Sorry, couldn't resist that, not after writing the first line. It was the follow up single to Favourite Shirts (Boy meets Girl) by Haircut One Hundred, who were apparently a British New Wave Band! They had 4 Top 40 Hits, this being the second, the last being Nobody's Fool (The video for which, featured Patsy Kensit). Don't know how I got to here because only one of their songs has ever been covered, and that was the aforementioned Favourite Shirts, by a Japanese Artist.
I have seriously digressed, I will now try to get back on track (No pun intended)
Pulled out 'The Ultimate Action' LP by The Action the other day. The second track is a previously unreleased version of Harlem Shuffle. Written and recorded originally by Bob & Earl (Bob Relf & Earl Nelson) back in 1963 it failed to make the Top 40. Although upon re-issue in 1969 it peaked at No 7 in the UK. Probably the most successful cover has to be by The Rolling Stones, they reached No 5 in The Billboard Charts and No 13 in the UK.
The opening track on the album, I'll Keep On Holdiing On, is also a cover (top tune, used to love dancing to that back in the day), of The Marvelettes, I'll Keep Holding On. The Marvelettes debut single, was Please, Mr Postman, which topped the Billboard Charts in 1961, This of course was later covered by The Beatles on the album With The Beatles and then in 1974 covered by The Carpenters, who reached No 2 in the UK and No 1 in the US.
(It also inspired the song lyric 'Stop wait a minute Mr Spokesman, you don't know what I think' from San Antonio Foam Party on the Album 'Cammell Laird Social Club' by Half Man Half Biscuit).
The more I look at the album the more Motown covers are on it! In My Lonely Room, originally a Martha And The Vandellas single, after Heatwave and before Dancing In The Streets, but didn't make the Top 40. Phil collins had it as a track on his Album 'Going Back'. The other two songs mentioned have both been covered.
Dancing In The Streets has been covered by many artists, including, famously by Mick Jagger and David Bowie at Live Aid in 1985. They were originally going to sing each part of the duet, one in London the other in New York, but with the delay caused by the satelite broadcast it was realised that it would not work, when released as a single it went to No 1 for 4 weeks. The original 1964 version was co-written by Marvin Gaye, who also played Drums on it. It was used by The Kinks as a track on their second Album in 1965, The Mamas And Papas used it as a B-side in 1966, it has also been recorded by Swedish group Tages, The Grateful Dead, and Van Halen to name but a few.
Heatwave. I have this by The Who, on A Quick One, as well as by The Jam, on Setting Sons and again, Phil Collins on Going Back. It was also released as a single by Linda Ronstadt.
I seem to be getting into a Motown vibe here, so much so, that I've put '20 Mod Classics' on!
(I won't dance, I'm in the loft and the rest of the house will think I'm coming down to join them if I do)
Jumping back a few paragraphs to the Half Man Half Biscuit reference, they don't do cover versions on their Albums but they do re-word Albums and song titles. For instance:
Achtung Bono (Achtung Baby by U2),
Cammell Laird Social Club (Buena Vista Social Club),
Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral (Reference to the sculpture 'Four Lads Who Shook The World' outside the Cavern Club in Liverpool as a tribute to the Beatles),
Back In The DHSS (Back in the USSR) another Beatles reference,
Dickie Davies Eyes (Betty Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes),
He Who Would Valium Take (He Who Would Valient Be, Hymn by John Bunyan),
Trouble Over Bridgwater (Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel).
There are many more, and I could (and one day, maybe I will) write a whole page on them! HMHB however do covers when they play live. They usually do a cover as one of their encores. In the last year or so, I know that they have done, London Calling (The Clash), The Sound Of The Suburbs (The Members), War Dance (Killing Joke), 20th Century Boy (T-Rex) & Shot By Both Sides (Magazine).
As well as Half Man Half Biscuit, I know that many bands do covers. I remember many years ago hearing Stiff Little Fingers doing a very good version of The Undertones, Teenage Kicks.