# How many songs had made to top 40 at least twice, in versions by male and female performer(s) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087 "2014-05-23T13:51:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/41 "2014-05-23T18:34:23Z")
Two Ronettes songs: “I Can Hear Music” (Beach Boys) and “Walking in the Rain” (Jay and the Americans) EDIT: Oops, sorry, Ronettes version of Music didn’t make the Top 40. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/42 "2014-05-23T18:40:18Z")
“Hey There Lonely Boy/Girl” – Ruby and the Romantics/Eddie Holman. Same song, just a sex change. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/43 "2014-05-23T18:55:30Z")
“Sukiyaki” - by Kyu Sakamoto (#1 in 1963) and A Taste of Honey (#3 in 1981). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/44 "2014-05-23T19:12:54Z")
“Knock on Wood” was a #28 hit for Eddie Floyd in the Sixties, then a #1 hit for Amii Stewart in 1979. The Vanilla Fudge hit the top 10 with a remake of the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hanging On” (which was also a #1 hit for Kim Wilde). Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All” was originally a hit by George Benson (It was the theme song to Muhammad Ali’s biopic _ **The Greatest** _). “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” was a hit for both Michael Bolton and Laura Brannigan. “I’ll Be There” was a big hit for both Mariah Carey and the Jackson 5. Joan Jett hit the top 40 in the USA with “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” a hit in the UK for Gary Glitter. She also (barely) reached the top 40 with a cover of SLy & the Family Stone’s “Everyday People.” Reba McEntire’s version of the Everly Brothers’ “Cathy’s Clown” reached #1 on the Billboard Country Charts. In the Fifties, both Peggy Lee and Little Willie John had big hits with “Fever.” ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/45 "2014-05-23T19:15:00Z")
Cyndi Lauper and Roy Orbison both charted in the top 10 in the UK with I Drove All Night (Cyndi first, then Roy). She also got top 10 in the US with it…I can’t find how well his version did. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/46 "2014-05-23T21:48:51Z")
Re: Alfie: Cher, Dionne Warwick > [@Mr.Greenjeans](#): > > I think you might have missed the part about “male and female performer(s)”. You mean Cher’s not a guy in drag???😉 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/47 "2014-05-23T21:57:27Z")
“Hound Dog” - Big Mama Thornton and Elvis Presley “The House of the Rising Sun” - The Animals and Dolly Parton “Me and Bobby McGee” - Janis Joplin and Kris Kristofferson “Nothing Compares 2 U” - Prince and Sinead O’Conner “Venus” - Shocking Blue and Bananarama ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/48 "2014-05-23T22:00:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “Hound Dog” - Big Mama Thornton and Elvis Presley > “The House of the Rising Sun” - The Animals and Dolly Parton > “Me and Bobby McGee” - Janis Joplin and Kris Kristofferson > “Nothing Compares 2 U” - Prince and Sinead O’Conner > “Venus” - Shocking Blue and Bananarama First, the lead singer of Shocking Blue was a Dutch woman, Meriska Veres. Second, in all the other cases, only ONE version you cite ever reached the Billboard top 40. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/49 "2014-05-23T22:17:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Second, in all the other cases, only ONE version you cite ever reached the Billboard top 40. Thornton’s version of “Hound Dog” was #1 on the R&B charts for seven weeks. Presley’s version hit #1 on the Country, Pop, and R&B charts. The Animals’ version of “The House of the Rising Sun” went #1. Parton’s version reached #14 on the Country chart. Joplin’s version of “Me and Bobby McGee” went #1. Kristofferson never released his version as a single but the album it was on went #10. And Roger Miller’s version of the song hit #12 on the country charts. O’Conner’s version of “Nothing Compares 2 U” reached #1 on the Pop charts. Prince’s version as a single only reached #62 but the album hit #19. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/50 "2014-05-23T22:25:39Z")
Nemo, it’s a matter of terminology. When the phrase “Top 40” is used, it’s understood to mean "the first 40 positions of the Billboard Hot 100, the chart that (with minor variations) has tracked the success of rock and pop music since 1955. If you’re talking about R&B or country releases, you use those terms when speaking of the charts that tracked releases in those genres. One would never speak of the Thornton or Parton records as “making the Top 40” unless they charted on the Hot 100 (as, for example,“Here You Come Again” did. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/51 "2014-05-23T23:39:57Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Knock on Wood” was a #28 hit for Eddie Floyd in the Sixties, then a #1 hit for Amii Stewart in 1979. Also #30 for Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, so it charted in versions for male, female, and mixed duet. ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Andrew\_21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_21)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/52 "2014-05-24T23:58:02Z")
“Funkytown”, Lipps Inc., Pseudo Echo ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/53 "2014-05-25T00:40:28Z")
“Against All Odds” was very popular both by Phil Collins and Mariah Carey (with/without Westlife, although more popular with). ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/54 "2014-05-25T01:56:22Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Also #30 for Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, so it charted in versions for male, female, and mixed duet. This is an awesome trivia question. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/55 "2014-05-25T02:14:31Z")
“Baby I Love Your Way” charted for both Peter Frampton and Will To Power (who had a female vocalist) ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/56 "2014-05-25T18:31:22Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > “Without You” – Nilsson and Mariah Carey > > (Neither of which have any reason to exist. The ONLY version is Badfinger’s original.) Aw, c’mon—at least give Nilsson a nod. He claimed to have burst a hemorrhoid on the high note. 🆒 Somebody did a cover of _Killing Me Softly_ in the mid-1990s that made top 200, at least. Who was that? Off to Google… ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/57 "2014-05-25T18:56:18Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Somebody did a cover of _Killing Me Softly_ in the mid-1990s that made top 200, at least. Who was that? The Fugees, but that doesn’t really fit the thread, since Lauryn Hill had lead on that, though Wyclef Jean and Pras weren’t exactly buried in the mix. Looking at Wiki, there are a few versions done by men, but the only ones which charted were by women. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/58 "2014-05-25T19:58:09Z")
“This Guy’s/Girl’s In Love With You” Herb Alpert (1968), Dionne Warwick (1969) “I Saw Her/Him Standing There” The Beatles (1964)/Tiffany (1988) ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/59 "2014-05-25T20:41:25Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > (Neither of which have any reason to exist. The ONLY version is Badfinger’s original.) Damn, you’re right. I just listened to all three versions consecutively. Nilsson, schmilsson—Badfinger’s version kicks ass. BTW, Pete Ham wasn’t fucking around when he wrote that song. He committed suicide just a few months later. But since _this is_ the Dope, I assume y’all already knew that. Jesus, Mary and Joseph that woman has an incredible voice, though. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087/60 "2014-05-25T21:13:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **American Pie** , though most people insist there was only one version. There’s only one LEGITIMATE version. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-had-made-to-top-40-at-least-twice-in-versions-by-male-and-female-performer-s/689087.md?page=4)