4 Hits From 1968 That Few People Might Know Are Actually Covers

When you hear certain songs, you can often spot they’re covers right away, perhaps because the original was so popular. Then there are the cover songs that kind of sneak past you because the first version might have been obscure.

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1968 witnessed several cover songs that turned out to be big hits. In our judgment, most of these four are definitely of the “we had no idea it was a cover” variety.

“This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert brightened up the 60s pop music scene with his peppy, trumpet-filled instrumentals, recorded along with The Tijuana Brass. But when he was tapped to do a TV special in 1968, he decided he wanted to try singing a song for a sequence on the show. He went to Hal David and Burt Bacharach, always a top option if you were looking for 60s pop magic. David and Bacharach had written a song called “That Guy’s In Love” that they thought would work. Only they had to rewrite the lyrics a bit. Before they could do that and before Alpert got to sing the song on his TV special, a British artist named Danny Williams released “That Guy’s In Love With You” in early 1968. Alpert changed the “That” to “This” and ended up with a No. 1 song.

“Little Green Apples” by O.C. Smith

Songwriter Bobby Russell recognized a bit of a vacuum in the music world and aimed to fill it with the songs he wrote. Specifically, Russell thought that songs could tell detailed stories and still be hits. In a short span of time, he wrote both “Little Green Apples” and “Honey”, with the latter becoming a No. 1 hit for Bobby Goldsboro. As for the former, Roger Miller recorded it first, enjoyed a bit of a country hit, and even crossed over to the pop charts at No. 39. But it was the version by O.C. Smith that caught fire. The irony was that Smith had it buried as an album cut at first. But then a DJ discovered it and started playing it regularly. Smith’s version landed at No. 2.

“Stoned Soul Picnic” by The 5th Dimension

The 5th Dimension could do a little bit of everything when it came to their repertoire. With lead singer Marilyn McCoo delivering the emotion, they were adept at torch songs like “One Less Bell To Answer”. But they also did well with songs that could best be described as psychedelic soul. In Laura Nyro, they discovered an unheralded writer whose material fit them well. Nyro recorded the first version of “Stoned Soul Picnic” in early 1968. But it was The 5th Dimension who scored a No. 3 hit with it. Realizing what a goldmine they had unearthed in Nyro, the band went back to the well and recorded several more of her songs, including the big hit “Wedding Bell Blues”.

“Midnight Confessions” by The Grass Roots

In the 60s, it wasn’t all that uncommon for a group to emerge as a vehicle for the aspirations of songwriters and producers. The Grass Roots were one of those groups. Producer Lou Adler and songwriters Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan were behind their creation. The band members themselves were somewhat fungible, as different lineups came and went. As the years progressed, the original concept became a bit muddled. But the band managed to churn out a bunch of hits regardless. “Midnight Confessions”, a No. 5 smash, was first recorded by a group called The Evergreen Blues Band, which included the song’s writer, Lou Josie. The Grass Roots offered an energetic, horn-filled take to capture the song’s potential.

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