Welcome to Runaway Music's first volume of Runaway Rewind — a chance for us get to dig deep in our archives for songs of the past and curate #ThrowbackThursday-worthy playlists of tracks that every music fan should know.
So sit back, kick your feet up, and let us dust off some oldies (but goodies) for you!
"It ain’t about who did it first, it’s about who did it right." -Drake ("Wu-Tang Forever")
There is some validity to Drake’s quote, but in the context of this Runaway Rewind, I will have to disagree. Let us not forget the originators of some of the most famous songs that we have heard for years; songs played at weddings, backdrops to iconic moments in movies and TV shows, and chart-toppers whose sounds still reverberate through the soundwaves of our radios.
We all love and remember the moment Whitney Houston belted out the jaw-dropping ballad of “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard in the early '90s, but I want to respect and remember the tender original version by Dolly Parton. Who can forget the iconic riff and tenacious delivery by Jimi Hendrix of “All Along the Watchtower”? Yet it’s worth a listen to how Bob Dylan intended the song to be sung as a folk story. These are just two examples that the first edition of the Forgotten First playlist addresses, honoring the original intent of so many songs that have become immortalized under a different identity.
-Bryce Browning
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TRACK LISTING
01. "Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton (1953)
Famous Version: "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley (1956)
02. "Respect" by Otis Redding (1965)
Famous Version: "Respect" by Aretha Franklin (1967)
03. "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan (1967)
Famous Version: "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix (1968)
04. "Dazed and Confused" by Jake Holmes (1967)
Famous Version: "Dazed and Confused" by Led Zeppelin (1969)
05. "Me and Bobby McGee" by Roger Miller (1969)
Famous Version: "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin (1971)
06. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by Bee Gees (1971)
Famous Version: "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green (1971)
07. "I Fought the Law" by The Crickets (1960)
Famous Version: "I Fought the Law" by The Clash (1977)
08. "Tainted Love" by Gloria Jones (1976)
Famous Version: "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell (1981)
09. "Downtown Train" by Tom Waits (1985)
Famous Version: "Downtown Train" by Rod Stewart (1991)
10. "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince & The Family Band (1985)
Famous Version: "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor (1990)
11. "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (1974)
Famous Version: "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston (1992)
12. "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails (1994)
Famous Version: "Hurt" by Johnny Cash (2002)
RUNAWAY REWIND: FORGOTTEN FIRSTS, PT. I