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  Song Artist/Date/Label Remade by
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Yakety Sax Randy (Boots) Randolph 9-8-58
RCA Victor 7395
Boots Randolph (1963 for Monument), Ronnie Aldrich
The song was inspired by King Curtis's sax solo in the Coasters' 1958 hit "Yakety Yak" (Atco 6116).

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Yeh-Yeh! Mongo Santamaria 2-20-63
Battle 45917
Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan (7-5-63), Georgie Fame
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Yellow Balloon Jan & Dean 1966
Columbia 44036
Yellow Balloon (2-67)
Dean Torrence, without Jan Berry, recorded the song and negotiated a 45 deal with Columbia. Meanwhile, writer Gary Zekley heard Dean's version, wasn't happy with it, cut his own arrangement and issued it as by the Yellow Balloon. Billboard magazine ran full page ads for both records side by side! With the success of Yellow Balloon's single, a band was assembled, which included Don Grady of My Three Sons TV fame, to record an album and tour.

Yellow Bird see Choucounne
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Yellow River Tremeloes 4-70
on UK lp Meteor 002 Silence Is Golden (1985)
Christie
The song was written for the Tremeloes, who did record it but had a change of heart about their "pop" direction. They passed on releasing it at the time and the group Christie, which included "Yellow River" writer Jeff Christie, took the Tremeloes' track, substituted their vocals and had the hit.

Melodic elements of "Yellow River" can be heard in composer Albert Ketelbey's 1920 "In A Persian Market."

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Yes We Can (aka Yes We Can Can) Lee Dorsey 8-70
Polydor 14038
Pointer Sisters, Treacherous Three, Allen Toussaint
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Yesterday, When I Was Young (as "Hier Encore") Charles Aznavour 1964
French Barclay 60500
Charles Aznavour (1967 in English), Roy Clark
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Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday Chris Clark 9-66
on CD UK Island 9819564 The Motown Collection (2005)
Stevie Wonder (1-24-67)
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Yo-Yo Billy Joe Royal 6-2-66
Columbia 43883
Osmonds, Joe South
John D. Loudermilk's "Yo-Yo" (Columbia 41209, 1958) is a different song.

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You Always Hurt The One You Love Mills Bros. 2-27-44
Decca 18599
Clarence "Frogman" Henry
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You Are Everything Joe Simon 1971
on lp Spring 6702 Drowning In The Sea Of Love
Stylistics
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You Are My Sunshine Pine Ridge Boys 8-22-39
Bluebird 8263
Rice Bros Gang (9-13-39), Jimmie Davis (2-5-40), Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Ray Charles, Mitch Ryder, Dyke & Blazers
The exact origins of the song will probably never be known. A reasonable theory is that future Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis (along with one Charlie Mitchell) bought the rights to "Sunshine" from Paul Rice in late 1939—a practice not unusual at the time. Paul's group, the Rice Brothers Gang, had cut it earlier that year. But then Rice had previously played with a popular musician and songwriter named Oliver Hood who also made claims on the song. Perhaps Rice paid Hood for it as well, or just took it as his own. (Note the lack of writing credit on the Pine Ridge Boys' issue.) Whatever path "Sunshine" took, it's clear that Davis wasn't the first to record it, nor was he likely its composer, as has often been stated.

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You Are So Beautiful Billy Preston 1974
A&M 1644
Joe Cocker
Although he's not officially credited, Beach Boys member Dennis Wilson reportedly contributed to the lyrics.

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You Baby Vogues 1965
on CD Varese Sarabande 5680 Your'e The One, Best Of The Vogues (1996)
Turtles, Mamas & Papas
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You Belong To Me Joni James 2-52
Sharp 50/MGM 11295
Sue Thompson (c. 6-52), Dean Martin (6-12-52) Jo Stafford (6-24-52), Patti Page (8-6-52), Grady Martin (8-15-52), Joni James with 100 Strings (1959, MGM 12885), Duprees
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You Belong To Me Doobie Bros. 1977
on lp Warner Bros. 3045 Livin' On The Fault Line
Carly Simon, Doobie Bros. (1983)
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You Can Depend On Me Louis Armstrong 11-5-31
Okeh 41538/Columbia 2590-D
Brenda Lee
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You Can Get If You Really Want Desmond Dekker 1970
Uni 55261
Jimmy Cliff
In 1970, Dekker relocated from Jamaica to London. Not having his backing band the Aces, he was shipped tracks from his homeland to overdub. It's noted by Dekker's UK label Trojan, that his vocal was likely cut before writer Cliff's. Both used the same instrumental track.

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You Can Leave Your Hat On Randy Newman 1972
Reprise 1123
Etta James, Joe Cocker, Merl Saunders, Ty Herndon, Tom Jones
Although they are the same take, Newman's 45 is a different mix, including horns, than the version on his album Sail Away.

You Can't Sit Down see Can't Sit Down
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You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On) Millie Jackson 1976
on lp Spring 6712 Lovingly Yours
High Inergy
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You Could Have Been A Lady Hot Chocolate 1970 (rel. 1-29-71)
Rak 4503
April Wine
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You Decorated My Life Bob Morrison 1978
Monument 251
Kenny Rogers
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You Don't Bring Me Flowers Neil Diamond 1977
on lp Columbia 34990 I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight
Barbra Streisand, Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond (10-78), Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius
After some enterprising radio stations spliced Diamond's and Streisand's recordings together, Columbia Records got them to cut a real duet version.

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You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry Moon Mullican & Showboys  4-16-50
King 868
Ernest Tubb, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Caravelles
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You Don't Know Me Eddy Arnold 12-1-55
RCA Victor 6502
Jerry Vale, Lenny Welch, Ray Charles (1962, 1965), Elvis Presley, Mickey Gilley
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You Don't Love Me Willie Cobbs 1960
Mojo 2168/HOB 230/Vee Jay 411
Tommy Raye, Gary Walker, Junior Wells, Bloomfield-Kooper-Stills, Allman Bros., John Mayall, Willie Cobbs (1997 for Wilco) et el.
Cobbs' song was likely inspired by Bo Diddley's 1955 "She's Fine, She's Mine" (Checker 819).

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You Don't Owe Me A Thing Marty Robbins 3-13-56
Columbia 40706
Johnnie Ray
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You Gave Me A Mountain Marty Robbins 5-9-66
on CD Bear Family 15655 Country (1960-1966) (1995)
Frankie Laine, Marty Robbins (2-18-69 on lp Columbia 9819 It's A Sin), Johnny Bush, Elvis Presley
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You Got Me Runnin' (aka You've Got Me Runnin') Parker McGee 1976
on lp Big Tree 89520
Gene Cotton
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You Got To Move (aka You've Got To Move) Willing Four 2-44
Regis 115/Manor 1069
Two Gospel Keys (1946), Farifield Four (1949), Mississippi Fred McDowell (7-5-65, 1966, 1969), Rolling Stones
As with many songs in the gospel tradition there are numerous lyric, as well as title, variations. The song likely goes back further than the Willing Four's (note their writer's credit is merely for the arrangement), but theirs is the earliest I've found so far. The Rolling Stones clearly based their version on Mississippi Fred McDowel's interpretation.

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You Got What It Takes Bobby Parker 9-57
Vee Jay 279
Marv Johnson (9-59), Dave Clark 5
Bobby Parker is the only writer listed on his release while Marv Johnson's & the Dave Clark 5's list Berry Gordy, Jr., Gwendolyn Gordy and Billy Davis (aka Tyran Carlo). Parker told me he was a co-writer and was subsequently excluded from receiving his due—although he didn't share credit on his.

An alternate explanation is that Vee Jay Records' publisher, Conrad Music, neglected to copyright the song, leaving it open to being commandeered by others.

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You Light Up My Life Kasey Cisyk 1977
on lp Arista 4159 You Light Up My Life ost
Debbie Boone, LeAnn Rimes
The soundtrack album also included an instrumental version by Joe Brooks.

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You Make Me Happy (aka Happy) Hi Tension 1984
UK Streetwave MKHAN 30
Surface
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You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby Dick Powell 1938
on CD Rhino 72907 Hollywood's Best the '30s (1997)
Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Dave Clark 5
From the film Hard To Get.

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You Need Love (aka Whole Lotta Love) Muddy Waters 10-12-62
Chess 1839
Small Faces, Savoy Brown, Led Zeppelin, King Curtis, C.C.S., Candye Kane
Led Zeppelin clearly lifted their arrangement from the Small Faces' recording (which they took credit for). Willie Dixon, who wrote Muddy's tune, eventually sued Zep's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and received an out-of-court settlement in 1987.

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You Never Even Call Me By My Name Steve Goodman 1971
on lp Buddah 5096
David Allan Coe, Hank Williams III
You Shook Me see Blue Guitar
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You Should Hear (How She Talks About You) Charlie Dore 1981
Chrysalis 2572
Melissa Manchester
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You Showed Me Byrds 1964
on lp Together 1001 Preflyte (1969)
Turtles, Lightning Seeds, Verbs
This may have been a demo but I couldn't resist includng it. A different 1964 Byrds recording was issued on their CD In The Beginning (1988, Rhino 70244).

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You Were On My Mind Ian & Sylvia 1964
Vanguard 35025
We Five (4-65), Ian & Sylvia (1972 for Columbia)
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You'll Never Walk Alone Frank Sinatra 5-1-45
Columbia 36825
Christine Johnson (7-19-45), Patti LaBelle & Bluebelles, Gerry & Pacemakers, Pink Floyd et al.
Johnson introduced the song in the 1945 play Carousel, but the original cast recording wasn't done until later that year, after Sinatra's.

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You're Gonna Miss Me Spades 11-7-65
Zero 10002
Thirteenth Floor Elevators
Writer/singer Roky Erikson was in both groups. Inspired by silly character names from comedians like Jonathan Winters, Erikson made up Emil Schwartze for his songwriter's credit on the Spades' release.

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You're My World (as "Il Mio Mondo") Umberto Bindi 1963
Italian RCA PM45 3235
Cilla Black, Helen Reddy
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You're No Good Dee Dee Warwick 1963
Jubilee 5459
Betty Everett (6-12-63), Swinging Blue Jeans, Linda Ronstadt, Van Halen
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You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You King Cole Trio 5-19-45
on lp Capitol 2529 The Vintage Years (1966)
Russ Morgan (10-11-45), Dinah Washington, Dean Martin
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You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me (aka The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me) Danny Thomas 1973
on lp Myrrh 6520 Tomorrow Belongs To You
Steve Lawrence (as "The Best Thing That Ever Happened"), Ray Price (6-73), Gladys Knight & Pips
Danny Thomas cut the song as an ode to his mother sometime in the early 1970s so the 1973 date listed may be off.

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You're The One Petula Clark 1965
on lp Warner Bros 1598 I Know A Place
Vogues
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You've Got A Lover Shake Russell w/ Dana Cooper 8-4-77
on lp Cherry 4783 Songs On The Radio
Ricky Skaggs
You've Got Me Runnin' see You Got Me Runnin'
You've Got To Move see You Got To Move
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You've Made Me So Very Happy Brenda Holloway 7-21-67
Tamla 54155
Blood Sweat & Tears (10-16-68), Lou Rawls
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Young Love Ric Cartey & Jiva-Tones 1956
Stars 539/RCA Victor 6751
Sonny James (10-30-56), Tab Hunter, Crew-Cuts, Leslie Gore, Ray Stevens, Donny Osmond
Ric Cartey and his band recorded "Young Love" at an Atlanta radio studio, and it was issued as the flip to "Oooh-Eeee" on the local Stars label. As "Ooh-Eee" started to get some notice it caught the attention of Capitol Records A&R man Ken Nelson. Nelson really liked its B-side and promptly had Sonny James cut "Young Love."

RCA Victor then signed Cartey and purchased his Stars masters. The date used by RCA for his "Young Love," 11-16-56, is when they bought the tapes, not his recording date.

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Younger Girl Lovin' Spoonful 8-65
on lp Kama Sutra 8050 Do You Believe In Magic
Critters (4-1-66), Hondells
The melody was adapted/lifted from Cannon's Jug Stompers' 1930 "Prison Wall Blues" (Victor 23272).

The Lovin' Spoonful's demo has been issued.

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Your Good Thing (Is About To End) Mable John 1966
Stax 192
Lou Rawls, Cold Blood
Your Love Keeps Lifting Me see Higher & Higher