Beech Tree News Network

I’ve remembered hearing “Get Off’a My Cloud” by The Rolling Stones.  What I didn’t know, however, is that The Stones were not the first to release that song.  It was written by Mick and Keith-that’s Jagger and Richards for the uninitiated.  It was released September 1965 here in the U.S.  Australian New Wave band Jimmy and the Boys released a cover in 1981.  There’s no record of the success of the cover version.  The Stones’ version, however, reached #1 in the United States, Canada and Germany. 

Another Stones song covered(and I’m sure there were many, was “As Tears Go By”.  The song, written by Mick and Keith, was originally done by Marianne Faithful in 1964.  The Stones covered the track in 1965.  It peaked at #1 in Canada and #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.  The song was also covered by Nancy Sinatra for her 1966 album Boots, The Royal Guardsmen for their 1966 Anthology disc, and Melanie(“I’ve got a brand new bicycle, you’ve got a brand new key”) for her 2002 album Moments From My Life.

“Tips Of My Fingers” was a classic country song I thought was originally recorded by Steve Warner.  I was mistaken.  The song has a much deeper lineage.  The song was originally written and recorded by Grand Ole Opry member Bill Anderson. First included in his 1962 album Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs, the song was a top 10 country single for him in 1960.  In the UK the song was recorded in 1966 by Karl Denver but didn’t chart however. Eddy Arnold took the song to #3 in ’66.  It was recorded in 1970 by Des O'Connor reaching number 15 in the UK singles chart.  What I remember, and what most fans of country music recall, is the Steve Wariner cover in 1991.  Steve’s version peaked at #3 in the U.S. Billboard chart.

“Come On Let’s Go” was written and recorded by the late Richie Valens in 1958.  The McCoys covered the song in 1966.  Loa Lobos covered the song in 1983.  The later cover was used in La Bamba, the ‘80’s movie about Ritchie.  The song, from Valens’ Posthumous debut album, peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200.