Just stepping in to say that the lyrics to the song in #358 (posted by Casparlatete) were from a song that was originally written in 1956 and was a big hit for Perry Como in 1957 … almost 20 years before Sia was even born.
Which gives me pause … dismissing for the moment songs that set new lyrics to melodies from classical or folk music – such as “Tonight We Love”, to Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto; or Elvis’s “Love Me Tender”, set to the old folk song “Aura Lee” – I wonder what the longest interval between the original hit and a popular remake (vs merely a cover) is?
I’m gonna guess Greensleeves, which dates from the 16th Century, and was a Top 40 song for Mason Williams in 1969. His version wasn’t exactly a straight cover of the song.
Hey mister, that’s me up on the jukebox
I’m the one that’s singing this sad song
Well, I’ll cry every time that you slip in one more dime
And let the boy sing the sad one, one more time
James Taylor Hey Mister, That’s Me up on the Jukebox
Prop me up beside the jukebox if I die
Lord, I wanna go to heaven, but I don’t wanna go tonight
Fill my boots up with sand, put a stiff drink in my hand Prop me up beside the jukebox if I die
Come back, come back again and again,
I’ve been here since I can’t remember when
Your world just spins whilst mine stands still
Nothing’s changed in your gravity grave
To me you’re like the setting sun
You rise then you’re gone
To me you’re like the setting sun
You shine then you’re gone
Baby come back, any kind of fool could see,
There was something in everything about you.
Baby come back, you can blame it all on me,
I was wrong, and I just can’t live without you.
I can’t live, if living is without you,
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore.
I can’t live, if living is without you,
I can’t give, I can’t give anymore.
Tell me how am supposed to live without you?
Now that I’ve been lovin’ you so long
How am I supposed to live without you?
And how am I supposed to carry on?
When all that I’ve been livin’ for is gone
I thought I’d found a reason to live
Just like before when I was a child
Only to find dreams made of sand
Would just fall apart and slip through my hands
But the spirit of life keeps us strong
And the spirit of life is the will to carry on
And the rhythm of life is a powerful beat,
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet,
Rhythm in your bedroom, rhythm in the street,
Yes, the rhythm of life is a powerful beat.
Summertime
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy’s rich
And your ma is good lookin’
So hush, little baby
Don’t you cry
Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream,
Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen.
Give him two lips like roses and clover,
Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over.
Sixteen candles make a lovely light,
But not as bright as your eyes tonight.
Blow out the candles, make your wish come true,
For I’ll be wishing that you love me, too.