DOPPLENAMER Volumes 1 & 2
I came up with DOPPLENAMER to describe songs that share their title with an earlier (often much better) song.
Casual visitors to the blog know that I love cover versions. Local radio was behind the times in my home town, so when I was a teenager, I'd often buy albums without knowing much about the contents. I'd look for names I knew like producer Mike Chapman to improve my chances of finding something worth listening to.
In the case of a two-way tie, if I had to decide which album I was going to buy, and which one I'd put back, I usually bought the LP that had a cover song that I liked on it. I figured that I liked at least one song on it. And if the band and I agreed on one song’s merits, I figured I was more likely to enjoy the songs that the band wrote--we were simpatico.
On occasion, I’ve been swayed by a dopplenamer because I failed to read the fine print. One that comes to mind is THE RUMOUR album with their original song Tired Of Waiting on it. Did it not occur to them that people would assume it was a cover of THE KINKS' classic track? Or is that what they were hoping for?
That track may not wind up on a future volume—because it’s not a great song—but it’s a world-class dopplenamer.
That’s the challenge with the some concepts—after all a successful compilation should warrant repeated listenings. The World’s Worst Covers isn’t likely to get played twice (but that didn’t stop me from compiling that series--I just haven’t shared it!)
So here are tunes that aren't exactly original as far as the song title is concerned, that are actually great songs. Maybe it's not a bad thing that you can't copyright a title.
Volume 1 features great songs, in their own right, that share a name with another (often better-known) song.
Carlene Carter's Every Little Thing and Laura Brannigan's Gloria bear no resemblance to the songs by The Beatles & Them--nor does Joe Grushecky's I Can't Control Myself have anything to do with The Troggs' catalogue.
Styx's massive hit Lady may have gone unnoticed by The Little River Band, & who knows; Bowie's Ashes To Ashes may have escaped the notice of Faith No More. Talk Talk seem to have named themselves after the song by The Music Machine, but (if that's the case) that didn't stop them from recording a dopplenamer--as did The Psychedelic Furs:
Volume 2's Breakdown by The Alan Parsons Project may not make me forget that Tom Petty has a song with the same name, but it pulls me in anyway. So does Blondie’s Call Me, Romeo Void’s Wrap It Up, and so on. And Volume 2 has a pretty good flow, if I can be permitted to say so.
Don't be the last person on your block to have the first two volumes of Dopplenamers (anywhere), compliments of JOKONKY.
Downloaders are asked to please weigh in on something I've often wondered.
ReplyDeleteI know that when there are multiple volumes shared of a compilation that has multiple volumes, it often keeps me from listening to them (at) all.
Is that just me, or do our visitors PREFER when there are two or more volumes shared at once (like today)?
Here are the DOPPLENAMER links:
VOL. 1: https://pixeldrain.com/u/HnfS6Pnm
VOL. 2: https://pixeldrain.com/u/y35MQ52w
To be honest I prefer 1 volume at the time, easier 'digesting' I guess ;-) Although I must admit having posted a double volume as well in the past...
DeleteWeird coincidence, yesterday (before even having seen your post!) I was looking on discogs at a weirdly named band who'd released only 1 single: Twenty Inches At The Knee with on the B-side: Spy In The House Of Love. I assumed it was a Was (Not Was) cover but that turned out to be completely wrong as this single was released in 1982 and W(NW) released theirs in 1987! Checking on YouTube I found other versions of Spy In The House Of Love as well as A Spy In The House Of Love and There's A Spy In The House Of Love...
Beggars can't be choosers; delighted by whatever you are kind enough to throw our way--appreciate it more than you imagine
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind, Eric. We need ten more "regulars" just like you.
DeleteI never listen to music as a total package unless it is an Opera a Symphony or otherwise a one way package. Shuffling Sgt Pepper makes no sence for me, a lot good albums have a purpose structure.. I find multiple sets of the same concept rather pleasing. The once done here, made me want to join in.
ReplyDeleteThere are problems with these 2 sets. Gloria by Laura is certainly a cover, not of Them but Umberto Tozzi's fantastic song. Pretty Woman is something to think about. Did you mean the Roy Orbison song? that bears resemblance to that title but is not the same. And I would not say that Every Little Thing is a famous Beatle song, I had to look it up, and I don't know other famous songs with that title.
Blue Monday is a good one, Venus is one you can add, it was a song by Frankie Avalaon, Eton Crop made Bridge Over Troubled Water (not a cover) Olivia Newton John and Pilot both made Magic, and Runaway is a Status Quo song. You can take Poison, Our House, Hurt (big hit for Timi Yuro), Tonight is done ten different ways. I love you, by Yello has no relation to Cliff's, Easier Said Than Done (Shakatak or Jon Anderson) A Girl Like You,
Stinky thank you for expanding my work field even further
I also stand corrected, Richard. I had no idea Laura Branigan's GLORIA was a cover.
ReplyDeleteYou got us two posts in a row--putting a lot of pressure on Jon who's the next one of us to post.
That said, a DOPPLENAMER is NOT a cover. It's a song that takes it's name from a previously released song with the SAME NAME.
I feel GLORIA could still be included because the question I posed still applies: "Did it not occur to them (the artist) that people would assume it was a cover?"
Here in the states, people were more likely to expect GLORIA to be a cover of VAN MORRISON (with THEM) before it's a cover of UMBERTO TOZZI. That I wasn't aware of UMBERTO lends creedence to my clearwater.
PRETTY WOMAN is a textbook example. BILLY PAUL and ROY ORBISON both have entirely different songs with the same title: they are dopplenamers. :)
Pretty woman is the wrong title to the Roy Orbison song. I am going to be very cross with you :-)
Deleteoh, pretty woman
That is the proper title. I know loads of people, hundreds and thousands are sloppy. Just like the Police song is not Every Little Thing but Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, and sometimes when things are in brackets (as they sometimes do), one forgets the bracket part. I can see that, but the function of the Oh, in Oh, Pretty Woman is clear to me, when he sings in the very last line, when she's walking back to him Oh, Pretty Woman
When I did "As Heard Here First", I shared a total of 8 CD-length volumes (2 blog posts of 4 volumes each). One of those volumes included Umberto Tozzi's original "Gloria" from 1979. There's also a U2 song called "Gloria" that was not written by Umberto Tozzi OR Van Morrison!
DeleteMaybe we should do a compilation of songs that were hits in other countries before the lyrics were translated into English. It could include Umberto Tozzi, "Piangi con me" (the original version of "Let's Live For Today"), "Comme d'habitude" ("My Way"), and "99 Luftballons"...
And if we're REALLY going to be picky, the original German word for a "double" is doppelgänger (spelled with "E-L" rather than "L-E"). But if you're inventing a new word like "Dopplenamer", then YOU (Stinky) get to decide how to spell it!
DeleteDon't YOU fucking start! ;)
DeleteAnd while I didn't know how to spell doppelganger correctly--when I looked it up I found neither do a LOT of people. Even SNL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVfS5FTVhDk
DeleteImagine my surprise when I bought Led Zeppelin and found "Stairway to Heaven" was not the song By Neil Sedaka from 1960!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great one! Were you surprised in a good way, or disappointed?
DeleteHilarious!
DeleteYou got me AGAIN, Richard. I stand corrected.
ReplyDeleteOrbison's song IS "Oh, Pretty Woman". So Billy Paul's "Pretty Woman" is NOT a dopplenamer.
I have store-bought compilations with mistakes on them, so I'm not going to feel too bad about it.
In the words of Rich Moratta: "If this was easy, everyone would be doing it." :)
Talk Talk (the group) originated as a British punk band called The Reaction, who had a song called "Talk Talk Talk Talk" on STREETS, the 1977 punk compilation LP. I think I put it on one of the "Four Or Further" compilations that Richard helped me with!
ReplyDeleteDid the Psychedelic Furs name their second album TALK TALK TALK as a tribute to the band Talk Talk, the Music Machine song "Talk Talk", or the song "Talk Talk Talk Talk"?
Or maybe the Furs and/or The Reaction were thinking of the Roxy Music lyric "I could talk, talk, talk, talk, talk myself to death"?