Discussion»Questions»Music» Is there a song that was popularized by a woman singer but you think it would have been better if sung by a man, and vice-versa?
Well could be but I would have to hear it to judge. Some I am familiar with are At Last which was sung by a man on the original Glenn Miller record but Etta James on perhaps 20 years later did more soulfully and effectively. And I have heard other women do it as well but I think not so well.
When I was young there was You Keep Me Hangin On by The Supremes which I never liked much but it was later done by a guy group The Vanilla Fudge.
In the 1970s Helen Reddy sang Somewhere In the Night which was popular but more popular when sung by Barry Manilow a couple of years later. Though I much much preferred the Helen Reddy recording.
in the 1950s there was a song Fever which was a big hit when Peggy Lee did it but years later I heard the earlier version by Little Willie John which I thought was much better.
As Tears Go By written by The Rolling stones but sung originally by Marianne Faithfull and then the Stones did it a year or two later which my memory is both recordings I thought were decent.
Van Morrison's group in the 1960s did Gloria which I liked better than when Patti Smith sang it much later.
The Luther Ingram recording of If Loving You Is Wrong was far superior to when hat female country singer later did it.
Speaking of Motown there was a song I Heard It Through the Grapevine which was recorded by Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye but Gladys Knight and the Pips later did creditably as well.
Suzanna which Leonard Cohen wrote and sang was later done by Judy Collins on a hit LP and Nina Simone I have heard sing it though become a much harder song with her doing it.
Respect by Otis Redding - very popular when I was a kid but much bigger when Aretha and her sisters did it a little later. Compared to which the Otis Redding version sounds country.
You've Got A Friend written by Carole King was popularized by James Taylor and later she sang it much better.
Perhaps you have heard that ancient R & B song Hound Dog which was an enormous hit for Elvis Presley around the time I was born. Later I heard the original Willie Mae Thornton record which is much better and against which the Elvis treatment really makes no sense since it is a woman's song!
Of course Stand By Your Man which I think Tammy Wynette had a hit with Lyle Lovett later recorded!
How about that song There She Goes which I thought was much better when the American religious group did it than the original British group. I think that was 20 years ago and the group was called something like Sixpence.
And how about Muddy Water's I Just Want To Make Love To You as sung by Etta James? Of which I don't much like either though I prefer the older.
Do you appreciate Randy that I have tried to answer one of your harder questions? I mean that require some thought which usually I shy away from. Thank you.
