The Older the Better Trivia Quiz

1929

In 1929, Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy recorded "When the Levee Breaks" a country blues song about the tragedy caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, where hundreds of people died and thousands had to evacuate their homes. The song was recorded in New York City for Columbia and released as a 78rpm phonograph record. McCoy was the actual songwriter even though Minnie was the credited one. McCoy provided vocals and rhythm guitar, and Minnie provided finger-picking guitar accompaniment. The record was released before Billboard started producing charts in 1940 so sales tracking was difficult. Nevertheless, it was considered a moderate hit at the time.

Led Zeppelin recorded "When the Levee Breaks" as the last song on their unnamed fourth album. Jimmy Page had an original 1929 record in his collection. The 1971 cover version had some dramatic changes to the original: the guitar and bass lines were based on the original song but its twelve-bar blues I-IV-V-I structure was abandoned and a one-chord approach to create a droning sound was used. Most of the original lyrics were retained by Robert Plant but a different melody was used. He introduced a plaintive harmonica throughout the song as a nod to the original Blues version. There was a great deal of electronic manipulation of the vocals with a reverse echo employed.

However, it was the drumming that defined this cover version: John Bonham's drums were recorded in a stairwell at the recording studio with the microphones hanging three stories up. The drum sound echoed upward and was captured on the hanging microphones which created a very distinctive and innovative sound. The drum track was then run through an echo machine called a Binson Echorec that was meant for Page's guitar. It is the drumming that the listener is immediately drawn to.

The song was a technical masterpiece but was difficult to play live. As such it was only played a few times on the early part of their 1975 US tour. The song was critically acclaimed. It was called the greatest achievement of their fourth album according to music critic Robert Christgau who also said it played like an authentic blues song. Mick Wall, a British metal music critic, called it a "hypnotic, blues rock mantra". "AllMusic" critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented that the song was the "only piece on their fourth album equal to 'Stairway to Heaven'" calling it "an apocalyptic slice of urban blues.

1957

Chuck Berry was a pioneer of rock and roll music. He shaped rhythm and blues music into the major elements that became the genre of rock and roll music. He played in blues bands in the early 50s but his breakthrough came in 1955 when he met Muddy Waters in Chicago who told him to contact Leonard Chess who owned Chess Records. He thought Chess might be interested in his Blues repertoire but Chess was more impressed with his version of the traditional "Ida Red". Berry recorded this with session musicians under the title "Maybelline". It sold a million copies.

Berry's influence on contemporary popular music had just started. Other hits followed. When he wrote "Rock and Roll Music" in 1957, it was an expression of fealty to the genre he shaped. He said at the time "I was heavy into rock and roll and had to create something that hit the spot without question." It did, it was a simple four-chord romp with a jangly piano melody that epitomised rock and roll music. In 2004, "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Berry's version number 128 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

It is probably a mark of respect that both The Beatles and The Beach Boys covered this song. The Beatles had been playing the song live since their Hamburg days. In 1964, exhausted from non-stop touring and recording, they did not have enough original material for their contracted album "Beatles for Sale". They decided to include several cover versions that they included in their concerts. "Rock and Roll Music" was included on this album (and on the "Beatles '65" a North American-only release). The Beatles' version was faster with John Lennon singing at the top of his voice. It was released in Europe (not UK) as a single where it went to number one in Norway.

1960

"Love Hurts" was written by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant and recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960 as a track on "A Date with the Everly Brothers" album. It was meant to be issued as a single but because of a publishing dispute, it never was. They settled the dispute and re-recorded it (a very different version) on their 1965 album "Rock and Soul". Roy Orbison had a hit with the song in 1961 in Australia.

Two notable cover versions were the hard rock version by UK band Nazareth (1974) and a lighter version by UK pop singer Jim Capaldi.

The Nazareth version was the only version to chart in the US. Recorded as a power ballad, it reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in Canada on the Top Singles Chart. This was the only significant hit the band had in North America.

The Jim Capaldi version was closer to the Everly Brothers' version but given a contemporaneous arrangement. It reached number four on the UK Singles chart (his biggest hit) but did not reach the Billboard Top 100 even though it was released in the US.

1962

"Ring of Fire" was a signature tune of Johnny Cash, staying at number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart in 1963. But it was not the original.

The song was written by June Carter (Cash's eventual second wife) and Mary Kilgore. It was recorded by June's sister, Anita Carter, and released as a single in 1962. At this point, it was a sweet, tender ballad. Johnny Cash knew the song and said he dreamt of it being accompanied by "Mexican Horns". Cash told Anita Carter that if her version did not become a hit within six months, "I'm gonna record it the way I feel it." Anita's version did not chart, so Cash added the Mariachi accompaniment, acknowledging this was a departure from his basic sound. Cash's version became the version most associated with the song.

Eric Burdon and the Animals recorded a version in 1969 which was a minor hit in Europe.

Social Distortion, a Californian punk band, included a punk version on their 1990 self-titled album, their third. Their version of "Ring of Fire", critically acclaimed but not resembling the earlier versions much at all, helped Social Distortion rise to fame as this was their most successful album in their discography.

1963

"You're No Good" was the signature song of Linda Ronstadt. She belted it out in what was considered to be a rock version. She took it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1974, the only number one of her career. However, it helped the corresponding album "Heart Like a Wheel" (1974) to become double platinum as it topped the Billboard album chart. In 1975 it was nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy Award.

However, in the eleven years since it was first written by American songwriter Clint Ballard Jr. in 1963, it has already been a hit three times, each time in a different genre. It was originally recorded by Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne's sister) in 1963 as a Rhythm and Blues version, and it almost made the Top 100 on the same Billboard chart. Betty Everett recorded a soul version replete with impromptu feet stamping by the studio audience. This version was more successful, reaching number 51. These first two versions were not released in the UK. In May 1964, UK four-piece The Swinging Jeans took a pop version to number three on the UK Singles Chart and despite the song charting twice in the last year in the US, the UK band's version reached number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1965

Motown songwriting/production team Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote a soul song called "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" in 1964 with Eddie Holland recording a version that was not released until 2005. A few months later in 1965, Kim Weston, a US soul singer, released her version that peaked at number four on the Billboard R&B chart and at number 50 on the Hot 100.

Tom Johnston, frontman of US rock band the Doobie Brothers had been a fan of the song since its first commercial release. He took the song to the band in 1972 wanting to do a rock version but somehow maintain Motown's slick soul roots. In 1975 they released it as the lead single (albeit with a slightly shorter title) on their "Stampede" album (1975). It reached number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 and along with their 1972 hit, "Listen to the Music" reached the same position 29 on the UK Singles Chart. This was the highest position for the group on both charts.

Other notable versions include Canadian singer Charity Brown who recorded a soul version in 1975 and Australian band The Chantoozies who recorded a rock version. Both were minor hits in their respective countries.

1967

Cat Stevens first recorded "First Cut Is The Deepest" in 1965 as a demo, hoping to be a songwriter for other artists. He sold the song for 30 pounds in 1967 to P.P. Arnold, an American gospel singer trying to establish herself in the UK. The song was given a gospel arrangement and peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Cat Stevens then recorded the song for himself but never released it as a single except in Australia where it was used to promote Stevens's 1970 compilation album "The World of Cat Stevens".

In 1973 Keith Hampshire, an English-born Canadian, took the song to number one in Canada but it barely charted anywhere else.

In 1976 Rod Stewart recorded a soulful version at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. In 1977, it was released as a double A-side single with "I Don't Want to Talk About It". It spent four weeks on the top of the UK Singles Chart and also reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rod Stewart's version inspired Sheryl Crow's 2003 cover version which was one of her biggest hits reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a minor hit in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Both Stewart's and Crow's versions did not stray far from Stevens' original, perhaps paying homage to the quality of the original.

Papa Dee, a Swedish musician, released a reggae version which was a European hit in 1995.

1968

"Mrs Robinson" was Simon and Garfunkel's second number one reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968, as well as reaching the top ten of the United Kingdom and most other international markets. Movie director Mike Nichols had commissioned Simon and Garfunkel to provide two songs for his upcoming movie, "The Graduate" (1968). He was not impressed with their first two submissions but liked an incomplete song called "Mrs Roosevelt". They changed the name, completed the song and it appears twice in the movie. In 1969, it became the first rock song to win the Record of the Year Grammy Award.

Frank Sinatra and Bon Jovi have recorded cover versions but perhaps the most notable cover version was by Boston band The Lemonheads. They were an alternative rock band trying to break into the mainstream but in the three years of recording, they had not yet a hit record since they started recording in 1989. In 1992, their management suggested they record "Mrs Robinson", a number they played often in live gigs. A double A-sided single was produced with "Being Around". However, it was "Mrs Robinson" that got all the airplay. Their version was rockier and the tempo had been increased significantly but the version was otherwise faithful to the original. It was most successful in Australia and the UK but it also provided the breakthrough they needed in the US, reaching number eight on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

1969

Shocking Blue, a Dutch rock band, recorded "Venus" as a standard rock cut in 1969. It was written by the group's guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen. Notably, lead singer Mariska Veres sang the song as written, which had a typo. "A goddess on a mountain top", with "goddess" written as "godness" which is how the singer sang it - she was not that fluent in English. (It was corrected in subsequent cover versions). The opening riff sounds very similar to the Who's "Pinball Wizard" released around the same time.

Jerry Ross, an American music producer, was in Europe in 1969 seeking continental hits for release in the United States. He was offered "Venus". He immediately liked the song, signed the group to his Colossus Records label, and released the song in the US in October 1969. It was a worldwide number one smash.

Bananarama was an all-girl band from England. They formed in London in 1980 and took their name in part from the Roxy Music song "Pyjamarama" (1973). They were a very successful dance and pop group with 32 singles reaching the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. They had been singing "Venus" for years before they went to their record label to record it as a dance version. The record label was reluctant so the group went to the production trio of Stock Aitken Waterman. They were reluctant as well but relented under pressure. The resulting recording was faithful to the original but had a faster tempo and featured a more electronic sound. The result was another worldwide number one hit in 1986, just like the original.

1973

Slade was big in the UK in the 70s. Formed in 1966 in Wolverhampton, they were an English glam rock band who had 17 consecutive top 20 hits, six of them going to number one on the UK Singles Chart. However, they did not break through in the US in their heyday.

In 1973 "Cum On Feel The Noize" was their fourth UK number one. It was a rocking foot stamper that described the atmosphere at their concerts with Noddy Holder's incredible voice rising above the wall of sound. It was their first single to reach the top spot in its first week. The "Baby, Baby, Baby" intro was part of a sound check and was not meant to be in the recording. The song was critically acclaimed by the British music press.

The 1983 Quiet Riot cover was very close to the original with Kevin DuBrow's vocals matching the power of Noddy Holder's. The heavy metal band from LA's version went to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 - it was their highest charting single. The song was not released in the UK as a single. The song helped catapult their "Metal Health" album to number one on the Billboard Albums chart.

There appeared to be some animosity between the two groups. Apparently, Quiet Riot only sought permission to record it after they had actually recorded it. While Noddy Holder praised the band for their version there was little friendship when the two groups met.

1974

The music in "Cat's In the Cradle" was written by Harry Chapin after his son Joshua was born. The lyrics were from a poem written by Sandy, his wife. It told the story of a man who was busy and did not spend the time with his son that he required from his dad. Through the four verses, we see the son in various phases of his life. When dad is elderly, he asks his son to visit him but, ironically, the son is too busy.

It was recorded in a folk-rock format typical of Chapin's music, who let his stories rather than music come to the forefront of the song. It was his most popular song reaching number one, his only one, on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped his fourth album "Verities & Balderdash" reach number four on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1975 and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.

In 1992, the American hard rock act Quiet Riot recorded a power ballad version of the song. They removed the apostrophe from the title changing the meaning of it somewhat, and some of the intimacy and the personal connection from the original was lost. Nevertheless, the version reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was the highest-ranking song by the group. Reviews for this version were mixed.

1975

"Diamonds and Rust" was a very personal 1975 song by Joan Baez as she recounted a 1964 memory of her relationship with Bob Dylan (though he was not named). It was a folk song with a simple arrangement and was not expected to be a hit but it reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Incredibly in 1977, hard rock act Judas Priest covered it with a heavy rock treatment. It was such a personal song originally, but this version lost any intimate connections. Nevertheless, Joan Baez loved it. In a 2014 interview with the "Toronto Sun" she said, "I was so stunned when I first heard it. I thought it was wonderful. It's very rare for people to cover my songs. I think there are a couple of reasons. One is they're personal - they don't have a universal quality to them. And I think maybe it's because I've already sung them, and who wants to compete with that? But it's always flattering when somebody does".
This version of Baez's song was featured on the 1977 "Sin after Sin" album. The single did not chart but it was a popular number in Judas Priest's live shows.

1979

Sammy Hagar, ex-lead singer of Montrose and Van Halen's second lead singer (after David Lee Roth) had a solo career between 1975 and 1985. "I've Done Everything For You" was a popular song at his concerts and he put a live track of this song on his 1979 album "All Night Long" (US) / "Loud & Clear" (UK). The track was released as a single and reached the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart but did not chart in the US.

Rick Springfield was often credited in the US as an actor who turned into a musician when in fact it was the other way round. He was part of the successful Australian rock group Zoot before moving to the US in 1972 where he earned fame as a television actor. In 1980, Springfield signed with RCA Records to produce an album. The result was the successful "Working Class Dog" which included the Grammy award-winning and number one single "Jessie's Girl". "I've Done Everything for You", the Sammy Hagar cover, had been released as a single before "Jessie's Girl" but did not chart. It was re-released after "Jessie's Girl" became a hit, where it went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a worldwide hit. Springfield was more successful than Hagar as he turned the song from a hard rock belter into a power pop number with a radio-friendly hook.

1982

Tears for Fears was a British synthpop band that was part of the second British invasion. They formed in 1981 and released two singles but were not successful. However, their third single, "Mad World", a synth-drenched, percussion-heavy number, went all the way to number three on the UK singles chart and was also a hit in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

By comparison, the Michael Andrews and Gary Jules version, twenty years later, was the complete opposite. It was completely stripped down. It had Gary Jules singing in a sparse evocative style with Andrews playing the piano and a mellotron. Andrews was commissioned to produce the Donnie Darko" (2001) movie soundtrack. The soundtrack was instrumental but Andrews wanted to include a song so added the alternate (their) version of "Mad World" as it did fit with the ambience of the rest of the soundtrack. The movie was not a commercial success but it was popular on DVD and became a cult movie. As such, there was a demand for "Mad World" to be released as a single.

It was released in December 2003 and, surprisingly, became the 2003 Christmas number one in the UK (Christmas singles in the UK are a big deal). This version became a hit almost universally, but in Jules' native USA it only reached number 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.

1987

"Just Like Heaven" was the third single released from The Cure's 1987 album "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me". The song was The Cure's first American hit when it reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. According to Robert Smith, songwriter and lead vocalist, "The song is about hyperventilating-kissing and fainting to the floor." The song featured a descending chiming guitar melody offset against a fuzzy rhythm guitar. The opening drum fill led to an arrangement where each instrument was introduced singularly and in sequence. The song was critically acclaimed with "Rolling Stone" magazine ranking it number 483 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

Katie Melua, recorded a version of the song on her second album, "Piece By Piece" in 2005 and released it as a double A-side with "I Cried for You" in 2005. It was her breakthrough into the US where it was a minor hit despite Ms Melua being well established in the UK and Europe. The song was stripped back from the original to two acoustic guitars, bass and sparse drumming. This allowed the pureness of Ms Melua's mezzo-soprano voice to be highlighted. It was a delightful rendition where less was more.

While the song has been covered by many artists and featured in several movie soundtracks and TV shows, songwriter Smith prefers Dinosaur Jr's punk version as his favourite cover version.