (US #1/R&B #14/UK #5/CAN #4 1975).
From the wiki: “‘Do You Know Where You’re Going To’ was written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin (‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman‘, ‘Up on the Roof‘), and was first recorded in 1973 by Thelma Houston for a New Zealand-only single release (Tamla Motown 872). In 1975, the song was repurposed by Masser and used as the theme to the movie Mahogany. Sung in the film by Diana Ross, it became one of the most recognizable elements of the film. The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, and was also nominated for the 1975 Academy Award for Best Original Song.”
First recorded (as “Crooked Little House”) by Jimmie Rodgers (1960).
Hit version by The Serendipity Singers (US #6/MOR #2 1962).
From the wiki: “‘Don’t Let the Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man)’ was written by rockabilly singer-songwriter Ersel Hickey, with the lyrics based on the English nursery rhyme ‘There Was A Crooked Man’, with a Calypso-flavored arrangement. It was first recorded in 1960 by country singer Jimmie Rodgers (‘Honeycomb’, ‘Kisses Sweeter Than Wine’) with no apparent chart impact. (This Rodgers is not to be confused with country music pioneer Jimmie Rodgers).
“In 1962, ‘Crooked Little Man’ was covered by The Serendipity Singers as their debut recording, and it charted Top-10 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts that year.”
First recorded by Art Neville (1962).
Also recorded by The Uniques (US #97 1966).
Other hit version by Joe Stampley (C&W #1 1976).
From the wiki: “‘All These Things’ was written by Allen Toussaint (under the pseudonym of ‘Naomi Neville’) and was first recorded by Art Neville in 1962.
“The most successful chart hit version was recorded by country artist Joe Stampley in 1976, peaking at #1 on the US Country Singles chart – almost a cover-of-a-cover, because a decade earlier, in 1966, Stampley had first recorded a cover of the same song with his band, the Uniques, but which barely cracked the Billboard Hot 100.”
First recorded (as “Do the Bop”) by Johnny Madara & the Juvenaires (1957).
Hit version by Danny & the Juniors (US #1/R&B #1 1958).
Also performed by Sha Na Na (1969).
From the wiki: “Johnny Madara (aka Madora, aka Medora) had a minor 1957 hit (‘Be My Girl’) and Capitol Records was interested in a follow up. He had befriended a young vocal group called the Juvenaires and co-wrote for them ‘Do The Bop’ along with member Dave White. They recorded ‘At the Bop’ but Capitol passed on it.
“American Bandstand host Dick Clark heard the recording and suggested a change of lyric – substituting the outdated ‘bop’ with ‘hop’, to reflect the popularity at the time of record hops. White had the Juvenaires re-do the recording, with member Danny Rapp on lead vocal (and without Madara in the group, entirely). The group acquired a new name – Danny & The Juniors – and the group scored their one and only #1 hit in 1958.”
First recorded by P.J. Proby (1967, released 2008).
Hit versions by Tom Jones (US #15/MOR #8/CAN #2/UK #2/IRE #1/GER #1 1968), The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (UK #7 1975).
From the wiki: “‘Delilah’ was written by Barry Mason and Sylvan Whittingham, to the music by Les Reed, who also contributed the title and theme of the song (a ‘murder ballad’), and earned Reed and Mason the 1968 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. It was first recorded by P.J. Proby in 1967, for his album Believe It Or Not, in sessions produced by co-writer Reed.
“Proby hated the song thinking it sounded like a German bierkeller [‘beer cellar’ song] and refused its release. (Proby’s original version remained unreleased for the next 40 years until its eventual release in 2008 on the compilation album P.J. Proby: The Best of The EMI Years.) Reed knew it was a hit-in-waiting and offered the song to Tom Jones. Reed was also the musical director on Tom`s cover version which explains why both the Proby and Jones arrangements sound identical.
First recorded (as “Feudin’ Banjos”) by Arthur Smith & Don Reno (1955).
Hit version by Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell (US #2/MOR #1/CAN #2 1973).
From the wiki: “‘Dueling Banjos’ is an instrumental composition by Arthur ‘Guitar Boogie’ Smith. The song was composed in 1955 by Smith as a banjo instrumental he called ‘Feudin’ Banjos’. The composition’s first wide scale airing was on a 1963 television episode of The Andy Griffith Show called ‘Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee’, in which it is played by visiting musical family The Darlings (played by The Dillards, a Bluegrass group).
“The song was made internationally famous by the 1972 film Deliverance, which also led to a successful lawsuit by the song’s composer, as it was used in the film without his permission. The film version, arranged and recorded by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell, was subsequently issued as a single, peaking at #2 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.”
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 by Brenda Holloway (1962).
Hit versions by Brenda Holloway (US #13/R&B #3 1964), The Spencer Davis Group (UK #41/CAN #5 1965), “Shirley” Strachan (AUS #3 1976).
Also recorded by The Clash (1980, released 1991), Alicia Keys (2005).
From the wiki: “‘Every Little Bit Hurts’ was a 1964 hit single for Motown soul singer Brenda Holloway (‘You’ve Made Me So Very Happy‘), written by Ed Cobb (‘Tainted Love‘) of The Four Preps (‘Love of the Common People‘). It was first recorded by the then-16-year old Holloway in 1962 for the Del-Fi record label without any chart impact.
“After being signed to Motown Records, Holloway was reluctant to re-record the song and later said she was upset during the sessions; several takes were recorded before producers felt that Holloway had hit her mark. Released in April 1964, three months before Holloway’s eighteenth birthday, the song peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted Top-5 on the R&B chart.”
First recorded by Paul Kelly (unreleased 1973).
Hit versions by Jackie Moore (R&B #92 1978), Karla Bonoff (US #19/MOR #3 1982), Ronnie McDowell (C&W #10 1983).
Also recorded by Paul Kelly (1993).
From the wiki: “‘Personally’ was first recorded in 1973 by its composer Paul Kelly, with Gene Page producing, for Kelly’s Don’t Burn Me album. However, the track was not released at that time. Kelly re-recorded the song in 1993 for the album Gonna Stick and Stay (see above).
“The first released version of ‘Personally’ was recorded in 1978 by R&B singer Jackie Moore, best-known for her gold single 1970 song ‘Precious, Precious’ (#30, 1971). Moore’s single, ‘Personally’, peaked at a disappointing #92 on the R&B chart, not even charting on the Billboard Hot 100.
“The song was later covered in 1982 with greater success by Karla Bonoff (‘Tell Me Why‘, ‘All My Life‘) and charted in the US Top 20. A 1983 cover by country singer Ronnie McDowell charted Top 10 on the US Country Singles chart.”
First recorded (as an outtake) by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1976, released 2010).
Commercially-released by Greg Kihn (1979), Gary “U.S.” Bonds (1982).
Also recorded (live) by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1980, released 1998).
From the wiki: “‘Rendezvous’ was written by Bruce Springsteen during the recording sessions for the Darkness On The Edge of Town album but was not included in the album’s final release because Bruce felt it could interrupt the sonic intensity of the album.
“After making a guest appearance with The Knack at L.A.’s The Troubadour club in October 1978, Springsteen first offered the group ‘Rendezvous’ or ‘Don’t Look Back’ for their debut album, Get the Knack, but later had second thoughts thinking his own ‘Rendezvous’ recording would be included in the final mix of Darkness On The Edge of Town and requested they not record it.
“After his appearance with The Knack the group’s Bruce Gary recalls, ‘I asked Bruce if he had any songs that The Knack might use in our stage show, and he offered two unreleased numbers, ‘Rendezvous’ and ‘Don’t Look Back.’ The band selected ‘Don’t Look Back,’ which was ‘Knackified’ and recorded in one take at MCA Whitney studios in April, 1979. The tune was originally scheduled to appear on the Get The Knack album, but was pulled at the request of Springsteen’s management in order to allow him to release the song first.’ (But that did not happen. Ironically, the Knack’s ‘Don’t Look Back’ would ultimately be released first … in 1992 on the compilation album Retrospective, six years before the official release of Springsteen’s own studio recording on Tracks in 1998.)
“Bruce ultimately offered ‘Rendezvous’ to another Springsteen devotee, Greg Kihn (‘because I liked the way he did ‘For You’ on that early album’), who released it in 1979 on the Greg Kihn Band album With the Naked Eye.
“‘Rendezvous’ was covered again in 1982 by Gary ‘U.S.’ Bonds with a recording produced by Springsteen, a Bonds devotee, and Stevie Van Zandt, and backed by Springsteen’s E Street Band. After recording the album, Columbia Records had Bruce Springsteen remove his vocals from the tracks he backed on Bond’s On The Line album (distributed by competitor EMI Records), with some rerecorded with Van Zandt. Even so, Springsteen can still be heard on several of the tracks, including ‘Rendezvous’, but he is not credited in the original liner notes.
Written and first recorded by The Vince Guarldi Trio (US #22/MOR #9 1962).
Also recorded by Quincy Jones (1963 |1971).
Other hit versions by Mel Torme (as “Cast Your Fate to the Winds” AUS #13 1964), Sounds Orchestral (US #10/MOR #1/UK #5 1964).
From the wiki: “‘Cast Your Fate To The Wind’ is a jazz instrumental with music composed and first recorded by Vince Guaraldi. It won a Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963. Included on the album Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus, the title on the label contained a printing error and, at least some copies of the album, read: ‘Cast Your Faith To The Wind’, an unintentionally comic twist to the sentiment of the song.
“In Australia, a vocal version by Mel Tormé (with lyrics by Carel Werber) was a hit in 1963. In 1965 the British group Sounds Orchestral redirected the song away from jazz to more of a ‘nightclub sound’. That version attained #5 in the UK, #10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was #1 for three weeks in May 1964 on the US Easy Listening chart.
Written and first recorded (as “Lay It On Me Right Now”) by Na Allen (1970).
Hit version by Hot Sauce (US #96/R&B #35 1972).
From the wiki: “‘Bring It Home (And Give It To Me)’ – not to be confused with the Sam Cooke song, ‘Bring It Home to Me’ – was written by Na Allen, Denise LaSalle’s brother, and recorded first by him in 1970 under the song’s original title, ‘Lay It On Me Right Now’. Hot Sauce (in reality, Rhonda Washington) was discovered by Irene Perkins, wife of soul singer and Detroit radio disc-jockey Al Perkins, and the 1972 cover titled ‘Bring It Home (And Give It To Me)’ was the group’s first recording for the fledgling Volt record label.”
First recorded by Cilla Black (US #95/UK #9 January 1966).
Also recorded by Jerry Butler (May 1966, released December 1967), Dee Dee Warwick (May 1966, released 1967).
Other hit versions by Cher (US #32/CAN #36 June 1966), Dionne Warwick (US #15/R&B #5 December 1966).
From the wiki: “‘Alfie’ was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David to promote the 1966 film Alfie. Although Bacharach and David suggested ‘Alfie’ be recorded by Dionne Warwick, their most prolific interpreter, Paramount felt the film’s setting demanded the song be recorded by a UK singer. Accordingly, the initial invitation to record ‘Alfie’ was made to Sandie Shaw who had had a UK #1 hit with the Bacharach/David composition ‘(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me’. When the invitation to Shaw was declined ‘Alfie’ was offered to Cilla Black, who had also had a previous UK #1 with a Bacharach/David song: ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’.
First recorded by Lupita Palomera with Lira de San Cristobal (1937).
Hit versions by Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra (US #3 1941), The Four Aces (US #7 1952), The Ventures (US #15/UK #4 1960).
Also recorded by The Glenn Miller Orchestra (1941), Linda Ronstadt (1992).
From the wiki: “‘Perfidia’ (Spanish for ‘perfidy’, as in faithlessness, treachery or betrayal) was written by Alberto Domínguez about love and betrayal, and first recorded (in Spanish) in 1937 by Lupita Palomera. Other hit versions were recorded by Xavier Cugat (1941), the Four Aces (1952) and the Ventures (1960).
“Linda Ronstadt’s 1992 recording of the song in English with a Spanish introduction was used in the 1992 movie The Mambo Kings. Ronstadt also recorded the song in Spanish for her 1992 album Frenesí. At the 9th Lo Nuestro Awards, in 1993, her español version received a nomination for Tropical Song of the Year.
