Identify that song!

[gomipile]

I was going to just ask a one-off question, but I figure this would be more useful as a community thread for song identification. Tell us what you remember about the song you don't know the artist or name of, and the rest of us'll do our best to help you identify it.

So, to kick us off:

I was listening to local radio while driving late last night, and I heard a cover song I wanted to remember, but I forgot to write down what it was. I remember that this new version was a cover song with a female lead singer, and that the version from at least a few decades ago had a male singer. I'm pretty sure that this is either a 2015 release or at least a recent single from a release within the past couple years. For context, the radio station I heard it on is a college station which plays a lot of alternative top 100 songs and adult alternative hits from the past 25 years or so.

P.S. My keyboard is acting up and I can't fix it without losing what I've typed so far, so there may be typos. If this thread takes off, I'll try to correct them later.

[tomandtish]

Hate to say, but we probably need some lines from the song. There's way too many songs out there that are cover versions or remakes of older songs, so the circumstances you describe could potentially apply to thousands of songs.

As an example, the song "Summertime" (George Gershwin composed the song with lyrics by DuBose Heyward) has been remade or covered over 25,000 times., including by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Sam Cooke, Janis Joplin, The Zombies, The Doors and Billy Stewart. Buddy Holiday was the first person to score a number one hit with it.

To use your example, those of us who are old enough remember Tiffany's song "I Think We're Alone Now" from the 80s (God help us), but that was at least the third version of the song. The original was Tommy James and the Shondells (1967, and a much better version), and Lene Lovich covered it in 1978. So originally sung by a male singer, then two female covers.

At this point in history, it is more likely that a song you hear on the radio is NOT something new.

[gomipile]

Hate to say, but we probably need some lines from the song. There's way too many songs out there that are cover versions or remakes of older songs, so the circumstances you describe could potentially apply to thousands of songs.

As an example, the song "Summertime" (George Gershwin composed the song with lyrics by DuBose Heyward) has been remade or covered over 25,000 times., including by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Sam Cooke, Janis Joplin, The Zombies, The Doors and Billy Stewart. Buddy Holiday was the first person to score a number one hit with it.

At this point in history, it is more likely that a song you hear on the radio is NOT something new than that it is.

Um, okay. I'm about 80% sure the original(male singer version) was actually an original from the 70's or 80's, and that the new female version hasn't been playing on the radio for more than a few months. I don't remember much about it, because I did a lot of unrelated things after listening to the song, and I stupidly didn't intentionally use any mnemonic tricks while listening to the song.

[golentan]

Um, okay. I'm about 80% sure the original(male singer version) was actually an original from the 70's or 80's, and that the new female version hasn't been playing on the radio for more than a few months. I don't remember much about it, because I did a lot of unrelated things after listening to the song, and I stupidly didn't intentionally use any mnemonic tricks while listening to the song.

There is no POSSIBLE way to identify this without going down the charts song by song and hoping we get lucky unless you can remember a lyric fragment, or something. Maybe from the chorus?

[BannedInSchool]

Was it Hey, Joe? :smallwink:

[Kislath]

I got it!

It was "I just wanna have something to do" by Garbage, remaking the original by the Ramones.

Right?

No?
Well, you should all go check it out anyway. It's awesome.

[Chromascope3D]

The only thing I can come up with of the to of my head is the Shiny Toy Guns cover of Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home)" (which was a tribute to Bowie's "Space Oddity"). Thing is, that cover was released in 2009, but i suppose they're kinda obscure enough to have flown under your radar for so long.

[gomipile]

Thanks, but no, no, and no. I started hearing Shiny Toy Guns' cover of Major Tom on the same station back in the late noughties when it came out. I like that one too. :D

[golentan]

There are literally thousands of possible things that meet the criteria you've described. Here (http://rateyourmusic.com/list/mattymath/5000_greatest_songs_ever_list_by_artist/) are 7500-ish songs which might contain a couple hundred possibles? Unless you give us something more to work with, I will bid you good hunting.

[JoshL]

have you checked the radio station's website? quite often they'll have playlists, and if you know about what time you were listening, that might help narrow it down a little.

[gomipile]

There are literally thousands of possible things that meet the criteria you've described. Here (http://rateyourmusic.com/list/mattymath/5000_greatest_songs_ever_list_by_artist/) are 7500-ish songs which might contain a couple hundred possibles? Unless you give us something more to work with, I will bid you good hunting.

I'm not trying to be difficult. I wouldn't have asked for help if it had been easy for me to come up with the answer.

When I clicked the link you provided, I assumed that it was a list of recent covers, but it is a list of hit songs instead. If you look at my posts in this thread, I think you will find that my criteria are more specific than you are implying. I just haven't been able to find a nonhuman information resource which allows me to search and narrow by these types of criteria yet.

The above explains why I am asking humans for help.

[gomipile]

Wow, the above post of mine(#11) comes off as really detached and stilted to me now. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I'm leaving it as is, but noting here that I was super tired when I wrote it. I apologize to anyone I offended.

No offense was intended.

[gomipile]

Well, y'all, you were right and I was wrong. The lyrics came to me in a flash when I was humming just now.

The cover is Vitamin C's 1999 version of Split Enz' 1980 song I Got You. The only point in my defense is that Warner gave the song a digital re-release November 2014, which is why my local college station has just added it to their rotation.

Thanks y'all, your criticism did help spur my epiphany, and I feel much better now. :-D

So, who's next?

[Brother Oni]

My turn: what is this theme from (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSRhIeEFQf4&feature=player_detailpage#t=2558)?

I think it's been taken from a movie, but the name eludes me.

[gomipile]

Unfortunately, if Strange World by Push(Mike Dierickx) has been used, IMDB's database doesn't seem to have it listed in the soundtrack as such:

http://www.imdb.com/search/text?realm=title&field=soundtracks&q=Strange+World

He doesn't use his name much, but searching it gives one result:

http://www.imdb.com/search/text?realm=title&field=soundtracks&q=Mike+Dierickx

I think this is a data entry failure, though. I've noticed missing soundtrack credits on IMDB before, and that's what I think is happening here.

[Brother Oni]

I think you also might have misclicked on the link.

However I've done some digging using my home machine and it's a sample from the Braveheart OST, For the Love of a Princess (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk8323r577w). It's by the late James Horner, which is why it sounded like a movie soundtrack to me, despite never having watched Braveheart.

[Radar]

To use your example, those of us who are old enough remember Tiffany's song "I Think We're Alone Now" from the 80s (God help us), but that was at least the third version of the song. The original was Tommy James and the Shondells (1967, and a much better version), and Lene Lovich covered it in 1978. So originally sung by a male singer, then two female covers.
And let's not forget about an awesome spoof by Weird Al Yankowic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d-aWMQuoS4).

[Peelee]

Was it Hey, Joe? :smallwink:

What madman would dare try to cover perfection?

[JoshL]

What madman would dare try to cover perfection?

Well, even considering Hendrix did not write, nor was the first to record it... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Joe :smallwink:

Seriously though, I'm not surprised, but I had no idea that there were quite so many different versions. Including one by Captain Sensible (formerly of the Damned)! Going to have to hunt that down

[JBPuffin]

Thoughts upon entering thread:

"Ladee dadee dum, ladee dadee dum, what's the name of that song?
Ladee dadee dum, ladee dadee dum, what's the name of that song?
I've heard it sung with words and music, something something...birds...
ladee dadee dum, ladee dadee, I think I remember the words."

[Slylizard]

Quick suggestion that may help you out in the future (it's helped me heaps)... Shazam (http://www.shazam.com/apps)