The Best Song Not By...
Driving around town today, I heard "The Boys Are Back In Town" by Thin Lizzy. Not much of a chorus but a great verse. Anyway, I remember how some people thought it was a Springsteen song when it came out. To be honest, though I like Bruce, I'd probably rather blast this song in my car.
I wondered how many songs are thought to be by one artist but aren't. Here are a few that came to mind:
Above all, Fontella Bass doing "Rescue Me." To this day I hear people say it's Aretha Franklin.
Then there's "A Horse With No Name" by America, which sounds like bad Neil Young. (Sometimes Neil Young sounds like bad Neil Young.)
Back in 1966, "Lies" by the Knickberbockers sounded like The Beatles.
Everyone knew "Uptown Girl" wasn't by the Four Seasons because they weren't recording anymore when Billy Joel put it out. I think it's my favorite Billy Joel song because I prefer the Four Seasons, and this is the best Four Seasons song not by the Four Seasons.
Columbus Guy says: I dated a girl who hosted a college radio program, "not by the original artist." stuff like "Here, There and Everywhere" by Claudine Longet, Springsteen covering "Blinded by the Light," etc.
LAGuy notes: What that girl did is not quite the same thing as what I'm talking about here, of course.
By the way, Springsteen didn't cover "Blinded By The Light," he wrote it. I think the reason Manfred Mann had such a big hit with the tune is everyone thought they were singing about douche.
Columbus Guy says: Well, needless to say, the relationship did not proceed apace. (And BTWBAY, my guess is, if people general y didn't hear Springsteen as saying douche, it's because the Boss didn't speak clearly.)
posted by LAGuy @ 12:48 AM
7 Comments:
On the radio I heard a DEEJAY back announce "More Than a Feeling" as being by Foreigner.
I've heard some people say "Lightning Strikes" is by the Four Seasons and not Lou Christie.
I guess to some people corporate rock is corporate rock.
On the other hand, to me, Lou Christie has a whole different vibe from Frankie Valli.
Actually, Springsteen himself believes that Manfred Mann's singer really did say "douche" -- he joked that this was the reason their version outsold his.
I'm an L.A. native (unlike LAGuy!) so I had never heard of the term "deuce" for a car myself. But after it was explained to me, Springsteen's song (and the Beach Boys' song) suddenly made sense! It's hardly surprising that the English band didn't recognize this term either.
WRT the main thread: do deliberate imitations count? I always thought that the 1980's song "On the Dark Side" sounded like Springsteen, but it was of course meant to.
And for those who like prog.... the first album by Marillion sounded just like old Genesis when Peter Gabriel was their singer.... again, because it was meant to.
When I first heard "Bette Davis Eyes" I thought it was Bonnie Raitt.
When I was in college 25 years ago, the big hit was the annoying "Its a Heartache" who everyone thought was Rod Stewart but turned out to be women with nodules on her larnyx (was it Bonnie Raitt?)
Are they are any other cross-gender example of this phenomena?
"It's A Heartache" was by Bonnie Tyler.
I can't think of too many successful acts where you couldn't guess the sex of the singer. Neil Sedaka? Tiny Tme? The Chipmunks?
When I was younger, I thought the lead vocal on Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" was a woman.
Lindsay Buckingham has a voice that always seems oddly weak to me, and so even today, although I know it's a guy, it just sounds like a really weak guy. And of course the two ladies join him in the chorus, with Christine McVie's voice being lower than Lindsey's.
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