Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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1291 total songs ... and counting!

Song of the Volga Boatman

First recorded (as “Ey, Ukhnem!”) by G.A. Kazachenko (1903).
Hit version Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (1938 |US#1 1941).

[Above performance recorded by Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, in 1922.]

From the wiki: “The ‘Song of the Volga Boatmen’ (known in Russian as Эй, ухнем! [Ey, ukhnem!, ‘yo, heave-ho!’], after the refrain) is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev, leader of ‘The Five’ who attempted to keep Russian art clean from European influences, and first published in his book of folk songs in 1866 while also being dramatically depicted by painter Ilya Repin in 1873. First recorded in 1903, it was popularized by Feodor Chaliapin in the 1920s with his recorded rendition. Glenn Miller’s jazz arrangement took the song to #1 in the US charts in 1941.”

Conquistador

First recorded by Procol Harum (1967).
Hit version by Procol Harum & the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (US #16/UK #22/CAN #7/AUS #4 1972).

From the wiki: “‘Conquistador’ was written by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid, of the British psychedelic Rock band Procol Harum, and originally appeared on the band’s 1967 self-titled debut album. Brooker had written a piece of Spanish-flavored music before the band had officially formed, and Reid decided to write lyrics about a conquistador. This studio arrangement was not released as a single. (The US release of the album contained the hit single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’.)

“Fast-forward to August 1971: Procol Harum is invited to perform with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. ‘Conquistador’ was added to the set with little time to spare, giving the orchestra no time to rehearse. Nonetheless, they began the concert with the song, and the concert was captured on the album Procol Harum Live In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (1972), from which ‘Conquistador’ was the lead promotional single.

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

First recorded by Steam (US #1/R&B #20 1969).
Also recorded by The Supremes (1970).
Other hit versions by Bananarama (US #101/UK #5 1983), The Nylons (US #12 1987).

From the wiki: “‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ was written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named ‘Steam’ as a throw-away B-side. When the song began to get airplay on the radio and became a hit, the writers hired stand-in musicians to tour as Steam. (So, ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ may be the biggest selling (over 6.5 million copies) B-side recorded by a non existent band in music history.) Leka, et al. wrote a primitive version of the song in the early 1960s when they were members of a band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, The Chateaus, who disbanded after several failed recordings.

Uncle John’s Fifth Bathroom Reader states that DeCarlo was recording a throwaway ‘flip side – something so bad, no disc jockey would accidentally play it as the ‘A’ side.’ ‘Na Na Hey Hey’ was described by DeCarlo as ‘an embarrassing record … an insult.’ But, Mercury Records decided it was great and released it as an A-side single. Nobody wanted to be identified with the record, however, so it was credited to ‘Steam’.

Rubber Biscuit

First recorded by The Chips (1956).
Hit version by The Blues Brothers (US #37 1979).

From the wiki: “‘Rubber Biscuit’ is a Doo-wop song by The Chips, first recorded in 1956. It was famously covered by The Blues Brothers (on their debut album, Briefcase Full of Blues). Label credit for writing the song was given to Chips lead singer Charles Johnson and Adam R. Levy. Levy, though, was the son of label owner Morris Levy, who was notorious for adding either his or his son’s names to songwriting credits in order to claim partial, or in some cases all composer royalties on songs they did not write. There is no evidence that Morris or Adam ever wrote any songs. When Josie Records heard the song they signed The Chips and the record was issued in September 1956. Although it did not chart, ‘Rubber Biscuit’ became an instant east coast radio favorite.

Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)

Written and first recorded by Kris Kristofferson (US #26/MOR #4/CAN #21 1971).
Other hit versions by Roger Miller (C&W #28 1971), Tompall & the Glaser Brothers (C&W #2 1981).

From the wiki: “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” is a song written and recorded by Kris Kristofferson for his 1971 album The Silver Tongued Devil and I. Released as a promotional single, Kristofferson’s recording did not chart as a country single, but did crossover to the Hot 100 (#28) and Adult Contemporary (#4) charts.

“The song was also released in 1971 by Roger Miller, who included it on his album The Best of Roger Miller and using ‘Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)’ as a promotional single in July 1971, charting in the Country Top-30.

Help Yourself

First performed (as “Gli occhi miei”) by Wilma Goich (1968), Dino (1968).
First recorded (as “Gli occhi miei”) by Riccardo del Turco (1968).
Hit version by Tom Jones (US #35/UK #5/AUS #1/IRE #1/GER #1 1968).

[Wilma Goich, “Gli occhi miei” San Remo Festival performance (1968)]

[Dino, “Gli occhi miei” San Remo Festival performance (1968)]

From the wiki: “‘Help Yourself’ is a reworked English-language version of the Italian song ‘Gli Occhi Miei’, written by Carlo Donida with lyrics by Mogol and originally performed by both Dino (Eugenio Zambelli) and Wilma Goich in separate performances at the 1968 San Remo song festival, and was first commercially recorded by Riccardo del Turdo in 1968.

“Jack Fishman wrote the English lyrics, which bear no relation to the original Italian, and the song was retitled ‘Help Yourself’. Recorded by Tom Jones, it became one of his best-known hits and reached the Top 5 in the UK in its original run. ‘Help Yourself’ topped the charts in Ireland, Germany and Australia. The American single peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.”

(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear

First recorded (as a demo) by Otis Blackwell (1957).
Hit version by Elvis Presley (US #1/C&W #1 1957).

From the wiki: “‘(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear’ was written by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe, and first recorded as a demo – at Mann and Lowe’s request – by Otis Blackwell (‘Fever‘, ‘Handy Man‘, ‘All Shook Up‘). Written for Elvis Presley’s second feature film, the semi-biographical Loving You, the song was a #1 hit for Presley during the summer of 1957, staying at #1 for 7 weeks, and was the third of four #1 songs Presley would have that year.

You Better Move On

Written and originally recorded by Arthur Alexander (US #24/R&B #27 1962).
Other hit versions by The Rolling Stones (UK EP #1 1964), Billy “Crash” Craddock (C&W #37 1972), George Jones & Johnny Paycheck (C&W #18 1980).

From the wiki: “‘You Better Move On’ was written and first recorded by Arthur Alexander (and produced by FAME’s Rick Hall) in 1962. It peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April, 1962.

“Although labeled as a ‘country-soul’ singer-songwriter, Alexander is the only songwriter whose songs have been covered by the Beatles (‘Anna (Go to Him)‘), the Rolling Stones (‘You Better Move On’), and Bob Dylan (who recorded ‘Sally Sue Brown’ on his 1988 LP Down in the Groove). Elvis Presley also covered Alexander’s original 1972 recording of ‘Burning Love‘, Presley’s last Top-10 hit (kept from #1 by Chuck Berry’s ‘My Ding-a-Ling‘).

Oh Boy!

Co-written and first recorded (as “All My Love (Oh Boy)”) by Sonny West (1957).
Hit versions by Buddy Holly (US #10/R&B #13/UK #3 1957), Mud (UK #1 1970).

From the wiki: “‘Oh Boy!’ was written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty, and was originally recorded by West in 1957 but failed to achieve any commercial success. It was recorded again later in 1957 by Buddy Holly & The Crickets, with Holly singing lead vocals, and achieved success on both the Pop and R&B charts in the US and the UK Singles chart. British band Mud charted the song to UK #1 with their 1970 cover recording.”

Fire and Rain

First single release by R.B. Greaves (US #82 April 1970).
Also released by Johnny Rivers (US #94 August 1970).
Other hit version by James Taylor (US #3/MOR #7/CAN #2/UK #42 September 1970).

“Like a shy kid at a prom dance, ‘Fire and Rain’ had stood on the sidelines all year [after being first recorded in December 1969], waiting for its moment. In the spring, Warner Brothers had hesitated to release the song to radio. With its subdued tone and elliptical lyrics, it wasn’t an odds-on favorite to be a hit … The label also hesitated when soul singer R.B. Greaves, who’d had a major hit the year before with ‘Take a Letter, Maria’, released a cover of ‘Fire and Rain’. No one wanted [James] Taylor competing against his own song.

Let Love Come Between Us

First recorded by The Rubber Band (1966).
Hit version by James & Bobby Purify (US #23/R&B #18 1967).

From Songfacts.com: “‘Let Love Come Between Us” was written by Joe Sobotka and John Wyker, of the Alabama group The Rubber Band, and first recorded by the group in 1966. The song would later be covered by James and Bobby Purify (‘I’m Your Puppet‘) and achieve chart success a year later. The Rubber Band was fronted by Johnny Townsend, who later had a hit with ‘Smoke From A Distant Fire’ as half of the Sanford-Townsend Band.

“In an odd, unfortunate twist of fate, Townsend recalls, ‘Our version [of ‘Let Love Come Between Us’] on Columbia Records was considered a turntable hit in that it went to #1 on the radio in 20 major cities in the US. But, Columbia didn’t get any records in the stores because they didn’t even know it was their record. We were such novices in the business that it got by us and was gone before we knew it. It did however give us a taste of success and we wanted more.'”

Goodbye

Written and first recorded (as a demo) by Paul McCartney (1968).
Hit version by Mary Hopkin (US #13/UK #2/CAN #14/NETH #1 1969).

From the wiki: “‘Goodbye’ is a song written by Paul McCartney (but credited to Lennon–McCartney) and performed by Mary Hopkin. The song was conceived as a follow-up to the success of Hopkin’s first single, produced by McCartney, titled ‘Those Were the Days‘, highlighted on her debut album Postcard, one of the first records issued by the newly founded Apple Records.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

First recorded (as “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer”) by Amos Milburn (R&B #2 1953).
Other popular versions by John Lee Hooker (1966), John Lee Hooker & the Muddy Waters Band (1967), George Thorogood & the Destroyers (1977).

From the wiki: “‘One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer’ (or ‘One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer’ as it was originally titled) was written by Rudy Toombs and first recorded by Amos Milburn in 1953 – one of several ‘drinking’ songs recorded by Milburn in the early 1950s that placed in the Top 10 of the Billboard R&B chart.

“John Lee Hooker recorded the song as ‘One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer’ in 1966. Hooker transformed Milburn’s song, using the storyline and chorus but altering the order. According to historian and critic Charles Shaar Murray, Hooker ‘edited the verse down to its essentials, filled in the gaps with narrative and dialogue, and set the whole thing to a rocking cross between South Side shuffle and signature boogie.’ The song was released on Hooker’s 1966 The Real Folk Blues album. In 1967, a live performance by Hooker with Muddy Waters’ band was recorded at the Café Au Go Go in 1967 has been described by Murray as ‘dark, slow, swampy-deep, and the degree of emotional rapport between Hooker and the band (particularly Otis Spann, on piano) [is] nothing less than extraordinary.’

Silence is Golden

First recorded by The Four Seasons (B-side 1964).
Hit version by The Tremeloes (US #11/UK #1/CAN #8/AUS #5/NZ #1/IRE #1/SWE #2 1967).

From the wiki: “‘Silence is Golden’ is a song co-written by Bob Gaudio (‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)‘) of the quartet, The Four Seasons, with Bob Crewe (‘Silhouettes‘, ‘Lady Marmalade‘). It was released as a B-side to the hit song ‘Rag Doll’ (US #1), in 1964.

Last Kiss

Written and first recorded by Wayne Cochran (1961).
Hit versions by J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers (US #2 1964), Wednesday (US #34/CAN #2 1975), Pearl Jam (US Rock #2/UK #42 1999).

From the wiki: “‘Last Kiss’ was written and recorded by Wayne Cochran in 1961 for the Gala record label. It failed to do well on the charts. Cochran subsequently re-recorded his song for the King label in 1963; again, with no chart impact. ‘Last Kiss’ was later revived, in 1964, by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers; Canadian group Wednesday, in 1974; and Pearl Jam, in 1999.

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!

First recorded by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet (US #11 1966).
Other hit versions by The Mauds (US #85 1967), Larry Williams & Johnny “Guitar” Watson (US #96/R&B #23 1967), Marlena Shaw (US #58/R&B #33 1967), The Buckinghams (US #5 1967).
Also recorded by James Brown (1967), The Buddy Rich Big Band (1968).

From the wiki: “‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ is a song written by Joe Zawinul in 1966 for Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley and his album Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at ‘The Club’. The song was released as a promotional single for the album and became a surprise hit, reaching #11 on the Billboard charts in Feb. 1967. ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ song has been re-recorded numerous times, most notably by The Buckinghams who reached # 5 in August 1967, adding lyrics to the tune.

“The theme of the song on the original recording is performed by Zawinul himself, playing it on a Wurlitzer electric piano previously used by Ray Charles.

“‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” was first covered by the Mauds in 1967, using an arrangement of the original instrumental with lyrics written especially for them by Curtis Mayfield. The Mauds were part of the mid-1960s Chicago ‘garage band’ scene that included The Buckinghams, The Cryan Shames, New Colony Six, The Ides of March, and Shadows of Knight – a collection of groups that was able to chart 30 national hit singles between them from 1966-1968.

“In fact, it was Knight’s frontman Jimy Sohns who first discovered and championed The Mauds in 1966. ‘I rehearsed the first line-up of The Mauds when Jimy was still in high school and hand-picked them to replace us (the Shadows of Knight as the house band) when we left The Cellar (the famous teen club in Arlington Heights, IL) to play other places,’ remembers Sohns. The single attained regional popularity (via WLS-AM and WCFL-AM radio airplay) but stalled at #85 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to the better marketing and distribution of the Buckinghams’ single which used the Mauds’ arrangement – although with different lyrics – and peaked at #5 on the Hot 100.

“Other early vocal arrangements were released by Larry Williams & Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson (released February, 1967) and Marlena Shaw (released March, 1967).

“An instrumental arrangement of ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’. featuring James Brown on keyboards, was released in 1967. The following year, a live arrangement of ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ was featured on the 1968 Buddy Rich Big Band album, Mercy, Mercy, recorded at Caesars Palace in 1968. The album received acclaim as the ‘finest all-round recording by Buddy Rich’s big band.'”

Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)

First performed by Iréne Bordoni (1928).
First recorded and released by Irving Aaronson & His Commanders (1928).
Hit versions by The Paul Whiteman Orchestra (US #5 1929), Dorsey Brothers & their Orchestra (US #9 1929).

From the wiki: “‘Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love’ (also known as ‘Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)’ or simply ‘Let’s Do It’) was written in 1928 by Cole Porter. It was introduced in Porter’s first Broadway success, the musical Paris (A Play with Songs) (1928), by French chanteuse Irène Bordoni for whom Porter had written the musical as a starring vehicle. The song was later used in the English production of Wake Up and Dream (1929) and was also used as the title theme music in the 1933 Hollywood movie, Grand Slam.

“Irving Aaronson & His Commanders (who also performed as the ‘house band’ for the Broadway production of Paris) was the first group to release a commercial recording, in October 1928 on the Victor label. The following year, a young Bing Crosby recorded two versions of ‘Let’s Do It’ for two different but popular bands. The first was an uncredited performance in 1929 with The Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Crosby’s subsequent recording later that year with the Dorsey Brothers, however, did list him on the label as the featured vocalist.

Change the World

First released by Wynonna (Feb 1996).
Hit version by Eric Clapton (US #5/MOR #1/R&B #54/CAN #1/UK #18/AUS #8/NZ #3 July 1996 |JPN #7).

From the wiki: “’Change the World’ was written by Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Six months prior to the release of Eric Clapton’s hit version, the song was released by country superstar Wynonna Judd for her album Revelations, released in February 1996. Wynonna, however, did not release her version as a promotional single (‘To Be Loved By You’ was instead released) despite the popularity of Clapton’s subsequent recording when his recording was released to radio in July 1996.

Lana

First recorded by The Velvets (B-side JPN #1 1961).
Other hit version by co-writer Roy Orbison (UK #15/AUS #4/IRE #4/BEL #1 1966).

From the wiki: “‘The Velvets didn’t conform to any of doo-wop’s norms.’ writes sleeve note author Bill Millar. The group hailed not from New York but from Odessa, Texas, where the panhandle meets the rest of the state. The quintet was formed in 1959 by Virgil Johnson, a high-school English teacher, with four of his students.

“Performing locally at sock-hops and campus functions, The Velvets were heard by Roy Orbison who was so impressed with them that he recommended the group to Fred Foster at Monument Records. Like their mentor, Orbison, The Velvets sang songs which straddled that increasingly invisible line between Country and Pop. The Velvets and Roy Orbison both shared the same producer, Fred Foster, and used the same Nashville ‘A-Team’ session musicians. The Velvets’ second release, ‘Tonight’, became their highest-charting single, taking into the Billboard Hot 100 at #26 (UK chart at #50) and, as Millar says, was as perfect as Black pop music would get. However, the follow-up, ‘Laugh’, barely dented the American charts. But, its B-side, ‘Lana’, went to #1 in Japan!

Sh-Boom

Written and originally recorded by The Chords (US #9/R&B #2 1954).
Other hit version by The Crew Cuts (US #1/UK #12/AUS #1 1954).

From the wiki: “‘Sh-Boom’ was written by James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, and James Edwards, all members of the R&B vocal group The Chords, and was first recorded on Atlantic Records’ subsidiary label Cat Records by The Chords on March 15, 1954 . It would be their only hit song.

La la la la

First recorded by Little Stevie Wonder (1962).
Hit version by The Blendells (US #62 1964).

From the wiki: “The Blendells were a 1960s Mexican American brown-eyed soul group from East Los Angeles, California. They garnered success in 1964 with their Latin-tinged cover of Little Stevie Wonder’s ‘La La La La La’, written by Clarence Paul and first released on Wonder’s 1962 chart-topping album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius. The Blendell’s 1964 recording peaked at #62 on the national charts, but it was #1 in Phoenix, AZ (where they performed as headliners before 11,000 people), Hawaii, and Los Angeles, at a time when the #2 song was by The Beatles.

“The song was brought to the attention of the band by drummer Ronnie Chipres. The Blendells were playing it at one of their gigs when Eddie Davis heard it and urged them to record it. Lead singer Sal Murillo says the song was recorded in one take. Many in the ‘West Coast East Side’ music community believe The Blendells would have achieved far more success had most of its members not been drafted into the Vietnam War.

Night in Tunisia

First recorded (as “Interlude”) by Sarah Vaughn w/ The Dizzy Gillespie Septet (1944).
Also recorded by The Boyd Raeburn Orchestra (1944).
“Night in Tunisia” first recorded by Dizzy Gillespie (1945).
Also recorded by The Charlie Parker Septet (1946), Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker (1949), and Miles Davis (1955).

From the wiki: “Dizzy Gillespie began writing the then-unnamed tune while he was performing with Benny Carter in New York in 1942. During a break in a show, Gillespie composed the basics of the song on piano. According to To Be or Not to Bop: Memoirs of Dizzy Gillespie, Dizzy was sitting at the piano playing chord progressions when he noticed the notes of the chords formed a melody with a Latin/Oriental feel. Adding a Bebop-style rhythm to the melody, Gillespie came up with what would become ‘Night in Tunisia’.

Till

First recorded by The Percy Faith Orchestra (US #63 1957).
Other hit versions by Roger Williams (US #22 1957), Tony Bennett (UK #38 1961), The Angels (US #14 1961), The Vogues (US #27/MOR #5 1968), Tom Jones (UK #2 1971).

From the wiki: “Since there are many songs with ‘Till’ in the title, let it be clear that this is the one that starts: ‘Till the moon deserts the sky’, with music by Charles Danvers and English lyrics by Carl Sigman, and adapted from the French song ‘Prière Sans Espoir’ recorded in 1956. The Percy Faith Orchestra (with chorus) charted first, in April 1957. Later the same year, Roger Williams released a similarly mostly-instrumental recording that reached into the US Top 40. In 1961, Shirley Bassey and Tony Bennett each recorded all-vocal covers of ‘Till’, with Bennett’s version reaching #38 on the UK Single chart. Girl-group The Angels originated in New Jersey as The Starlets. After a failed attempt at record deal, producer Gerry Granahan (‘Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu‘) heard some hit potential with a song The Starlets had performed for him in their audition, ‘Till’. ‘Till’ became the group’s first single under their new name, The Angels, and also their first hit (US #14) released by Granahan’s Caprice label in 1961.

Hope That We Can Be Together Soon

First recorded as “Let’s Get Together Soon” by Dusty Springfield (1970).
Hit version by Sharon Paige with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (US #42/R&B #1 1975).

From the wiki: “‘Hope That We Can Be Together Soon’ was written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and was first recorded by Dusty Springfield (as ‘Let’s Get Together Soon’) for her 1970 album A Brand New Me (which was also produced by Gamble and Huff) but not released as a single. It scored a hit, though. when in 1975 it was covered and released by Sharon Paige with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes as the second promotional single from the album To Be True.”