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.
The world was set into a craze in the early '60s when The Beatles came to America with the inescapable hit single "Twist and Shout," but let us not forget the equally as exciting original version by The Top Notes. And who can forget the tender and delicate delivery of "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley, but if would be foolish to ignore the painful and stirring way the late Leonard Cohen intended the song to be performed. These are just two examples that the second installment 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. "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Don Gibson (1958)
Famous Version: "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles (1962)
02. "Twist and Shout" by The Top Notes (1961)
Famous Version: "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles (1963)
03. "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan (March 1965)
Famous Version: "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds (April 1965)
04. "To Everything There Is A Season (Turn! Turn! Turn!)" by The Limeliters (1962)
Famous Version: "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds (1965)
05. "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
Famous Version: "Proud Mary" by Ike & Tina Turner (1971)
06. "On Broadway" by The Drifters (1963)
Famous Version: "On Broadway" by George Benson (1978)
07. "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen (1984)
Famous Version: "Hallelujah" by The Clash (1994)
08. "The Man Who Sold The World" by David Bowie (1970)
Famous Version: "The Man Who Sold The World" by Nirvana (1994)
09. "Killing Me Softly With His Song" by Roberta Flack (1973)
Famous Version: "Killing Me Softly" by Fugees (1996)
10. "Emotion" by Samantha Sang (1977)
Famous Version: "Emotion" by Destiny's Child (2001)
11. "Valerie" by The Zutons (2006)
Famous Version: "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse (2007)
12. "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan (1997)
Famous Version: "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele (2008)
RUNAWAY REWIND: FORGOTTEN FIRSTS, PT. 2