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Songs that weren't country to begin with

V

vchimpanzee

Walk of Fame Participant
I was surprised to hear three songs on WBRF Galax, VA the day before Thanksgiving that weren't country. Someone considered to be country had recorded these songs and WBRF was playing them, with varying results.

"Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles was recorded by Robin Lee, so that must be who WBRF played. The DJs are usually pretty good about saying what they played, but I didn't remember hearing who it was. I still didn't like it. Which is unusual for WBRF.

"We Just Disagree" by Dave Mason was recorded by Billy Dean. That one was better.

I can't remember the third one now.
 
In a way it doesn't bother me when a country act covers a non country song. Why? Because plenty of non country singers have covered country songs too.

Whitney Houston-"I Will Always Love You"-Dolly Parton
All For One-"I Swear" & "I Can Love You Like That"-John Michael Montgomery
Brandy-"Almost Doesn't Count"-Mark Wills
98 Degrees-"I Do Cherish You"-Mark Wills
Peter, Paul, & Mary-"Don't Laugh At Me"-Mark Wills

I believe there are other country songs that have been covered by non country singers, but at the moment what I already listed is all that is coming to me right now.

God bless you always!!! :) :) :)

Holly
 
vchimpanzee said:
I was surprised to hear three songs on WBRF Galax, VA the day before Thanksgiving that weren't country. Someone considered to be country had recorded these songs and WBRF was playing them, with varying results.

"Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles was recorded by Robin Lee, so that must be who WBRF played. The DJs are usually pretty good about saying what they played, but I didn't remember hearing who it was. I still didn't like it. Which is unusual for WBRF.

"We Just Disagree" by Dave Mason was recorded by Billy Dean. That one was better.

I can't remember the third one now.
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Lots of pop and even r&b songs have been turned into country hits. Barbara Mandrell had one with Luther Ingram's "If Loving You Is Wrong." Brooks & Dunn remade BW Stephenson's "My Maria." Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Love Me" charted country for Stephanie Winslow. I really liked B&D's "My Maria." The country version added a nice guitar solo that wasn't in the pop original.
 
As Kris Kristofferson so wisely observed, "If it sounds like a country song, it's a country song."
 
Conway Twitty's cover of Heartache Tonight, The Rose, and Slow Hand. Conway was king of the pop covers.
 
TheBigA said:
Conway Twitty's cover of Heartache Tonight, The Rose, and Slow Hand. Conway was king of the pop covers.
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Conway could make even those songs sound good. They should have sounded better as pop songs, but he can do anything.

Of the other songs mentioned, I only like "If Loving You Is Wrong", which still has a crossover sound.

That list of pop versions of country songs is mostly terrible to me. Whitney's "I Will Always Love You" actually does have good parts but I mostly despise it.
 
Some years back, MCA put out an album called Rhythm, County & Blues, pairing country stars with soul legends. It was hit-and-miss, mostly miss, but one of the standout tracks was Conway and Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) teaming up on "Rainy Night In Georgia." Travis Tritt and Patti LaBelle tore it up on Sam & Dave's "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby," as well.
 
James Otto Sweet Heart said:
In a way it doesn't bother me when a country act covers a non country song. Why? Because plenty of non country singers have covered country songs too.

Whitney Houston-"I Will Always Love You"-Dolly Parton
All For One-"I Swear" & "I Can Love You Like That"-John Michael Montgomery
Brandy-"Almost Doesn't Count"-Mark Wills
98 Degrees-"I Do Cherish You"-Mark Wills
Peter, Paul, & Mary-"Don't Laugh At Me"-Mark Wills

I believe there are other country songs that have been covered by non country singers, but at the moment what I already listed is all that is coming to me right now.

God bless you always!!! :) :) :)

Holly
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"Delta Dawn" - Tanya Tucker to Helen Reddy
 
^^^ Yep. Tanya did the song first.

God bless you and her always!!! :) :) :)

Holly (a fan of Tanya since 1991)
 
Everyone seems to be forgetting that a great many hits in all genres of music were not written by the artists who recorded them. Many were written by professional songwriters who only penned songs for others. There are probably dozens upon dozens of country songs written by folks who cranked out song after song and peddled them to any A&R man who might give 'em a shot. There's no easy way of knowing how many country hits were of songs recorded by rock, pop, or even R&B acts whose recordings never sold more than a handful of copies.

For example, the earlier mentioned "Delta Dawn" was written by Larry Collins and Alex Harvey. Harvey recorded it as an album cut in 1971. Dianne Davidson recorded a version of it that charted low. Tracy Nelson included it in her live act, where Bette Midler heard it and included it in her live act. Nashville producer Billy Sherrill heard Midler sing the song on The Tonight Show, and wanted her to record it, but Midler was already signed to a different label. So, Sherrill recorded it with Tanya Tucker. Tom Catalano had an instrumental track recorded and attempted to get Barbra Streisand to sing it, but when she declined, he offered it to Helen Reddy. Midler recorded it on her album "The Divine Miss M" and was set to release it as the "A" side of a single, but Reddy's came out two days earlier. Midler's people then made the "B" side, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" into the "A" side.

Yes, the music business is a crazy thing!
 
Avid Listener said:
Everyone seems to be forgetting that a great many hits in all genres of music were not written by the artists who recorded them. Many were written by professional songwriters who only penned songs for others. There are probably dozens upon dozens of country songs written by folks who cranked out song after song and peddled them to any A&R man who might give 'em a shot. There's no easy way of knowing how many country hits were of songs recorded by rock, pop, or even R&B acts whose recordings never sold more than a handful of copies.

For example, the earlier mentioned "Delta Dawn" was written by Larry Collins and Alex Harvey. Harvey recorded it as an album cut in 1971. Dianne Davidson recorded a version of it that charted low. Tracy Nelson included it in her live act, where Bette Midler heard it and included it in her live act. Nashville producer Billy Sherrill heard Midler sing the song on The Tonight Show, and wanted her to record it, but Midler was already signed to a different label. So, Sherrill recorded it with Tanya Tucker. Tom Catalano had an instrumental track recorded and attempted to get Barbra Streisand to sing it, but when she declined, he offered it to Helen Reddy. Midler recorded it on her album "The Divine Miss M" and was set to release it as the "A" side of a single, but Reddy's came out two days earlier. Midler's people then made the "B" side, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" into the "A" side.

Yes, the music business is a crazy thing!
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I always liked Bette Midler's version(as well as the rest of the album, as any sane person would)although it never occurred to me it could be a hit.
 
On Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" album is the song "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad". As recorded on that album, it was not a country song. However, in an interview, the write of the song, Jim Steinman, said that it was deliberately written to be a country song. It wasn't until Jamey Jameson recorded it in 2010 that it was given the country approach Steinman had intended all along. Like Delta Dawn, there are multiple versions of it, including one by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that was countryish.
 
semoochie said:
I always liked Bette Midler's version(as well as the rest of the album, as any sane person would)although it never occurred to me it could be a hit.
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Did it occur to you that a remake of an Andrews Sisters song from 30 years previous could be a hit, or did you buy the album after hearing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" on the radio?

Back on topic ... two more songs you'd never think of as country are "America" (aka "My Country 'Tis of Thee") and "Layla." Yet country versions of both exist, by Dolly Parton and the Charlie Daniels Band, respectively.
 
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Bob Carlisle's "Butterfly Kisses" was a CCM hit that was made "country" with the addition of steel guitars to it, and he was nominated for country awards because of it, which (I believe) he did not want to accept, because he did not want to put himself in the position of competing with "full-time" country performers for what he thought were "their" awards, that they had earned.
 
CTListener said:
Did it occur to you that a remake of an Andrews Sisters song from 30 years previous could be a hit, or did you buy the album after hearing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" on the radio?
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You didn't ask me, but I first heard "The Divine Miss M" in its entirety because it was one of the favorite albums of a girl I was dating back in 1973. I don't recall ever hearing it on the radio, but in those days I pretty much only listened to AOR stations, or cassette mix-tapes.

firepoint525 said:
Bob Carlisle's "Butterfly Kisses" was a CCM hit that was made "country" with the addition of steel guitars to it, and he was nominated for country awards because of it, which (I believe) he did not want to accept, because he did not want to put himself in the position of competing with "full-time" country performers for what he thought were "their" awards, that they had earned.
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Mutt Lange, when both married to Shania Twain, and producing her records, would often make three different versions of her songs. One would have steel guitars, for airplay on country stations, another with strings, for airplay on pop music format radio stations, and with accordions, for airplay in Europe.
 
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If a song is covered by a country artist and is done in the country style, then it's a country song and is therefore acceptable to be played on country radio. Of course all you need to be country these days is just to slap a steel guitar on your pop song, and voila.
 
oldiesgirl said:
If a song is covered by a country artist and is done in the country style, then it's a country song and is therefore acceptable to be played on country radio. Of course all you need to be country these days is just to slap a steel guitar on your pop song, and voila.
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And all you need to make a country hit a pop song is to take the steel guitar or banjo out. Taylor Swift's "Love Story" topped both charts with customized versions.
 
CTListener said:
And all you need to make a country hit a pop song is to take the steel guitar or banjo out. Taylor Swift's "Love Story" topped both charts with customized versions.
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Of course Johnny Cash didn't have to do that, because he didn't have steel guitar, banjo, or fiddle on his songs. Yet people consider him country. And he's in both the country and rock Hall of Fame.
 
Oh yes, I hate that. I usually don't like the remix made for pop radio. The worst ones for me, about ten years ago, were Diamond Rio's "One More Day" and LeAnne Womack's "I Hope You Dance". That one was awful, as not only did they take out the steel guitar, but they removed the Sons of the Desert backing vocals and inserted female vocals that sounded all poppy. I never understood why they did that. I used to get so mad every time Delilah would play that song.
 
Avid Listener said:
As Kris Kristofferson so wisely observed, "If it sounds like a country song, it's a country song."
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What I quoted Kris Kristofferson saying earlier still holds true. While a slight change in instrumentation can make a song sound more countryish, the real key to the sound that Kristofferson talked about is the vocal. There is no razor-sharp dividing line that separates sounding country from sounding pop. A vocalist with a country-sounding voice is going to sound "country", regardless of instrumental accompaniment. The vocalists mentioned who've had crossover hits from one chart to the other tend to be the ones whose vocals are not very country, so that the accompaniment plays a larger part in defining whether or not the song sounds "country".

Johnny Cash could sing acapella and he'd still sound country. Without a strong country backing band, Taylor Swift is just another pop princess.
 
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