A Billboard Chart Beat reader noted a current trend on the pop charts:
Hi Fred,
Thanks for an always informative and entertaining Chart Beat column! On the entertaining side, I made an observation this week on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. With the debut of “Frozen” by Tami Chynn featuring Akon, there are currently three songs on the chart with identical titles to Madonna songs, but none being remakes of the Madonna titles.
In addition to “Frozen,” we have “Spotlight” by Jennifer Hudson and “Angel” by Natasha Bedingfield. Let’s also not forget Rihanna’s “Take A Bow,” which fell off the chart several weeks ago. So within the last month we’ve had four songs with titles of previous Madonna hits and none being a remake.
Thanks,
Jim Maino
Manahawkin, N.J.
Whenever I pick up a new album and recognize a title, I’m always curious to find out if it’s the same song that I know already. A somewhat recent example is “I Told You So.” I love the Randy Travis hit, and when I bought the Keith Urban album, was expecting the same song. Instead, I got a rocker that I like even more.
So, today’s ridiculously obtuse and way too laborious for Labor Day’s discussion topic is:
What are your favorite different songs with the same title?
I don’t know if they’re my favorite songs but Collin Raye has recorded two songs called “If I Were You.”
Great discussion, and hey I might even be the first to comment(finally! lol) Let’s see, the title “Where Are You Know” has been used many times but with different songs, Trisha’s(a superb one.), Michelle Branch had the title on her sophomore album, and I’m pretty sure Clint Black has one that I have on his greatest hits album. So those three are favorite ones of mine.
“Breathe” by Faith Hill and Michelle Branch are another patch of my favorite ones. Let’s see…
Haha, I love Shania’s “Come On Over” but hate Jessica Simpsons, but who doesnt.
Lol, I keep finding ones on my ipod, there’s Avril’s “Complicated” and Carolyn Dawn Johnson’s as well. I think those one’s came out around the same year too.
“Everybody Knows” by Trisha and the Dixie Chicks is another great pair of them.
There are so many good songs titled “Everything” that I couldn’t even count. Well I could but it’d sure take a long time.
“Everywhere” from Tim McGraw and Michelle Branch(her name keeps appearing in this post for some reason.)
“How I Feel” by Kelly Clarkson and one by Martina.
“How Was I To Know” from Reba and one from John Micheal Montgomery.
I don’t know if this counts but LeAnn has the song “The Light In Your Eyes” and Sheryl Crow has a song entitled “Light In Your Eyes”.
“Nobody’s Home” by Clint and Avril.
“One Of These Days” by McGraw, Michelle, and LeAnn Rimes. Got another triple there :P
“Stronger” by Faith Hill and Britney Spears, the latter, of course, being the weaker one :D.
“What About Now” by Daughtry and Lonestar.
Wow, this post just got really long. I can’t believe that many have the same title and it’s still a good song. Hope I didn’t just piss off a whole bunch of people with this overly long post ;)
Jake,
Here I was thinking I was stumped and you come up with so many pears. I’m gonna have to keep thinking about this one.
The thing with songs with the same titles is that they often are generic titles” like “I Am” or something. But when I saw that Rascal Flatts recorded a song called “Secret Smile” I was sort of excited because I thought it was the Semisonic song of the same name. Sadly, it wasn’t (or perhaps I should be happy?)
Olivia Newton-John had a top five country hit with “Come On Over” in 1976. It’s one of her best country performances. It was also the title of her album, though it sold about 35 million less copies than Shania’s!
I can’t believe I forgot “Breathe.” I like the Melissa Etheridge “Breathe” song more than Hill’s or Nalick’s, though I love those too.
There were also a ton of “Stay” songs, though I’m probably the only one in these parts who likes the Shakespear’s Sister one the most.
I was worried this would be a weak topic, but you’ve certainly took the ball and ran with it here. Thanks!
Leeann,
Pears? I surely think you meant “pairs” ;)
Here’s another one: “What Might Have Been.”
There is the overly sugary “Little Texas” one and then an AWESOME “What Might Have Been” from the soundtrack to the fun movie “Still Crazy.” That whole soundtrack is pretty good, particularly Jimmy Nail’s “What Might Have Been.” Another good one is “The Flame Still Burns.”
Matt, indeed I did.
One of my favorite songs (in fact my most requested as a performer) is “Waterloo” a 1958 hit for Stonewall Jackson. I am not especially fond of the
Wow, I love Natasha Bedingfield’s “Angel” I’m glad it’s a single!
As for “Take A Bow”, in addition to Rihanna and Madonna, Leona Lewis has another “Take A Bow.” Rihanna’s is my favorite, though.
Now on to country:
“Tennessee” is a song by Sugarland, and The Wreckers have their own song. Sugarland’s is happy and catchy, while the other song is sadder. I honestly like them both, “Tennessee” was one of the only great songs on the Wrecker’s album.
Also “Stay” by Little Big Town and Sugarland. Sugarland’s is the stunning song we all love and know, while LBT’s has some of the best harmonies I have ever heard. SL’s has more emotion and is so simple, but I love LBT’s too.
“These Are The Days” by Sugarland (this is getting creepy…) and Jo Dee Messina (also a song by Keith Urban, but I have his in my iTunes, but haven’t listened to it)is another, but I much prefer Sugarland’s.
That’s all I can think of, all of them sharing Sugarland.
… of the ABBA song by the same title.
Back in 1969 Dionne Warwick and Tom Jones had hits with songs with the title “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”. I was living in England at the time and assumed they were the same song (Bobbie Gentry had the UK hit on Dionne’s song). It wasn’t until I returned stateside in late 1970 that I dicovered they weren’t the same song
“Tennessee” was the title of one of Jimmy ‘THe King of Bluegrass’ Martin’s hits
“Stay” was the title of the shortest song ever to make it to #1 on the Billboard Pop Charts – performed by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs
“Crazy”–Patsy Cline, et. al.
“Crazy”–Kenny Rogers
I’m in with “Stronger” as well.
Carlene Carter, brilliant title track off her latest album.
I liked Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do” when it came out back in…when was it? 1995? When I saw Sugarland’s new CD, I figured they were doing a country remake of the Crow song. But lo and behold, it’s a totally different song, and pretty good, too!
Kinda funny that the shortest #1 single ever has the hook “just a little bit longer.”
Two from the past:
“Guitar Man”–Elvis Presley (from 1968, written by Jerry Reed)
“Guitar Man”–Bread (from 1972)
When I saw that Darius Rucker’s single was called “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” I assumed it was the song Bobby Pinson sang on his previous album. I was wrong, but they’re both very good songs.
Although I wouldn’t call some of these favorites, a quick scroll through my iTunes revealed these:
Billy Joe Shaver, Willie Nelson and Bruce Robison all have different songs titled “Valentine.”
Same with Ernest Tubb and Dale Watson with “Tomorrow Never Comes.”
Waylon Jennings and Alan Jackson with “This Time.”
Tim McGraw and Dwight Yoakam with “Things Change.”
Drew Kennedy and Bobby Bare with “Take Me Home.”
Willie Nelson & Roger Miller sing a different “Old Friends” than Guy Clark.
Jason Boland & The Stragglers and Gary Allan with “No Damn Good.”
Trace Adkins, Todd Snider and Alison Krause with John Waite have songs called “Missing You.”
Kris Kristofferson and Guy Clark with “Magdalene.”
Two more from the distant past:
“Venus”–Frankie Avalon (1959)
“Venus”–Shocking Blue (1969)
I’m also going to list a few from my itunes
Buddy Jewell & Lauren Lucas = Addicted To The Rain (Lauren’s is better)
Brett James & Cross Canadian Ragweed & Patty Loveless = After All (PAtty’s is the best)
Cross Canadian Ragweed & Radney Foster = Again (Radney’s is better)
Brian Melo & Chuck Wicks = All I Ever Wanted (Brian’s is better)
Angela Wolff & Ennis Sisters & Neal McCoy = All Over Again (Angela’s is best)
The Greencards & Vince Gill = Almost Home (Vince’s is better)
and I’m too tired to go through the rest….
the first one that comes to mind is “take me as i am” by faith hill and sugarland
Jordan mentioning “Again” had me thinking. I assumed that the Brandon Rhyder song of the same name was Radney’s song based on the fact that Radney was his producer. Nope. Totally different song.
Sugarland and Faith Hill both recorded a song called “Take Me As I Am”, and while they’re both good, the Faith one is the best.
jessica picking “come on over” i think was a gimic to get more air time, sometimes i’ll hear the dj’s say coming up come on over, people will tune in thinking they are getting shania and disappointed to hear jessica, come on over was one of the greatest country records of all time and you copy it just not right. i hear people call in and actually say i thought you were gonna play shania what was that.
so sad
“I Can’t Help Myself”–The Four Tops
“I Can’t Help Myself”–Eddie Rabbitt
I don’t hate Jessica Simpson’s “Come On Over”.. again I state that she’s a million times more country than Jewel (though I’m sure there’s a joke about Jewel’s teeth there!). Not to say it’s a great song, but no, I don’t hate it.. and as a guy, will happily watch the video. :)
I’ll have to scour my iTunes tonight to see if I can come up with any good ones.
“You’ll Think Of Me”–Elvis Presley**
“You’ll Think Of Me”–Keith Urban
**–Presley’s was the B-side of his epic 1969 #1 hit “Suspicious Minds”
Right now, I can only think of one that hasn’t been mentioned: ‘Little Rock’ was a hit for Reba back in ’86. Hers was an up-tempo toe-tapper about the wife of a wealthy man who pays everything but attention to his wife … ‘He never calls me honey/but he sure loves his money/and I’m the one who pays the price’
Then in 1993, Collin Raye had a darkly beautiful number of the same title. His was the story of a man trying hard to put the pieces of his life back together that his affinity for liquor had shattered. In the process of getting clean – ‘I haven’t had a drink in nineteen days/my eyes are clear and bright without that haze’ – he comes to the conclusion that he is still in love with the lady he caused so much pain – ‘Lying here upon this motel bed/my thoughts of you explode inside my head/Like a castle built upon the sand/I let love crumble in my hand’
Both great songs that went to #1 (Collin actually peaked at #2 Billboard and #1 R&R), although that’s really the only similarity among them.
“Lollipop” is a great song by Lil Wayne, the Chordettes, and Mika.
“If tomorrow never comes” is a good song by Snider and Garth
Wow Shakespeare’s Sister – haven’t thought of them in ages…BTW, one of their members Marcy Levy was the writer/harmony vocalist of Lay Down Sally, a Clapton song which Vince Gill says was the musical inspiration for One More Last Chance
There’s Keith Urban/Carrie Underwood “I Told You So”…I think I like the Keith one better, but both songs are the high points of their new albums.
My personal favorite is Trisha Yearwood/Trisha Yearwood “It’s Alright.” She recorded a song called “It’s Alright” for “Everybody Knows,” then another, different “It’s Alright” for “Jasper County.”
Cynthia,
Don’t forget that Carrie’s “I Told You So” was originally the Randy Travis song that Kevin was talking about.
I prefer the one from Jasper County.
J.R.,
I really like both of those Little Rock songs too.
How many “Pilgrims” were there? Steve Earle, Marty Stuart and Merle Travis all had songs by that name (can’t pick a favourite!)
On the deluxe edition of Sugarland’s Love on the Inside is a ballad called “Fall into Me.” I was a bit worried that it was a remake of the Emerson Drive song from several years back, but it couldn’t be more different. I’m not a fan of the ED song, but I’ve probably listened to the Sugarland song more than any other cut on their album.
I love “Fall Into Me” especially the climactic part with the “just before”‘s.
I forgot about “Take Me As I Am” by Faith and Sugarland, for those who mentioned them before. Now I have another entry to my creepy Sugarland list…
Re. Paul W. Dennis’ comment on “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”:
The one that Tom Jones did, written by Jimmy Currie and Lonnie Donegan, was originally released acutally in the late summer of 1967, but only got up to #49 here. It was re-released in July 1969, and got up to #6 two months later.