Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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1291 total songs ... and counting!

1950s, Rock 'n Roll

The Girl Can’t Help It

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First recorded by Little Richard (R&B #7/UK #9 1956).
Also covered by The Animals (1964), The Everly Brothers (1965), The Flamin’ Groovies (1969), Led Zeppelin/The Nobs (1970), Mick Ronson (1975), Darts (as “Daddy Cool/The Girl Can’t Help It” UK #6 1977), Bonnie Raitt (as “The Boy Can’t Help It” (1979), Babes in Toyland (2001).

From the wiki: “‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ is the title song to the film The Girl Can’t Help It, composed by songwriter Bobby Troup (‘Route 66’, ‘Girl Talk’, ‘The Meaning of the Blues’). The recording was released in December 1956 and peaked at #49 on the Billboard Top 100 singles chart (also UK #9 and US R&B #7 ), and is included in the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Originally, Fats Domino was lined up to record the track, which was not written to be a Rock song. The movie, The Girl Can’t Help It, was originally intended as a vehicle for the American sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, with a satirical subplot involving teenagers and rock ‘n’ roll music. The unintended result has been called the ‘most potent’ celebration of Rock music ever captured on film. The original music score included the title song performed by Little Richard. Reportedly, the producers had wanted Elvis for ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’, but Elvis’s manager Tom Parker demanded too much money.

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1980s, Pop

All I Ask of You

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Originally recorded by Sarah Brightman & Cliff Richard (UK #3 1986).
US hit version by Barbra Streisand (US #15 1988).

From the wiki: “‘All I Ask of You’ is a song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of The Phantom of the Opera.

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1960s, Folk

Leaving On a Jet Plane

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First recorded (as “Babe, I Hate to Go”) by John Denver (1966).
First broadcast (as “Babe, I Hate to Go”) by John Denver on WAVA-FM’s Hootenanny at The Cellar Door (1966).
Hit version by Peter, Paul & Mary (recorded 1967 |US #1/MOR #1/UK #2/CAN #1/IRE #2 1969 single release).
Also recorded by The Mitchell Trio (1967), Spanky & Our Gang (1967), John Denver (1969 |1973).

From the wiki: “Chad Mitchell left his trio in 1965 to embark on a solo singing career. An audition process that followed, and which saw 300 musicians try-out, replaced Mitchell with the young (and unknown) singer-songwriter John Denver. The group retained the well-known ‘Mitchell Trio’ name – with Denver writing some of the group’s songs, including ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane’ (found on The Mitchell Trio’s 1967 album Alive!). The song was first recorded in 1966 by John Denver with the title ‘Babe, I Hate to Go’. He remembers composing the song in 1966 during a layover at Washington airport, ‘Not so much from feeling that way for someone, but from the longing of having someone to love.’

“A year earlier, in 1966, ‘Babe, I Hate to Go’ was among fifteen songs Denver recorded himself and, with his own money, had 250 copies pressed onto vinyl and distributed to friends and family. Later that year, while engaged to perform at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C., Denver performed the song on a live radio broadcast on WAVA-FM, hosted by disc-jockey Dick Cerri for his program Hootenanny, where Denver was backed by fellow Trio guitarist, Bob Hefferan (and handled a heckler in the audience). It was John’s second time singing the song in public and the first radio broadcast of it.

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1980s, Pop

Heartbreaker

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Written and first recorded (as a demo) by Barry Gibb (1982, released 2006).
Hit version by Dionne Warwick (US #10/R&B #14/MOR #1/UK #2/CAN #15/AUS #2 1982).

From the wiki: “‘Heartbreaker’ was written by Barry Gibb for Dionne Warwick, for her album Heartbreaker released in 1982. Gibb’s demo recording was not released until 2006.

“The song blended the two Gibb brothers schools of songwriting: it has the clear verse and chorus structure favored by Robin and Maurice, yet also has the longer spun-out verses Barry now preferred, both well balanced, so that it has instant appeal but takes repeated listenings to fully appreciate. Maurice said later that he wished they had saved it for themselves.

“Warwick admitted in The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits, by Wesley Hyatt, that she was not fond of ‘Heartbreaker’ (regarding the song’s international popularity, she quipped, ‘I cried all the way to the bank’), but recorded it because she trusted the Bee Gees’ judgment that it would be a hit. It turned out to be Dionne’s most successful solo hit of the 1980s.”

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1960s, Rock

Suspicious Minds

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Written and first recorded by Mark James (1968).
Hit versions by Elvis Presley (US #1/MOR #4/UK#2/CAN #1/AUS #1/NZ #2 1969), Dee Dee Warwick (US #80/R&B #24 1971), Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter (C&W #2 1976), Gareth Gates (UK #1 2002).

From the wiki: “‘Suspicious Minds’ was written by Mark James in 1968, and first recorded and released by James on Scepter Records in 1968. but Scepter did not have the money to promote new artists, and the song did not make the charts. After Mark James’ recording failed commercially, the song was suggested to Elvis Presley by James’ producer, Chips Moman. Even though James’s recording initially had not been commercially successful, Elvis decided, upon reviewing the song, he could turn it into a hit.

“Presley’s ‘Suspicious Minds’ would go on to become a #1 hit in the US and in several other countries around the world, one of the top songs of the year (1969), and one of the most notable hits of Presley’s career.

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1960s, Rock 'n Roll

The Crying Game

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Originally recorded by Dave Berry (UK #5 1964).
Other hit versions by Brenda Lee (US #87 1965), Boy George (US #15/UK #22/CAN #1 1992).

From the wiki: “‘The Crying Game’ was first released by UK singer Dave Berry in July 1964. Session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan played lead guitar on this song, and Jimmy Page supported. Berry’s single peaked at #5 in July 1964, his highest-charting UK single to date. But, his original arrangement gained greater international interest in 1992, when it (along with a cover by Boy George) was used as the theme song for the film The Crying Game.

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1930s, Folk

The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)

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Written and first recorded (as “Mbube”) by Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds (1939).
Hit versions by The Weavers (as ‘Wimoweh’ US #6 1951), The Tokens (US #1 1961), Tight Fit (UK #1 1982).

From the wiki: “‘Mbube’ (Zulu: lion) was written in the 1920s by Solomon Linda, a South African singer of Zulu origin, who worked for the Gallo Record Company as a cleaner and record packer, and who performed with a choir, The Evening Birds.

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1950s, R&B

I Almost Lost My Mind

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Written and originally recorded by Ivory Joe Hunter (R&B #1 1949).
Other hit version by Pat Boone (US #1 1956).

From the wiki: “‘I Almost Lost My Mind’ written by Ivory Joe Hunter and was first recorded by him in 1949. Hunter’s 12-bar blues recording of the song was a #1 hit on the US Billboard R&B chart in that year. The best selling version of the song was a cover version by Pat Boone, hitting #1 on the Billboard charts in 1956.”

“Ivory Joe Hunter was a prolific songwriter, and some estimate he wrote more than 7,000 songs during his career.

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1970s, Rock

The Air That I Breathe

Co-written and first recorded by Albert Hammond (1972).
Also recorded by Phil Everly (1973).
Hit versions by The Hollies (US #6/MOR #3/UK #2/CAN #5/AUS #2/NZ #1 1974), Simply Red (UK #6 1998), The Mavericks (C&W #59).

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1970s, Soul

Burning Love

Originally recorded by Arthur Alexander (1972).
Hit version by Elvis Presley (US #2 1972).

From the wiki: “‘Burning Love’ is a song written by Dennis Linde and originally recorded by Country Soul artist Arthur Alexander, who included it on his 1972 self-titled album. It was soon covered and brought to fame by Elvis Presley, becoming his biggest hit single in the United States since ‘Suspicious Minds’ in 1969 and his last Top 10 hit in the American Hot 100 or pop charts. ‘Burning Love’ was kept from becoming #1 by Chuck Berry’s novelty song ‘My Ding-a-Ling‘.

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1970s, Soul

Some Guys Have All the Luck

Originally recorded by The Persuaders (US #39/R&B #7 1974).
Also recorded by Nikki Wills (1981).
Other hit versions by Robert Palmer (US Rock #59/UK #16 1982), Rod Stewart (US #10/UK #15 1984), Louise Mandrell (as “Some Girls Have All the Luck” C&W #22 1985), Maxi Priest (UK #12/IRE #15/BEL #18 1987).

From the wiki: “[Jeff] Fortgang wrote many songs during his three years in the music business after graduating Yale in 1971, but sold only this one. He went on to get a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and still works in the mental health field in the Boston area. By the time ‘Some Guys Have All the Luck’ became a major hit (by Rod Stewart) in 1984, Fortgang had long before abandoned his dreams being a popular songwriter and was already well into a career as a psychologist.

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1970s, Rock

I Love Rock ‘n Roll

Written and first recorded by Arrows (1975).
Also recorded by Joan Jett, Steve Jones & Paul Cook (1979), Tiny Tim (1980).
Hit versions by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (US #1/UK #4/CAN #1/AUS #1/FRA #4 1981) and Britney Spears (UK #13/AUS #13/SCOT #9 2002).

From the wiki: “The song was originally recorded and released by Arrows in 1975 on RAK Records, with lead vocals by Alan Merrill and produced by Mickie Most. In an interview with Songfacts, Merrill said he wrote it as ‘a knee-jerk response to The Rolling Stones’ ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)’.’ Arrows’ version was first released as a B-side, but was soon flipped to the A-side on subsequent pressings of the single.

“The Arrows performed the song in 1975 on the Muriel Young-produced show 45. Based on the strength of their performance, Young offered the band a weekly UK television variety series, Arrows, which was broadcast on ITV starting in March 1976.

“Although Arrows’ recording was not a chart hit in its original version (as a result of nonexistent promotion by the band’s label), the song came to become a worldwide hit when recorded by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

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1960s, Reggae/Ska

Police on My Back

Written (by Eddy Grant) and first recorded by The Equals (1967).
Hit album version by The Clash (1980).

From the wiki: “‘Police on My Back’ was written by Eddy Grant when he was leader of the Equals, a racially-mixed British group who fused rock, reggae, and soul rhythms. The band’s sole international hit was the admirably eccentric groover ‘Baby Come Back’. First released as a promotional single in Germany in 1967 and in 1968 in the UK, the Netherlands and Austria (with no apparent chart success), ‘Police on My Back’ was included on the Equals Explosion album released in the UK in 1968, and in the US in 1968 on the compilation ‘greatest hits’ album Baby, Come Back.

“The Clash picked ‘Police on My Back’ to cover while recording their fourth album, the sprawling three-LP set Sandanista!. While the Equals’ original version has a clear if muted reggae undertow, the song became a hard-charging, high-velocity onslaught when recorded by The Clash.

“‘Police on My Back’ was a rare example of the Clash tackling a reggae tune and, rather than trying to fuse its Caribbean rhythms with the band’s muscular approach, instead stripped the tune to its bare bones and tackling it as straight rock & roll. The track was cited by some critics in reviews of Sandinista! as the most ‘Clash-sounding’ song on the album – with the irony being that ‘Police on My Back’ was a cover; not a Clash original.”

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1970s, Rock

Never Been to Spain

Written and first recorded by Hoyt Axton (1971).
Hit versions by Three Dog Night (US #5/MOR #18/CAN #3/AUS #34 1972), Ronnie Sessions (C&W #34 1972).
Also recorded by Elvis Presley (1972).

From the wiki: “‘Never Been to Spain’ was written by Hoyt Axton (‘Joy to the World‘,’No No Song‘), and was first recorded for and released on his 1971 LP Joy to the World. It would later be recorded later that same year by Three Dog Night, with Cory Wells on lead vocal, and was featured on the album, Harmony. Released as the second single from the album (after ‘An Old Fashioned Love Song‘), ‘Never Been to Spain’ peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #18 on the MOR chart in 1972.

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1960s, Rock 'n Roll

Got My Mind Set on You

Originally recorded (as “I’ve Got My Mind Set On You”) by James Ray (1962).
Hit version by George Harrison (US #1/UK #2/AUS #1 1988).

From the wiki: “‘I’ve Got My Mind Set on You’ was written by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962. Standing just 5′ tall, Ray first recorded as Little Jimmy Ray. He recorded ‘Make Her Mine’ in 1959, but it was unsuccessful and by 1961 Ray was destitute and living on a rooftop, though still performing in clubs.

“Songwriter Rudy Clark befriended him, and persuaded Gerry Granahan of Caprice Records to sign him. Using the name James Ray, his first recording was of Clark’s song, ‘If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody’. The record was a hit on both the Pop and R&B charts. The single was issued in the UK in 1962 as well, and the song was performed by The Beatles before being discovered by Freddie and the Dreamers, who took their cover of it into the UK Top 5 the year after.

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1950s, Rock 'n Roll

Louie Louie

Written and first recorded by Richard Berry & The Pharoahs (1955).
Inspired by “El Loco Cha Cha” (Ricky Rillera & The Rhythm Rockers, ca. 1954).
Also recorded by Rockin Robin Roberts & The Wailers (1961), Paul Revere & The Raiders (US #103 1963).
Hit version by The Kingsmen (US #2 1963).

From the wiki: “By some accounts ‘Louie Louie’ is the world’s most recorded rock song with over 1,600 versions and counting (with many more amateur versions appearing regularly on YouTube and elsewhere). Richard Berry was inspired to write the song in 1955 after listening to and performing the song ‘El Loco Cha Cha’ with Ricky Rillera & The Rhythm Rockers. [Note: While the title of the song is often rendered with a comma (‘Louie, Louie’), in 1988 Berry told Esquire magazine that the correct title of the song was ‘Louie Louie’, with no comma.]

“Berry released his version in April 1957, originally as a B-side, with his backing band The Pharaohs. It became a regional hit on the West Coast, particularly in San Francisco. When the group toured the Pacific Northwest, other local R&B bands began to play the song, increasing its popularity. The track was then re-released as an A-side. However, the single never charted on Billboard’s national R&B or Pop music charts even though Berry’s label reported that the single had sold 40,000 copies. After a series of unsuccessful follow-ups, Berry sold his portion of publishing and songwriting rights for $750 to the head of Flip Records in 1959.

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1960s, Soul

For Once in My Life

First recorded (as a demo) in 1965 and first released by Jean DuShon (Oct 1966).
Also recorded by Connie Haines (1965), Barbara McNair (released Nov 1966), The Four Tops (1967), The Temptations (1967).
Hit versions by Tony Bennett (US #91/EZ #8 1967), Stevie Wonder (US #2/R&B #2 1968).

From the wiki: “‘For Once in My Life’, written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden, was originally recorded by Jean DuShon, tapped by Miller to demo ‘For Once in My Life’ as he was ‘fine-tuning’ the composition. Miller was so impressed by DuShon’s rendition he released her recording as a single on Chess Records’ Cadet label in 1966.

“Motown CEO Berry Gordy found out that Miller, a Motown staff writer, had given the song to an outside artist. Gordy had Miller immediately make the song available for Motown artist Connie Haines, who recorded the first version of the song at the label in July 1965 and, then, Barbara McNair to record (in 1966) and, later, for the Four Tops, the Temptations and, later, Stevie Wonder to record.

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1960s, Pop

Peaceful

Written and first recorded by Kenny Rankin (1967).
Also recorded by Bobbie Gentry (1968), The Friends of Distinction (1969), Kenny Rankin (1972).
Hit versions by Georgie Fame (UK #16 1969), Helen Reddy (US #12/MOR #2 1973).

From the wiki: “Early in his career Rankin worked as a singer-songwriter, penning songs for pop-jazz artists like Carmen McRae (‘My Carousel’), Peggy Lee (‘In the Name of Love’), and Mel Tormé (‘Haven’t We Met’). He developed a considerable following during the 60’s & 70’s with a steady flow of his own albums, three of which broke into the Top 100 of the Billboard Album Chart. (Rankin also performed session work for other Columbia Records artists. Among other sessions, he played acoustic guitar on Bob Dylan’s breakthrough disc Bringing It All Back Home.)

“He appeared on The Tonight Show more than twenty times. Host Johnny Carson was so impressed by him that he wrote the liner notes to Rankin’s 1967 debut album Mind Dusters, which featured the single ‘Peaceful.’ Kenny’s friend Helen Reddy would reach #2 on the MOR chart and #12 Pop in 1973 with her cover recording.

“Earlier covers of ‘Peaceful’ were recorded by Bobby Gentry and The Friends of Distinction. Georgie Fame (‘Yeh Yeh’) was the first artist to chart with ‘Peaceful’, in the UK in 1969.”

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1950s, R&B

Talk to Me

First recorded (as “Talk to Me, Talk to Me”) by Little Willie John (US #20/R&B #5 1958).
Also recorded by Joe Seneca (1960), Jean DuShon (1961), The Beach Boys (1976).
Hit versions by Sunny & The Sunglows (US #11/R&B #12 1963) and Mickey Gilley (C&W #1/CAN #1 1982).

From the wiki: “‘Talk to Me’ (or ‘Talk to Me, Talk to Me’) is a song written by Joe Seneca. Originally recorded in 1958 by Little Willie John, whose version charted #5 R&B and #20 Pop, ‘Talk to Me’ was also recorded by Seneca himself in 1960 and covered by numerous other performers, including Jean DuShon (1961, produced by Phil Spector), Sunny & the Sunglows (1963), The Beach Boys, whose version was released on their 1976 album 15 Big Ones, and Mickey Gilley (1982).

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1970s, Pop

The Greatest Love of All

Originally recorded by George Benson (US #24/R&B #2/UK #27 1977).
Other hit version by Whitney Houston (US #1/R&B #3/UK #8/AUS #1 1985).

From the wiki: “‘The Greatest Love of All’ was written by Michael Masser (‘Touch Me in the Morning’, ‘Saving All My Love for You‘) and lyricist Linda Creed (‘You Are Everthing’, ‘Betcha By Golly, Wow‘). The song was written and recorded to be the main theme of the 1977 film The Greatest, a biopic of the boxer Muhammad Ali, and was first recorded by George Benson for the film.

“Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer. The words describe her feelings about coping with great challenges that one must face in life, being strong during those challenges whether you succeed or fail, and passing that strength on to children to carry with them into their adult lives. Creed eventually succumbed to the disease in April 1986 at the age of 37; at the time her song was an international hit by Houston.

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1950s, R&B

Fever

Originally recorded by Little Willie John (US #24/R&B #1 1956).
Other hit versions by Peggy Lee (US #8/UK #5 1958), Helen Shapiro (UK #38 1964), The McCoys (US #7/UK #44 1965), Madonna (DANCE #1/UK #6 1993).
Also recorded (as “Fiebre”) by La Lupe (1963), La Lupe (1968).

From the wiki: “The idea for the song was presented to Otis Blackwell (‘All Shook Up‘, ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, ‘Great Balls of Fire’) by an old friend, Eddie Cooley. Blackwell said: ‘Eddie Cooley was a friend of mine from New York and he called me up and said ‘Man, I got an idea for a song called Fever, but I can´t finish it. I had to write it under another name [‘John Davenport’] because, at that time, I was still under contract to Joe Davis.’

“Little Willie John reportedly disliked the song, but was persuaded to record it on March 1, 1956. His version was released in April 1956 and became a double-sided hit along with the top-ten R&B song ‘Letter from My Darling’. ‘Fever’ reached #1 for three weeks on the R&B Best Sellers chart. It also made the pop charts, peaking at #24 on the Billboard chart.

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1960s, Rock

Somebody to Love

Originally recorded (as “Someone to Love”) by The Great Society (1966).
Hit version by Jefferson Airplane (US #5 1967).

From the wiki: “Written by The Great Society guitarist Darby Slick and first performed by that band, which included his then-sister-in-law Grace Slick on vocals, the song made little impact outside of the club circuit in the Bay Area.

“The song was released in 1966 as a single on the North Beach subsidiary of Autumn Records and received minimal circulation and radio airplay outside of San Francisco.

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1960s, R&B

On Broadway

Originally recorded by The Cookies (1962).
Also recorded (and released first) by The Crystals (1962).
Hit versions by The Drifters (US #9/R&B #7 1963) and George Benson (US #7/R&B #2 1978).

From the wiki: “Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann were based at Aldon Music, in NYC, and the song as written by Mann-Weil was originally recorded by The Cookies (although The Crystals’ version beat them to release) and featured an upbeat lyric in which the protagonist is still on her way to Broadway and sings ‘I got to get there soon, or I’ll just die.’

“For the Crystals’ recording, Phil Spector created his soon-to-be trademark cocktail of pizzicato strings, mandolins and castanets. His ‘Wall of Sound’ was inspired by, and reflects, the ‘neon lights of Broadway’, and might not even exist without Spector’s ‘On Broadway’ arrangement.

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1970s, Soul

Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone

First recorded by The Undisputed Truth (US #63/R&B #24 1971).
Other hit versions by The Temptations (US #1/R&B #5/UK #14/CAN #12/NZ #6 1972), Bill “Wolf” Wolfer (US #55/R&B #47 1982), (Was (Not Was) (R&B #60/UK #11/NETH #13/SWZ #6 1990).

From the wiki: “‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’ is a psychedelic Soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield (‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine‘)and Barrett Strong (‘Money (That’s What I Want)‘), and first recorded in 1971 for Motown by The Undisputed Truth. (This version of ‘Papa’ was released as a single in early 1972, where it peaked at #63 on the pop charts and #24 on the R&B charts.

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