Songs with different lyrics to the same melody

[Wie Gehts?]

The Beach Boys' "Student Demonstration Time" from Surf's Up was essentially Leiber/Stoller's "Riot in Cell Block #9" with updated lyrics by Mike Love.

What other songs were a lyrical adaptation of an existing melody?

[billh]

Side Walk Surfin' by Jan and Dean and Catch a Wave by The Beach Boys.

[Craig]

If You Were To Wake Up by Lyle Lovett is sung to the tune of Farther Along.

The version of Amazing Grace by The Blind Boys Of Alabama is sung to the tune of The House Of The Rising Sun.

Similar Thread HERE (http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12701)

[Dugan]

The Survivor's - Pamela Jean & The Beach Boys- Car Crazy Cutie

The Honeys- Hide Go Seek & The Beach Boys- Don't Back Down

All Brian Wilson Productions :)

[StrawberryFields]

Surfin' USA (Brian and the Boys)...a rewrite of "Sweet Little Sixteen" (Chuck Berry)

[John B]

Live For Today by the Grass Roots was a rewrite of Ben E. King's "I Count the Tears"

[StrawberryFields]

"Let's Live For Today" is a rewrite of "I Count the Tears" (Drifters) ...
not the entire melody, but the major hookline in the chorus. And yes, John, it is Ben E. King on lead vocals.

[John B]

I forgot the "Let's" and it is the Drifters as a group, not Ben E. King solo. The Rokes lay claim to the original "Cry for Me":

http://www.bobshannon.com/fred/letslive.html

[StrawberryFields]

So many other examples of rewrites...just for starters:
"Blame it on the Stones" (Kris Kristofferson uses the old folk melody to 'Bringin' in the Shears'
"Catch me Now I'm Fallin'....Kinks use "Jumpin Jack Flash" riff from Mick and the Boys ....
and of course the old rock classic rip-off (which Davies and company reputedly thought about suing for initially)...."Hello I love You" (Doors).....an obvious lift from "All Day and All of the Night," the Kinks classic)

[Pat]

O Sole Mio is also It's Now Or Never (ala Elvis)

One Night Of Sin (Fats Domino) and One Night (Elvis)

and...

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport is the same as ...


Wonderland By Night (NO, not really!)
;) Just checking to see if anyone's following along!:D

[ascot]

I'm not sure which came first, but "The Alphabet Song" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" are the same melody.

[Michael]

"Fourteen Karat Mind"- Gene Watson...

"Whiskey"- New Riders Of The Purple Sage

[Mal]

Thinkin' 'bout You, Baby - Sharon Marie (single released 6/64)
Darlin' - The Beach Boys (single released 12/67)

Both tracks co-written (with Mike Love) and produced by Brian Wilson, of course.

Brian has been mentioned in this thread a few times already and is indeed in the habit of applying new lyrics to old tunes (of his as well as others). The most extreme example I can think of is his attepmt at putting the Little Saint Nick lyrics to the tune for Drive In!

[quentincollins]

"School Day" - Chuck Berry ---> "No Particular Place to Go" - Chuck Berry

[Sean Keane]

"L.A. is a great big freeway, put a hundred down and by a car..." Do You Know The Way To San Hose. "I remember Sunday morning, I would meet him at the park..." Sunday Will Never Be The Same. Some similarity, for sure.

[tomcat]

Part III of T. Rex' "Raw Ramp" reminds me very strongly of "Get It On", also by T.Rex, of course...

[Grant]

"Mercy Mercy Mercy" originally written by Zawinful

The versions I know about are by
The Buckinghams and Marlena Shaw.

[MartinGr]

Arthur Crudup's "My baby left me" and "That's all right, mama"...

[rjp]

if you ask the lawyers:

"he's so fine" and "my sweet lord" are the same song.

renny

[lv70smusic]

Chic's "Good Times" morphed into The Sugarhill Gang's "Rappers Delight."

[lv70smusic]

I'm not sure if I'd say that Steely Dan's "Do It Again" begat Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," but when you hear the disco medley of the two songs by the group Slingshot you might think that Michael Jackson ripped off Becker & Fagan.

[ascot]

While not direct rip offs, you can hear the similarities in the basslines of "I Can't Help Myself" (Four Tops), "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson), and "Like A Virgin" (Madonna).

[Xyzzy]

Originally posted by ascot
I'm not sure which came first, but "The Alphabet Song" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" are the same melody.

Don't forget "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep."

Also:
The Beach Boys - All Dressed Up
The Beach Boys - I Just Got My Pay

[ascot]

Originally posted by Xyzzy


Don't forget "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep."



Whoever writes these children's songs needs to come up with something new! :laugh:

[GregY]

Grateful Dead - U.S. Blues
was Wave That Flag before they reinvented it as U.S. Blues.