4 No. 1 Hits From 1969 You Might Not Realize Were Cover Songs

1969 was one of those years in music when it seemed like innovation and ambition were in overdrive, courtesy of some of that year’s biggest hitmakers. But that didn’t stop cover songs from making their mark on the charts.

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As a matter of fact, several cover songs hit No. 1 on the pop charts that year. Let’s see if you remember this quartet of chart-toppers. And let’s also see if you knew that they were covers.

“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye

Incredibly, this massive hit came on the heels of an initial version that made it to No. 2 on the pop charts just a year or so before the cover climbed up the charts. Gladys Knight & The Pips had the first hit with it, but their version has since been eclipsed in the pop culture ledger by Gaye’s version. It’s not that Knight and company’s take was subpar. They went for a more frenetic spin on the song. But there’s just something about Gaye’s simmering delivery that fits the topic a little bit better. The groove in his version also stands out for being somehow both sultry and menacing. These incredible back-to-back results demonstrate the dominance of Motown in that era.

“Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley

After so many years of recording somewhat lackluster soundtrack material, Elvis Presley was once again finding his groove in the late 60s. As he did with so many songs, he put such a definitive stamp on “Suspicious Minds” that it’s natural to think that it was written specifically for him. In actuality, the songwriter, Mark James, took the first crack at recording the song. When that version didn’t do anything, James handed the song off to Chips Moman, who was producing Presley’s recordings in Memphis. Elvis’ version is a perfect recording in every aspect, one that you never tire of hearing.

“Wedding Bell Blues” by The 5th Dimension

Laura Nyro refused to put her songs in neat boxes, instead letting them sprawl with unexpected arrangements and musical mood shifts. She tended to play up these idiosyncrasies in her own recordings of her songs. That meant it was difficult for her to gain any traction on the charts. The 5th Dimension, however, understood just how to streamline Nyro’s stuff to make it more palatable for the masses. They’d already proven they could do it with Nyro’s “Stoned Soul Picnic”. With Marilyn McCoo guiding the song along with her unwavering vocals, “Wedding Bell Blues” topped the charts in late ’69.

“Leaving On A Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul And Mary

John Denver was just beginning his career when a long airport layover led him to write this iconic song. He first recorded it for the 1966 album John Denver Sings, which made little impact. Luckily for him, he shared a producer with Peter, Paul And Mary, who were looking to return to the pop music heights after some down years commercially. They first recorded “Leaving On A Jet Plane” for a 1967 album. Two years later, the trio put it out as a single, and it became the final big hit of their career. Perhaps its biggest impact was in putting Denver on the map. His own highly successful singing-songwriting career would take off in the following years.

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