# The original from which the hit emerged **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 24, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736 "2020-10-24T03:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/41 "2020-10-24T21:01:22Z")
I’m guessing most people don’t even realize (There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me was a cover when Naked Eyes released their version. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/42 "2020-10-24T22:55:16Z")
Slade was never a big hit in the US but some of their songs were. I always preferred Noddy. They did come back and have a couple of minor US hits in the 80s. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_ozjAu_vM) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPTk5poAa1c) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/43 "2020-10-25T02:01:53Z")
1984 brought us this… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ttEMYvpoR-k/maxresdefault.jpg "Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah (Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttEMYvpoR-k) How many have recorded it since then? My favorite is John Cale’s version on Shrek. You can buy the Shrek soundtrack but it somehow gives a Rufus Wainright version. You can buy a Scrubs soundtrack that has John Cale singing it, but it’s not the version from Shrek. I gather you have to _watch_ Shrek to hear my favorite version. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xURDJ-IW5YM/maxresdefault.jpg "Shrek (2001) - Hallelujah Scene (8/10) | Movieclips") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xURDJ-IW5YM) ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/44 "2020-10-25T02:09:00Z")
Was Tiffany’s version a bigger hit than Tommy James’? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/45 "2020-10-25T02:33:41Z")
I don’t know why Columbia Records couldn’t produce a hit single for Laura Nyro, when she was putting out studio work like (just to name three) Eli’s Coming [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iX5AanHQS1g/hqdefault.jpg "Laura Nyro \*\*ELI'S COMING \*\* Laura Nyro") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX5AanHQS1g) Wedding Bell Blues [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XvKzCspqGgQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Laura Nyro "Wedding Bell Blues"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvKzCspqGgQ) Stoned Soul Picnic https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1CfSgsvqJE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLLa5wvXtTOjs7t7iOxu5XmMKSPNfSEJvS ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/46 "2020-10-25T02:36:29Z")
> [@Powers](#): > > Was Tiffany’s version a bigger hit than Tommy James’? Tommy James and the Shondells made it to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with it; Tiffany did actually outperform that, reaching #1. But, it was certainly a major hit for both of them. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/47 "2020-10-25T02:39:26Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > I don’t know why Columbia Records couldn’t produce a hit single for Laura Nyro, when she was putting out studio work like (just to name three) Eli’s Coming My fave remains: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6diadP-g_7s/hqdefault.jpg "LAURA NYRO stoney end") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6diadP-g_7s) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/49 "2020-10-25T04:06:15Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > > > I don’t know why Columbia Records couldn’t produce a hit single for Laura Nyro, when she was putting out studio work like (just to name three) Eli’s Coming > > My fave remains: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6diadP-g\_7s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6diadP-g_7s) And _Save the Country_, another big hit for the Fifth Dimension. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AVKUmTFgkFQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Save The Country") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVKUmTFgkFQ) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/50 "2020-10-25T04:49:26Z")
you could mention always on my mind originally written by willie nelson it was something of a hit for Elvis Presley but has had numerous covers by the pet shop (in fact they seem to make a remix duet or live version of it at least once a year and he has thanked "those lads in England"for their support on more than one occasion i hope Neil and willie sing it together at least once before willie passes ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/51 "2020-10-25T05:17:28Z")
Carole King wrote and recorded “You’ve Got a Friend” for her album _Tapestry_, and was inspired to write it by a line from her friend James Taylor’s song “Fire and Rain.” King was recording her album at the same time that Taylor was recording his album _Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon_, and the two of them were working with the same backup musicians. Taylor asked King if he could cover the song on his own album, to which she agreed. King didn’t release the song as a single in the U.S., but Taylor’s version became a #1 hit. I like Carole’s version better, but I admit that I’m a Carole King fanboy. 😃 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eAR_Ff5A8Rk/maxresdefault.jpg "Carole King - You've Got a Friend (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAR_Ff5A8Rk) ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/52 "2020-10-25T05:33:31Z")
A 5th of Beethoven [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MFbn8EbB4k) ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/54 "2020-10-25T06:56:03Z")
Joan Baez, 1of the finest of singer/songwriters, wrote & recorded “Diamonds And Rust” for her 1975 album of the same name. Musically and lyrically, a very intriguing song about her relationship with a guy by the name of Bob Dylan. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1ST9TZBb9v8/maxresdefault.jpg "Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust (With Lyrics)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ST9TZBb9v8) So one would think that a lot of other acoustically styled musicians would cover this song & I’m sure they did. But who had perhaps the biggest hit with it? None other than the heavy metal gods Judas Priest, a staple of pretty much every concert they played. Who’duh thunk it?!? 🕶 [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-OHJP1BSVgM/hqdefault.jpg "Judas Priest - Diamonds And Rust - R 1979 / Live") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OHJP1BSVgM) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/55 "2020-10-25T14:25:16Z")
Steve Goodman’s _City of New Orleans_: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2SfPyg-mGhU/hqdefault.jpg "Steve Goodman - City Of New Orleans") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SfPyg-mGhU) Arlo Guthrie wisely decided to slow it down. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/56 "2020-10-25T14:37:53Z")
The Pat Boone version is just awful isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/57 "2020-10-25T14:50:33Z")
Along similar lines - Joni Mitchell’s 'This Flight tonight [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Rxs8wz4Vb9w/hqdefault.jpg "Joni Mitchell - This Flight Tonight") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxs8wz4Vb9w) You’d not really imagine this could become a bluesy rocker - but you’d be wrong, and it was a huge hit by Nazareth [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ylW6sC6NNhY/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgYSgxMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDTNt6Ijde8wIcKL-OhN9uPRX-Czw "Nazareth - This Flight Tonight") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylW6sC6NNhY) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/58 "2020-10-25T15:14:01Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > This was actually a hit for both of them, but for mostly different audiences. And Nick Rivers performed it for yet another audience… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PKRfFEa9PGE/hqdefault.jpg "Top Secret Tutti Frutti") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKRfFEa9PGE) Let’s talk to the Boss. Mannfred Mann did ok with these. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7Iaca30QbOo/hqdefault.jpg "Blinded by the light- Bruce springsteen.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Iaca30QbOo) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L0JOOEnRopM/hqdefault.jpg "Bruce Springsteen - For You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0JOOEnRopM) When I wrote the OP I was thinking about artists listening to the albums others put out and thinking, ‘We should do that.’ Then it would be fun to see what treatment they gave it, imagine how they got from A to B. Speed it up? Add horns? Go minimalist, with just a piano or guitar maybe? Fuse it with another genre, maybe taking a rock song and adding country elements, etc. But some don’t stray far from the source material. I gather that there are songs Springsteen wrote (Fire/Pointer Sisters) or co-wrote (Because the Night/Patti Smith) and he maybe recorded them, but they didn’t make the cut. They didn’t show up in concerts or records until others had made them hits. [More about his songs…he wrote “Fire” thinking it would be a good one for Elvis??](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_(Bruce_Springsteen_song)) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/59 "2020-10-25T16:26:30Z")
The mention of Bruce’s “Fire” reminded me that, after June Carter and Merle Kilgore wrote “Ring of Fire,” it was initially recorded by June’s sister, Anita. Johnny Cash loved the song, and after it wasn’t a hit for Anita, he recorded his own version of it, which, of course, became one of his signature hits. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OlWGsaorj6U/hqdefault.jpg "Anita Carter - Ring Of Fire - (ORIGINAL) - (1962).") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlWGsaorj6U) ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/60 "2020-10-25T16:39:50Z")
Has anyone mentioned Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”? Thats a major one for both. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/61 "2020-10-25T16:56:15Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > When I wrote the OP I was thinking about artists listening to the albums others put out and thinking, ‘We should do that.’ Then it would be fun to see what treatment they gave it, imagine how they got from A to B. Speed it up? Add horns? Go minimalist, with just a piano or guitar maybe? Fuse it with another genre, maybe taking a rock song and adding country elements, etc. But some don’t stray far from the source material. Jazz is literally chock-a-block with that sort of music, often ruining it in the process. That’s especially true when a jazz vocalist turns a really good song into a lounge tune (remember Bill Murray’s bits?), thus removing whatever soul the song had. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736/62 "2020-10-25T17:12:33Z")
I don’t know if that is universally true. Holly Cole did an excellent cover of “I Can See Clearly Now” that was well received. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OZ7EvYTCXGw/maxresdefault.jpg "Holly Cole Trio - I Can See Clearly Now") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ7EvYTCXGw) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-original-from-which-the-hit-emerged/923736.md?page=4)