Mostly Music Covers

Get the Message Songs



Having had a household were I was outnumbered by three females to one male (me), I think for the most part "I got the message". I am versed on at least the basics like "put the toilet seat down", don't ask how much she spent at the hair salon and yes of course one must get their nails done at least twice a month! My wife also has messages about Global Human Resource Strategies, (my since moved on) two daughters messages about; Linguistics and Advanced Geriatric Care respectively, these I understand much less. Apart from those and a few others I've picked up messages through songs, so I thought it might make for a good topic and if not... it's been nice talking to you all every week ;)

I have blogged what I (from a male perspective anyhow) and many others consider one of the most powerful female message songs ever, "Respect" from the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin . Of course a cover of the Otis Redding written song, but Ar…

Vocal Groups



You may ask, isn't any group that sings a "Vocal Group"? As with many musical questions the answer is not that straight forward. But think of the 'Backstreet Boys'. My understanding of the difference is that a "Vocal Group" primarily consists of a front of at least three singers (three part harmony) with a back-up band. While researching I ran across this website The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) and it also allows for two part harmony or Duo's, though I can't find an actual definition on the website. However this site seems contradictory in that the typically guitar playing Everly Brothers seems to fit for them. So aside from the VGHF view, in my definition it would be very uncommon among these groups for one or more of them to play a musical instrument (not that they can't) as part of their performance.  Therefore disqualifying the Everly Brothers. The VGHF initial inductees for the most part reflect this criteria. But agai…

Happy New Year!

As we walk, rock and or roll into 2020, a bit of music never hurt anyone and many songs have been written about the event. From old favorites to new these songs help us reflect on the year gone by and bring hope for the year ahead. I'll keep this short post brief and get right to the music!

So we of course need to start with the oldest New Year song, a tradition since the late 1700's in Scotland. The legendary Poet Robert Burns transcribed words he said he heard from an old man. It's an amalgam of old poems and folk songs put to the tune of yet another old folk song which is listed on the Roud Folk Song Index as number 6294 out of over 25,000 songs.

"Auld Lang Syne" is roughly translated into several meanings, according to Wikipedia "into standard English as "old long since" or, more idiomatically, "long long ago", "days gone by", or "old times". Consequently, "For auld lang syne", as it appea…

The most covered Christmas Carols and Holiday Songs



Most people love them, some loathe them and the rest perhaps are somewhat indifferent. Wherever you sit on the spectrum, this music is unavoidable at this time of year. From the traditional carol to the old favorites and the new there is never a shortage of choice and escaping it takes a lot of effort. So if you want to read a story about Christmas and Holiday Songs, I've got you covered. 😉

Just the numbers, for the most covered songs of all time according to Secondhandsongs.com we see 8 out of the top 10 are Christmas carols or songs.

Silent Night, 2758 versionsSummertime, 1898 versionsWhite Christmas, 1555 versionsSilent Night, 1454 versionsOh, Holy Night, 1442 versionsHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, 1414The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You), 1320 versionsA New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves, 1299 versionsWinter Wonderland, 1092 versionsJingle Bells, 1076 versions "Yesterday" the top covered…

The Most Covered Pop (Popular Music) Artists of All Time


There are three categories here; 1. Most song titles covered that an artist has authored 2. Most cover versions combined 3. Most covered pop singles.  These numbers are for artists that write and record their own songs. I'll dedicate another post to writers and composers who primarily are songwriters, not performers. The statistics come courtesy of Secondhandsongs.com and are verified via strict protocols. Numbers change daily so this is as of Dec. 12, 2019. This website posts 'covers' submitted from around the globe and in many different languages, edited by very knowledgeable experts in music recording. There are other resources out there I tap into as well but I do keep away from other cover song blogs to make sure I stay on my own path. Other than the odd personal anecdote or opinion, I'm using information and knowledge, not to mention YouTube posts that already exists. I'm kind of like a cover song myse…

Artists that Sing Cover Songs are not as talented (as those who don't).

Ok hold your hand up if this is what you believe. Ok good, only a few of you did but you few are apparently not alone. The more research I do the more I run across some misinformed or misguided sentiment that if you 'only' cover a song(s) you are somehow not as talented. And some are wondering if perhaps there is some truth in this, the short answer is NO! The longer explanation is a bit more complicated. First, different genres have different 'feelings' for lack of a better term about who writes, who sings and who plays. But songwriters come from all over the music map, and making music is a lot more than just about the writers. With the odd exception as ...

once in a century you get a Bob Dylan
He can play several musical instruments, he can write songs like few others and he can sing. This Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees list of accolades include a Pulitzer Prize special citation, 10 Gr…

Rock Artists Sing


I've blogged about Soul and there are dozens' of songs sprinkled throughout my posts, but I want to focus on covers by Rock artists. While R&B was the main inspiration of most Rock musicians, Soul music is not far behind. Most of the biggest names in Rock history covered Soul songs and the influence can often be heard in their original material. Most notably this was a trend in the 1960's and there are plenty to choose. As with the Blues, bands from the UK were all over the Soul music scene. While I've dedicated some writing to Soul icons such as Ray Charles, James Brown and the legendary Aretha Franklin, I wanted to feature other artists today.

"Some Other Guy" by Richie Barrett (who discover discovered artists such as Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, the Chantels, Little Anthony & the Imperials, the Valentines, and the Three Degrees) co-wrote this with the famous duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, released in April 1962. Not…