I Won't Sing It...Singers Who Turned Down Hit Songs

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Luvtemps, Oct 12, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Luvtemps

    Luvtemps Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    P.G.County,Md.
    Like The Marvelettes not wanting[Where Did Our Love Go]..or Aretha turning her nose up at[Inseparable]..or Dusty Springfield not wanting[Nobody Does It Better]...whatcha got?
     
  2. Lostchord

    Lostchord Dr. Livingstone, I presume

    Location:
    Poznań, Poland
    The winner might be Billy J. Kramer, who turned down Yesterday
     
  3. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Stevie Nicks passed on These Dreams (Heart) and the Giorgio Moroder instrumental track for Blondie’s Call Me (at the time titled “Machine Man”, I believe).

    Allegedly, Kate Bush was one of several female singers who passed on Bryan Adams’s Everything I Do.
     
  4. Zack

    Zack Senior Member

    Location:
    Easton, MD
    Beatles turned down the "sure #1" How Do You Do It, though they obviously recorded it.
     
  5. Isamet

    Isamet Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    The Monkees turned down "Sugar Sugar"
     
  6. pantofis

    pantofis Senior Member

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Madonna apparently turned down "Heart" from the Pet Shop Boys. Their own version went on to become another #1 UK single instead.
     
    Maurice, MonkeysCantSwing and Frosst like this.
  7. Chuckee

    Chuckee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate, NY, USA
    What The World Needs Now Is Love - Jackie DeShannon, turned down by Dionne Warwick
     
  8. crazylegs69

    crazylegs69 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Frederick, MD
    Lynyrd Skynyrd turning down Sedan Delivery & Powderfinger after Neil Young offered both to them...
     
  9. lwh1

    lwh1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, England
    'Don't You (Forget About Me)' was originally turned down by Bryan Ferry, The Fixx and Billy Idol before being recorded by Simple Minds (who had also initially turned it down).
    Idol later recorded a version for his 'Greatest Hits' album.
     
  10. nikh33

    nikh33 Senior Member

    Location:
    Liverpool, England
    Sandie Shaw was offered 'It's Not Unusual' but turned it down, preferring 'Long Live Love' Probably for the best, it suits Tom Jones!
     
  11. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    That’s what she claims but I get the feeling you have to take claims she makes with a pinch of salt
     
  12. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Aretha turned down Son of a Preacher Man, then later covered it.
     
  13. Finchingfield

    Finchingfield Forum Resident

    Location:
    Henrico, Va
    Tom Jones recorded the demo that was presented to Sandie Shaw by the song writers. She declined, and told them to let Tom release it himself. And a star was born... Too bad she didn't later record it herself, it so suited her style, I can hear her version in my head, ha...
     
  14. daleyguy

    daleyguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alberta, Canada
    Anne Murray named an album "Something To Talk About" after rejecting the song of the same name (written by fellow Canadian Shirley Eikhard). Of course Bonnie Raitt went on to have a huge hit with the song.
     
    MikaelaArsenault, Sean and Jarleboy like this.
  15. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    Michael Jackson turning down some demos from The Neptunes about 15 years ago. They ended up with Justin Timberlake for his Justified album instead. Big mistake given how much of a critical/commercial/financial hole he was in at the time.
     
  16. Luvtemps

    Luvtemps Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    P.G.County,Md.
    Although the young Temptations recorded a song called[Mind Over Matter-1962]when Berry Gordy changed their name to[The Pirates]and told them they might have to appear in Pirate costumes[he was joking]if the song was hit,they prayed for it's failure,and although a good song it vanished along with the[Pirates]moniker.
     
    MikaelaArsenault and zebop like this.
  17. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Ringo Starr abandoned his version of "All Those Years Ago" and then didn't record "Nobody Told Me", as was planned. Both went top 10, but in hindsight he was probably right both times.
     
  18. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Rumor has it that Rod Stewart turned down recording Paul Stanley's Hard Luck Woman in 1976. Although I've never found concrete evidence that it was literally proposed to him directly, or that he even listened to it himself. Or that he would have even given thought to a band like Kiss to begin with. I do know that Paul indeed wrote the song with Rod Stewart in mind.

    I always say that it's fortunate for Kiss that he did turn it down (if he in fact even heard it). The last thing Rod needed was another smash hit. He was more than successful on his own. And he would have one of the biggest hits of the decade with Tonight's The Night that very year.

    Yet Kiss very much needed the song. It was a hit for them at a time when they were still building fast popularity off the heels of Beth. And it's a perfect end ballad to prelude Makin Love at the close of the Rock And Roll Over album. To this day, the song can bring tears to my eyes. It is my favorite Kiss ballad, and my all-time favorite Kiss song (alongside Let Me Go, Rock n Roll, Sure Know Something, Got Love For Sale, and about 30 others). :)
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2017
    bzfgt, jeffd7030, Mark Wilson and 4 others like this.
  19. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I read somewhere that Aretha Franklin claimed Nile Rodgers had originally offered her the songs that Diana Ross recorded with him for the Diana album, however he denies it.
     
  20. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    He wasn't happy with those two songs but apparently he was happy with "Stop and Smell the Roses" and "Private Property".

    [​IMG]
     
  21. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    First one I thought of was The Beatles and "How Do You Do It". Turned out it did actually get a #1 for Gerry and the Pacemakers, but the Beatles were probably right for thinking it would crimp their image.
     
    Folknik and Lost In The Flood like this.
  22. SixOClockBoos

    SixOClockBoos The Man On The Flaming Pie

    Avril Lavigne wrote and recorded Breakaway for her first album, but decided to leave it off the album and gave it to Kelly Clarkson instead.
     
  23. SixOClockBoos

    SixOClockBoos The Man On The Flaming Pie

    Well, to be fair, Ringo didn't want to work on a new Lennon song a month after he died and although he said "All Those Years Ago" was in too high of a key for him, this was before the rewritten lyrics.
     
  24. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    That was a blessing in disguise for George. Sure his friend turned down his song, but after changing the lyrics he had a sure hit.
     
  25. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    He could have rushed out a version of "Nobody Told Me" as a "tribute" but I think he made the far more tasteful choice. As with "Life Begins at 40", the lyric was not what we all needed to hear in 1981.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine