Considering it was June of 2016 when the third part of this series posted, we thought we were long overdue for a fourth gentle reminder that so many of your favorite songs aren’t as original as you might have thought.
Sorry to destroy your illusions and you’re welcome.
“Always On My Mind”-Willie Nelson
The ballad most often associated with the Red Headed Stranger was first recorded by Brenda Lee in 1972 although Gwen McCrae’s recording was released a few months sooner, with Elvis Presley releasing a successful version of the song also that same year.
There are over 300 recorded versions of “Always On My Mind”, but when Nelson released his version in 1982 it shot to the top of the country charts and the top 5 on the pop.
The clip features Nelson, Presley, McCrae and Lee in that order.
“Hard to Handle”-The Black Crows
Nope. Not an original either, but a 1968 Otis Redding B-side.
And yeah, the fact that this band’s biggest hit (look it up) was a B-side for Redding sums up their legacies relative to one another.
“I Write the Songs”-Barry Manilow
On a few occasions the “I Write the Songs” guy didn’t write the songs. This includes, ironically, “I Write the Songs”, which was written by Beach Boy Bruce Johnston.
While it’s been said the song was written in tribute to Johnston’s songwriting genius bandmate Brian Wilson, the song’s writer say’s the “I” in the song is actually God, and the song is about the universal power of music to inspire, comfort, and bring joy.
While Manilow’s version went to #1 and won the Song of the Year Grammy, it had been recorded one year earlier in 1975 by The Captain & Tennille.
“Captain” Daryl Dragon was given his nickname during his tenure touring with the Beach Boys, when Mike Love referred to him as “Captain Keyboard” because of the ship captain’s hat he wore onstage.
David Cassidy also recorded “I Write the Songs” the year before Manilow. We’ve spared you his version in the above clip.
“Mandy”-Barry Manilow
“Mandy” got around a bit too prior to Manilow getting his hands on her. But she was a different girl back then. The original, written by Scott English, was titled “Brandy” and charted in the UK in 1971.
New Zealand singer Bunny Walters covered “Brandy” in 1972, but by the time Manilow recorded the song, the Looking Glass had had a number 1 hit with “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” and the name was changed to “Mandy” to avoid confusion.
The clip samples Manilow, Walters and English in that order.
We don’t mean to pick on Barry Manilow especially. In fact, what is starkly clear from the clips is that his arrangements are sublime, and huge improvements on previous versions.
In other words, the opposite of the Black Crows.
“Drift Away”-Dobie Gray
Soul singer Dobie Gray’s 1973 worldwide smash has become an evergreen. But it has a similar story to “Always On My Mind” in that it has two 1972 antecedents.
The clip moves backward from Gray’s cover to John Henry Kurtz’ November 1972 version to Mike Berry’s original from just two months previous.
“I Love Rock ‘n Roll”-Joan Jett
Sad really that the authors of such universally-loved perennials remain obscure and unknown.
But that’s what we’re here to remedy in our little way.
The kick-ass anthem you probably thought was penned by Joan Jett herself was first written and recorded by British rock band the Arrows in 1975, 6 years prior to the Blackhearts version.
Jett saw them perform the song–inspired by the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)”–on British TV in ’76 and the rest is rock history.
“Louie, Louie”-The Kingsmen
We have Richard Berry, not the Kingsmen, to thank (or blame) for this musically primitive 3-chord lovesick sailor’s lament.
Berry, the song’s writer (again, thanks Richard. Where would Western Civilization be without you?) released his version in 1957, 6 years before the Kingsmen’s one-hit wonder cover version.
That’s all I have to say about that.
“Beth”-Kiss
During a limousine ride in 1975, drummer Peter Criss, whose songwriting contributions to Kiss had been, to put it gently, minimal over the band’s first three records, sang a version of a demo his previous band Chelsea had recorded to bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the band’s primary songwriters.
One might expect such a scene scene to go down very much like this:
But to their credit, Simmons and Stanley were receptive and encouraged Criss to sing it to their producer Bob Ezrin.
Ezrin, in typical genius Ezrin fashion, saw the song’s potential, assuring Criss the sentimental ballad would make a successful offset to the band’s usual sex-obsessed fare.
Ezrin re-worked the music and lyrics. Simmons suggested the name change from “Beck” (short for Becky, the wife of Criss’ Chelsea bandmate) to “Beth”. Oddly, the Becky who inspired the original song had a twin sister named Beth.
Ezrin enlisted the New York Philharmonic and had all 25 members wear fake tuxedos. Peter Criss was in full Kiss makeup and Ezrin wore a top hat and played grand piano.
Truly that there is no video documentation of this session is a loss to us all.
The 1976 Destroyer album was already sliding down the charts, when “Beth” was released as its fourth single, none of the first three having duplicated the success of “Rock and Roll All Nite” from the previous year’s Dressed to Kill LP.
Casablanca president Neil Bogart allegedly hated the song because Beth was his ex-wife’s name and he felt it reflected the circumstances of their divorce.
In any case, he tried to bury it as the B-side of the 3rd single from Destroyer, “Detroit Rock City”.
But DJ’s chose to play the B-side and listener requests influenced radio stations to add it to playlists. Thus the decision was made to re-release “Beth” as an A-side and the drummer’s song suggestion became the band’s biggest commercial hit in the United States.
Every Moment Has A Song 