Untitled Document

Y

	Song	Artist/Date/Label	Remade by
	Yakety Sax	Randy (Boots) Randolph 9-8-58 RCA Victor 7395	Boots Randolph (1963 for Monument), Ronnie Aldrich

The song was inspired by King Curtis's sax solo in the Coasters' 1958 hit "Yakety Yak" (Atco 6116).

Yeh-Yeh!

Mongo Santamaria 2-20-63
Battle 45917

Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan (7-5-63), Georgie Fame

Yellow Balloon

Jan & Dean 1966
Columbia 44036

Yellow Balloon (2-67)

Dean Torrence, without Jan Berry, recorded the song and negotiated a 45 deal with Columbia. Meanwhile, co-writer Gary Zekley heard Dean's version, wasn't happy with it, cut his own arrangement and issued it as by the Yellow Balloon. Billboard magazine ran full page ads for both records side by side! With the success of Yellow Balloon's single, a band was assembled, which included Don Grady of My Three Sons TV fame, to record an album and tour.

Yellow Bird see Choucounne

Yellow River

Tremeloes 4-70
on UK lp Meteor 002 Silence Is Golden (1985)

Christie

The song was written for the Tremeloes, who did record it but had a change of heart about their "pop" direction. They passed on releasing it at the time and the group Christie, which included "Yellow River" writer Jeff Christie, took the Tremeloes' track, substituted their vocals and had the hit.

Melodic elements of "Yellow River" can be heard in composer Albert Ketelbey's 1920 "In A Persian Market."

Yes We Can (aka Yes We Can Can)

Lee Dorsey 8-70
Polydor 14038

Pointer Sisters, Treacherous Three, Allen Toussaint

Yesterday, When I Was Young (as "Hier Encore")

Charles Aznavour 1964
French Barclay 60500

Charles Aznavour (1967 in English), Roy Clark

Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday

Chris Clark 9-66
on CD UK Island 9819564 The Motown Collection (2005)

Stevie Wonder (1-24-67)

Yo-Yo

Billy Joe Royal 6-2-66
Columbia 43883

Osmonds, Joe South

John D. Loudermilk's "Yo-Yo" (Columbia 41209, 1958) is a different song.

You Always Hurt The One You Love

Mills Bros. 2-27-44
Decca 18599

Clarence "Frogman" Henry

You Are Everything

Joe Simon 1971
on lp Spring 6702 Drowning In The Sea Of Love

Stylistics

You Are My Sunshine

Pine Ridge Boys 8-22-39
Bluebird 8263

Rice Bros Gang (9-13-39), Jimmie Davis (2-5-40), Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Ray Charles, Mitch Ryder, Dyke & Blazers

The exact origins of the song will probably never be known. A reasonable theory is that future Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis (along with one Charlie Mitchell) bought the rights to "Sunshine" from Paul Rice in late 1939—a practice not unusual at the time. Paul's group, the Rice Brothers Gang, had cut it earlier that year. But then Rice had previously played with a popular musician and songwriter named Oliver Hood who also made claims on the song. Perhaps Rice paid Hood for it as well, or just took it as his own. (Note the lack of writing credit on the Pine Ridge Boys' issue.) Whatever path "Sunshine" took, it's clear that Davis wasn't the first to record it, nor was he likely its composer, as has often been stated.

You Are So Beautiful

Billy Preston 1974
A&M 1644

Joe Cocker

Although he's not officially credited, Beach Boys member Dennis Wilson reportedly contributed to the lyrics.

You Baby

Vogues 1965
on CD Varese Sarabande 5680 Your'e The One, Best Of The Vogues (1996)

Turtles, Mamas & Papas

You Belong To Me

Joni James 2-52
Sharp 50/MGM 11295

Sue Thompson (c. 6-52), Dean Martin (6-12-52) Jo Stafford (6-24-52), Patti Page (8-6-52), Grady Martin (8-15-52), Joni James with 100 Strings (1959, MGM 12885), Duprees

You Belong To Me

Doobie Bros. 1977
on lp Warner Bros. 3045 Livin' On The Fault Line

Carly Simon, Doobie Bros. (1983)

You Can Depend On Me

Louis Armstrong 11-5-31
Okeh 41538/Columbia 2590-D

Brenda Lee

You Can Get If You Really Want

Desmond Dekker 1970
Uni 55261

Jimmy Cliff

In 1970, Dekker relocated from Jamaica to London. Not having his backing band the Aces, he was shipped tracks from his homeland to overdub. It's noted by Dekker's UK label Trojan, that his vocal was likely cut before writer Cliff's. Both used the same instrumental track.

You Can Leave Your Hat On

Randy Newman 1972
Reprise 1123

Etta James, Joe Cocker, Merl Saunders, Ty Herndon, Tom Jones

Although they are the same take, Newman's 45 is a different mix, including horns, than the version on his album Sail Away.

You Can't Sit Down see Can't Sit Down

You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On)

Millie Jackson 1976
on lp Spring 6712 Lovingly Yours

High Inergy

You Could Have Been A Lady

Hot Chocolate 1970 (rel. 1-29-71)
Rak 4503

April Wine

You Decorated My Life

Bob Morrison 1978
Monument 251

Kenny Rogers

You Don't Bring Me Flowers

Neil Diamond 1977
on lp Columbia 34990 I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight

Barbra Streisand, Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond (10-78), Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius

After some enterprising radio stations spliced Diamond's and Streisand's recordings together, Columbia Records got them to cut a real duet version.

You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry

Moon Mullican & Showboys 4-16-50
King 868

Ernest Tubb, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Caravelles

You Don't Know Me

Eddy Arnold 12-1-55
RCA Victor 6502

Jerry Vale, Lenny Welch, Ray Charles (1962, 1965), Elvis Presley, Mickey Gilley

You Don't Love Me

Willie Cobbs 1960
Mojo 2168/Home Of The Blues 230/Vee Jay 411

Tommy Raye, Gary Walker, Junior Wells, Bloomfield-Kooper-Stills, Allman Bros., John Mayall, Willie Cobbs (1978 for Chimneyville) et el.

Cobbs' song was likely inspired by Bo Diddley's 1955 "She's Fine, She's Mine" (Checker 819).

You Don't Owe Me A Thing

Marty Robbins 3-13-56
Columbia 40706

Johnnie Ray

You Gave Me A Mountain

Marty Robbins 5-9-66
on CD Bear Family 15655 Country (1960-1966) (1995)

Frankie Laine, Marty Robbins (2-18-69 on lp Columbia 9819 It's A Sin), Johnny Bush, Elvis Presley

You Got Me Runnin' (aka You've Got Me Runnin')

Parker McGee 1976
on lp Big Tree 89520

Gene Cotton

You Got To Move (aka You've Got To Move)

Willing Four 2-44
Regis 115/Manor 1069

Two Gospel Keys (1946), Farifield Four (1949), Mississippi Fred McDowell (7-5-65, 1966, 1969), Rolling Stones

As with many songs in the gospel tradition there are numerous lyric, as well as title, variations. The song likely goes back further than the Willing Four's (note their writer's credit is merely for the arrangement), but theirs is the earliest I've found so far. The Rolling Stones clearly based their version on Mississippi Fred McDowel's interpretation.

You Got What It Takes

Bobby Parker 9-57
Vee Jay 279

Marv Johnson (9-59), Dave Clark 5

Bobby Parker is the only writer listed on his release while Marv Johnson's & the Dave Clark 5's list Berry Gordy, Jr., Gwendolyn Gordy and Billy Davis (aka Tyran Carlo). Parker told me he was a co-writer and was subsequently excluded from receiving his due—although he didn't share credit on his.

An alternate explanation is that Vee Jay Records' publisher, Conrad Music, neglected to copyright the song, leaving it open to being commandeered by others.

You Light Up My Life

Kasey Cisyk 1977
on lp Arista 4159 You Light Up My Life ost

Debbie Boone, LeAnn Rimes

The soundtrack album also included an instrumental version by Joe Brooks.

You Make Me Happy (aka Happy)

Hi Tension 1984
UK Streetwave MKHAN 30

Surface

You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby

Dick Powell 1938
on CD Rhino 72907 Hollywood's Best the '30s (1997)

Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Dave Clark 5

From the film Hard To Get.

You Need Love (aka Whole Lotta Love)

Muddy Waters 10-12-62
Chess 1839

Small Faces, Savoy Brown, Led Zeppelin, King Curtis, C.C.S., Candye Kane

Led Zeppelin clearly lifted their arrangement from the Small Faces' recording (which they took credit for). Willie Dixon, who wrote Muddy's tune, eventually sued Zep's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and received an out-of-court settlement in 1987.

You Never Even Call Me By My Name

Steve Goodman 1971
on lp Buddah 5096

David Allan Coe, Hank Williams III

You Shook Me see Blue Guitar

You Should Hear (How She Talks About You)

Charlie Dore 1981
Chrysalis 2572

Melissa Manchester

You Showed Me

Byrds 1964
on lp Together 1001 Preflyte (1969)

Turtles, Lightning Seeds, Verbs

This may have been a demo but I couldn't resist includng it. A different 1964 Byrds recording was issued on their CD In The Beginning (1988, Rhino 70244).

You Were On My Mind

Ian & Sylvia 1964
Vanguard 35025

We Five (4-65), Ian & Sylvia (1972 for Columbia)

You'll Never Walk Alone

Frank Sinatra 5-1-45
Columbia 36825

Christine Johnson (7-19-45), Patti LaBelle & Bluebelles, Gerry & Pacemakers, Pink Floyd et al.

Johnson introduced the song in the 1945 play Carousel, but the original cast recording wasn't done until later that year, after Sinatra's.

You're Gonna Miss Me

Spades 11-7-65
Zero 10002

Thirteenth Floor Elevators

Writer/singer Roky Erikson was in both groups. Inspired by silly character names from comedians like Jonathan Winters, Erikson made up Emil Schwartze for his songwriter's credit on the Spades' release.

You're My World (as "Il Mio Mondo")

Umberto Bindi 1963
Italian RCA PM45 3235

Cilla Black, Helen Reddy

You're No Good

Dee Dee Warwick 1963
Jubilee 5459

Betty Everett (6-12-63), Swinging Blue Jeans, Linda Ronstadt, Van Halen

You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You

King Cole Trio 5-19-45
on lp Capitol 2529 The Vintage Years (1966)

Russ Morgan (10-11-45), Dinah Washington, Dean Martin

You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me (aka The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me)

Danny Thomas 1973
on lp Myrrh 6520 Tomorrow Belongs To You

Steve Lawrence (as "The Best Thing That Ever Happened"), Ray Price (6-73), Gladys Knight & Pips

Danny Thomas cut the song as an ode to his mother sometime in the early 1970s so the 1973 date listed may be off.

You're The One

Petula Clark 1965
on lp Warner Bros 1598 I Know A Place

Vogues

You've Got A Lover

Shake Russell w/ Dana Cooper 8-4-77
on lp Cherry 4783 Songs On The Radio

Ricky Skaggs

You've Got Me Runnin' see You Got Me Runnin'

You've Got To Move see You Got To Move

You've Got What It Takes (aka Baby [You've Got What It Takes])

Dorothy Pay 1958 (rel. 3-6-58)
Mercury 71277

Dinah Washington & Brook Benton (8-59)

Dorothy Pay was Brook Benton's sister.

You've Made Me So Very Happy

Brenda Holloway 7-21-67
Tamla 54155

Blood Sweat & Tears (10-16-68), Lou Rawls

Young Love

Ric Cartey & Jiva-Tones 1956
Stars 539/RCA Victor 6751

Sonny James (10-30-56), Tab Hunter, Crew-Cuts, Leslie Gore, Ray Stevens, Donny Osmond

Ric Cartey and his band recorded "Young Love" at an Atlanta radio studio, and it was issued as the flip to "Oooh-Eeee" on the local Stars label. As "Ooh-Eee" started to get some notice it caught the attention of Capitol Records A&R man Ken Nelson. Nelson really liked its B-side and promptly had Sonny James cut "Young Love."

RCA Victor then signed Cartey and purchased his Stars masters. The date used by RCA for his "Young Love," 11-16-56, is when they bought the tapes, not his recording date.

Younger Girl

Lovin' Spoonful 8-65
on lp Kama Sutra 8050 Do You Believe In Magic

Critters (4-1-66), Hondells

The melody was adapted/lifted from Cannon's Jug Stompers' 1930 "Prison Wall Blues" (Victor 23272).

The Lovin' Spoonful's demo has been issued.

Your Good Thing (Is About To End)

Mable John 1966
Stax 192

Lou Rawls, Cold Blood

Your Love Keeps Lifting Me see Higher & Higher