80's Tunes That You Maybe Didn't Know Were Covers
Get the stories behind these MTV-era classics...
If, like me, you grew up in the ‘80s, your childhood memories are a nostalgic swirl of sugary cereals, anti-Soviet propaganda, and low-budget MTV videos. But what I had no way of knowing at the time is that so many of those formative musical memories were actually covers. And even if knew, I certainly had no way of digging up the originals.
Fortunately, the interwebs make it so much easier to find that kind of stuff these days. So here are a few MTV-era smash hits that I had no idea were covers when I was a kid. Don’t let it spoil your childhood.
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1. Micky
Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn formed a songwriting duo best known for their work with glam rockers like Sweet, Mud and Suzi Quatro. They wrote this lightweight power pop tune for a British group named Racey.
Racey (1979)
Originally entitled “Kitty”, the song appeared on Racey’s sole album, 1979’s Smash and Grab. It was not a charting hit.
Toni Basil (1981)
By the time of her 1981 debut album, Word of Mouth, Philadelphia-born Toni Basil was already an accomplished actress, dancer and choreographer. Her résumé in the last of these fields includes work with Davids Bowie and Byrne.
But she will always be best known as the one-hit wonder behind this U.S. chart-topper. Donning her high school cheerleading uniform and ditching “Kitty” for “Mickey”, Toni Basil achieved music video immortality just as MTV launched into American homes.
*Amazingly, Basil’s original cut of “Mickey” is not available on Spotify at the time of writing.
2. It Must Be Love
This song is mostly familiar to us as a Transatlantic ska-pop hit of the early ‘80s. However, the original version actually reached pretty high on the U.K. charts.
Labi Siffre (1971)
British-born singer, songwriter and poet Labi Siffre recorded a small clutch of albums in the early ‘70s. Though never released in the U.S., his third album, Crying Laughing Loving Lying produced this cheerful acoustic number. It reached #14 in the U.K. in 1972.
Madness (1981)
British two-tone champions Madness released their version a decade later and reached #4 on the U.K. charts. Though it took another two years to complete the journey, the winning cover would also gradually climb to #33 in the U.S. in 1983. Happily, Labi Siffre would appear in the accompanying MTV video, backing the young ska revivalists on violin.
3. Always Something There to Remind Me
Among the songs featured here, this one may have the most prolific recorded history prior to scaling the charts in the 1980s. In fact, the New Wave version familiar to most of us is not even the highest charting cut of this tune. Its illustrious history begins with the legendary songwriting duo—Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Dionne Warwick (1963)
At the time, future diva Dionne Warwick worked directly with Bacharach and David. Her job was to record their demos, including this one.
A year later, it was a #49 U.S. hit for smooth soul singer Lou Johnson.
Essex-born pop singer Sandie Shaw recorded her own version for U.K. listeners and ascended to the top of the British charts in the autumn of 1964. Shaw’s version also reached #52 on the U.S. charts the following year.
Naked Eyes (1983)
British synth duo Naked Eyes was formed from the ashes of Neon, an early New Wave group that also included future members of Tears for Fears. Lead singer Pete Byrne professed that he was a big fan of the Bacharach-David standard.
As the story goes, Paul McCartney was partying downstairs when he arrived at Abbey Road Studios to record it. After spending a few hours basking in the company of the ex-Beatle, he returned to the studio and cut his vocal track in a single take. It reached #8 on the U.S. charts in 1983.
4. Bette Davis Eyes
Coincidentally, this next artist scored her biggest hit with a Bacharach and David song—”What the World Needs Now is Love” (1965). But she’s featured here for own contributions as a songwriter.
Jackie DeShannon (1974)
Jackie DeShannon was well-established as a singer and songwriter by the time of this mid-70s release. Like much of the album, the original “Bette Davis Eyes” is a light blend of R&B and country. A collaboration with fellow singer-songwriter Donna Weiss, the tribute to Golden Age Hollywood star Bette Davis was never released as a single.
Kim Carnes (1981)
Kim Carnes was a veteran singer-songwriter in her own right. She already had a decade of touring under her belt when she included this cover on her sixth album. Her smoky vocals, set against New Wave production, yielded one of the year’s biggest hits. “Bette Davis Eyes” went Gold on the way to becoming the top-selling U.S. single of the year. It held the #1 spot on the charts for 9 weeks.
The actress who inspired the song, Bette Davis was said to be a huge fan, even going so far as to send roses to DeShannon, Weiss, and Carnes when they earned Grammys for 1981’s Song and Record of the Year.
5. Pass the Dutchie
The Mighty Diamonds were a rising roots-reggae trio formed out of Kingston, Jamaica in 1969. A mid-70s signing with Virgin Records elevated the Mighty Diamonds to international status. But it was this 1981 hit that gave them their greatest visibility.
Mighty Diamonds (1981)
Indeed, few things will help drive record sales like explicit renunciation from a head of state. “Pass the Kutchie”—as it was originally titled—celebrated the sacrament of cannabis in Rastafarian culture. Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga condemned the song for its advocacy of marijuana, which was illegal at the time. “Pass the Kutchie” was banned from play on national radio.
In the subsequent weeks, it was a top seller in Jamaican record shops.
Musical Youth (1982)
“Pass the Kutchie” also rose to popularity in the Caribbean transplant communities of the U.S. and U.K. This laid the groundwork for a sanitized version called “Pass the Dutchie”, from Birmingham-based reggae combo Musical Youth.
Working with Kingston-born producer Toney Owens, Musical Youth reimagined the song as a celebration of food. Indeed, a “dutchie” is said to be slang for some type of clay oven. This proved effective at throwing censors off the scent.
Of course, once the song wafted into the Top 10 in the U.S. and the U.K., it had exactly the opposite of its intended effect. Thanks to Musical Youth, “dutchie” in any context, means weed.
6. I’ve Got My Mind Set On You
Though most will only be familiar with the hit version of the 1980s, this one was conceived more than 25-years prior, and by a legendary songwriter. When he wrote this one in 1961, Rudy Clark was working a New York City mailman. Today, he’s better known as the mind behind timeless hits like “The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", "Good Lovin'“ and “Everybody Plays the Fool”.
James Ray (1962)
Clark discovered James Ray performing in a small New York nightclub and suggested the soul singer record a few of his songs. They would score a Top 10 hit with “If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody”.
“I’ve Got My Mind Set On You” was included on the same album but was never released as a single. It would, however, find its way into the hands of a future superstar.
George Harrison (1987)
In 1963, five months before “landing” in the U.S. with the Beatles, George Harrison visited his sister in Illinois. While there, he stopped in to check out a few local record shops. He pulled James Ray’s debut album from a rack, brought it home, and fell in love with the Clark-Ray collaboration.
Then—stop me if you know this part—Harrison rose to unparalleled stardom as the guitarist for a band called the Beatles. They played some shows. Made a few records. It’s in the history books.
Anyhow, fast-forward to this 1987 joint affair with future fellow Traveling Wilbury (and former Electric Light Orchestra conductor) Jeff Lynne. Harrison’s cover of this long-obscured gem reached #1 in the U.S. and #2 in the U.K. To date, it is the last song released by any Beatle to top the charts.
7. Shadows of the Night
This tune was actually commissioned for use on the soundtrack to the cult 1980 film Times Square. However, D.L. Byron’s cut was ultimately not included in the punk-heavy collection of songs.
D.L. Byron (1981)
In 1981, Bryon offered the song to his label for inclusion on his second album instead. Arista’s label head deemed it too uncommercial.
Rachel Sweet (1981)
Undeterred, Byron offered his song to Helen Schneider, who scored a minor hit in Germany and the Benelux countries. A subsequent version, released that same year by power popper Rachel Sweet, failed to chart.
Pat Benetar (1982)
Byron was finally vindicated when early MTV mainstay Pat Benetar included it on her fourth album. “Shadows of the Night” reached #3 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #15 on the US Hot 100, and earned Benatar a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
8. The Best
Before Schitt’s Creek breathed new life into this late ‘80s power ballad, even before it became a beloved anthem from the Queen of Rock and Roll, this one was already a top 10 hit…in Norway.
Bonnie Tyler (1988)
Welsh-singer Bonnie Tyler is best known for 1983 chart-topper “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” This one was co-written by Mike Chapman. (Remember him? He was the guy that also co-wrote “Mickey”.) Anyway, “The Best” was included on Tyler’s 7th studio album and, in spite of its runaway success in the fjords, saw zero chart action in the U.S.
Tina Turner (1989)
Turner, also on her 7th studio album, did quite a bit better. Her version reached #15 on the U.S. charts and #5 on the U.K. charts on the way to double-platinum certification.
9. All Through the Night
Jules Shear is a highly prolific singer and songwriter. He began his career in a series of critically well-regarded but commercially disregarded mid-70s bands— first the Funky Kings, then Jules and the Polar Bears.
Jules Shear (1983)
Jules embarked on a solo career with the help of some heavy friends. Todd Rundgren stepped in to produce his debut album and Cars guitarist Elliot Easton provided lead. Allegedly, the Cars even recorded an unreleased demo of “All Through the Night” (which I could, sadly, not find).
This bouncy Beatlesque cut was not a hit for Shear.
Cyndi Lauper (1983)
Like Shear, Lauper was fresh off the breakup of her band. Blue Angel recorded a single album in 1980 before disbanding. After a brief stint waitressing at IHOP, Lauper signed to a subsidiary of Epic and began recording her debut—She’s So Unusual.
The 1983 release made Lauper into a star. By the time she released her dramatic reworking of this Jules Shears tune in September of ‘84, she had already scored 3 consecutive Top 5 hits in this U.S. This one, her 4th in a row, made Lauper the first woman to manage this feat on her debut album. You can also hear Shears on backing vocals here, as well as Rob Hyman from the Hooters on keys.
10. Heart and Soul
Believe it or not, this one was also written by written by Chapman and Chinn (see “Mickey” and “The Best” above).
Exile (1981)
Chapman and Chinn handed the song over to long-running soft rock combo Exile. The Kentucky-bred band is best known for 1978 chart-topper “Kiss You All Over.” Though they made “Heart and Soul” the title track of their 6th studio album, it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100.
It also failed to chart when included on the sophomore release from funk-rockers the BusBoys, who are better known for their friendship with comedian Eddie Murphy and their inclusion on the Ghostbusters soundtrack a few years hence.
Huey Lewis and the News (1983)
“Heart and Soul” finally found its audience in 1983. It became the lead single off of Sports by Huey Lewis and the News. The Exile cover gave this working class San Francisco band its first taste of real success, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It was also the first in a series of Top 10 hits that included “Heart of Rock and Roll” and “I Want a New Drug”. Together, these hits made Huey’s 3rd album the 2nd best selling album of the year, and the biggest of his career.
I recently did a covers playlist and learned a lot. The one that blew me away is that Cyndi Lauper's most famous tune, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," is a cover. Ray Charles' signature song "Georgia on My Mind," "Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" (written by Grace Slick's brother in law for his band), Pretender's "Stop Your Sobbing" (taken from The Kinks when Chrissie Hynde and Ray Davies were fooling around), Elvis Costello's "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding," Simon & Garfunkel's "El Condor Pasa," Blondie's "The Tide Is High," and The Youngbloods' quintessential '60s tune "Get Together" were all covers I did not know about.
For this article, I did not know "Shadows of the Night" was a cover, even though it's my favorite Pat Benatar song. It was one of the earliest "tells an unrelated story" MTV videos and cost a ton to make. Heck, actors Bill Paxton and Judge Reinhold make an appearance as characters, not to mention the aircraft scenes.
Wow! I didn't know most of these songs were covers! "Bette Davis Eyes" I knew was a cover but I'd never listened to the original. Sounds more like a show tune than the darker edge of Kim Carnes's version. It's clear that Tina's version of "The Best" is pretty similar to Bonnie Tyler's but Tina gives it much more heart and soul. What?! An Exile version of "Heart and Soul?!" It actually is pretty similar to Huey's version which surprises me. I always really liked what he did with the song. I guess Exile did it first! The Bus Boys's version is also similar but more playful than Exile's. I've always loved the sweet and sorrowful tone of Cyndi Lauper's "All Through the Night." The previous version is almost unlistenable! Thanks for sharing this!