Cover version
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Today, a cover version is a recording of a song that is not the original. But in the early days of recording, especially in Britain, it had a different meaning.
British A&R men, seeking music for their protegés to perform, would keep tabs on Tin Pan Alley, and scan the American charts, for songs (including instrumentals, though in those days 'songs' meant strictly vocal).
Early examples: the traditional folk song 'Tom Dooley', popularised by The Kingston Trio in 1958, prompted a skiffle cover version by Lonnie Donegan; and the pop song 'Rubber Ball' by Bobby Vee was covered in copy-cat style, as was more usual, by Marty Wilde in 1961. The following year, Cilla Black stole sales from Dionne Warwick's original 'Anyone Who Had a Heart'.