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

Neither song was a hit.

 

Unless you are completely DEAF listen to Micky tell the story. Sheesh. Admit you’re wrong and move the eff on

 

Can't hear Skynyrd doing Powderfinger at all.

 

The writers of "Sugar Sugar" (Jeff Barry and Andy Kim) have verified that they wrote it in early 1969, specifically for the Archies project (and a full two years after the incident Micky describes). Micky is either misremembering things or else he's not letting the truth get in the way of a good story.

 

A lot of places do say it was written in early 1969 and Andrew Sandoval was the one who suggested maybe it was "Sugar Man". I think Mickey is just caught up in the legend.

 

I would say it's not really turning the song down if he never actually heard it before Boone recorded it.

I've never heard anything about him turning down "It's Only Make Believe." Twitty did have a hit with another Elvis reject ("Danny" which was retitled "Lonely Boy Blue" when Twitty did it). But I don't think Elvis was ever offered "It's Only Make Believe."

And "Only the Lonely" is similar to "Don't Forbid Me" above. Elvis didn't hear the song, because he wouldn't let Orbison into his house when Orbison showed up to play it for him. So he didn't really turn it down, he simply missed a chance to hear it and maybe record it.

 

That's the only Neil Young song I COULD hear them doing.

 

I've actually heard a country version of that song - maybe it was the original, I dunno - and it wasn't bad. It's the fact that it's Aerosmith doing it that makes it annoying! Wouldn't have been better with Celine either!

 

Powderfinger was not a "hit", you're right. It's more like a "one of the greatest songs ever so why wouldn't you want to do a version of it what are you crazy or something what the heck is wrong with you?" kinda song.

 

I’ll just put my faith in the guy that was there. Even if he was told he had a good time.

 

from Wiki
The song is said to have been earlier offered to The Monkees, although songwriter Jeff Barry denies this.[2] Don Kirshner has said that Mike Nesmith put his fist through the wall of the Beverly Hills Hotel refusing to do "Sugar, Sugar".[3] However, the fist incident took place in early 1967, whereas "Sugar, Sugar" was written in early 1969. Monkees archival expert Andrew Sandoval has suggested that the band may instead actually have been offered a tune called "Sugar Man", but with the passage of time the parties involved simply mis-remembered it as being "Sugar, Sugar", in large part because it made a better anecdote.

 

I could see that being a Monkees tune.

 

[?]

 

Wish she'd taken it. The creative nadir of Aerosmith's recording career.

 

The 2 writers said it was early 1969 and they were there.

 

Rod Temperton offered Karen Carpenter two songs for her then solo album that became big hits for Michael Jackson, "Rock With You and Off The Wall." If she had decided to record them, I wonder if those two songs would of wowed A&M, and the album would of been released in 1980?

 

My understanding was that Ralphs wasn't happy with Hunter's performance and it didn't get released. He couldn'tve been all that happy with Hunter on "Ready For Love", as Bad Company recorded it and ended up with a rock radio favorite.

 

That's probably because she ended up recording it anyway, and it was a huge hit for her too.

 

You can easily hear Billy singing it.

 

Ah

 

Good for a Marti and Don, that song is brutal.

 

Yes he did

 

Also Phil rejected Don't Hurt My Little Sister, even though he recorded a backing track.

 

Kate is a very unique artist. That song is much too generic for her.

 

She has recorded a couple of covers -- she covered "Rocket Man" for an Elton John tribute album and "Sexual Healing" (!) as a b-side... maybe there are more. But that's a different thing from recording a new song by another writer.