First recorded by Lee Dorsey (1970).
Hit album versions by Robert Palmer (1974), Ringo Starr (1977).
From the wiki: “‘Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley’ was written by Allen Toussaint (‘Java‘, ‘Working in a Coal Mine’, ‘Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette)‘) and was first recorded by Lee Dorsey (‘Yes We Can Can‘) in 1970 for his album Yes, We Can.
“The song would later be covered by Robert Palmer (as the title track to his 1974 album Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley), and by Ringo Starr on his 1977 album Ringo the 4th.”
First recorded (as a demo) by Tom Bahler (c. 1979)
First recorded (as a demo) by Michael Jackson (1979).
Hit versions by Michael Jackson (US #10/R&B #43/UK #3 1979), Johnny Duncan & Janie Fricke (C&W #17 1980).
From the wiki: “She’s Out of My Life’ was written by Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about his relationship with the late Karen Carpenter, Bahler has stated ‘The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about [my then-girlfriend] Rhonda Rivera … it was after we broke up that I started dating Karen.’ The song became famous when recorded by Michael Jackson and released as the fourth single from his album, Off the Wall, in 1979. Producer Quincy Jones’ first idea was to record ‘She’s Out of My Life’ with Frank Sinatra. Michael’s demo (only him and an acoustic guitar) convinced Jones otherwise. (Demo was released as part of the This Is It bonus disc.)”
First recorded (as “You Should Hear (How She Talks About You)) by Charlie Dore (1981).
Hit version by Melissa Manchester (US #5 1982).
From the wiki: “‘You Should Hear How She Talks About You’, first recorded by Charlie Dore (‘Pilot of the Airwaves’) for her 1981 Listen! album, was written by Dean Pitchford and Thomas R. Snow. Arif Mardin produced Manchester’s 1982 recording, describing the track as ‘a real departure for Melissa because it has a New Wave dance quality [even though] she had been best-known previously for her ballads’ (‘Midnight Blue’, ‘Don’t Cry Out Loud‘). A 1985 interview with Manchester would state she remembers having ‘to be dragged kicking and screaming into [the] studio to record…’You Should Hear How She Talks About You’.’ Manchester’s recording reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1982 to become Manchester’s highest-charting record.”
Inspired by “Route 90” by Clarence Garlow (as a B-side 1952) and “Sweet Little Sixteen” by Chuck Berry (US #2/R&B #1/UK #16 1958).
Hit version by The Beach Boys (US #3/R&B #20/UK #34 1962).
From the wiki: “‘Route 90’, co-written and first recorded in 1952 by Louisiana stomper Clarence Garlow, served as the basis for two hit songs: Chuck Berry’s ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ (1958) and ‘Surfin’ Safari’ (1962) by The Beach Boys. Somewhat ironically, it would be Berry – not Garlow (who passed away in 1986) – who would sue The Beach Boys for copyright infringement. Garlow’s only hit song recording was ‘Bon Ton Roula’, which peaked at #7 on the R&B chart in 1950.
First recorded by Buddy Holly, writer (1958, released UK #39 1964).
Hit versions by The Crickets (UK #26 1959), Bobby Fuller Four (US #26 1966), Cochise (US #96 1971).
From the wiki: “Love’s Made a Fool of You’ was co-written and originally performed by Buddy Holly in 1954. It was first recorded in 1958 by Holly as a demo for The Everly Brothers (who chose not to record it). Holly’s demo would be posthumously released in the UK in 1964 on the Peggy Sue Got Married EP; charting in the UK Top 40. The song would be covered by The Crickets (Holly’s backup band) in 1959, becoming the group’s first single to be released following Holly’s death, but would be more famously covered in 1966 by The Bobby Fuller Four (who also covered The Crickets ‘I Fought the Law‘ the previous year).
First recorded (as “Pass the Kuchie”) by The Mighty Diamonds (1982).
Also (as “Gimme the Music”) by U Brown (1982).
Hit version by Musical Youth (UK #1 1982 |US#10/R&B #8/CAN #1/AUS #1/NZ #1/IRE #1/BEL #1/GER #2 1983).
From the wiki: “‘Pass the Dutchie’ was a cover version of two songs: ‘Pass the Kuchie’ by The Mighty Diamonds, which deals with the recreational use of cannabis (‘kouchie’ being slang for a cannabis pipe), and ‘Gimme the Music’ by U Brown.
“For the cover version by Musical Youth, ‘Pass the Kuchie’ was bowdlerized to ‘Pass the Dutchie’, and all obvious drug references were removed from the lyrics (e.g., when the original croons ‘How does it feel when you got no herb?’, the cover version refers instead to ‘food’. ‘Dutchie’ is used as a patois term to refer to a food cooking pot such as a Dutch oven in Jamaica and the Caribbean.) However, ‘Pass the Dutchie’ has since entered into the language itself, denoting a blunt stuffed with marijuana and rolled in a wrapper from a Dutch Masters cigar.
First recorded by Fred Rich & His Orchestra (1930).
Hit versions by Red Nichols & His Five Pennies (US #5 1930), Ethel Waters (US #17 1931), Louis Armstrong (US #17 1932), The Happenings (US #3/UK #28 1967).
From the wiki: “‘I Got Rhythm’ was composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and first published in 1930. It has since become a Jazz standard; its chord progression, known as the ‘rhythm changes’, is the foundation for other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker’s & Dizzy Gillespie’s Bebop standard ‘Anthropology (Thrivin’ From a Riff)’. ‘I Got Rhythm’ was first performed in the musical Girl Crazy. Ethel Merman sang the song in the original Broadway production, and Broadway lore holds that George Gershwin, after seeing Merman’s opening reviews, warned her never to take a singing lesson. A complete list of notable singers who have recorded ‘I Got Rhythm’ would take up several pages. The most popular versions are those by Red Nichols & His Five Pennies (US #5 1930), and The Happenings (#3 on the US charts in 1967). A version of the song, set to a Disco beat, was re-recorded by Ethel Merman for her Ethel Merman Disco Album in 1979.
First recorded by The Messengers (1967).
Hit versions by The 5th Dimension (US #25/R&B #49 1969), Marlena Shaw (recorded 1969 |UK #157 2008), Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (recorded 1967 |US #56 1970), Riot Act (UK #59 2005).
Also recorded by Edwin Starr (1970), The Undisputed Truth (1971).
From the wiki: “‘California Soul’ was a pop-soul song written by Nick Ashford & Valeria Simpson and first recorded in 1967 by Motown Record’s Monkees-inspired group, The Messengers, released as the B-side of the group’s ‘Window Shopping’ single. It would also be recorded in 1967 by Motown superstars Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – one of Tammi’s final recordings before being diagnosed with brain cancer – but would go unreleased until 1970 when it became the celebrated duo’s final single, released following Tammi’s death in March 1970, and final song to reach the Hot 100.
“‘California Soul’ first charted as a single recorded in late 1968 by The 5th Dimension. US singer Marlena Shaw covered the song the following year for her album Spice of Life. Shaw’s version originally was not released as a single in the US but did later become a staple of the UK ‘Northern Soul’ scene in the 1970s. Following its use in a TV advert in 2008, the song’s UK re-release became Shaw’s best-known recording in the UK. UK group Riot Act charted in 2005 with their recording of ‘California Soul’.
“Apart from The Messengers and Marvin Gaye & Tami Terrell, other Motown recording artists recorded covers of ‘California Soul’, including Edwin Starr, in 1970; and the Undisputed Truth, in 1971. ”
Written and first recorded by Chuck Berry (US #41/R&B #16/UK #26 1965).
Other hit versions by Fred Weller (C&W #3 1971), Johnnie Allan (1971), Dave Edmunds (AUS #5 1972), Elvis Presley (US #14/C&W #9/UK #9 1974).
Also recorded by The Grateful Dead (1976).
From the wiki: “‘Promised Land’ was written by Chuck Berry to the melody of ‘Wabash Cannonball’, an American Folk song. It was first recorded in this version by Chuck Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in 1965 as a promotional single, it was Berry’s first single issued following the completion of his prison sentence for a Mann Act conviction.
“In the lyrics, the singer (who refers to himself as ‘the poor boy’) tells of his journey from Norfolk, Virginia to the ‘Promised Land’, Los Angeles, California, mentioning various cities of the American Southeast that he encounters along his journey. Berry borrowed an atlas from the prison library to plot the song’s itinerary. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, ‘the poor boy’ calls Norfolk, Virginia (‘Tidewater four, ten-oh-nine’) to tell the folks back home he’s made it to the ‘promised land.’
First recorded by John Laurenz (1948).
Hit versions by Vaughn Monroe & The Moon Men (US #3 1949), Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians (US #8 1949), Bert Kaempert (US #11/MOR #2 1965), Wayne Newton (US #23/MOR #4 1965), Vic Dana (US #10/MOR #2 1965).
From the wiki: “‘Red Roses for a Blue Lady’ was written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, and first recorded in 1948 by John Laurenz. The best-selling recording was produced in 1949 by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra Vocalists: Vaughn Monroe and The Moon Men. The song was revived three times in 1965: By vocalists Vic Dana and Wayne Newton, and by instrumentalist Bert Kaempfert. Dana’s version was the most successful of the three, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart.”
First released by a-ha (NOR #3 1984).
Hit version by a-ha (US #1/UK #2/AUS #1/IRE #2/GER #1/SWE #1/NOR #1 1985).
Also performed by a-ha (2017).
From the wiki: “‘Take On Me’ was written by the Swedish synth-pop group a-ha (Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket & Pål Waaktaar), and was first recorded as a demo by the group in 1984. The band met with producer Tony Mansfield, an expert in the use of the Fairlight CMI, who mixed their arrangement with electronic instrumentation. The sound was not what a-ha had hoped to achieve, and the album was remixed again. The band then rushed to release ‘Take On Me’ as a single in the United Kingdom but the single flopped. Even so, Warner Brothers’ main office in the United States decided to invest in the band and gave them the opportunity to re-record the song. Alan Tarney, who had previously helmed recording sessions for Cliff Richard and Leo Sayer, produced this new version.
Written and first recorded by Rodney Crowell (1978).
Hit version by The Dirt Band (US #13/C&W #58/CAN #3/AUS #35 1980).
From the wiki: “‘An American Dream’ is a song written by Rodney Crowell. He recorded it under the title ‘Voilá, An American Dream’ on his 1978 album Ain’t Living Long Like This with a backing vocal by Emmylou Harris, and released it as the B-side to that album’s single ‘(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I’.
“‘An American Dream’ was later recorded by The Dirt Band (née Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). It was released in November 1979 as the only single and title track from the album An American Dream. The Dirt Band’s version features a backing vocal from Linda Ronstadt. The single charted Top-20 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the group’s last appearance at that level on the Billboard chart.”
First recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis (1967).
Hit version by The First Edition (US #5 1968).
Also recorded by Mickey Newbury, writer (1968); Kenny Rogers, solo (1978).
From the wiki: “‘Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)’ is a counterculture-era song written by Mickey Newbury (‘An American Trilogy’). Said to reflect the LSD experience, the song was intended to be a warning against the danger of using LSD. First recorded in 1967 by Jerry Lee Lewis for the album Soul My Way (he rejected its release as a single), the song became a hit for The First Edition (with Kenny Rogers on lead vocals) in 1968.
“It was the First Edition’s first Top 10 appearance on the Billboard charts, and got the group their first national TV audience on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The song (as recorded by The First Edition) is also featured in a dream sequence from the Coen Brothers’ 1998 film, The Big Lebowski.”
Co-written by Carole King and first recorded (as “That Old Sweet Roll”) by The City (1969).
Hit version by Blood, Sweat & Tears (US #14 1970).
Also recorded by Dusty Springfield (1969), Carole King (1980).
From the wiki: “‘Hi De Ho’, originally titled ‘That Old Sweet Roll (Hi De Ho)’, was co-written by Carole King (with Gerry Goffin) and first recorded by the band City, Carole King’s late-1960s band with Danny Kortchmar and Charles Larkey. It appeared on the only album recorded by The City, Now That Everything’s Been Said.
“Dusty Springfield covered ‘That Old Sweet Roll’ during the same In Memphis sessions that also produced her hit single, ‘Son of a Preacher Man’. The Springfield recording was released in 1969 as the B-side to the single ‘Willie & Laura Mae Jones’, but was not included on the original album release. It is now included as a bonus track on the CD version of In Memphis.
“Blood, Sweat & Tear’s 1970 recording of the song, now titled ‘Hi De Ho’, would chart into the US Top 20.
“King would re-record ‘Hi De Ho’ in 1980 for her Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King album.”
First performed by The Kids of Sesame Street (1970).
Hit versions by Barbra Streisand (MOR #28 1972), The Carpenters (US #3/UK #53/JPN #1 1973).
(Above is from a 1971 broadcast of Sesame Street.)
From the wiki: “”Sing” is a popular song created for Sesame Street, written by staff songwriter Joe Raposo for the popular children’s TV show. In its initial appearance, the song was sung by adult human cast members of the show (the most frequent lead singer was Bob McGrath), and Muppets, including Big Bird.
“Although Barbra Streisand had an Easy Listening hit with ‘Sing’ (in medley with ‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’) in 1972 with ‘Sing’, Karen and Richard Carpenter first heard the song as guests on ABC television special Robert Young with the Young in 1973. They loved the song and felt it could be a big hit. ‘Sing’ became the debut single off The Carpenters album Now & Then, released in 1973.”
First hit version recorded by Marty Robbins (US #17/C&W #1 1956).
Other hit versions by Guy Mitchell (US #1/R&B #4/UK #1 1956), Tommy Steele (UK #1 1957), Dave Edmunds (UK #28 1980), Gail Davies (C&W #17 1983), Daniel O’Donnell (UK #23 1994), The Kentucky Headhunters (C&W #70 1997).
From the wiki: “Composed and first recorded by Melvin Endsley, ‘Singing the Blues’ holds a unique record in the UK: It was the first and, in half a century and more of its existence, the only song in the history of the UK Singles chart to knock itself off the top spot twice! Guy Mitchell’s version topped the UK Singles chart at the start of January 1957, and was replaced the following week by the Tommy Steele version. The following week, the Mitchell version again replaced the Steele version at #1.
Co-written and first recorded by Eddie Floyd (1966).
Hit versions by Wilson Pickett (US #13/R&B #1/UK #36 1966), Tina Turner & Robert Cray (NETH #14/BEL #23 1986).
Also recorded by Ry Cooder (1980), Tower of Power & Huey Lewis (2009), Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (2012).
From the wiki: “‘634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)’ was written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper (of Booker T. & the MGs), in the spirit of ‘Beechwood 4-5789’ by The Marvelettes (US #17/R&B #7 1962).
“First recorded by Floyd, ‘634-5789’ was later covered in 1966 by Wilson Pickett whose recording went US Top-15 hit and #1 R&B that year.
“The song has since been covered by many performers including Otis Redding, Ry Cooder, and Tower of Power (feat. Huey Lewis). Bruce Springsteen also performs the song live on many occasions. Tina Turner and Robert Cray covered ‘634-5789’ in 1986 as a duet, recorded live as part of her Break Every Rule TV special in the UK, and a subsequent single release saw some European chart success in the Netherlands and Belgium.”
First recorded by Paul Davis (1961).
Hit versions by Dave Dudley (US #32/C&W #2 1963), Steve Earle (C&W #29 1988), Sawyer Brown (C&W #13 1997).
From the wiki: “‘Six Days on the Road’ is an American song written by Earl Green and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio songwriter Carl Montgomery, made famous by country music singer Dave Dudley. The song was first offered to Louisiana cajun singer Jimmy C. Newman but he turned it down. Paul Davis (not of 1970s ‘I Go Crazy’ fame) was the first artist to record the song, and Billboard magazine first mentioned this original version in September 1961 although Davis’ recording would have no chart impact.
First recorded (as a demo) by The Bee Gees (1978).
Hit versions by Samantha Sang (US #3/R&B #42/UK #11 1978), Destiny’s Child (US#10/R&B #28/UK #3 2001).
From the wiki: “‘Emotion’ was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was originally intended for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. During the planning for Australian singer Samantha Sang’s recording session another Bee Gees’ song, ‘Don’t Throw It All Away’, had been planned for Sang to sing but upon arriving in Miami, Barry instead offered her a new song: ‘Emotion’. Sang recorded it in a breathy, Barry-like sound. Gibb himself provided harmony and background vocals, using his falsetto on this track.
“In 2001, ‘Emotion’ was covered by the American R&B girl group Destiny’s Child. Issued as the fourth single from their third studio album, Survivor, the song continued the group’s streak of top-ten hits in the United States, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 November 2001. The song was heavily on radio station playlists during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and eventually became a tribute song to the family of the victims.”
Co-written and first recorded (as a demo) by Margaret Lewis (1965, released 1995).
Hit versions by Johnny Adams (US #28/R&B #8 1969), Ray Pillow (C&W #38 1969), John Wesley Ryles (#39 1971), Narvel Felts (US #67/C&W #2 1975).
From the wiki: “‘Reconsider Me’ is a Country/Soul ballad written by Margaret Lewis and Mira Smith, and first recorded as a demo by Lewis in 1965. It was finally released in 1995 on the Ace Records compilation album Shreveport Stomp – Ram Records, Vol. 1.
“Lewis first came to public notice in the late 1950s as a performer on the Louisiana Hayride radio program, where she also met Smith, a local musician who happened to own her own record label – Ram Records – one of the first women in the recording industry to do so. After Ram closed down in the early 1960s, Lewis and Smith concentrated on songwriting, eventually moving to Nashville and signing with noted producer Shelby Singleton as songwriters for his SSS International and Plantation Records labels. Between them, Lewis and Smith composed more than 100 songs, including ‘Mountain of Love’ (David Houston), ‘I Almost Called Your Name’ (Margaret Whiting), ‘The Girl Most Likely’ (Jeannie C. Riley), and their signature success,’Reconsider Me’ (Johnny Adams).
First performed by Fred Astaire (1936).
First commercial release by Bing Crosby & Dixie Lee (1936).
Also recorded by Billie Holiday (1936), The Jaguars (1956).
Hit versions by Fred Astaire (US #1 1936), The Lettermen (US #13/UK #36 1961).
From the wiki: “‘The Way You Look Tonight’ was written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, who later remarked, ‘The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The song was’featured in the film Swing Time, first performed by Fred Astaire, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.
” ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ would be first released commercially in 1936 as a duet between Bing Crosby and his then-wife Dixie Lee. Fred Astaire followed up with his 78 rpm recording on the Brunswick label, backed by the Johnny Green Orchestra, that would top the Hit Parade.
First recorded by The Beatles (FRA #1/NOR #1/NZ #1 1966).
Other hit versions by The Overlanders (UK #1 1966), Billy Vaughn (US #77/MOR #17 1966), David & Jonathan (US #18/UK #11 1966), The Spokesmen (US #106 1966), Bud Shank & Chet Baker (US #65/MOR #12 1966).
Also recorded by Jan & Dean (1966), The Singers Unlimited (1971).
From the wiki: “One of Rubber Soul’s most memorable songs, ‘Michelle’ was written by Paul McCartney with a little help from the wife of an old schoolfriend. The song is one of McCartney’s oldest compositions, having been started around 1959; composed on his first-ever guitar, a Zenith. ‘Michelle’ won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1967 and has since become one of the best-known and most-often recorded of all Beatles songs … but was never released in the US or the UK by the Beatles as a single (although Beatles’ singles of ‘Michelle” did top singles charts in France and Norway).
“After The Beatles declined to release the song as a single, ‘Michelle’ became a UK hit in 1966 for The Overlanders. Of all the covers recorded of ‘Michelle’ released to date, the recording by David & Jonathan (nom de plume of songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenway, ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing‘) was the only recording of ‘Michelle’ that made the US Billboard Top 40.
First recorded by Noble & King (1951).
Hit versions by Karen Chandler (US #5 1952), Muriel Smith (UK #3 1953), Mel Carter (US #8/MOR #1 1965), Johnny & Jonie Mosby (C&W #38 1969), Gloria Estefan (UK #11/IRE #22 1994).
Also recorded by The Orioles (1953), Connie Francis (1959).
Noble & King (1951) [No video available]
From the wiki: “‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me’ was written by Harry Noble in 1952. It became a hit in three different decades and is considered a classic of the early Rock/Pop era. The Karen Chandler recording became a US Top 10 hit in 1952; as was often the case with songs of that era, a version was also separately recorded for the UK market – by British singer Muriel Smith – and it became a Top 5 hit in Britain in 1953.
First recorded by Hugo Winterhalter & His Orchestra (1959).
Hit versions by Billy Vaughn (R&B #2 1960), The Percy Faith Orchestra (US #1/UK #2 1960), Norrie Paramor & His Orchestra (UK #35 1960), Dick Roman (US #64/MOR #16 1962), The Lettermen (US #16 1965).
Also recorded (as “Illya Kuryakin”) by Ike B. & The Crystalites (1968).
From the wiki: “‘Theme from A Summer Place‘ was written by Max Steiner (music) and Mack Discant (lyrics) for the 1959 film A Summer Place. Originally known as the ‘Molly and Johnny Theme’ (for the two characters in the film portrayed by Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue), it was recorded for the film by Hugo Winterhalter & HiS Orchestra.
“Percy Faith recorded the most popular version of the tune which spent an at-the-time record of nine consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1960. Faith’s recording still remains the longest-running #1 instrumental in the history of the chart.
