“Yesterday” by Billie Eilish. Turns out it was originally by some ‘60s British invasion band.
"Did you ever see that old film of The Beatles in New York in 1964 that Maysles made? It’s been around for years and there’s scenes of us coming into New York City. And there’s a scene in the Plaza Hotel and Murray the K 's there. During that, we’re on the telephone to Murray the K’s station. And he’s asking us for requests. And you can see in that film, I say, ‘Have you got a record called Got My Mind Set On You by James Ray?’ And it’s… That song has just been with me and in the back of my head for years. And as it happened when we were doing those sessions [for Cloud Nine], Keltner had got this drum pattern. He was like in one corner just making up all this crazy drum patterns and he got this thing that was really swinging, you know, rock and swing built together. And Gary Wright was there. And Gary turned around and said, ‘Hey, doesn’t that remind you of Got My Mind Set On You ?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely!’ 'Cause I played that song to meself over the years thinking, ‘God, this song is so good.’ Because as a pop or rock song, it’s got all the best bits like Twist And Shout and, you know, it’s got all the good chords, you know. And so I said, ‘Absolutely and we just did it there and then.’
George Harrison (circa 1988 - In The Studio with Redbeard: Cloud Nine 25th anniversary)
Here’s an odd one. “Tomorrow Wendy” was written by Andy Prieboy of Wall of Voodoo and is on his solo album …Upon my Wicked Son. It is a duet with Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde. Johnette also covered the song on Concrete Blonde’s Bloodletting. Due to a quirk of releasing, …Upon my Wicked Son came out July 10, 1990 while Bloodletting came out May 15, 1990. So, it has the rare distinction of the cover being released before the original.
Jimmy Jones does it his way.
JT does it his way
Very cool. Thanks.
Didn’t know until recently that “My Way” is a cover of this French song from 1967:
P.S. How do I post a video link?
Paste the link all by itself. Just the actual web address, no fancy markdown/markup.
Thank you!
I always thought “Change the Locks” was written by Tom Petty mostly because it sounds like something he would write. Then I heard Lucinda William’s version and thought she was covering Petty. Then I found out that I had it exactly the opposite. Petty was covering Williams. I love the grittiness of the original over the slickness of Petty’s version.
It was also covered by Johnny Cash but apparently never released which was probably a good thing. This recording sounds like an out-take.
Speaking of Johnny Cash covers.
Here’s the original by Bruce Springsteen
And here’s Johnny Cash’s cover
Well if you’re going to consider My Way as a cover of that song, how about this?
j
Actually, on the subject of “covers” with new different-language lyrics, I had no idea for many years that Amoureuse by Kiki Dee was such a cover (and in the US the equivalent cover of the same original is Emotion by Helen Reddy.)
Here’s the French original by Veronique Sanson. The Kiki Dee version is part new English lyric and part translation.
j
David Lee Roth’s Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody medley is a direct cover of the great Louis Prima.
Of course, no one is better than Keely Smith.
I just learned about this one yesterday. (FWIW, I despise the song.)
Somethin’ Stupid was written by C. Carson Parks (Van Dyke Parks’ older brother), and was recorded by Carson & Gaile (CCP and his wife) in 1966. Van Dyke Parks mentioned the song to Frank Sinatra, who covered it with daughter Nancy and made it a hit.
I didn’t know Annie Lennox was covering a song from 1933 until I looked it up.
“Puttin’ On the Ritz” by Taco (1982) was written by Irving Berlin in 1927. The Taco version also has snippets of other Irving Berlin oldies. Here’s a 1930 version:
I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I only found out a couple of years ago that Joe Cocker’s remarkable “Little Help From My Friends” was originally a Beatles song.
Pssst…so is She Came In Through The Bathroom Window.
“The First Cut Is the Deepest” was written by Cat Stevens and released on his debut album.
Steve Miller’s “Jet Airliner” is actually a cover of Paul Pena’s “Jet Airliner”. The original is pretty smokin’.