Name a song whose writer will surprise you

[Yavin4]

"I feel for you" performed by Chaka Khan, written by Prince.

[hlthe2b]

1. Ok... Bangle's "Manic Monday"

also written by Prince...

[cemaphonic]

37. Not so surprising

Since the verse melody is so similar to 1999

[Gidney N Cloyd]

47. As the story goes, he and the Bangles were on the same flight and he wrote the song for them then.

[underpants]

2. A Boy Name Sue - Shel Silverstein

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Uh, "Never Learn Not To Love"?

List of covers of Charles Manson songs

[jberryhill]

6. aw shit, you beat me to it

Man, you gotta be quick around here.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. Friday afternoon....

Have a great weekend.

[Mister Ed]

4. "The Locomotion", written by...

...Carole King. Who also wrote the Monkees hit, "Pleasant Valley Sunday".

And speaking of Monkees hits, "I'm A Believer" was written by Neil Diamond.

P.S. John Lennon co-wrote David Bowie's hit, "Fame".

[House of Roberts]

34. Speaking of the Monkees,

Mike Nesmith wrote Some Of Shelley's Blues which was recorded by The Nitty Griity Dirt Band.

[Mister Ed]

39. Oh! And he also wrote Linda Ronstadt's first hit,

"A Different Drum"
https://m.

[jberryhill]

5. "Never Learn Not to Love" - Beach Boys - written by Charles Manson

And if Charlie doesn't surprise you, nobody will...



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Learn_Not_to_Love

Manson exchanged his writing credit for a sum of cash and a motorcycle, but was incensed when he learned that Wilson had changed some of the original lyrics. In August 1969, about a year after the Beach Boys recorded his song, Manson and his cult of followers committed several murders and were apprehended three months later.

[Blue Owl]

7. "Wind Beneath My Wings" made famous by Bette Midler, written by Lee Greenwood

n/t

[Aristus]

8. "Grease Is The Word" by Barry Gibb.

Last edited Sat Dec 15, 2018, 03:11 AM - Edit history (1)

An interesting adult-oriented jazz-rock song written at the height of the disco era by one of its signature songwriters and sung by a boy-group Jersey boy.

Title song of the movie Grease (set in 1959) and sounding nothing like a '50's rock song.

[AJT]

10. "To Make You Feel My Love" written by Bob Dylan

Sung by Garth Brooks.

[chelsea0011]

11. I will go with a popular one we all know who wrote it...Red Red Wine by Neil Diamond

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. I didn't know that was his.

Your local PBS station might be running "Hot August Night III" during its pledge drive.

NEIL DIAMOND : HOT AUGUST NIGHT III, for example.

[cemaphonic]

38. Interestingly, UB40 got it from an earlier reggae version

They had never heard Neil Diamond's original.

[chelsea0011]

48. that's interesting. i didn't know that but i did know there was an earlier version done.

[MLAA]

12. Leaving on a jet plane

Written by John Denver...made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary

[Yavin4]

14. Patti Smith's "Because the Night"

written by Bruce Springsteen

[smirkymonkey]

15. "Nothing Compares 2 U"

Performed by Sinead O'Connor, written by Prince.

[Tikki]

16. Always thought this instrumental is so beautiful, written by the proto-punk/punk

band The Damned...

Tikki

[whistler162]

17. Smile - Charles Chaplin

[whistler162]

18. The Christmas Song - Mel Torme' and Bob Wells

[mucifer]

19. Leonard Cohen's "Who By Fire" is based on a prayer on Yom Kippur.

From the Yom Kippur Unetanah Tokef prayer (English Translation):

Who shall perish by water and who by fire,

Who by sword and who by wild beast,

Who by famine and who by thirst,

Who by earthquake and who by plague,

Who by strangulation and who by stoning,

Who shall have rest and who shall wander,

Who shall be at peace and who shall be pursued,

Who shall be at rest and who shall be tormented,

Who shall be exalted and who shall be brought low,

Who shall become rich and who shall be impoverished.

But repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severe decree.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/unetanah-tokef/

When I first heard the Leonard Cohen song I was pretty blown away.

[displacedtexan]

20. I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts

By Merv Griffin

[OilemFirchen]

21. Leon Russell co-wrote three songs for Gary Lewis & the Playboys:

Everybody Loves a Clown
She's Just My Style
(You Don't Have To) Paint Me a Picture

[OilemFirchen]

22. Paul Anka wrote Frank Sinatra's "My Way".

And, co-written with Johnny Carson, "Johnny's Theme" for the Tonight Show (1962-1992).

[Brother Buzz]

23. Freddy Cannon's "Palisades Park" was written by the Gong Show dude...

Chuck Barris

[Ohiya]

24. Superstar sung by Karen Carpenter written by Leon Russell

[TexasBushwhacker]

42. And "This Masquerade" sung by George Benson

[pansypoo53219]

25. don't know the name, but a song by dead can dance. stretched out on your grave.

sinead o'conner? her version is very different.

[cemaphonic]

36. Sinead's version came out before Dead Can Dance

but the song itself is older than either of them.

[Stargleamer]

26. He's a Rebel written by Gene Pitney

[Stargleamer]

27. Also Nature Boy sung by Nat King Cole

and written by by eden ahbez aka "ahbe" aka George Alexander Aberle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eden_ahbez)

[madamesilverspurs]

28. "Bobby McGee" performed by the inimitable Janis Joplin

Written by Kris Kristofferson.

?t=18

[SHRED]

29. I Shot the Sheriff

Lots of people think Eric Clapton wrote it.

[doc03]

30. Bob Marley

[yellowdogintexas]

31. "Crazy" sung by Patsy Cline, written by Willie Nelson

who also wrote "Funny How Time Slips Away" "Hello Walls" "Always On My Mind"

[Guppy]

32. Get together

performed by Jesse Colin Young written by Dino Velenti

[Thunderbeast]

33. R E S P E C T

written by Otis Redding

[mr_lebowski]

35. 3 Dog Night's "The Show Must Go On" and Roger Daltrey's "One Man Band"

Both written by Leo Sayer ... and I LOVE his versions of these two songs in this live performance ... yeah ... its Mr. "When I Need You" and "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" ... back before the 'Fro.

The last 1 minute of this one is awesome ...

[TexasBushwhacker]

43. "Eli's Coming" sung by Three Dog Night, written by Laura Nyro

Here's her version.

She also wrote The 5th Dimension hits "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Stoned Cold Picnic" and "And When I Die" for Blood, Sweat and Tears, all before she was 25 years old!

[TexasBushwhacker]

44. Before he wrote sappy pop songs Barry Manilow wrote jingles

He was pretty good at it too. He wrote "I am stuck on Band Aid, cuz Band Aid's stuck on me" and "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there".

[Mister Ed]

46. He also wrote the "You Deserve a Break Today" jingle for McDonald's...

...and performed it on their first series of radio spots featuring the jingle (summer of '72?).

[trackfan]

45. My Little Red Book

by Burt Bacharach & Hal David.