So, more covers that were made famous or possibly made more famous as a cover, than the original.
China Girl was originally recorded and released by Iggy Pop in 1977, co-written by Iggy and David Bowie and produced by David Bowie. It was Bowie who has the more well known version, which he released in 1983. His version was produced by Nile Rodgers and got to No. 2 in the UK Chart.
Please forgive me even mentioning this, and I suppose it was obvious that it was a cover, Bye Bye Baby by the Bay City Rollers. Originally recorded by The Four Seasons and reaching No 12 in the US, but not charting in the UK, The Bay City Rollers version went to No 1 in the UK and was the biggest selling song of 1975, but never charted in the US!
Certainly in the UK, Denis by Blondie, their breakthrough single, was completely unknown prior to 1978 and came as a surprise to many that it was in fact a cover of Denise, by Randy and the Rainbows which had been a top 10 hit in the US in 1963. Ironically, Blondie failed to chart in the US with their version despite having topped the chart in a few countries (it only reached number 2 in the UK)
Twist and Shout, a massive hit for the Isley Brothers in 1962, top 20 in the US and just outside the top 40 in the uk. It had originally been recorded by The Top Notes and produced by Phil Spector before he perfected his Wall of Sound technique. One of the co-writers thought that he had ruined the song and it was he who produced The Isley Brothers version that everybody knows. The following year The Beatles included it on their debut Album, Please Please Me, and later released it on an EP with Do you want to know a secret, There’s a Place and A Taste of Honey. It was a hit around the world except the UK, where it didn’t chart until 2010 when it became available on iTunes.
Paul Young had a Top ten hit in 1984 with, I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down, having been originally recorded and released by Ann Peebles back in 1973. In between those two versions Graham Parker and The Rumour had a version on their 1977 Album, Stick To Me. On the Paul Young theme, he had six top ten hits between 1983 and early 1985, five of which were covers the first and only number One, was Wherever I lay My Hat (That’s My Home). It was co-written and recorded by Marvin Gaye and used as a B-side in 1962. Next was Come Back and Stay, which was first recorded by its writer Jack Lee a couple of years earlier.
Young then re-released and had his third top 5 hit with Love of the Common People. This had been top ten hit for Nicky Thomas back in 1970. The song was written in 1967 and released a single by The Four Preps. In the following few years it was covered by a dozen or so artists including, Elton John, The Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings and The Winstons. The same year that Paul Young originally released his version, 1982, Stiff Little Fingers recorded it for their Album, Now Then. His next hit was I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down, This was followed by a self penned song, Everything Must Change.
Then back to the covers with Every time You go Away, a song by Daryl Hall and included on a 1980 Hall and Oates Album, Voices, but never released as a single. After that I don’t think that he has made any songs more famous than the original even though he has covered a few more.
Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft is a song that was made famous in 1977 by The Carpenters, but had originally been written and recorded by Klaatu. It was on their 1976 Album 3:47 EST and was released as a single along with the song Sub-Rosa Subway. It was also used to open the transmission each evening on the Pirate Radio station Radio Caroline. Although it made the Billboard Hot 100, The Carpenters version made the top 40 and in the UK made the Top 10. They also did a longer version on their Passengers Album.
Real Wild Child by Iggy Pop, which I would think I hear on the Radio about once a week, was originally called Wild One and was recorded by Johnnie O’Keefe and scored a Top 30 hit as an EP in 1958, in his native Australia. The song was also included on the soundtrack of the film Pretty Woman (Richard Gere & Julia Roberts), this time covered by Christopher Otcasek. As you can well imagine it has since been covered by a number of other artists.
Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles, shot to the top of the charts in September 1979, but the song had earlier been released as single by Bruce Woolley and also appeared on the Album English Garden by Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club. The song was co-written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, who as a duet formed The Buggles, and Bruce Woolley. On the Bruce Woolley version Thomas Dolby played Keyboards. The video of The Buggles version was the first video to be shown on MTV when it started in 1981.
Leonard Cohen song, made famous by John Cale and then Jeff Buckley, whose version after being used in a number of US TV shows, became much more well known than the original Leonard Cohen version. That song being of course, Hallelujah. It then became much more well known when it was used in the Film Shrek 3. This in turn caused many, many more versions to be done.
Pearl’s a Singer, made famous by Elkie Brooks in 1977, was originally released by 2 of the co-writers, Ralph Dino and John Sembello in 1974. The Elkie Brooks version reached number 8 in the UK chart and was produced by none other than the other 2 co-writers, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The song was subsequently parodied by Richard Digance with his version Earl’s a Winger, about an inept footballer; he was so bad that he once had a trial for Tranmere Rovers, he never made it.
Leiber and Stoller were very famous in their own right, as writers and producers, from the early 1950’s, with songs like Hound Dog. Again, this was a hit for ‘Big Mama’ Thornton in 1953, but who remembers that? Everybody just knows the Elvis Presley version!
They also wrote and produced many hits for Elvis Presley, The Coasters, The Drifters and many others. Songs such as, Jailhouse Rock, Stand by Me, Poison Ivy, King Creole and Love Potion #9.
Their last hit production was Stuck in the middle with you, by Stealers Wheel in 1972.
On the day that Spencer Davis died, I find out that Keep on Running was a cover. Both that and the Spencer Davis Group’s follow up Somebody help me, which also went to No. 1, were covers and were both originally recorded by Jackie Edwards. They also recorded the theme song to the TV show Magpie, under a pseudonym, calling themselves The Murgatroyd Band (The Magpie in the show was called Murgatroyd).
This is a theme that just keeps giving, so now I'll go away and work on part 3!