For this thread, see if you can come up with songs that were first recorded by one artist but later gained notoriety and made a hit by another artist. Feel free to either give the artist who made it a hit and let us guess who first recorded it or , if you want, you can give both in your initial post.

 

The one I will start the thread off with is a song that was first recorded back in 1981 by a group I heard Thursday night. In fact, they closed their show with this song. Most old guys like me will remember this song as a hit for Huey Lewis and the News back in '83. Who recorded it first , two years prior to HLATN ?

 

The first time I ever heard "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was in 1972 when it reached Number 3 in the U.S. by American singer-songwriter Robert John (also known for his Number 1 song in 1979 with "Sad Eyes").

 

Little did I know that it had already been a Number 1 hit for the American doo-wop vocal group the The Tokens in 1961 when it was first adapted in English, and while it's been recorded by a number of artists before and after, it was originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda with the Evening Birds from South Africa in 1939 when its original name was "Mbube" and sung in Zulu.

 

For this thread, see if you can come up with songs that were first recorded by one artist but later gained notoriety and made a hit by another artist. Feel free to either give the artist who made it a hit and let us guess who first recorded it or , if you want, you can give both in your initial post.

 

The one I will start the thread off with is a song that was first recorded back in 1981 by a group I heard Thursday night. In fact, they closed their show with this song. Most old guys like me will remember this song as a hit for Huey Lewis and the News back in '83. Who recorded it first , two years prior to HLATN ?

 

 

I had to look it up, so it wouldn't be fair if I answered.

 

If I may, I'll hint that this band has recently been mentioned in a different thread where one member was trying to track down an LP by them, and another member had located one.

 

Probably T.M.I... if so, sorry. :sorry:

Always thought that "Why Can't We Live Together" was originally a Sade song released in 1984 on her debut record "Diamond Life", (The same album with the hit "Smooth Operator"), but recently discovered that it had already been a Number 1 hit in 1972 on the R&B charts by its songwriter, American R&B singer Timmy Thomas.

 

I first heard the 1981 song "It Must Be Love" in the early MTV days done by British group "Madness" (also famous for the song "Our House", but hadn't a clue that it was a tune written by another British folk singer-songwriter by the name of Labi Siffre who reached Number 14 with it on the UK charts in 1971.

 

[video=youtube;-7NV5StCLu4]

I stumbled upon Labi Siffre when I recently heard a tune being played at the tail end of an episode of the TV show "This is Us", and had to research who it was.

 

I just knew by the sound of it that it was a vintage early 70's tune that I had never heard before, though the intro of it did a lot to me resemble the song "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" made famous in 1969 by British group Fairport Convention and sung by its writer the late Sandy Denny who had originally recorded it solo in 1967.

 

I came to find that the song was called "Watch Me" by Labi Siffre, and reached Number 29 on the UK charts in 1972.

 

Be prepared to be briefly startled by the applause at the beginning of this video.

 

Beautiful song for real...

 

Here is the wonderful "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" from 1969 by Fairport Convention w/ its author, the late Sandy Denny.

 

Judy Collins also did a lovely version of this song in 1968.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKHDKQLThrA

And while I love both the Fairport Convention w/ Sandy Dennis, and the Judy Collins version, Holy Cow do I ever love the version done by Cold Springs, Ky native and graduate of Campbell County H.S., fantastic singer-songwriter Daniel Martin Moore from his debut "Stray Age" in 2008.

 

These lyrics are so poignant and deep my people, and when I paused to listen and reflect on them, they hit me right smack dab in my soul.

 

 

Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

 

Across the evening sky

All the birds are leaving

But how can they know

It's time for them to go?

 

Before the winter fire

I will still be dreaming

I have no thought of time

 

For who knows

Where the time goes?

And who knows where the time goes?

 

Sad, deserted shore

Your fickle friends are leaving

Ah, but then you know

It's time for them to go

But I will still be here

I have no thought of leaving

I do not count the time

 

For who knows

Where the time goes?

And who knows where the time goes?

 

And I am not alone

While my love is near me

I know it shall be so

Until it's time to go

So come the storms of winter

And then the birds in spring again

I do not fear the time

 

For who knows

Where the time goes?

And who knows where the time goes?

 

Across the evening sky

All the birds are leaving

And who knows

Where the time goes?

And who knows where the time goes?

Who can ever forget Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You". But someone else recored it first.

 

This catchy tune was first recorded by the Drifters. But I fell in love with it later when it was recorded later by........

 

 

Preceeded the Killer by two years.

For this thread, see if you can come up with songs that were first recorded by one artist but later gained notoriety and made a hit by another artist. Feel free to either give the artist who made it a hit and let us guess who first recorded it or , if you want, you can give both in your initial post.

 

The one I will start the thread off with is a song that was first recorded back in 1981 by a group I heard Thursday night. In fact, they closed their show with this song. Most old guys like me will remember this song as a hit for Huey Lewis and the News back in '83. Who recorded it first , two years prior to HLATN ?

 

 

Good Lord!!!!!! the original version is AWFUL!!!!

This tune was made popular by Blondie in '78, but 2 years before that and this band did the original....who were they?

 

 

I personally like Def Leppard's 2006 cover......

Who can ever forget Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You". But someone else recored it first.

 

 

Dolly Parton wrote and recorded it first, and Linda Ronstadt did a wonderful version of it in 1975, which is the first one I ever heard, and is actually my favorite.

 

My oldest sister who loved Linda Ronstadt gave me her Prisoner in Disguise album for Chirstmas when I was 11 so that she could listen to it too, and it left a lasting impression on me of how wonderful of a singer Linda Ronstadt was.