I want to put together a playlist with upbeat pop songs from the 50s and 60s that have more recent cover versions from the 80s to today. Some examples I already have include I Think We’re Alone Now, originally by Tommy James, later covered by Tiffany. I Only Want To Be With You is another example, originally by Dusty Springfield, later done by Samantha Fox as well as The Bay City Rollers. Can you help me find more examples of songs like this?
“Iko Iko”: The Dixie Cups in '65, covered by Cyndi Lauper in '86.
I Want Candy was originally recorded in 1965 by The Strangeloves. It was covered by Bow Wow in the 80s and many others. Interestingly it uses the Bo Diddley Beatthat has been used in many other songs.
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is almost solely known as a 25 year old They Might Be Giants song than a 1953 swing song.
I’m a believer is much better known as a Smash Mouth song than a 1967 Monkees song.
When I’m Gone, originally performed by the Carter Family in 1931, was recently made into a rather popular remake by Anna Kendrick for the movie* Pitch Perfect.*
Recorded by Betty Hutton in 1951. Covered by Bjork in 1995.
1964 ot 5 Betty Everett’s You’re No Good. Love her to death but did but did Linda Ronstadt ever have a hit with an original song?
Gloria Jone’s 1965 Tainted Love. Soft Cell’s 1981’s version.
Last one, I promise. Especially since I broke the rules by 4 years.
Edith Piaf’s 1946 Le Vie en Rose"
Pomplemoose’s 2008 version.
The soundtrack to Mona Lisa Smile is full of wonderful covers of songs from the late 40s-mid 50s:
Mona Lisa performed by Seal
Besame Mucho performed by Chris Isaak
Murder He Says performed by Tori Amos
You Belong to Me performed by Tori Amos
Santa Baby performed by Macy Gray
I’m Beginning to See the Light performed by Kelly Rowland
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) performed by The Trevor Horn Orchestra
Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream) performed by The Trevor Horn Orchestra
What’ll I Do performed by Alison Krauss
I’ve Got the World on a String performed by Lisa Stansfield
You might also want to check out Bette Midler’s newest album, It’s the Girls.
Yeah, this is a pretty good record.
I’ll also recommend Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs’ Under the Covers Vol. 1, their 2006 album of all 60s covers.
(Vol. 2 was all 70s covers and Vol. 3 was all 80s covers)
Here’s a 2010 recording by The Bird and the Bee of I’m Into Something Good, the 1964 Herman’s Hermits hit.
She & Him have included a couple of covers on each of their albums and last year they put out an entire album of cover songs (not exclusively 50s and 60s but those decades are well represented).
One of my all-time favorite covers was when Pearl Jam covered “Last Kiss”, the 1964 hit for J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers.
The soundtrack to the 2001 movie I Am Sam is all Beatles covers:
“Two of Us” by Aimee Mann and Michael Penn
“Blackbird” by Sarah McLachlan
“Across the Universe” by Rufus Wainwright
“I’m Looking Through You” by The Wallflowers
“You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” by Eddie Vedder
“Strawberry Fields Forever” by Ben Harper
“Mother Nature’s Son” by Sheryl Crow
“Golden Slumbers” by Ben Folds
“I’m Only Sleeping” by The Vines
“Don’t Let Me Down” by Stereophonics
“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Black Crowes
“Julia” by Chocolate Genius
“We Can Work It Out” by Heather Nova
“Help!” by Howie Day
“Nowhere Man” by Paul Westerberg
“Revolution” by Grandaddy
“Let It Be” by Nick Cave
There was a very 1980s cover of the classic '60s hit “My Boyfriend’s Back.” It’s like a time capsule within a time capsule.
A great resource for this type of thing. You can search by band, song name, etc.
Here Comes My Baby (1967), written and performed by Cat Stevens (and covered that same year by The Tremeloes) was also covered by The Mavericks in 1999 (YouTube video).
It’s debatable how upbeat it is, but Alone Again Or by Love (also recorded in 1967) has been covered recently by The Damned in 1987 and Calexico in 2003.
Several of Burt Bacharach-penned songs from the 1960s – such as Always Something There to Remind Me; Promises, Promises; and Trains and Boats and Planes – were covered in the 1980s (the first two by Naked Eyes in 1983 and the third by Dwight Yoakam in 1983).
Smashmouth did a cover of I’m a Believer.
Phil Collins covered “Groovy Kind of Love”.
For the movie Less Than Zero, The Bangles did a decent cover of S&G’s Hazy Shade of Winter.
Has anyone recently covered California Dreamin’? Love that Mamas and Papas song!!
Imelda May’s 2010 version.
Most popularly, The Beach Boys did in 1986. Lots of other artists have covered it as well (see Wikipedia listing).