“Hello Goodbye” was released in 1967 and hit #1 in the US and UK in 1968. So the lyrics are: “You say yes, and I say noâ€&#… Read More

“Baby Stick Around” is from Joe Jackson’s debut album with that iconic cover Look Sharp! released in January 1979. We Canadians were a… Read More

In this series I will talk about songs that became hits, but were cover versions of originals that did not chart. I will first explore the R&B charts of the 40s, 50s and 60s and maybe po… Read More

“Lonely Boy” was written and recorded by Andrew Gold (1976), in 1977 it reached #7 in both Canada and the US, #11 in the UK. It’s a st… Read More

For part one you can click here. I left off the last post talking about Hammonds importance to bringing us the music of Robert Johnson. I also mentioned the Spirituals to Swing Concerts and… Read More

Most will know this was a cover of The Everly Brothers tune from 1960, written by Phil Everly, it peaked at #8 the week ending July 24th. Linda Ronstadt was stopped at #2 as she ran up… Read More

It entered the Billboard chart the week ending June 2, 1973 and was stopped at #2 by “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce for the week ending July 28th. The song also peaked at #2… Read More

In 1973 the song peaked at #2 on The Hot 100 behind the Carpenters “Top of the World” for one week and then the following week by “The Most Beautiful Girl” from Charl… Read More

These two songs placed #1 on the *Best Selling Soul Singles (R&B) weekly charts and stood out for me (on the #2’s list) because I bet I’m not alone in still listening to them… Read More

I’m not sure how the connection between American Football and Country Music started but it’s all I could find. I did discover a band called American Football but that’s dif… Read More

This song peaked at #55 in Canada in 1978 so it was not exactly in high rotation on the radio. It did manage a #27 on Billboard and in the bands native UK it reached #8. I don’t know a… Read More

This band was formed in 1975 when the members were still in High School in Hamilton, Ontario. Their first single was released in 1978, “Picture My Face” was the only song they go… Read More

Bob Segarini (28 August 1945 -10 July 2023) was a California based musician that made his way to Canada around 1975 as far as I can tell. He had been in a lot of bands, written and recorded… Read More

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On the heels of her smash hit “Downtown” that was written by Tony Hatch and it was Petula’s reintroduction to recording in English, they had needed one more song to fill th… Read More

Let me say right off the start that I think it is unfortunate that I have to write a separate piece on the most covered songs. The music industry really forces our hand in this regard. If we… Read More

Randy has been writing a blog about Cover Songs, music genres and artists since early 2018. He moved to WordPress in February of 2022 and has found a… Beatles Week – Ain’t… Read More

Welcome back to Turntable Talk! Thanks to all the regular readers and welcome to any new ones. If you’re keeping count, this is our 12th instalment, … March 5 – Turntable… Read More

16. “Wichita Lineman” (1968) is the second song on this list written by Jimmy Webb (By the Time I Get to Phoenix). Much of the credit goes to the strength of the Glen Campbell re… Read More

11. “Ring of Fire” was first recorded by Anita Carter and was written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore. Recorded in late 1962 it appeared on Anita Carter Sings Folk Songs Old and… Read More

Mostly Music Covers website has guest column telling the story of perennial Christmas favorite ‘Jingle Bell Rocks’ December 13 – Turntable Talk Round 9 : Christmas Rock Was… Read More

“Lady Sings the Blues“ This is the song that many will first associate with Billie Holiday. Written with Jazz pianist and band leader Herbie Nichols it was recorded in sessions f… Read More

“Don’t Explain” Written by Billie Holiday and as she did on most of her songs collaborated with Arthur Herzog. The lyrics are deeply personal, coming from her knowledge tha… Read More

“God Bless The Child” When I write about cover songs, I like to look and talk about numbers. As we all know there are many ways to look at statistics. My major source is Secondha… Read More

“I’ll Be Seeing You” Billie Holiday is most certainly not alone in having challenging life experiences, but from an early age she was forced to look after herself and learn… Read More

Upon the passing of this music icon there have been many well deserved tributes to her amazing life and career. As my area of expertise if I may be so bold to say lies in the arena of cover… Read More

Another guest piece I did for Dave’s blog, A Sound Day Read More

The 2022 Update of the Most Covered Songs and Artists of All Time I have three categories in today’s blog: 1. The most covered songs written by a single artist, 2. The most cover versi… Read More

Readers might remember that earlier this summer, we ran a Turntable Talk feature on “cover songs”, with various regulars here weighing in on what makes a good cover song , or whe… Read More

I’ve had this topic in my folder since I started blogging four years ago. On the heels of the Elvis post it seems it’s time. Rockabilly by definition is a hybrid name, or technic… Read More

I have dedicated two posts to Elvis and his name pops up over 50 times throughout my blog, more than any other artist. Now there is a new biopic out and from what I have heard and read it wa… Read More

Originally posted on words and music and stories: 🅁 🄴 🄻 🄸 🅃 🅃 🄾 Vorrei proporre un acrostico che rifacendosi alla poesia di Adrienne R… Read More

      When it comes to music there is a lot we here in Canada share with our American cousins to the south. There is also much we don’t directly share but have eagerly a… Read More

Year Four I write this blog because I enjoy the subject matter and it interests me, last year I recapped some stats on my third anniversary; as of the end of April 2021, there were a record… Read More

I received some feedback on the first two 1970’s posts citing that there were “some forgotten songs mentioned, and yet they came back immediately in my head” which is all p… Read More

Last but not least, 25 more of the Greatest Cover Songs Ok here is the last of my list, I could go on and as a matter of fact I will, just not with another set of 25 plus “to infinity… Read More

25 more of the Greatest Cover Songs There has been a very positive response to the first two ‘Greatest’ posts. So the list continues and the songs become no less in their timeles… Read More

The next 25 of the Greatest Cover Songs #26-50 In part one I listed 25 of the greatest cover songs and to date it’s been one of my most viewed blog post. There are so many more added t… Read More

25 of the Greatest Cover Songs-2022 update Nothing quite grabs the attention more than a list of the greatest this or that, so at 85 posts about cover songs I did this one and now it’s… Read More

The Ukraine is under siege and many around the world are witnessing the horrors of war in real time. Many of us are doing what we can be it financial contributions, political pressure or spi… Read More

The 1970’s Pt. 2 (75-79) Bruce This is the 1970’s continued from Pt. 1 and just a reminder that I have short formed the Rolling Stone Magazines 500 Greatest Songs of All Time… Read More

 The 1970's. Lists, Charts and Cover Songs (1970-74)Tapestry from my collectionThere is too much to talk about for the 1970's so I'll split this one up. Parts one and two will largely f… Read More

Gospel MusicWhat do you think of when you hear the words Gospel Music? It depends on your background to a great extent, such as religious ties and beliefs, geography, family, ethnicity and w… Read More

Happy Holidays!Whether you view the upcoming holidays as a secular event, religious or a bit of both there's one thing that's synonymous with this time of year- Christmas songs! You don't ha… Read More

Excerpts from past posts Les Feuilles Mortes Linnaea Mallette I have posted on the Most Covered Pop Songs and Artists, which was me sort of cherry-picking to the exclusion of songs fro… Read More

Shayne commented on “Women in Music” I agree with your comment about women not having as many opportunities as men. Wonder what the top 100 lists would look like if they did. I… Read More

The Mojo TriangleSource: USA TodayWriter James L. Dickerson coined the brilliant term Mojo Triangle in 2005, before I learned of it I had referred to the area as the reverse Bermuda Triangle… Read More

The 2021 Update of the Most Covered Songs and Artists of All Time I have three categories in today’s blog: 1. The most covered songs written by a single artist, 2. The most cover ve… Read More

 Background SingersToday I am talking about the voices in the back, these singers may also include the ones traveling with the recording artist, but some session musicians worked in the… Read More

The Greatest Bands of all Time!You may not know their names but we most certainly have heard the songs! Although there are many more to be acknowledged, between The Wrecking Crew, The Funk B… Read More

When did Rock drop the Roll?They Called it RockSince Rock and Roll was such a groundbreaking development in Music, I set myself to reading more about the genre itself, more specifically its… Read More

Groundbreakers Part 2Rock & RollI have talked about R&R in numerous posts, and I have many reasons for doing so, aside from the many great songs. R&R revolutionized Popular music… Read More

 Groundbreakers in Music (Part 1)*Note to subscribers at the endSo, what is a "Ground breaker" anyway. And is it two words or one? For my purposes, the Dictionary.com definition as a no… Read More

Under Cover with Elvis CostelloFew singer songwriters can match Elvis Costello's ability to sing songs that were written and recorded by others. I have included at least three of his origina… Read More

   Happy Canada and Independence Day! When it comes to music there is a lot we here in Canada share with our American cousins to the south. There is also much we don't directl… Read More

Summertime BluesPublic Domain photo by Haanala 76Summer SongsWe here in the northern hemisphere are in spring, and summer is not too far off so I thought it a good time to talk about some su… Read More

My Third BlogiversaryMe and my #1 fan 💕After 144 posts it's a good time for some reflection, for me at least, on where this journey of writing about cover songs started and all the p… Read More

Women in MusicAnne MurrayRecently, while doing some research I was reminded that the history of ranking and rating recording artists really does give women the short shrift. My next post wil… Read More

Born on the BayouJust like the food, Cajun and Creole music has its own flavour. From the south part of Louisiana (in major cities such as Lafayette and Lake Charles) just west of New Orlean… Read More

The 1960'sFully discussing a decade of music in one post is nearly impossible, but if you look back, I have done blogs titled: 1960, 1969 and The Greatest Pop Rock Ballads of the '60s. I&rsq… Read More

 More 50/60's RBVirtually everyone involved in music in the 1950's and early 60's in the UK cite this music and artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Howlin'… Read More

Instrumental Pop SongsThe instrumental Pop song is very much a thing of the past. At one time there would be several instrumentals on the mainstream charts, some would even hit #1. These day… Read More

We're Number One! (almost) part 2Here are some more great songs that just didn't make it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Since my first post on the topic stopped at 1969, today I list tunes… Read More

Sea Shanties I have had this topic as one of 21 ideas in my draft folder for some time and the plan was to release it for International Talk Like a Pirate Day Sept 19, 2020, but I never… Read More

Folk Rock IIIn the first instalment on Folk Rock, I talked about the origins and the founders of the genre such as Bob Dylan and The Byrds. I stand by my observation that for the most part… Read More

"Tis or 'tis not "the Season to be Jolly"?As I discussed in my post last year on Christmas and Holiday songs they are the most covered and performed songs of all time. Yet this year many wil… Read More

Women of RockHistoryMelissa EtheridgeYou can always count on me for a walk back in time in my blog and this topic will be no different. In order to trace the history of female Rock singers I… Read More

What is a Cover Song?Simply put: a cover song is a re-recording of an original song. And the original song has to have been recorded first and in most cases, released on some recognizable fo… Read More

Isn't it Ironic?Sorry, I'm not talking about Alanis Morissette! But there are artists who have been eclipsed by their own songs. Many of them are amazing songwriters but, ironically, their c… Read More

Music Icons, is it all just DNA?Some well-known recording artists come from families who have a strong musical background. It makes perfect sense, having the exposure and a bit of musical DN… Read More

Record Breaking Records: R&B ChartsI have touched on the R&B charts many times throughout my posts, however today I would like to lay out the history as well as point out some of the… Read More

Record-setting Records There are so many different achievements that artists and their recorded music have attained and here I have highlighted some that I found interesting. I will stick to… Read More

Sexism in SongFirst we need to define the word sexism. From various dictionary sources I can summarize by saying that broadly it means to stereotype by gender or gender roles. It is also use… Read More

PiedmontPiedmont is an area that runs to the east of the Appalachian region and Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Coast and extends from Alabama up through New York State. I have made som… Read More

The MonkeesThis is an updated repost from Dec. 18, 2018For a TV series that ran for only two years (1966-68) albeit 58 episodes, it has had a significant effect on music, even today. I recal… Read More

BluegrassBascom Lamar LunsfordHistory of BluegrassIf we look at the roots of Bluegrass music, it most certainly begins in large part with the arrival of Scottish and Irish immigrants to the… Read More

I Write the Songs (part 3)Jerry Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and Mike Stoller (born March 13, 1933) This pair met in Los Angeles and by age 17 their songs were being… Read More

Happy Canada Day and Happy Independence Day! To celebrate these birthdays, I will be listing some of the well-known groups with both American and Canadian members.The Band As good a place to… Read More

I Write the Songs, Part 2Here are the next batch of songwriters. Many are paired with their most frequent collaborators. As I said I am limiting my list to the people known primarily as song… Read More

Beginnings of Rock and Roll (Part four)As you may gather from parts 1 to 3, one can seesaw on the debate of the beginning of R&R. What I am attempting to demonstrate is that R&R was… Read More

Beginnings of Rock and Roll (Part three)"Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, released April 1951There has been much attention paid to the song "Rocket 88" as being the 'fi… Read More

Beginnings of Rock and Roll (Part two)Listeners of this new sound were mostly only getting it in small doses in clubs and hearing it on regional radio stations. However, smaller independent… Read More

I Write the Songs Part 1Carrie Jacobs-BondWell I don't write the songs but I am about to feature some people who did. And yes I stole the (song) title from Captain & Tennille's "I W… Read More

Beginnings of Rock and Roll (Part one)An updated repost, the first of a four part seriesThe recent passing of the legend, Little Richard has some people trying to write their own version of… Read More

Happy blogiversary... to me! Two Years of Blogging May 6, 2020 Post #122RockpileSo "blogiversary" has been a real word for some time now (who knew?) and I'm not sure who came up wi… Read More

We're Number one! almost, because we're number one 2!Jerry Lee Lewis would only ever reach as high as #2on Billboard's Hot 100Here are some great songs that just didn't m… Read More

Little RichardRichard Penniman was born in Macon Georgia, on December 5th, 1932, now age 87. He grew up with 11 brothers and sisters and learned music from family, friends and at Church. By… Read More

April 19th (2020)Its my wife's birthday today so I've given a couple updates to my post from last year. I'm going to write about some of the music through the years and add a few of her favo… Read More

Real One Hit WondersRalph Kramden and Ed Norton doing the HucklebuckA while back I sort of debunked "One Hit Wonders" lists in my "One Hit Wonders (Not!)" post as there were so many songs th… Read More

Radio, RadioWhere would popular music be without the Radio? "Radio Nowhere" that's where. Okay, anytime I can work a Bruce Springsteen song into a sentence it's a good day! Radio has always… Read More

Classic R&B SongsWell it's time to explore the genre of R&B. For me that means the older traditional stuff, so if you are looking for Drake or Bieber, Beyonce or Rihanna you've come… Read More

The Greatest Pop Rock Ballads (1960's)There are many definitions for "ballad" songs and many sub categories as well such as the; Sentimental, Blues, R&B, Hard Rock, Soft Rock and of cour… Read More

Greatest Blues SongsAs with any list of songs as I've mentioned before there is always a lot of subjectivity. However I do take some time and do some research so most of my choices are influ… Read More

Happy St. Patrick's Day!A day when typically many have celebrated perhaps a bit too much, all that is Irish, green and is in a beer glass. Most of us don't have much reason to be celebrating… Read More

Healing Power of MusicWhether a song can give you a little "pick me up" or make a tragic situation just a bit more bearable, many look to music in times of trouble. These days many people ar… Read More

Western & Cowboy MusicCarl SpragueWhen we hear the term "Western Music" the obvious question is where is the "Country"? It has been some time since the two genres have been attached… Read More

My "Greatest of" Folk Rock SongsThe ByrdsTo begin the 'greatest of' topic in my "Not all 'Greatest of' lists are created equal" post I talked about the creation of lists and then got a start… Read More

Valentines Day SongsNot all songs with the title of "Valentines Day" are love songs. In fact many are not and some are quite depressing such as "Valentines Day" not surprisingly by Marilyn M… Read More

Not all 'Greatest of' lists are created equal ...My thoughts on the 'greatest of' lists...and my ownGreatest Songs (Part 1 )Let me add some music right off the bat here because as usual I'm… Read More

Linda RonstadtJust recently I watched "Linda Ronstadt, The Sound of My Voice" on CNN and I don't mind saying I was moved to tears more than once. Narrated by Linda herself and including rare… Read More