What if Carly Simon had recorded "The greatest love of all"?

[Willie Oleson]

I heard it in my head today and it sounds awesome.

Any other favourite cover versions that never happened?

 

[James from London]

Elvis doing Like a Prayer

Frida from Abba doing It’s a Sin

 

[Willie Oleson]

Frida from Abba doing It’s a Sin

I could hear it instantly. It makes perfect sense.

Elvis doing Like a Prayer

Oooh...that's just so...overwhelming!

Today I've listened to:

Take That's Babe by Neil Diamond
Son Of A Preacher Man by Grace Slick
So Long Marianne by Kate Bush

 

[James from London]

I could hear it instantly. It makes perfect sense.

I think of it as a Catholic 'Money Money Money'.

Take That's Babe by Neil Diamond

So Long Marianne by Kate Bush

Those are two are just ... wow!

Also, Elvis doing Bowie's 'Golden Years'. And Kelly Marie's 'Feels Like I'm in Love', which was written for Elvis (by Mungo Jerry) but he died before he could record it. There's a great soundalike version on YouTube somewhere. I'm on a train or I'd post it.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Frida from Abba doing It’s a Sin

I think of it as a Catholic 'Money Money Money'.

So very true. And now I'll never not have this association in my mind when I hear them. So thanks.

 

[Willie Oleson]

And Kelly Marie's 'Feels Like I'm in Love', which was written for Elvis (by Mungo Jerry)

I didn't know that songwriter Ray Dorset was Mungo Jerry!

 

[Long Lashes]

I was reading this today and thought of this thread.

I Don't Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith was originally written for Céline Dion.
I can just imagine Céline singing this power ballad.

Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds was offered to The Fixx, Bryan Ferry, and, finally, Billy Idol, all of whom turned it down.

Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen was almost a punk rock anthem instead of the his first top ten hit. Joey Ramone had asked Springsteen to write the Ramones a song, and he did, but decided afterwards to keep it for himself on the advice of his manager.

How Will I know by Whitney Houston was written for Janet Jackson who turned it down.

Holiday by Madonna was offered to Mary Wilson.
Wow, how different this would've sounded!

 

[Alexis]

The Pet Shop Boys' Heart was originally offered to Madonna but she didn't like it. I love that song and would have loved to have heard Madonna's version.

There are a lot of songs I would love to hear Celine Dion sing, Lilac Wine made famous by Elkie Brooks, Cher's The Way Of Love, Dusty Springfield's I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten. There are many more but I cant think right now.

 

[Alexis]

How Will I know by Whitney Houston was written for Janet Jackson who turned it down.

If Janet did it what would the last minute or so of the song be? Janet speaks some ad-libs. Whitney goes town vocally on it. Janet could never.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Today I heard George Michael singing the Fern Kinney hit Groove Me.
I do not simply replace the vocals, my imaginery cover version is in the typical style of the imaginary cover artist.

 

[James from London]

I sometimes like to imagine Abba doing 'Everything Now' by Arcade Fire. Agnetha's singing lead, while Benny and Bjorn stand back to back doing the "everything now" bits in a "take a chance-chance-chance" stylee. (Frida's busy in the next room filming the video for 'It's a Sin' dressed as an altar boy.)

 

[Alexis]

I sometimes like to imagine Abba doing 'Everything Now' by Arcade Fire. Agnetha's singing lead, while Benny and Bjorn stand back to back doing the "everything now" bits in a "take a chance-chance-chance" stylee. (Frida's busy in the next room filming the video for 'It's a Sin' dressed as an altar boy.)

Whys this not a reality? And where are those new ABBA songs we were promised a year or so ago?

That instrumentation is just so ABBA! I can just hear it all instantly.

 

[Willie Oleson]

AF's piano intro is basically an upbeat version of the piano guitar intro for Chiquitita.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Incidentally…

 

[Willie Oleson]

But I think I would have preferred a The Cranberries version.

 

[James from London]

Incidentally…

Sinead O’Connor is one of the finest song interpreters not just because she thinks hard about the material and the feelings locked in it, but because she’s so good at placing songs into a situation. A great example of this is her version of “Chiquitita”, warm and homely where ABBA’s is melodramatic, replacing its theatrical flourishes with a cosy tick-tock rhythm like a parlour clock. In the video she makes you, the viewer-as-Chiquitita, a cup of tea and settles down for a chat, and it’s perfect: that’s exactly what her version feels like.

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2010/10/sinead-oconnor-nothing-compares-2-u/

 

[Willie Oleson]

Today I was imaginary listening to a Bee Gees coverversion of Lobo's I'd Love You To Want Me. It sounds great and it also has those falsetto "aa-aa-aah's" in the last part. I can't believe this never happened.

 

[Willie Oleson]

(the) Carpenters are currently topping my imaginary cover chart with their version of Spice Girl's 2 Become 1 , followed by Helen Shapiro's 1960s interpretation of the 80s Italo disco song I Love My Radio, originally by artist Taffy.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

(the) Carpenters are currently topping my imaginary cover chart with their version of Spice Girl's 2 Become 1

Oh, I can completely hear that.


Except Richard would possibly consider the lyrics too unwholesome and remove any allusions to actual sex as he did with Superstar. So we'd end up with

I need some hugs like I never needed hugs before
(Wanna give hugs to ya baby).

 

[Willie Oleson]

This weekend I've enjoyed Heather Small's coverversion of I bought my bébé a red radio.

I've also been thinking about a new ABBA tribute album and who's-doing-what, but that only led to stereotypical choices like Gimme Gimme Gimme by Bonnie Tyler and Chiquitita by Enrique Iglesias.
I wasn't even going to include The Winner Takes It All but then out of the blue I heard it being sung by a children/school choir and I must say, that certainly makes it sound fresh (if not slightly inappropriate, but that goes for so many songs).