John Twang's documents

Poor Pitiful Me

90 visits
Produced by Jackson Browne, Chicago native Warren Zevon's "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" made it's first appearance on his 1976 self-titled album. During the seventies Warren toured and recorded with the Everly Brothers. Later that decade he roomed with the…


Suspicion

76 visits
Elvis Presley's "Suspicion" (Doc Pomus - Mort Shuman) is from the 1962 album "Pot Luck" and became a U.K. top ten hit in 1976. The Terry Stafford cover hit the top ten in 1964. Les Paul's brother-in-law Bob Summers produced and played most instrumen…


Lucky Lips

103 visits
Tony winner Ruth Brown's "Lucky Lips" (Leiber - Stoller) reached the R&B top ten and top thirty on the pop chart in 1957. Interestingly her follow up "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'" was composed by Bobby Darin. Cliff Richard (Harry Webb) and the S…


Chapel of Love

82 visits
Once a Christmas favourite on the Late Show with David Letterman and elsewhere, Darlene Love (Wright) recorded "Chapel of Love" (Jeff Barry - Ellie Greenwich - Phil Spector) in 1963 with the Wrecking Crew. The song was originally written for the Rone…


I Will Follow Him

100 visits
The original instrumental by Frank Pourcel was issued in 1961 on the album "Amour, Danse et Violions". The composers were listed as J. W. Stole (Frank Pourcel) and Del Roma (Paul Mauriat). In 1962 Petula Clark released the French tune "Chariot" (Fra…


Mas Que Nada

108 visits
Rio de Janeiro's Jorge Ben (Menezes) composed the Brazilian song "Mas Que Nada" and was first to record the tune for his first album "Samba Esquema Novo" in 1963. The album "Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66" was released in 1966 with the single getting to…


Speedy Gonzales

71 visits
David Dante (Hess) recorded "Speedy Gonzales" (Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee and David Hess) in 1961. Later composer/actor and director David Hess became head of A&R for Mercury Records. The next year Pat Boone hit the top ten with his cover. The "la-la-la"…


Turn Around, Look At Me

93 visits
Singer, session musician, guitarist, actor, television personality and once a member of The Champs and the Beach Boy tour replacement for Brian Wilson, Glen Campbell was first to record "Turn Around, Look at Me" (Jerry Capehart) in 1961 when it got i…


I Will Always Love You

82 visits
The talented Dolly Parton composed "I Will Always Love You" in 1973 supposedly for her mentor, Porter Wagoner. It is contained on her 1974 album "Jolene" and was used in the movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore". In 1982 she recorded it again for t…


Mama Told Me Not To Come

100 visits
Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy winner Randy Newman wrote "Mama Told Me Not to Come" for Eric Burdon and the Animals 1967 album, "Eric Is Here", in1966. Randy's version came in the 1970 album "12 Songs". Three Dog Night's version from the album "It A…


One

82 visits
The Beatles buddy, (Harry) Nilsson composed "One" for his 1968 album "Ariel Ballet". Originally called Redwood, the Three Dog Night (Chuck Negron, Danny Hutton and Cory Wells) cover from their debut album "Three Dog Night" featured New Yorker Chuck…


Workin' On a Groovy Thing

76 visits
The wonderful Neil Sedaka and the Brill Building's Roger Atkins ("My Momma Said", "It's My Life") composed "Workin' On a Groovy Thing" and it was released world-wide by Neil in 1969. Nashville's Patti Drew was first to release the tune as a single h…


Blue Christmas

123 visits
Emmy winner for a children's television show Doye O'Dell was first to record "Blue Christmas" (Johnson - Hayes) as a single in 1948. The Elvis Presley November release in the 1957 E.P. "Elvis' Christmas Album" was just in time for the holiday season…


Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes

153 visits
Texas radio personality Slim Willet (Winston Lee Moore) often sang on stage with his group "The Hired Hands" was the first to record his composition of "Don't Let the Stars Get In Your Eyes" in 1952. Once vocalist with the Ted Weems Orchestra, Perry…


I Fought the Law

119 visits
Sonny Curtis of The Crickets (Sonny, Jerry Allison, Glen Hardin and Joe Mauldin) composed "I Fought the Law". Originally the group were backing Buddy Holly instrumentally while "The Picks" (John and Bill Pickering, Bob Lapham) provided the vocal back…


Anytime

91 visits
Minstrel show performer Emmitt Miller recorded "Anytime" (Lawson) in 1924. Grand Ole Opry member Eddy Arnold was once managed by the infamous Col. Tom Parker before the Colonel discovered Elvis Presley. Eddy had a number one country hit and a top fo…


Looking Through the Eyes of Love

67 visits
He who "put the bomp", Barry Mann (Imberman) and wife Cynthia Weil composed one ton of hits including "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" and here Barry gives his version. Musician, composer Gene Pitney's single in July of 1965 hit the top thirty fro…


I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman

122 visits
Carnaby Street is part of the Soho fashion district in London. Germany's Kaiser Bill (Wilhelm) was Queen Victoria's grandson and "a batman" is a servant. The Carnaby Street Set released "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (Cook - Greenaway) in 1967. The ori…


The Day The Rains Came

68 visits
Gilbert Becaud released "Le jour où la pluie viendra" (Becaud, Delanoe) in 1957. Despite the fact that it was issued as a B side it achieved chart status in France. It became the first foreign success for what would be many Gilbert Becaud songs. Lad…


Skokiaan

92 visits
African Dance Band of the Cold Storage Commission of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) were first to record this tune titled after an illicit alcoholic drink, "Skokiaan" (Musarurwa). It was released in 1947 and actually charted later in the U.S.A. Tom Gl…