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Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

In 2001, Jack White wrote a song called “Fell In Love With a Girl” with his band the White Stripes.  The song was released in 2002, appearing on the album White Blood Cells.  Three years later, Joss Stone covered the song, renaming it “Fell In Love With a Boy”, for her Mind, Body and Soul album.  I prefer Jack’s version but both are good.

“You Can’t Hurry Love” is a 1966 song recorded by the Supremes on the Motown label for their 1966 album The Supremes A Go-go.  The song peaked in the top 5 in the U.K and top 10 in Australia.   In 1982, Phil Collins covered the classic for his Hello, I Must Be Going album.  I listen to it to this day and Phil’s version doesn’t sound like it’s from November 1982.  Phil’s version charted a little higher than the Supremes’ original.  Phil took the song to #1 in the U.K.  The song peaked at #10 in the U.S.

Next is a song that I didn’t know was a remake until I saw the movie Baby Driver.  I always thought the Rolling Stones wrote and recorded “Harlem Shuffle”.    Wrong.  “Harlem Shuffle” was recorded in 1963 by R&B duo Bob & Earl.  The B-side was “I’ll Keep Running Back”.  The original was co-arranged by Barry White and Gene Page.  It peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #36 on the Cashbox chart. 

The Rolling Stones’ cover, with Bobby Womack on backing vocals, appeared on their 1986 album Dirty Work.  It went to #5 on Billboard Hot 100 ND #13 in the U.K.  Keith Richards had been looking for songs to put on the album and had been working on songs with Ronnie Wood and Womack for Jagger to return to the studio in Paris after doing promo work on his solo album.  To Richards’ surprise, Jagger liked the feel and cut the vocals quickly.  It became the first cover song the Stones had released as an opening single off a new studio album since 1965.  The horn section of the song was sampled by rap group House of Pain for their 1992 breakthrough single “Jump Around”.

My last song this week is “Piece Of My Heart”.  It was originally done, not by Janis Joplin but by Emma Franklin in 1967.  The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother & the Holding Company(fronted by Joplin) covered the song in 1968.  Faith Hill took the song to #1 in 1994 as a single from her Take Me As I Am debut.  Melissa Ethridge covered the song in 2005 but didn’t release it as a single. 

That’s it for this installment of my covers column.  I’ll have another somewhere down the line. 

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