Originally recorded (as “Devil in His Heart”) by The Donays (1962).
Hit album version by The Beatles (1963).
From the wiki: “The song was originally released as ‘Devil in His Heart’ in Detroit by The Donays for Correc-tone Records. The song was later picked up by the New York City label Brent and was re-released in August 1962, as ‘(There’s a) Devil in His Heart’. This release also appeared in the United Kingdom on the Oriole label in 1962. The record was not a hit on either side of the Atlantic.
“The Donays recorded only the one single (‘Devil in His Heart’ backed with ‘Bad Boy’) but their lead singer Yvonne Vernee (real name Yvonne Symington) also recorded solo, and later, in the early 1970s, joined The Elgins at Motown.
Written and first recorded by Shel Silverstein (1969).
Hit version by Johnny Cash (US #2/MOR #1/CW #1/CAN #3/UK #4 1969).
From the wiki: “‘A Boy Named Sue’ is a poem by Shel Silverstein that has been made popular by Johnny Cash. The core story of the song was inspired by humorist Jean Shepherd, a close friend of Silverstein, who was often taunted as a child because of his feminine-sounding name.
“Cash was at the height of his popularity when he recorded the song live at California’s San Quentin State Prison at a concert on February 24, 1969. The song became Cash’s biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his only top ten single there, spending three weeks at #2 in 1969, held out of the top spot by’ Honky Tonk Women’ by The Rolling Stones. The track also topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts that same year.
“Cash wrote that he had just received the song and only read over it a couple of times before including it in the San Quentin concert to try it out – he did not know the words and on the filmed recording he can be seen regularly referring to a piece of paper. Cash was surprised at how well the song went over with the audience. The rough, spontaneous performance with sparse accompaniment was included in the Johnny Cash At San Quentin album, ultimately becoming one of Cash’s biggest hits.
First recorded by Barbara Mason (US #5/R&B #2 1965).
Other hit version by Teri Desario & K.C. (US #2/MOR #1/R&B #20 1979).
Also recorded by La Toya Jackson & Jed (1987).
From the wiki: “Barbara Mason, a soul / R&B singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had released a few singles while she was a teenager in the mid-1960s. ‘Yes, I’m Ready’ became Mason’s first big hit on the music charts, peaking at #2 on the Billboard R&B chart and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1965. While Mason would continue recording into the 1980s, this song has been her highest charting hit. Mason later re-recorded the song for her 1973 album, Give Me Your Love.
First performances (as “Io Che Non Vivo (Senza Te)”) by Pino Donaggio (ITA #1 1965) and Jody Miller (1965).
First (English-language) recording by Willeke Alberti (1965).
Hit versions by Dusty Springfield (US #4/UK #1 1966), Elvis Presley (US #11/UK #9 1970), Guys ‘n Dolls (UK #5 1976), The Floaters (US #28 1977).
From the wiki: “‘Io Che Non Vivo (Senza Te)’ was introduced at the 1965 Sanremo Festival by Pino Donaggio – who’d co-written the song with Vito Pallavicini – and his team partner Jody Miller (‘He’s So Fine‘, ‘Never Let Her Go‘): the song took seventh place at San Remo and, as recorded by Donaggio, reached #1 in Italy in March 1965.
“Willeke Alberti was a Dutch singer and actress, starting her career at the early age of eleven in the musical Duel om Barbara, recording her first single in 1958 together with her entertainer father, Willy Alberti. Willeke and her father had a television show between 1965 and 1969. Her singing career from 1970 onwards was less active. In 1994, she returned to the state to representd the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Waar is de zon?’ (‘Where is the sun?’).
Originally recorded by Big Maybelle (1955).
Also recorded by Roy Hall (1955).
Hit version by Jerry Lee Lewis (US #3/C&W #1/R&B #1/UK #38 1957).
From the wiki: “The origins of the song are disputed, but the writing is co-credited to singer/songwriter Dave ‘Curlee’ Williams and pianist, bandleader, and songwriter James Faye ‘Roy’ Hall. Big Maybelle made the first recording of it in March 1955 for Okeh Records, in a session produced by Quincy Jones.
Written and originally recorded (as “Brandy”) by Scott English (US #91/UK #12 1971).
Other hit versions by Bunny Walters (NZ #4 1972), Barry Manilow (US #1/MOR #1/UK #11/CAN #1 1974).
From the wiki: “Under the title ‘Brandy’, the selection’s original title, the song charted in 1971 for Scott English, one of its co-writers (along with Richard Kerr, who would go on to later write ‘Somewhere in the Night‘ and ‘I’ll Never Love This Way Again‘), whose version of it reached #12 in the UK Singles Charts. It was also released in the United States, but barely made the Billboard Hot 100.
“The suggestion that the song is about a favorite dog is apparently an urban legend. English has said that a reporter called him early one morning asking who ‘Brandy’ was, and an irritated English made up the ‘dog’ story to get the reporter off his back.
First recorded by Tom Rush (released, April 1968).
Also recorded by James Taylor (released, December 1968).
Re-recorded by James Taylor (1976).
From the wiki: “On the The Circle Game (1968), Folk musician Tom Rush covered three songs from fellow singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, one by Jackson Browne, and two James Taylor songs including ‘Something in the Way She Moves’ – that song’s first appearance. (Taylor had played the song for Rush when he visited the New York City office of Elektra Records for an audition in 1967.) The album tracks followed the cycle of a relationship from its beginning to an end, according to the lyric content and the sequencing of songs on the album. Supporting this concept is the cover shot which pictures then girlfriend Jill Lumpkin behind Tom Rush, as photographed by (future Beatle wife) Linda Eastman.
Co-written and first recorded by Hoagy Carmichael & His Orchestra (1930).
Hit versions by Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra (1931), Ray Charles (US #1/R&B #3/UK #24 1960).
Also recorded by The Band (1976).
From the wiki: “Written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Stuart Gorrell (lyrics). Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy’s sister, Georgia Carmichael. However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to a woman named ‘Georgia’ or to the state of Georgia.
Written and first recorded by D.L. Byron (1981, released 1995).
Also recorded by Rachel Sweet (1981).
Hit version by Pat Benatar (US #13/UK #83/AUS #19 1982).
From the wiki: “Originally recorded in 1981 by its songwriter, D.L. Byron, his version would not be released until 1995.
“After recording two albums for Stiff Records, Rachel Sweet would be signed to Columbia Records in 1981 and released the album … And Then He Kissed Me (on which appears ‘Shadows of the Night’) which launched the hit single, ‘Everlasting Love’, a duet with Rex Smith. After completing one more album for Columbia, Sweet resumed her education via correspondence courses and went on to graduate from Columbia University in French and English Literature in 1988.
Co-written and originally recorded by Sonny West (Feb 1958).
Hit version by Buddy Holly (US #37/UK #5 1958).
From the wiki: “‘Rave On’ is a 1958 song written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty, first recorded by Sonny West and released in February 1958. The hit version was recorded later that same year by Buddy Holly, and was one of his six songs to chart in 1958.”
First recorded by Barry McGuire (1965).
Hit versions by The Mamas & the Papas (US #4/UK #23 1966), José Feliciano (US #43/R&B #20 1968), America (US #56 1979), The Beach Boys (US #57/MOR #8 1986).
From the wiki: “According to John Phillips in a Bravo documentary, and Michelle Phillips in an NPR piece, the song was written in 1963 while they were living in New York. John dreamed about the song and woke Michelle up to help him write it. At the time, the Phillips were members of the folk group The New Journeymen which would evolve into the Mamas & the Papas.
“The Mamas & the Papas earned their first recording contract after being introduced to Lou Adler, the head of Dunhill Records, by Barry McGuire. In thanks to Adler and McGuire, they sang the backing vocals to McGuire’s original 1965 recording of ‘California Dreamin” (along with session musicians from The Wrecking Crew) for McGuire’s album, This Precious Time.
First recorded by El Jarocho (1939).
Hit versions by Richie Valens (US #22/UK #49 1958), Los Lobos (US #1/UK #1/CAN #1/AUS #1/NZ #1/IRE #1 1987).
From the wiki: “Originally a wedding dance (from the Veracruz area), ‘La Bamba’ eventually became a standard in the Son Jarocho-style repertoire. The name of the dance, which has no direct English translation, is presumably connected with the Spanish verb bambolear, meaning ‘to shake’ or perhaps ‘to stomp’.
Written and first recorded by Stuart Hamblen (1954).
Hit versions by Rosemary Clooney (US #1/UK #1 1954), Billie Anthony (UK #4 1954). Shakin’ Stevens (UK #1 1981).
From the wiki: “Stuart Hamblen was supposedly out on a hunting expedition when he and fellow hunter, actor John Wayne, came across a tumbledown hut in the mountains, many miles from civilization. They went into the hut and there, lying amongst the rubbish and rubble of a crumbling building, was the body of a dead man. The man’s dog was still alive and, although starving, guarding his dead master’s home.
Written and first recorded by Hall & Oates (1980).
Hit version (as “Every Time You Go Away”) by Paul Young (US #1/UK #4/IRE #2 1985).
From the wiki: “Written and composed by Daryl Hall, the original recording of ‘Everytime You Go Away’ appeared on Hall & Oates’s 1980 album, Voices, but was not released as a single.
“Young’s single, from the album The Secret of Association, hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 27, 1985. It remains his only #1 hit and one of only two Top 10 hits he had on the U.S. pop singles chart. The song peaked at #4 in the UK, Young’s home country. The song won Best British Video at the 1986 Brit Awards.”
Co-written and first recorded by Albert Hammond (1976).
Hit version by Leo Sayer (US #1/UK #1 1977).
From the wiki: “‘When I Need You’ is a popular song written by Albert Hammond (‘It Never Rains in Southern California’, ‘The Air That I Breathe‘) and Carole Bayer Sager (‘A Groovy Kind of Love‘, ‘That’s What Friends Are For’, ‘Theme to Arthur‘). Its first appearance was as the title track of Hammond’s 1976 album When I Need You. Leo Sayer’s version, produced by Richard Perry, was a massive hit worldwide, reaching #1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in February 1977 after three of his earlier singles had stalled at #2. It also reached #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week in May 1977 and the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.”
First recorded by The Victor Young Orchestra w. Jeri Southern (1952).
Hit versions by Doris Day (US #20 1952), Nat “King” Cole (UK #2 1957), Natalie Cole (US #6/R&B #31 1987), Rick Astley (UK #2 1987), Celine Dion & Clive Griffin (US #23/MOR #6 1993).
From the wiki: “Jeri Southern released the original version in April 1952 with the song’s composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it, though the first hit version was by Doris Day released in July 1952.”
First recorded by The Beatles (1962).
Hit version by Gerry & The Pacemakers (US #9/UK #1 1963).
From the wiki: “The song was written by Mitch Murray. Adam Faith had been offered the song but turned it down and The Beatles recorded a version of it, which would not be released until it appeared on the group’s retrospective Anthology 1 album in 1995.
First released (as “Country Comforts”) by Rod Stewart (June 1970).
Also recorded by Orange Bicycle (Sept 1970), Kate Taylor w/ Linda Ronstadt (1971).
Hit album version by Elton John (NZ #15 Oct 1970).
“Written by Elton John, ‘Country Comfort’ would be first recorded and released by two other artists (as ‘Country Comforts’) in the months prior to John’s own release in October 1970: by Rod Stewart (on Gasoline Alley) in June 1970, and by Orange Bicycle in September 1970.
First performed by William Gillespie (1941).
First released by Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (US #10 1941).
Other hit versions by Woody Herman & His Orchestra (US #1 1941), Dinah Shore (US #4 1942), Cab Calloway (US #8 1942), Rosemary Clooney (US #29 1952).
Also recorded by Judy Garland (1941), Chicago (1995).
From the wiki: “The song was first performed by William Gillespie, in the movie Blues In The Night, and was nominated for an Academy Award.
“Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer wrote the entire score for Blues in the Night. When they finished writing ‘Blues in the Night’, Mercer called a friend, singer Margaret Whiting, and asked if they could come over and play it for her. She suggested they come later because she had dinner guests — Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, and Martha Raye. Instead, Arlen and Mercer went right over. Margaret Whiting remembered what happened then:
First performed by Jill O’Hara & Jerry Orbach (1968).
First charted by Johnny Mathis (MOR #35 1969).
Other hit versions by Burt Bacharach (US #98/MOR #18 1969), Bobbie Gentry (UK #1/IRE #1/NOR #5 1969), Dionne Warwick (US #6/R&B #17/MOR #1 1969), Deacon Blue (IRE #2 1990).
From the wiki: “Originally written for the 1968 musical Promises, Promises, it soon became one of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s most enduring songs. It was introduced in the musical by Jerry Orbach and Jill O’Hara, and was nominated for Song of the Year in the 1969 Grammy awards. (The soundtrack album did win the 1969 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.)
“The first recording of ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ to reach any of the charts in Billboard was by Johnny Mathis, whose cover debuted on the magazine’s Easy Listening chart in the issue dated May 17, 1969, and reached #35 over the course of three weeks there. Bacharach’s own version, which was sung by a female chorus, overtook the Mathis release after a May 31 debut on that same chart and got as high as number 18 during its nine-week stay. It also peaked at #93 on the Hot 100 during the two weeks it spent there in July.
“Bobbie Gentry entered the UK singles chart with the song the following month, on August 30, and enjoyed one of her 19 weeks there at #1. She also peaked at #1 in Ireland. The most successful version of the song to be released as a single, however, was by Bacharach-David protégée Dionne Warwick, whose recording made its first appearance on the Hot 100 in the issue dated December 27, 1969, to start an 11-week run that took it to #6 (Warwick’s her last Top-10 solo hit until 1979).”
First recorded by Inez & Charlie Foxx (US #7/R&B #2 1963).
Other hit version by Carly Simon & James Taylor (US #5/UK #34 1974).
From the wiki: “The original single was credited to Inez Foxx with vocal accompaniment by her brother Charlie, as they alternated the lyric on a syllabic basis. Considered something of a novelty song, it was a great success for them upon its release by Sue Records, reaching #2 on the U.S. R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1963.
First recorded by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra with Helen Forrest (1940).
Also recorded by The Les Paul Trio (1944).
Hit versions by Stan Kenton & June Christy (US #27 1948), Les Paul & Mary Ford (US #1 1951).
From the wiki: “‘How High the Moon’ is a jazz standard written by Nancy Hamilton and Morgan Lewis. It was first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show. The earliest version to be recorded was by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra and released by Columbia Records in 1940, with the flip side ‘Fable of the Rose’. The Les Paul Trio recorded a version released as a wartime V-Disc, with a spoken introduction, issued in 1944 by the U.S. War Department. The best-known recording of the song is also by Les Paul, with Mary Ford, completed on January 4, 1951. It spent 25 weeks (beginning on March 23, 1951) on the Billboard chart, nine of those weeks at #1.”
Written and first recorded by Tim Hardin (1965).
Also recorded by Bobby Darin (1966), Marianne Faithful (1967).
Hit versions by Rod Stewart (as “(Find a) Reason to Believe” studio, US #62 1971), Rod Stewart (live, US #19/MOR #2/UK #51 1993).
From the wiki: ‘Reason to Believe’ is a song written and first recorded by American folk singer Tim Hardin in 1965. After having had his recording contract terminated by Columbia Records, after refusing to release an album of material he had recorded for them, Hardin achieved some success in the 1960s as a songwriter based in Greenwich Village. The original recording of ‘Reason to Believe’ comes from Hardin’s first authorized debut album, released on Verve Records, Tim Hardin 1, recorded in 1965 and issued in 1966 when he was 25.
Originally recorded by “Big” Joe Turner & His Blues Kings (US #22/R&B #1 1954).
Other hit version by Bill Haley & His Comets (US #7/UK #4/AUS #18 1954).
From the wiki: “In early 1954, Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records suggested to Jesse Stone (writing under his assumed name ‘Charles E. Calhoun’) that he write an up-tempo blues for ‘Big’ Joe Turner, a blues shouter whose career had begun in Kansas City before World War II. Stone played around with various phrases before coming up with ‘shake, rattle and roll’. The shouting chorus on Turner’s version consisted of Stone, Ertegun and Atlantic’s other label executive, Jerry Wexler.
“The song, in its original incarnation, is highly sexual. [Among other salacious lyrics,] Stone stated that the line about ‘a one-eyed cat peepin’ in a seafood store’ was suggested to him by Atlantic session drummer Sam ‘Baby’ Lovett as an on-the-sly sexual reference. Turner’s recording was released in April 1954, reached #1 on the US Billboard R&B chart on June 12 and did not move for three weeks. It peaked at #22, nearly at the same time, on the Billboard Hot 100.
