P

  Song Artist/Date/Label Remade by
art
 Pale Faced Indian, The (aka Indian Reservation) Marvin Rainwater 12-9-59
MGM 12865 		John D. Loudermilk (1966, 1971), Don Fardon, Raiders
Pancho And Lefty see Poncho & Lefty
art
 Papa Was A Rollin' Stone Undisputed Truth 1972
Gordy 7117 		Temptations (5-15 & 6-14, 22, 28-72), David Lindley, Was (Not Was)
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme see Scarborough Fair
art
 Party, (Let's Have A) Elvis Presley 2-57
on lp RCA Victor 1515 Loving You 		Wanda Jackson (4-7-58), Collins Kids, Roomful of Blues
Elvis recorded his version for the film Loving You on January 15, 1957.

Amos Milburn's "Let's Have A Party" (1953, Aladdin 3218) is a different song.

 Party's Over, The see My Party's Over
art
 Pass The Kouchie (aka Pass The Dutchie) Mighty Diamonds 1981
JA Music Works (no #)/lp US Alligator 8303 Indestructible 		Musical Youth
art
 Passionate Kisses Lucinda Williams 6-88
on lp Rough Trade 47 		Mary-Chapin Carpenter
Lucinda's recording was also issued on a 1989 12" EP titled Passionate Kisses (Rough Trade 66).

art
 Patches Jimmy Isle 1960
Everest 19383 		Dickey Lee
art
 Patches Chairmen Of The Board 1970
Invictus 9079 		Clarence Carter (6-17-70)
art
 Peace In The Valley Flying Clouds Of Detroit 5-46
Haven 510 		Red Foley, Soul Stirrers, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash
Famed hymn composer Rev. Thomas A Dorsey wrote this in 1937, with Mahalia Jackson in mind. While she did help popularize it, "Valley" wasn't recorded for nearly another decade.

Dorsey was on a train from Indiana to Cincinnati and he noticed how tranquil the farmland animals were, giving him inspiration for the song. His full title was "(There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)."

art
 Peace, Love & Understanding, (What's So Funny 'Bout) Brinsley Schwarz 5-74
UK United Artists 36446 		Elvis Costello, Curtis Stigers, Nick Lowe, Joe Louis Walker, A Perfect Circle, Keb Mo
Writer Nick Lowe was a member of Brinsley Schwarz.

art
 Peaceful Kenny Rankin 1967
Mercury 72768 		Kenny Rankin (1973 for Little David), Helen Reddy
art
 Peanut Vendor, The (as "El Manisero") Rita Montaner c.11-27
Columbia 2965X 		Don Azpiazu (5-13-30), Xavier Cugat, Desi Arnez, Stan Kenton, Pérez Prado, Chico O'Farrill et el.
Label image courtesy of the University Of California, Santa Barbara Library.

art
 Pennies From Heaven Bing Crosby 7-24-36
Decca 947 		Bing Crosby (8-17-36 on Decca 15027), Dick Haymes, Skyliners
Introduced by Crosby in the 1936 film of the same title.

art
 Penny For Your Thoughts, A Marion Jarvis 1975
Roxbury 2012 		Tavares
art
 People Sure Act Funny (When They Get A Lotta' Money) Titus Turner 1962
Enjoy 1005 		Lee Dorsey, Titus Turner (1968 for Josie ), Arthur Conley
art
 Perdido Duke Ellington 1-21-42
Victor 27880 		Sarah Vaughn, Louis Armstrong, Ben Webster, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Pérez Prado, Charlie Parker, Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae et al.
art
 Perfidia Lupita Palomera w/ San Cristobal Marimba Band 1937
Victor 75940 		Orquesta Hermanos Dominguez (2-22-39), Xavier Cugat, Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Pérez Prado, Ventures, Linda Ronstadt et al.
art
 Personally Jackie Moore 1978
Columbia 10779 		Karla Bonoff, Ronnie McDowell, Paul Kelly
art
 Pesenka 1 La La La (aka Around The World) Ruki Vverh 1998
on CD Russian B-Funky 010 150-2 Sdelai pogromche! (Turn It Up) 		ATC (aka A Touch Of Class)
art
 Peter Rabbit Myron Lee w/ The Caddies 1961
M&L 1004 		Dee Jay & Runaways
Myron Lee pressed 1,000 copies Of "Peter Rabbit" himself hence the label name M & L.

art
 Petite Fleur Sidney Bechet & His All Stars 1-21-52
French Vogue 5119/45-06 		Chris Barber's Jazz Band
Phonenix Love Theme (Senza Fine), The see Senza Fine
art
 Piano (aka Softly, As I Leave You) Mina 1960
Italian Italdisc MH 72 		Matt Monro, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Michael Bublè
art
 Piece Of My Heart Erma Franklin 8-67
Shout 221 		Big Brother & Holding Co.w/ Janis Joplin (5-20-68), Betty LaVette, Sammy Hagar, Etta James, John Hartford
art
 Pieces Of April Dave Loggins 1971
Vanguard 35167 (1973) 		3 Dog Night, Dave (as David) Loggins (1979 for Epic)
art
 Pied Piper, The Changin' Times 1965
Philips 40320 		Crispian St. Peters, Bob & Marcia
art
 Pink Cadillac Bruce Springsteen 5-31-83
Columbia 04463 		Natalie Cole
art
 Pizza Song, The (aka On Top Of Spaghetti) Dick Biondi 1961
IRC 6904 		Sharon & Lollipops, Tom Glazer
Dick Biondi was a popular dj at Chicago's WLS when he recorded this novelty number, using the melody from "On Top Of Old Smokey" (the American Southern folk song of unknown authorship, popularized by the Weavers in 1950). Two years later, Tom Glazer took Biondi's concept, wrote his own Italian-food lyrics, and had the hit. In between, Sharon & the Lollipops issued a record of "On Top Of Spaghetti" with lyric's different from Glazer's. Perhaps the "Spaghetti" angle had been floating around for some time, possibly as a kid's playground song.

art
 Plastic Jesus Goldcoast Singers 3-62
on lp World Pacific 1806 Here They Are! 		Ernie Marrs, Naked Prey, Flaming Lips, Mojo Nixon & Jello Biafra, Jack Johnson, Billy Idol
The Goldcoast Singers were Ed Rush and George Cromarty, who wrote the song in 1957.

Paul Newman sang "Plastic Jesus" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke.

art
 Play Something Sweet (aka Brickyard Blues) Sylvester & Hot Band 1973
on lp Blue Thumb 60 Bazaar 		Frankie Miller, 3 Dog Night, Maria Muldaur, Levon Helm, Little Feat
art
 Playgirl Knickerbockers 3-66
on lp Sundazed 5000 The Great Lost Knickerbockers Album (1989) 		Thee Prophets
A demo of the song, also done by the Knickerbockers, has been issued.

art
 Playground In My Mind (Mama Je T'aime) Billy Lawrence 1971
Atlantic 2813 		Clint Holmes
art
 Please Don't Talk To The Lifeguard Andrea Carroll 1961
Epic 9450 		Diane Ray
art
 Please Love Me Forever Tommy Edwards 1958
MGM 12688 		Cathy Jean & Roommates, Bobby Vinton
As the flip side of Edwards' number one hit "It's All In The Game," "Please Love Me Forever" did chart, but only briefly.

art
 Please Mr. Please Bruce Welch 1974
EMI 3948 		Olivia Newton-John
art
 Please Remember Me Rodney Crowell 1-95
on CD MCA 11223 Jewel Of The South 		Tim McGraw
art
 Please Send Me Someone To Love Percy Mayfield 4-16-50
Specialty 375 		Moonglows, Wade Flemons
art
 Police On My Back Equals 1967
on lp RCA Victor 4078 Baby, Come Back (1968) 		Clash
art
 Poncho & Lefty (aka Pancho And Lefty) Townes Van Zandt 1972
Poppy XW238-W 		Townes Van Zandt (1973, 1978), Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, Steve Earle
On Van Zandt's album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, the song is listed on the cover as "Pauncho & Lefty" (while the label reads "Poncho & Lefty").

The Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard version also has spelling variations, "Poncho"/"Pancho," between their single and album.

art
 Pony Time Don Covay & the Goodtimers 1960 (late)
Arnold 1002 		Chubby Checker
art
 Poor Little Puppet Jan & Dean 1961
Liberty 55397 		Cathy Carroll
art
 Poor People Of Paris, The (as "La goualante du pauvre Jean") Edith Piaf 1954
French Columbia BF 599 		Les Baxter, Lawrence Welk, Russ Morgan, Chet Atkins
art
 Poor Poor Pitiful Me Warren Zevon 1976
on lp Asylum 1060 		Linda Ronstadt (5-77), Terri Clark
art
 Pop A Top Nat Stuckey 7-4-66
on lp Paula 2192 Nat Stuckey Sings 		Jim Ed Brown (11-9-66), Alan Jackson
art
 Pop Corn (aka Popcorn) Gershon Kingsley 1969
on lp Audio Fidelity 6226 Music To Moog By 		Hot Butter, Gershon Kingsley (1972 on lp Audio Fidelity 6254 First Moog Quartet, 1999), Pop Corn Orchestra (aka Jean-Michel Jarre), Aphex Twin
art
 Popsicle Todds 1962
Todd 1076 		Jan & Dean (11-63)
Jan & Dean's version was issued, and became a hit, in 1966, after they'd left their label. Liberty Records put it out (originally as a B-side) in hopes of cashing in on the publicity following Jan's April, 1966 near-fatal car crash.

art
 Portrait Of My Love Matt Monro 1960
UK Parlophone 4714 		Steve Lawrence, Tokens
art
 Portuguese Washerwomen (as "Les Lavandières du Portugal") Jacqueline François 1955
on ep French Polydor 576.019 No 3 		Joe "Fingers" Carr (aka Lou Busch), Andre Popp
Pretty Flamingo see Flamingo
art
 Pretty In Pink Psychedelic Furs 1981
on lp Columbia 37339 Talk Talk Talk 		Psychedelic Furs (1986 for A&M)
The 1986 hit version was done for the movie of the same name.

art
 Prisoner Of Love Russ Columbo 10-9-31
Victor 22867 		Perry Como, Billy Eckstine, Ink Spots, James Brown
Prodigal Son see That's No Way To Get Along
art
 Proud Vic Dana 1962
Dolton 51 		Johnny Crawford
art
 Proud One, The Frankie Valli 1966
Philips 40407 		Osmonds
art
 Psycho Eddie Noack 1968
K-Ark 843 		Jack Kittel, Elvis Costello, Teddy Thompson
Many sources site writer Leon Payne's inspiration for "Psycho" to be fellow Texan Charles Whitman's 1966 killing spree. Payne's daughter disputes that and says after she and her blind father attended a screening of Alfred Hitcock's film Psycho, he asked her to detail the scary scenes. Leon then phoned his friend Johnny Cash, telling him about his experience, and wrote the song. Another version of the song's inspiration was the string of mid-1960s serial murderers, particularly Richard Speck.

This song is not related to the Sonics' 1965 "Psycho" recording.

art
 Puddin' Tan (aka Puddin N' Tain) Splendors 1962
Jano 004 		Alley Cats
Lula Reed's 1961 "Puddentane" (Federal 12416) is a different song.

art
 Puppet Man (Pull My String) Neil Sedaka 10-69
on lp Aussie Festival 933616 Workin' On A Groovy Thing 		5th Dimension
art
 Put A Ring On Her Finger (aka Put A Ring On My Finger) Eddie Silver 1958
UK Parlophone 4439 		Les Paul & Mary Ford
art
 Put Your Hand In The Hand Anne Murray 1970
Capitol 3082 		Ocean
The Don Shirley Trio's 1961 hit version of "Water Boy" (Cadence 1392) contains a piano interlude that's very similar to the chord progression in "Put Your Hand..."

art
 Puttin' On The Ritz Leo Reisman & Orch. w/ Lew Conrad 1-20-30
Victor 22306 		Jan Garber (1-24-30), Harry Richman (1-30-30), Earl Burtnett & Orch. (1-31-30), Fred Astaire (4-26-30 ), Taco
While Harry Richman introduced the song in the 1930 movie of the same name, Reisman was the first to record it for commercial release. Fred Astaire also performed it, with rewritten lyrics, in the 1946 film Blue Skies. Astaire's performance was parodied by Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein (1974).