If you watched the 2024 Grammys or clips from the performances, I hope you saw Tracy Chapman take the stage with Luke Combs for a duet of her iconic song, “Fast Car.” In 1988, Chapman won Best Female Video at the Billboard Music Awards for “Fast Car.” In 1989, Chapman won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammys for “Fast Car.” She was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Fast Car.”
She won Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Folk Album for Herself. Combs’ cover of the song won Single of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards and Chapman won Song of the year honors for writing “Fast Car.”
Tracy Chapman and “Fast Car” hold a special place in Combs’ heart. It was his first favorite song, and his cover pays homage to the original. Like Combs, I’m a Tracy Chapman fan. In honor of this collaboration, I decided our March quiz should be about famous song covers.
Can you match these songs with the original artist to release them and one or more of their most famous covers? We’ve listed the songs for you to fill in the blanks beside the correct information. Many of the original artists also penned the songs, but some are credited with covers of their creations.
Have fun and please check out the originals and the covers on YouTube, Spotify, or whichever streaming service you prefer. You’ll thank me later.
The answers to this quiz are at the end of this issue. You can read all the articles or use this link, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2024/3/4/next-month-in-this-awful-awesome-life-by-fran-joyce
Songs:
“With a Little Help From my Friends,” “Proud Mary”
“I Will Survive” “Mad World”
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” “Stand by Me”
“You’ve Got a Friend” “Respect”
“I Will Always Love You” “Sweet Jane”
“The Man Who Sold the World” “Landslide”
“Heard it Through the Grapevine” “American Woman”
“The Greatest Love of All” “Killing Me Softly”
“All Along the Watchtower” “It’s My Life”
“Angel from Montgomery” “Jolene”
“Sunday Morning Coming Down” “Last Kiss”
“Me and Bobby Magee” “Tainted Love”
“Live and Let Die” “Hallelujah”
“Take Me to the River” “Hurt”
“I Fought the Law” “Walk This Way”
Fill in the blanks:
1.___________________ originally recorded by Otis Redding (1965) – covered by Aretha Franklin (1967)
2. ________________originally recorded by Credence Clearwater Revival covered by Ike and Tina Turner.
3. __________________________________originally recorded by Bob Dylan covered by Jimi Hendrix.
4. ___________________________originally recorded by Paul McCartney and Wings covered by Guns and Roses.
5. ___________________________originally recorded by Dolly Parton covered by Whitney Houston.
6. ______________________________originally recorded by Roberta Flack covered by The Fugees.
7. ______________________________originally recorded by Leonard Cohen covered by Jeff Buckley (and hundreds of other artists).
8. _____________________________originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails covered by Johnny Cash.
9. _______________________________originally recorded by Roger Miller covered by Kris Kristofferson who wrote it, and by Janis Joplin.
10. ______________________________originally recorded by Kris Kristofferson covered by Johnny Cash.
11.___________________________________ originally recorded by David Bowie covered by Nirvana.
12. ________________________________originally recorded by Robert Hazard covered by Cyndi Lauper.
13. _________________________________originally recorded by Al Green covered by Talking Heads.
14. __________________________originally recorded by Dolly Parton covered by the White Stripes.
15.____________________________________ originally recorded by the Beatles covered by Joe Cocker
16. ____________________________________originally recorded by Gloria Jones covered by Soft Cell.
17. ___________________________________originally recorded by Bobby Fuller covered by The Clash.
18. ___________________________originally recorded by George Benson covered by Whitney Houston.
19._________________________ originally recorded by Ben E. King covered by Otis Redding ( There have been over 400 recorded versions of this song including covers by by Tracy Chapman, Muhammad Ali, John Lennon, The Kingsmen, Ike & Tina Turner, Mickey Gilley (used in the Urban Cowboy Soundtrack), Florence + the Machine, The Drifters, and Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead.
20.________________________________ originally recorded by The Miracles (aka Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) in 1966, but it was not released until 1968, a year after it was recorded and released by Gladys Knight and the Pips, the band the song was written for. Covers of the song by Credence Clearwater Revival and Marvin Gaye were also popular.
21. ______________________________originally recorded by Tears for Fears covered by Gary Jules.
22.______________________ originally recorded by Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac covered by The Chick (aka The Dixie Chicks) and Smashing Pumpkins.
23. ___________________________________originally recorded by John Prine covered by Bonnie Raitt.
24. ___________________________originally recorded by The Guess Who covered by Lennie Kravitz.
25. _____________________originally recorded by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers covered by Pearl Jam.
26._____________________________ originally recorded by Carole King covered by James Taylor.
27._________________________________ originally recorded by Talk Talk covered by No Doubt.
28. ______________________________originally recorded by Aerosmith covered by Run-DMC.
29. _____________________________________originally recorded by Gaynor covered by Cake.
30._______________________ originally recorded by The Velvet Underground covered by Cowboy Junkies and Mott the Hoople.
Sources for this quiz: