Odd or Unexpected covers of Ross/Supremes songs

[Spreadinglove21]

Just learned that the late Raquel Welch performed "Baby It's Me" on the Muppet Show in the late 70s. Did a good job and had fun with it.

Any other unusual or unexpected covers or performances of Ross/Supremes songs by another performer?

[sansradio]

She also did this one on the same episode. Rest in power.

[sansradio]

Not exactly weird, but definitely an unexpected deep cut.

[reese]

Not exactly weird, but definitely an unexpected deep cut.

The 5th Dimension did it first, on their 1972 album INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.

[Ollie9]

Diana’s version of “Leave A Little Room” is the one i best identify with. With the exception of certain Billie Holiday songs, she has the knack of making even cover versions sound her own. A rare gift indeed.

[sansradio]

The 5th Dimension did it first, on their 1972 album INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.

Didn't know that. Thanks!

[Spreadinglove21]

Here's Leave a Little Room by the 5th Dimension. Billy Davis takes the lead.

[Spreadinglove21]

She also did this one on the same episode. Rest in power.

Someone at the Muppet Show must have really liked the Baby It's Me album to secure rights for songs from it for non-recording act guest stars to perform!

[reese]

Someone at the Muppet Show must have really liked the Baby It's Me album to secure rights for songs from it for non-recording act guest stars to perform!

I always figured that Raquel must have really liked that album and picked those songs. I don't know if she might have also been doing a night club act at the time.

[jobeterob]

One of Diana’s recent Twitter posts was expressing condolences on Raquel’s passing

[jobucats]

A favorite cover of a Supremes' song is Debbie Boone's "When the Lovelight Starts Shining in His Eyes" which gave me a better appreciation of the lyrical story of boy meets girl/girl meets boy. Yes, it's quite syrupy and a different interpretation from the original.

[Spreadinglove21]

Scherrie Payne's rendition of When I Looked at Your Face was a great way to close out side B of the cassette version of 70s Supremes Greatest Hits and Rare Classics. I was surprised to learn awhile back that Jodie Foster also recorded it around the same time and based on the pic in this video it was the B side to Scherrie's single Fly.

[khansperac]

Surprised no one has mentioned Tainted Love by Soft Cell. Is it because it’s such a classic and so well known now, that it is not considered Odd or unexpected?

[daviddh]

Raquel Welch did have a nightclub act late 70s and was on tour
if memory serves correctly she also sanf your love is so good for me
i assumed she was a Ross fan

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

Other covers that come to mind:

Nathan Jones - Bananarama
Stop in the name of Love - Marty Rhone [[an Aussie David Cassidy type pop singer)
When The Lovelight Shines - Dusty Springfield
When You Tell Me That You Love Me - Julio Iglesias & Dolly Parton

There's also that Westlife version of WYTMTYLM - featuring some vocals by Miss Ross.

[Spreadinglove21]

Melissa Manchester covered Bad Weather:

[Spreadinglove21]

Cheryl Ladd of Charlie's Angels fame recorded a couple of albums in the wake of her success on CA. Among the songs she recorded was a cover of You Turn Me Around:

[Jaap]

I've always loved the Supremes cover versions by the Afghan Whigs: Come See About Me and My World is Empty Without You. The Supremes originals work because the lyrics are rather sad, while the music is more happily upbeat. These versions by the Afghan Whigs musically emphasize the sadness of the lyrics.

[Spreadinglove21]

I like those Afghan Whigs covers, especially My World Is Empty. I like that the backgrounds on My World are singing "oooh babe" rather than "I need you babe" or "I miss you babe" that the Supremes did on their live versions of the song [[and as I understand the recording as well when backgrounds are turned up in the mix. The faded background mix renders them as Oooh Babe and really enhances the Supremes recording and makes it more haunting, so kudos to Afghan Whigs for going with that).

[johnjeb]

Elvis Costello - Remove This Doubt



Elvis, also performed other Motown songs. In his Spectacle Series, Season 1, Episode 106 he interviews Smokey Robinson and sings No More Tearstained Makeup and Hunter Gets Captured By The Game, among others.

[johnjeb]

And, as often mentioned: Phoebe Snow - Going Down For The Third Time

[johnjeb]

An interesting site: WhoSampled

Covers of Supremes songs - "447 covers found"

https://www.whosampled.com/The-Supremes/covered/?sp=1

[Motown Eddie]

Rare Earth recorded "Where Did Our Love Go" for their first album Dreams/Answers in 1968.

[Spreadinglove21]

Here's a version of Waiting in the Wings. Vocal is heavy handed and shows how good and seamless a singer Diana Ross can be.

[Motown Eddie]

Surprised no one has mentioned Tainted Love by Soft Cell. Is it because it’s such a classic and so well known now, that it is not considered Odd or unexpected?

The original version of "Tainted Love" was recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965 [and the song wasn't originally recorded by either The Supremes or Diana Ross which is what the person who stated this thread is looking for].

[sansradio]

The original version of "Tainted Love" was recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965 [and the song wasn't originally recorded by either The Supremes or Diana Ross which is what the person who stated this thread is looking for].

Correct, but it’s the “Where Did Our Love Go” coda in Soft Cell’s cover that’s relevant here.

[khansperac]

Motown Eddie, have you never heard the classic Tainted Love/ Where did our live go, by Soft Cell? I assumed with it being so well known that everyone has heard it. If not here you go:

[Motown Eddie]

Correct, but it’s the “Where Did Our Love Go” coda in Soft Cell’s cover that’s relevant here.

I Forgot All About the coda in Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" which includes The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go". My Mistake.

[SatansBlues]

Is E. Cobb, Ed Cobb who wrote and produced Tainted Love? The same E. Cobb who wrote and produced Every Little Bit Hurts for Brenda Holloway?

[SatansBlues]

This might be the most random cover of a Supreme's song. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson on the Supreme's in 1961. Smokey also produced a version on Patrice Holloway in 1965. Both versions went unreleased for decades. Well, I ran across another version done by a group called Alabam Haircutters. It's got a nice little swing to it.<br>
<br>

[Jaap]

Correct, but it’s the “Where Did Our Love Go” coda in Soft Cell’s cover that’s relevant here.

In a recent interview with Classic Pop, the guys from Soft Cell said they regretted putting their version of "Where Did Our Love Go" on the b-side of their "Tainted Love" instead of one of their own compositions, as of course the royalties for the B-side are the same as the A-side.

[Motown Eddie]

Is E. Cobb, Ed Cobb who wrote and produced Tainted Love? The same E. Cobb who wrote and produced Every Little Bit Hurts for Brenda Holloway?

Yes he is. The same Ed Cobb also wrote songs for other artists as well. Check out his entry on Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Cobb

[RanRan79]

Claudine Clark has a cover of "Buttered Popcorn". I think of all the unexpected covers of Supremes songs I've heard of, this is the most unexpected of all.

[SatansBlues]

Yes he is. The same Ed Cobb also wrote songs for other artists as well. Check out his entry on Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Cobb

Interesting list of songs.

[144man]

After all these years, I guess everyone's forgotten how Vanilla Fudge's version of "You Keep Me Hanging On" took everyone by surprise.

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

Kim Wilde had a sizeable hit of her own with her mid-80s version of 'Hanging On'.

#1 in the US & Australia and #2 in the UK - better chart numbers than the original.

[Spreadinglove21]

Here's an odd if not outright perverse cover. Touch by the Jackson 5.

[Ollie9]

Here's an odd if not outright perverse cover. Touch by the Jackson 5.

Showing as video unavailable SL.
The arrangement is slightly cheesy, but does make for a far more commercial sounding, radio friendly song then the Supremes version. Not that commercial is always better, but would probably appeal more to a wider audience.

[copley]

Diamanda Galas, I love this.

[sansradio]

Diamanda Galas, I love this.

Wow! I saw her live back in the '90s; quite the experience, to say the very least. Didn't realize she'd covered this. Thanks.

[Ollie9]

Just a little to bleak and depressing an interpretation for my own personal taste. Especially for one of my favourite Supreme songs.

[sansradio]

Just a little to bleak and depressing an interpretation for my own personal taste. Especially for one of my favourite Supreme songs.

Yeah, that's kind of Diamanda's m.o.

[gman]

I can handle anything but Phils YCHL....overplay of that took the song out of my top 5 even top 10 Supremes favorites....I did like D.L. Byron's earlier 1980 cover...its on the excellent RSO 2LP soundtrack to the cult fav film TIMES SQUARE...
I loved Bonnie Pointer's version of Lovelight with the funky banjo break....Leo Sayer did a good version of Reflections.
And if Supremes sing Supremes covers count...Scherrie'e My World Is Empty and Mary's Someday We'll Be Together are both favs...

[TomatoTom123]

Any fans of this lovely instrumental of "Touch Me In The Morning"...? Courtesy of the MFSB orchestra

[reese]

TomatoTom's post reminded me of how much I love Marlena Shaw's version of TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING.

[gman]

every 6 year old boy turned 16 immediately after seeing that Raquel Baby It's me clip! LOL

[sansradio]

Bump: Here's one--not so unusual at first blush, but considering that it was Dorothy's Oscar-bait original song for the movie being covered by the original Broadway production's Glinda [not to mention its relative obscurity -- I've never heard Diana do it aside from on the soundtrack], it could fit with this discussion:

[lockhartgary]

A nice treatment of one of my favorite Supremes songs:

[Thornton]

Forgive the terrible audio, but I've always enjoyed British singer Kate Nash's interpretation of "Baby Love." She also performed "Stop! In The Name of Love" early on in her live act. She's cited The Supremes and Motown in general for inspiring her love of music.

[marybrewster]

Here's MY WORLD IS EMPTY like you've NEVER HEARD IT before. [[Sorry, I'm on my phone and can't post the direct video, but here's the link):

https://youtu.be/ZTwyRyrQyBs