Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Tagged: Bananarama

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’.

Venus (Shocking Blue)

Inspired by “The Banjo Song” by The Big Three (1963).
Hit versions by The Shocking Blue (NETH #3/BEL #1/FRA #1/GER #1 1969 |US #1/UK #8/CAN #1/AUS #1/ITA #1/NZ #1/BZL #1/NETH #3 1970), Bananarana (US #1/UK #8/CAN #1/AUS #1/SUI #1/NZ #1 1986).

From the wiki: “‘Venus’ composer Robbie van Leeuwen admitted in a 2007 interview he took his inspiration for ‘Venus’ from the song ‘The Banjo Song’, written by Tim Rose as a lyrical parody set to the melody of Stephen Foster’s ‘Oh, Susannah’. ‘The Banjo Song’ was first recorded by The Big Three (the folk trio of Jim Hendricks, Tim Rose and a pre-Mamas & Papas Cass Elliot) in 1963.

Long Train Runnin’

First recorded (as a demo) by The Doobie Brothers (c. 1970)
Hit versions by The Doobie Brothers (US #8/CAN #8/NETH #10 1973/NZ #15/SA #11), Traks (FRA #62/GER #18 1982), Bananarama (UK #30/IRE #18/ITA #33/POR #10 1991), Doobie Brothers (remix UK #7/IRE #14/BEL #32 1993).

From the wiki: “Back before The Doobie Brothers signed their first recording contract, they were a biker bar band in California. On one occasion, the band went into the studio to record some demos. One would eventually become known as ‘Long Train Running’.

“Lead singer and songwriter Tom Johnston explained that it began as a song with no real lyrics, merely providing filler on the group’s set list in their early days playing live. Names for the song included ‘Rosey Pig Mosely’, ‘Parliament’ and ‘Osborne’.