Beech Tree News Network

I have a few more covers here that will probably make you say “really? I had no idea that was a cover”.  Many of these had me scratching my head.  Let’s get into it.

Once upon a time, I thought every song the Rolling Stones did was an original.  I wrote previously about their remake of “Harlem Shuffle”.  Well, another is “Time Is On My Side”.  Irma Thomas released the song on October 3, 1963.  A short year later, the Rolling Stones released their version.  The Stones’ version is more well known, to me at least. The song peaked at #6 in the ’64-’65 charts.

The late Prince released “Purple Rain”, which he wrote, September 26, 1984.  It was the title track to the movie of the same name.  I’ve heard the movie wasn’t that great.  The song, however, is a Prince staple.  So many artists have covered the song live but only one that I know was recorded.  Dwight Yoakam gave “Purple Rain” some bluegrass flair for his 2016 album Swimming Pools, Movie Stars…  I don’t own that album so I had no idea he’d covered the song.  Then, one morning I had Alexa wake me up to Yoakam and his version of “Purple Rain” was one of the songs.  Needless to say I was blown away.  I had no idea he ever recorded the song.  It’s not bad, either!

I went years thinking The Black Crowes’ 1990 release “Hard To Handle” was an original.  A few weeks ago, I saw a commercial for a cleaning product.  I instantly recognized the song playing as “Hard To Handle” but said “That’s not the Black Crowes.  It was, in fact, the late Otis Redding.  He recorded the song in 1967 and it was released a year after Redding’s sudden death in ’67.  Numerous covers of the song exist, notably a 1990 Blues/Rock version by The Black Crowes.  The song hit #1 on the mainstream Rock chart. 

That is not the only connection Redding has with cover songs.  “Respect” was done only by Aretha Franklin, right? Nope.  I thought so, too.  Otis Redding wrote and released the song in 1965.  The song became a signature hit for Aretha Franklin two years later.  There are a few changes in lyric.  Redding’s is a plea from a desperate man who will give her anything she wants.  He doesn’t care if she does him wrong, as long as he gets respect when he gets home.  A little messed up, wouldn’t you agree? Franklin’s version was a landmark for the feminist movement and considered one of the best songs of that R&B era.

I’ve got more but they’ll wait for later columns.  They just might surprise you as much as they surprised me.