One of the tests of a great song is how many ways it can be covered.
Take “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Dozens of artists have recorded it.
The first to be released as a single was by Gladys Knight and the Pips. It debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop charts Oct. 21, 1967. The driving, soulful hit was No. 2 for three weeks and No. 1 on the R&B charts.
Marvin Gaye’s slower, melancholy treatment was released Nov. 23, 1968. It became his first No. 1 single, where it stayed for seven weeks; his version is regarded as a modern soul classic.
Rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival did an 11-minute version on 1970’s Cosmo’s Factory; it was released as a single Jan. 31, 1976, and fell short of the Top 40.
Roger Troutman of Zapp, recording as Roger, released a wildly creative “Grapevine” (nearly 11 minutes long) on Nov. 7, 1981. He used vocoder-generated vocals (a breath-controlled keyboard) and tapped influences such as ’80s funksters Cameo and jazz band Weather Report. Troutman’s “Grapevine” was No. 1 on rhythm-and-blues charts, the third time the song had topped that chart (after Knight and Gaye).
Other notable versions: The Slits turned “Grapevine” into a punk/reggae fusion in 1979; Buddy Miles gave “Grapevine” a rousing soulful vocal on a 1986 California Raisins’ album.
ARIA READY?
The exquisite aria “Nessun Dorma” from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot was the late opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti’s signature. He was to perform it on the Grammy Awards telecast in 1998, but became ill and had to cancel at the last minute.
During the broadcast, Sting introduced Aretha Franklin, who sang a thrilling, soul-infused take in Pavarotti’s key, heightening the emotional drama of the aria and the moment. She received a well-deserved standing ovation. Audio of Franklin’s version can be downloaded; it also is on her hits compilation Jewels in the Crown.
Many, many opera singers have recorded “Nessun Dorma,” but mobile phone salesman Paul Potts became a sensation when he sang it on Britain’s Got Talent in 2007. You can still see it on You Tube.
Other versions: Antony (now Anoni) Hagerty of Antony & the Johnsons recorded a haunting version in 2009 for a coffee commercial (the audio is on You Tube). Others include rock guitarist Jeff Beck (on 2010’s Emotion & Commotion), jazz trumpeter Chris Botti (on 2008’s Italia) and hard rockers Manowar (2002’s Warriors of the World).