4 Massive 1988 Hits That You Might Not Realize Were Covers of 60s Songs

Cover songs pop up in the most unexpected places. Even in the 80s, when everyone was trying to take music fearlessly into a new era, artists often made those futuristic moves with songs that were somewhat long in the tooth.

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These four songs from 1988 all ascended to high levels on the US pop charts. And all were first performed in the 60s.

“Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison

Cloud Nine represented a return to the limelight for George Harrison after years of mostly steering clear of the machinery of the music scene. To make this grand return, Harrison chose “Got My Mind Set On You” as the LP’s first single. Aside from the modern drum sound, the song seemed as Beatlesque as Harrison had permitted himself to be on a recording in many years. That’s why people are often surprised to learn that Harrison sourced the song from a 1962 R&B single by James Ray. Harrison first heard it in 1963 while on a pre-Beatlemania visit to America. Those minimal lyrics, which emphasize the single-minded pursuit of the narrator, clearly stuck with Harrison. The song hit No. 1 in January of 1988, the last ever US chart-topper by a solo Beatle.

“A Groovy Kind Of Love” by Phil Collins

Collins enjoyed success with various cover songs throughout the 80s, including The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” and Stephen Bishop’s “Separate Lives”. With “A Groovy Kind Of Love”, he took the source material and found a way to update it for an 80s audience. The British band The Mindbenders made it to No. 2 on the charts in 1966 with the song. Collins dusted it off as a single on the soundtrack of Buster, a film in which he starred in 1988. He slowed the tempo down just a tad and added a dreamy instrumental section in the middle. Those changes gave the song a bit more emotional heft, which Collins played up with a strong vocal. This take on “A Groovy Kind Of Love” didn’t stop at No. 2, reaching the top spot instead.

“Red Red Wine” by UB40

“Red Red Wine” took a wild path to a No. 1 spot in the US in 1988. Neil Diamond wrote it and first recorded it for a 1967 album. It was released as a single to little avail a year later. You might want to credit UB40 for their invention in turning it into a reggae song. But the British band actually heard the song in that style, done by the reggae artist Tony Tribe in the late 60s. UB40 first featured it on their highly successful 1983 album Labour Of Love, and it became a No. 1 UK hit. But it barely scraped the US Top 40 at that time. Five years later, a US station started playing the full version of the song, including a “toast” by band member Astro that had been edited off the radio in 83. The longer version topped the charts in America.

“Hazy Shade Of Winter” by The Bangles

When “Hazy Shade Of Winter” came blasting out of radio speakers among other hits in 1988, it sounded like The Bangles had come up with their most rock-oriented song yet. With the band’s vocal harmonies coming to the fore and a searing lead guitar part, they seemed to be reinventing themselves to an extent. But listeners with longer memories knew that the original, released in 1966, was done by Simon & Garfunkel. The duo even enjoyed Top 20 success with it as a single from their Bookends. S & G’s version set a pretty solid template for what The Bangles did, albeit with an acoustic guitar driving the bus. The Bangles’ version, which appeared on the Less Than Zero soundtrack, hit No. 2 in early 1988.

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