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GREAT COVERS OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS

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Honored Social Butterfly

GREAT COVERS OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS

For many an original song that they love cannot and will not ever be duplicated by a cover, but there are many songs that have been done equally (debatebly) well by others..

So do you have favorites?

 

What are your favorite covers of favorite songs?

 

 

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith
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Honored Social Butterfly

Whiter Shade Of Pale - Annie Lennox, Procol Harum cover

https://youtu.be/VZqPoriYXho

On my playlist of favorite covers.

 

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix
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Social Butterfly

...Never knew this was a cover. Like the original too and the live video of them when older is very good. Hootie & the Blowfish liked this Canadian band and they covered this song a lot in live shows and then recorded it. One time when doing a show in Canada they brought in 54-50 as the opener. When 54-40 did "I Go Blind", the Hootie's road manager tried to get them off the stage because he thought the band was trying to do the Hootie's song. Never knew of this band, am starting to listen to their stuff.

 

"I Go Blind" - original by 54-40 - (87) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkCRX8SHw2o 

    - Live later - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTdFCXKulp0 

 

Cover 

 

  "I Go Blind"  - Hootie & the Blowfish (94)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnqoKQpLan8

 

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Recognized Social Butterfly

"Ballad of a Thin Man {Mr. Jones} * Bob Dylan {66}

uncut version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we37yX3zpKA&ab_channel=BobDylanVEVO

"Ballad of a Thin Man" * Grass Roots

sanitized version for AM radio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou5Nt-9tRro&ab_channel=LENALENAS

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Honored Social Butterfly

TIMELESS: A Hank Williams Tribute     Various artists (Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Keb' Mo', Beck, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Keith Richards, Hank Williams III, Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams and Johnny Cash) give their interpretations to his songs, while remaining faithful to the originals. I think its a terrific CD.

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Super Contributor

One of the most popular songs by the Grateful Dead is Ripple.   What most Dead fans dont realize is that Ripple is cribbed from the song Any Dream Will Do that was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice back in 1968 as part of a show they composed for a high school theater group.    Also cribbed from Any Dream Will Do is the very popular hymn "Because He Lives" .    Rice and LLoyd Webber are not very litigious  and let it go as they were far too busy working on their next show with which they had some success.   

 

The original recording of Any Dream Will do was by Malcom Parry in a 1969 recording.   Donnie Osmond, Jason Donovan, and Lee Mead all played Joseph on stage and had very popular recordings of the song with Jason Donovan's being the most popular, to the point that many don't realize that it was recorded much earlier.    

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Recognized Social Butterfly

"Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" *written in 1934 by J. Hanley. This fox trot standard has been recorded by several stars from J. Garland to F. Sinatra. The 62' doowop-pop version by the Furys is the cover that got a lot of radio play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CobdKWNzSbw&ab_channel=AndersonSchmitt

 

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Super Contributor

Don't forget the Coasters big hit with the song in 1958.

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Super Contributor

Willie Nelson had a big hit with Blue Eyes Crying in the rain from his Red Haired Stranger album.  This song was actually written in the 1940s by Fred Rose and recorded first by his publishing partner Roy Acuff who was a hugely popular country singer at the time.      Acuff's original is very busy and not really satisfying.   It was Hank Williams who sang it with the stark pared down arrangement that works so well and that's the version that inspired Willie Nelson's now classic  recording.    Acuff and Rose were Hank's publishers and Rose sometimes wrote songs with Hank Williams.  

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Honored Social Butterfly

I didn’t know the history of the song, but I love to hear Willie sing it.

 

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix
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Regular Social Butterfly

That was interesting. Good song.

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Super Contributor

Another brilliant recording that many might not know is a cover is At Last by Etta James.   The original was recorded by the Glenn Miller band in 1941 and used in the movie Sun Valley Serenade.    Its ok but Etta James really makes it work and takes it home.   

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Honored Social Butterfly

No, didn’t know this was a cover. At Last by Etta James is the only version that ever mattered, that I can recall. She made it her song, even if it wasn’t the original!

 

 

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix
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Super Contributor

One song that many might not know was done earlier is Blue Hawaii which was a big hit for Elvis Presley from the movie.   Blue Hawaii had been done in 1937 by Bing Crosby from the movie Waikiki Wedding.    Elvis is my favorite as he he far more emotional and active.  Bing's original though is also great.    

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Honored Social Butterfly

The Fall - There's a Ghost in My House (1987)

The Fall - There's a Ghost in My House 

 

is a cover of

R Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House (1967)

R Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House 

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Recognized Social Butterfly

"Que Sera Sera" (whatever will be will be) Original by Doris Day. Cover version by the High Keys {63} is more upbeat Latin flavored. Both are good can't argue that.

The High Keys,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd67B-7huHk&ab_channel=StrangeLovesVoodooStereoMixTures

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"Black & White" * 3 Dog Nights {72'} lyrically tamer version of Folk activist Pete Seegers {1956} tune is musically more rock orientated but the original still retains the  punch of activism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyvjwfM-cwk&list=PLx8kU_D2e4voMCx9SQkXFeSH7CnRO9j7x&index=48&ab_chan...

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Super Contributor

I would be remiss not to mention Bobby Darren's huge hit Beyond the Sea is a loose version of the classic La Mer by the brilliant Charles Trenet

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Another huge hit that many might not know is a cover is Twist and Shout by The Beatles.  Their version is taken from The Isley Brothers arrangement, but that was also a cover.   The original was by The Top Notes, several years earlier.   

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Super Contributor

Dean Martin had a big hit with Your Other Love but the original was by the Flamingos in a far superior version.   Its another example of the  bifurcated  market of the time.   

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Super Contributor

Elvis Presley turned everything into an elvis song.  he was that good.  In the 1950s the market was very different than today and songs were put out there for anyone.   Also the the market was bifurcated by race.    Many songs were covered in two different versions, usually with the same backing musicians.   "Shaboom" was a big hit by the Crew cuts, but was originally by and with a vastly better version, The Chords.

His Latest Flame was by Del Shanon

Hound Dog was by Big Mamma Thorton

All Shook Up by David Riff

Tomorrow is a Long Time (Bob Dylan) based on an arraignment by Odetta

Promised Land by Chuck Berry

many many more.  

 

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Social Butterfly

All the songs Seal covers in Soul.

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Social Butterfly

"True Colors" - original by Cyndi Lauper  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPn0KFlbqX8

 

Cover by Greek Fire - love their stuff

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzgQh-EtjxU 

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Super Contributor

Cindy Lauper's big hit with Girls Just want to have Fun was a cover of the original by Robert hazard.   

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Recognized Social Butterfly

Domenico Modugno's 1958 international hit "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu"  {Volare}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD8BryVB9d0&ab_channel=TeleRicordi%28LaTiV%C3%B9chenonc%27%C3%A8pi%C...

When I heard this as a kid, I didn't understand a word of it but I liked the emotional deliverance of the singer and the musical accompaniment. Of course the Americanized cover version "Volare" by Bobby Rydell might be more recognized here, it doesn't measure up to the original anyway thats my opinion.🤐

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Honored Social Butterfly

Dean Martin and Sergio Franchi also had great covers of Volare.

 

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix
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Honored Social Butterfly

Trouble - Gillan  (Elvis cover)

 

Elvis was one of Ian Gillan’s heroes, so he enjoyed covering his songs from time to time. This one was a good fit, and a big hit for him in the UK, 1981. He had a great rockin’ band, as well.

 

https://youtu.be/LiE4c83K9BM

 

 

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix
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Super Contributor

Many popular songs have taken their melodies directly from classical pieces.   Some are just straight out reworkings of the pieces themselves.   I wonder if these count or can be a seperate topic.  These include among a lot:

I'm Always Chasing Rainbows from Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin

Tonight We Love from Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto 1 

A Lovers Concerto From JS Bach

Jesu Joy from Bach Cantata #147

Going Home from Dvorak New World Symphony 

I Can't Help Falling In Love With you from Martini's Plaisure d'Amour 

Because from Beethoven Moonlight Sonata

Its Now or Never from O Solo Mio 

Stranger in paradise from Borodin Polovtsian Dances

Many Many more 

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Social Butterfly

Yes @RossM846371 , there is a topic for this. Here is the link.

ROCK versions of Classical Music

https://community.aarp.org/t5/Rock-N-Roll/ROCK-versions-of-Classical-Music/m-p/2443922#M216012 

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Super Contributor

thanks

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Social Butterfly

You are welcome @RossM846371 .

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