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SAME SONG/
DIFFERENT VERSIONS
a.k.a. "the cover records"
ANOTHER VERSION CAN MAKE IT AN ENTIRELY NEW AND UNIQUE
LISTENING EXPERIENCE.
CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just click on the song you want to hear in the sub menu and enjoy all the different versions
DIFFERENT VERSIONS
a.k.a. "the cover records"
ANOTHER VERSION CAN MAKE IT AN ENTIRELY NEW AND UNIQUE
LISTENING EXPERIENCE.
CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just click on the song you want to hear in the sub menu and enjoy all the different versions
"IF I GIVE MY HEART TO YOU" HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST RECORDED SONGS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. IT GOT ITS START WITH DORIS DAY IN 1954, in a version that topped the Hit Parade for over 17 weeks. While there were many versions even back then, no one comes close to the delivery presented in this version:
WE HAVE, HOWEVER, A FEW MORE VERSIONS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT. A GOOD SONG IS A GOOD SONG
DENISE LOR (ALSO HIT TOP 10)
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NAT KING COLE (not charted)
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JOAN REGAN (TOP 10 IN UK)
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KITTY KALLEN (NEW RECORDING IN 1959 HITS THE TOP 30 AGAIN)
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"IT'S TOO SOON TO KNOW (DOES HE LOVE ME)"
was a popular ballad which reached the Top 20 for the Orioles in 1948. It has been sung by many other artists and remains a great standard.
THE ORIOLES 1948 #13
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DORIS DAY ON "BOB HOPE RADIO SHOW" 1948/NEVER RECORDED
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PAT BOONE HIT #4 IN THE TOP 10 WHEN HE RECORDED IT IN 1958 (10 YRS LATER) |
ETTA JAMES HAD A SINGLE VERSION
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THERE WERE SOME OTHER GREAT INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SONG:
Timi Yuro 1962 (album cut) |
DINAH WASHINGTON (ALBUM CUT) |
"YOU'LL NEVER KNOW"
(JUST HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU....)
A true "standard" today, this song had its start with 3 versions in the top ten in 1943 ( Dick Haymes, Frank Sinatra and Willie Kelly). It was revived by Rosemary Clooney & Harry James in 1953 and peaked on the charts at # 18. It was introduced in the film, "Hello, Frisco, Hello" and was sung by Alice Faye. It won the Academy
Award in 1943 for Best Song From a Movie. Over the years, it has been recorded hundreds of times; here are a few of the better versions:
DICK HAYMESROSEMARY CLOONEY
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FRANK SINATRA
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SOMETIMES, A SONG BECOMES TOTALLY ATTACHED TO ONE PERFORMER, AND IT FEELS STRANGE TO HEAR IT BY SOMEONE ELSE. SUCH WAS THE CASE WITH DORIS DAY'S "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY" IN 1945 AS WELL AS WITH FRANKIE LAINE ON HIS SIGNATURE SONG FROM 1947 CALLED:
"THAT'S MY DESIRE"
Oddly enough, Frankie did not have the top selling version of the song. That accolade went to Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra with a vocal by Don Cornell.
While the Kaye Version reached #2 on the Hit Parade, Frankie was not far behind with his version which reached #4. Here is the original by Frankie.
When Frankie left Mercury records, he made a promise not to re-record any of his records for five years. That promise ended, and Frankie recorded the song again and again and again.....
First time...1957...in an album called "Rockin' " with background by Paul Weston, quite a different version:
In 1958, Frankie re-recorded the song in an effort to put it back in the top 10. It was a really great interpretation, but it didn't make the charts as a single, but the album on which it appeared was well received:
Years later, Frankie was coerced to come out of retirement at the age of 92
to perform the song once again on the PBS TV Special called "Moments To Remember" on March 4, 2006. Here is that special performance:
MEANWHILE...FRANKIE AND SAMMY WERE NOT THE ONLY ARTISTS WHO HAD GREAT VERSIONS OF THIS SONG. HERE ARE A FEW...
DION &
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OUR FAVORITE VERSION, HOWEVER, IS THIS ONE FROM THE "YOUR
HIT PARADE" BROADCAST WAY BACK IN 1947:
THE YEAR WAS 1959
IT WAS THE #1 SONG OF
THE YEAR AND A MULTI-
MILLION SELLER FOR
MR. BOBBY DARIN
BOBBY MAY HAVE HAD THE BIG HIT, BUT OVER THE YEARS, THE SONG HAS BECOME A POPULAR STANDARD FOR HUNDREDS OF PERFORMERS. HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE BETTER VERSIONS:
The ORIGINAL version was from a show
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The song was written by Kurt Weil for his wife, Lotte Lenya, who is mentioned in Bobby Darin's version. Here she sings it:MISS ELLA FITZGERALD:MICHAEL BUBLE' WHEN HE JUST GOT
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ONE MORE TIME...HERE IS BOBBY, LIVE IN LAS VEGAS, IN 1970:
1945 WAS THE YEAR FOR ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SONGS
OF ALL TIME. IT WAS ON THE CHARTS FOR 7 MONTHS, WAS
THE BIGGEST SONG OF THE YEAR, SOLD MILLIONS OF COPIES
AND IS ONE OF THE TOP 100 SONGS OF ALL TIME TODAY. IT
HAS BEEN RECORDED BY HUNDREDS OF OTHER SINGERS. BUT
WHEN IT IS SUNG TODAY, IT IS USUALLY AS A TRIBUTE TO
DORIS DAY, WHO WAS THE ORIGINAL VOCALIST ON THE HIT
RECORD, BUT THE CHARTR HONORS WENT TO LES BROWN AND
HIS BAND OF RENOWN FOR
"SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY"
Here IS THE ORIGINAL MULTI-MILLION SELLER:
Over the course of the years, Doris Day sang this song many times, never in exactly the same way. Here are some of her other versions:
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NOW FOR SOME OF THE OTHER ARTISTS AND THEIR SPECIAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THIS GREAT SONG CREDITED TO BOTH
1945 AND 1946...IT LASTED A LONG TIME!
In 1951, Les Brown revived the song in a
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Also in the 1940's, there was a film
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THE LENNON SISTERS |
DINAH SHORE 1950 |
Glenn Miller Orchestra |
Ringo Starr (Beatles) |
Ella Fitzgerald |
THE PLATTERS 1963 |
VIKKI CARR IN 1961 WITH THE RAY
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BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA |
FATS DOMINO (LIVE CONCERT) |
CONWAY TWITTY |
RUTH BROWN & DELTA RHYTHM BOYS |
SHEENA EASTON 1996 TV SPECIAL |
ESQUIVEL AND HIS ORCHESTRA |
"YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL TO ME"
The original hit by Joe Cocker 1974
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY VERY POPULAR RENDITIONS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SONG
WHICH ONES DO YOU LIKE BEST?
WESTLIFE 2004KENNY ROGERS 1983 |
DORIS DAY NEW 2011 BILLY PRESTON COMPOSER OF SONG
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HOW ABOUT A TRIPLE THREAT?
NOW, LET'S BRING JOE COCKER BACK AND ADD MR. RAY CHARLES
"MICHAEL, ROW THE BOAT ASHORE"
(originally an African American Spiritual, it has been recorded by countless artists through the years. The most popular version was by the American Folk Group, "The Highwaymen", who had a #1 hit with the song in 1961, both on US Pop and Easy Listening Charts, as well as on the UK Charts).
HERE ARE SOME OF THE OTHER VERSIONS
YOU MIGHT ENJOY AS WELL:
TRINI LOPEZ
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HARRY BELAFONTE from his
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BECAUSE IT WAS ORIGINALLY AN AFRICAN AMERICAN SPRITUAL, THIS IS
PROBABLY THE CLOSEST WE COME TO ITS ORIGINAL INTERPRETATION:
"SCARLET RIBBONS (FOR HER HAIR)"
The music was written by Evelyn Danzig and the lyrics by Jack Segal. The song was written in only 15 minutes in 1949 at Danzig's home in New York after she invited lyricist Segal to hear her music.Recordings of the song by Juanita Hall and Dinah Shore made no great impression, but in 1952 Harry Belafonte, at his third session for RCA Records, covered the song with an arrangement using only his guitarist Millard Thomas and male vocal group. After continually good responses in concert, the four-year-old recording finally became successful in 1956. after Belafonte's next album "Calypso" became the very first million-selling album, reaching #1 on Billboard's album charts for six weeks and staying on the chart for over a year. The song reached the top twenty in Britain in late 1957 even though released between the very successful "Island in the Sun" and "Mary's Boy Child " when the former was still high in the charts. The most successful version in the USA, by The Browns, reached #13 in December 1959. "Scarlet Ribbons" has become a standard with many recorded versions and has appeared on many Christmas albums.
THE BROWNS:
HARRY BELAFONTE:
DORIS DAY:
PERRY COMO:
SINEAD O'CONNER:
THE KINGSTON TRIO:
CLIFF RICHARD:
JOAN BAEZ:
" I REALLY DON'T WANT TO KNOW"
LES PAUL AND MARY FORD
TOP 10 1954
Other versions you may like as well or better:
ELVIS PRESLEY
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DOLLY PARTON & WILLIE NELSONJONI JAMES
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"DREAM
(WHEN YOU'RE FEELING BLUE)"
This one goes back to 1945 and
has become a perennial favorite.
Versions by the Pied Pipers with
Jo Stafford, Frank Sinatra, Freddy
Martin, and Jimmy Dorsey were
all in the Top 20. A revival by
The Four Aces re-charted for them
in 1954, peaking at #17. Currently,
Michael Buble' has a version which
topped the Adult Contemporary
Charts in the past few years.
Pick the one you like the best...
THE PIED PIPERS #1 (1945)ELLA FITZGERALD 1964THE FOUR ACES (#17 1954)THE BACHELORS (1963) |
FRANK SINATRA #5 (1945)SARAH VAUGHAN LIVE 2009ROY ORBISON
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"WHEN I FALL IN LOVE"
This one has become a classic. It has been attributed to everyone from Nat King Cole to Celine Dion, in a span of over 50 years.
It was introduced in the film, "One Minute To Zero". The major hit version was by Doris Day in 1952; it peaked on the charts at #20; it has
been consistently re-released over the years
and has re-charted many times.
Which is your favorite version?
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FROM COUNTRY TO POP....
RIGHT ACROSS
THE CHARTS
1975 "BLUE EYES CRYING IN THE RAIN"
Willie Nelson
In October, 1975, this song became the first
#1 Hit Single for Willie Nelson. Previously, his
success was as a song composer. It was the
3rd biggest song of 1975 on the Billboard
Country Music Charts and also reached #21
on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Rolling Stone
Magazine ranked it in their Top 500 Greatest
Songs of All Time. Willie's was not necessarily
the best version. You decide...
PERHAPS, YOU PREFER "THE KING"
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Or maybe a little jazz from
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"QUIET NIGHTS OF
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It's so nice when you don't have to choose;
just enjoy them all...
THIS WAS NOT
THE FIRST TIME............
IN 1954, OTIS WILLIAMS WROTE A SONG WITH HENRY STONE. THEN HE RECORDED IT. IT WAS RELEASED IN 1955 AND BEGAN TO CLIMB THE RHYTHM AND BLUES CHARTS. IT REACHED #8 AND STARTED TO GET SOME CROSS-OVER PLAY ON THE POP MUSIC CHARTS. THAT WAS BEFORE IT BECAME A VERY POPULAR "COVER RECORD".
THE ORIGINAL VERSION BY OTIS WILLIAMS AND HIS CHARMS OF
HIS SELF-PENNED TUNE,
"TWO HEARTS, TWO KISSES, MAKE ONE LOVE".
BUT THE BIG HIT VERSION WAS THE VERY FIRST RECORD BY THE GUY WHO BECAME FAMOUS BY TAKING R&B TUNES AND MAKING THEM HIT POP SINGLES. NONE OTHER THAN:
PAT BOONE
PAT BOONE TOOK THE SONG TO THE TOP 20, WHERE IT CHARTED FOR 3 MONTHS, PRECEDING HIS FIRST #1 HIT, A COVER OF ANOTHER R&B TUNE CALLED "AIN'T THAT A SHAME". WHILE BOONE'S VERSION OF THE SONG ONLY PEAKED AT #16, IT BECAME A #1 JUKEBOX HIT AND MADE BOTH OTIS AND PAT AND THEIR RESPECTIVE LABELS A LOT OF MONEY. THIS IS PAT'S VERSION.
'TWO HEARTS/TWO KISSES" BY PAT BOONE
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL...LOTS OF POPULAR RECORDING ARTISTS JUMPED ON THE BANDWAGON. JUKEBOXES AND DEEJAYS HAD THEIR CHOICE OF MANY POPULAR VERSIONS OF THIS TUNE FROM 1955, INCLUDING:
FRANK SINATRA SWINGS ON HIS VERSION OF
"TWO HEARTS, TWO KISSES"
FRANK HAD A BIGGER HIT IN 1955 WITH
"LEARNING THE BLUES"
DORIS DAY ROCKED, TOO, ON HER VERY POPULAR
JUKEBOX VERSION OF THIS SONG. IN HER LONG CAREER, SHE RARELY COVERED A SONG. SHE DID THIS ONE!
DORIS, TOO, HAD BIGGER HITS IN 1955. SHE HAD A TOP 20 HIT WITH THE SONG, "I'LL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU", AS WELL AS THE #1 TOP SELLING ALBUM OF 1955, THE SOUNDTRACK FROM THE MOVIE, "LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME".
EVEN THE CREW CUTS GOT IN ON THE ACT. THEY HAD JUST HAD A MILLION SELLER WITH ONE OF THE TOP TUNES OF 1954, "SH BOOM".
THEIR VERSION OF "TWO HEARTS" IS ANOTHER GOOD SWING VERSION,
BUT THEY WERE TO FOLLOW IT WITH TWO EVEN BIGGER HITS ..."EARTH ANGEL" AND "KO KO MO" ... IN 1955.
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ONE SONG
4 DIFFERENT CAREERS
(and a very brief revival)
THE YEAR : 1952
THE SONG :
"I'M YOURS"
(Writer: Robert Mellin)
 Eddie sings "I'M YOURS"
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This version charted for 19 weeks
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 Don sings "I'M YOURS"
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 The Four Aces sing "I'M YOURS"
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This was not one of the biggest versions of the song, but it was very popular on the nation's jukeboxes. It was, however, very instrumental in furthering the career of what became the most popular male vocal group during the 1950's . before the British Invasion. Before this record, The Aces had Top Hits with: "SIN", "TELL ME WHY", "A GARDEN IN THE RAIN" (all million sellers) and "PERFIDIA". The Four Aces charted 45 top hits between 1951 and 1959. Featured Singer, Al Alberts, left the group in 1958. The New Four Aces are still performing in various venues today.
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Toni's version of the song reached #24 and charted for only 2 weeks, but it was the only version by a female singer. Her previous charted records included: "I CAN DREAM,CAN'T I", and "TOO YOUNG". The flip side of this record by Toni, called "KISS OF FIRE" actually hit #14 and charted for 8 weeks. A previous big band singer in the 1940's, the biggest hit of her career was called "PADRE", and it charted for 14 weeks in 1958, where it peaked at #13.
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 Toni sings "I'M YOURS"
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 The Bachelors sing "I'M YOURS"
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A BRIEF REVIVAL
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"WE KISS IN A SHADOW" 1951
ONE OF THE MANY BEAUTIFUL SONGS FROM
THE BROADWAY MUSICAL, " THE KING AND I"
This version by Frank Sinatra reached #22 on the Hit Charts but there were many other versions. Each one is something special. Check them out.
You pick your favorite...
VIC DAMONE (superb orchestration) |
DORIS DAY, always a good one |
PERRY COMO (another goodie)MICHAEL FEINSTEIN AND
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MARIO FRANGOULIS & DEBORAH MYERSFROM THE MOVIE MUSICAL
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JUNE CHRISTY and
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BARBARA STREISAND duets with herself on the song and adds other songs from the Broadway show in the mix |
NEIL SEDAKA takes the song to a new
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SOFTLY, AS I LEAVE YOU
IS A POPULAR SONG COMPOSED BY Hal Shaper and Antonio DeVita. It began to hit the pop charts in 1961 and has been popular ever since. Here are some of the many available versions:
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FRANK SINATRA
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DORIS DAY
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ELVIS PRESLEY
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MICHAEL BUBLE'
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HENRY MANCINI
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ANDY WILLIAMS
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LENA HORNE, IN ONE OF HER FINAL
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IT EVEN SOUNDS GOOD WHEN SONG BY
AN AMATEUR HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS!
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