‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ by Big Joe Williams

The reason that I chose this song for analysis is because I was introduced to both the song and AC-DC via their fantastic cover of it in 1975. The song which they played on Countdown (a famous Aussie music show) launched their career with new member Bon Scott on vocals.  Over the years I became aware of two other versions, the classic Them version of 1964 with Van Morrison on vocals and Ted Nugent’s Amboy Dukes’ cover of 1969. So recently, having revisited the above-mentioned memorable versions, it was time to dig deeper and uncover the history of the song. I knew that this was an old blues song but where did it originate and who sang it? So, I got a-researching and boy was I happy that I did! 

As it turns out, like so many blues songs, ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ has its roots as a folk song among the African slaves who were brought to America’s south. According to some musicologists, the song is likely to be an adaptation of an old Negro folk spiritual ‘Long John’, a song in two parts, with a lead part and chorus, ideal for slaves to sing in the cotton fields or in a chain gang.  Here are the lyrics of the song for comparison with the two versions of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ recorded by Big Joe Williams:

‘Long John’ (Traditional)

‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ (Big Joe Williams)

LEADER: l. It’s a long John, He’s a long gone, Like a turkey through the corn, Through the long corn. 2. Well, my John said, In the ten chap ten, "If a man die, He will live again." Well, they crucified Jesus And they nailed him to the cross; Sister Mary cried, “My child is lost!” Chorus: Well, long John, He’s long gone, He’s long gone. Mister John, John, Old Big-eye John, Oh, John, John, It’s a long John. 3. Says-uh: "Come on, gal, And-uh shut that do'," Says, "The dogs is comin' And I’ve got to go." Chorus: It’s a long John, He’s long gone, It’s a long John, He’s a long gone. 4. "Well-a two, three minutes, Let me catch my win'; In-a two, three minutes, I’m gone again." Chorus: He’s long John, He’s long gone, He’s long gone, He’s long gone. 5. Well, my John said Just before he did, "Well, I’m goin' home, See Mary Lid." Chorus: He’s John, John, Old John, John, With his long clothes on, Just a-skippin' through the corn. 6. Well, my John said On the fourth day, Well, to "tell my rider That I’m on my way." Chorus: He’s long gone, He’s long gone, He’s long gone, It’s a long John. 7. "Gonna call this summer, Ain’t gon‘ call no mo’, If I call next summer, Be in Baltimore." He’s long gone.

Version 1 (1935) “Now baby, please don’ t go, Now baby please don’t go. Baby, please don’t go back to New Orleans an’ get your cold ice cream”. “I believe it - a man done gone, I believe it - a man done gone. I believe it - a man done gone to the county farm, now with his long chain on”. “Turn your lamp down low, You turn your lamp down low. Turn your lamp down low, I cried all night long, ‘now baby please don’t go’”. “I begged you night before,  I begged you night before.  Begged you night before, turn your lamp down low, ‘now baby, please don’t go’”.  “I believe my baby’s done lyin’,  I believe my baby’ s done lyin’.  I believe my baby she’s lyin’ says she didn’t have a man, now while I had my time”. “Fo’ I be your dog,  Spoken: “Play it”.  Ah! fo’ I be your dog.  Fo’ I be your dog, I’d pack my trunk this mornin’, baby, go back to rollin’ fog”. “I believe I’ll leave here,  I believe I’ll leave you here. I believe I’ 11 leave you here, ‘cos you got me way up here an’ you don’ t feel my care”. “Now baby please don’t go,  Oh! baby, please don’ t go.  Ah! Baby, please don’t go, back to New Orleans,  you know I love you so”. “I believe you’re tryin’ to leave me here, Try to leave your daddy, here.  Try to leave your daddy, here, you got me way down here an’ you don’ t feel my care”. Version 2 (1941) “Ah! Baby, please don’t go Baby, please don’t go. Baby, please don’t go back to New Orleans you know I love you so.” Turn your lamp down low,  Turn your lamp down low. Turn your lamp down low, now baby, all night long, now baby please don’t go.” “I believe a man done gone, I believe a man done gone an’ left (for) the county farm, he got his shackles on.” “Baby, please don’t go, Baby, please don’t go. Baby, please don’ t go back to New Orleans, you ??” “Afore I be your dog, Afore I be your dog, I git you way down here, I make you walk the log.” Spoken: “Come in here Sonny Boy. Come in here Sonny Boy. “You got me way down here, You got me way down here. You got me way down here by a rollin’ fog, you treat me like a dog; baby please don’t go.” “Don’t call my name, Don’t call my name. Don’t call my name, you got me way down here, wearin’ a ball an’ chain.” Spoken: “Look here.” “Baby please don’t go, Baby please don’t go. Baby, please don’t go back to New Orleans.....

Here is a recording of ‘Long John’ performed by a chain gang of negro prisoners 

Here is a recording of ‘Long John’ performed by a chain gang of negro prisoners early last century:

While the lyrics of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ may have its genesis in ‘Long John’ the similarity is primarily that both men in the songs are on the run and they have to leave their lady lover. ‘Long John’ is essentially about a slave named John being ‘long gone’ and maybe the same John reappearing for some horizontal refreshment, before leaving again. This version also has the spiritual connection with reference to the biblical disciple John, stating that “If a man die/He will live again” which has some sexual connotations, if you think about it.

The unnamed man in ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, is perhaps a runaway convict in ‘shackles’ who is also leaving his lady lover. There is also a lead and response factor in this song if you read it carefully, between the girl and the man. Both songs are very sexual as many of the old Blues songs are, though ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ lacks the Christian element entirely. This song contains a lot of sinning if you can decipher the meaning of ‘ice-cream’, ‘dogs’ and ‘logs’! Big Joe’s lyrics from his initial two recorded versions are the basis for all other adaptations over the years.

In regard to the tune, rather than the lyrics, musicologists point to a couple of well-known songs that appeared in the early 20^th century. One was the rag-time song ‘Alabamy Bound’ written in 1925 by Tin-Pan Alley songwriter Ray Henderson with lyrics by B.G DeSylva and Bud Green. Popular on the Vaudeville stages, it was recorded by many singers of the time, none more so than Al Jolson who recorded it several times. Here is his 1939 recording:

  

The lyrics of ‘Alabamy Bound’ are essentially about a man leaving the big city (New York) to return home to Alabama on a train, something with which many African-Americans who had left the farms of the South for work in the cities could identify. The tune eventually found its way into the Mississippi Delta where it was appropriated into a new song named ‘Elder Green Blues’, the lyrics now about a badly behaving church elder who leaves the city for the sins of New Orleans. The most famous version is by Charlie Patton, recorded in 1929:

  

According to the Blues Encyclopaedia, ‘Alabamy Bound’ also morphed into a popular song called ‘Don’t You Leave Me Here’, with the music credited to Thomas Morris and lyrics to Freddie Johnson. It is quite fascinating that a classic blues-rock song can have its roots in a rag-time jazz song played by Jazz Orchestras like this version from 1927 by Charles Johnson and his Orchestra, featuring Monette Moore:

Interestingly, Ferdinand ‘Jelly Roll’ Morton claimed to have written ‘Don’t You Leave Me Here’ in 1905, some 20 years before the release of ‘Alabamy Bound‘. He claimed that they were one and the same tune, though his lyrics were different. This has never been verified but some still attribute the song to him, rather than Morris and Johnson. Morton recorded several versions of it and here is original 78rpm recording from 1939, obviously too late to have influenced Big Joe Williams: 

Another contender for the authorship of ‘Alabamy Bound’ was Trixie Smith who recorded ‘Railway Blues’ in 1925. It has plenty of references to going home on the train and being ‘Alabama Bound’. Here is the 1925 recording:

‘Alabamy Bound, ‘Elder Green Blues’ and ‘Don’t You Leave Me Now’ all became very popular with the ‘down home’ singers of the South who sang them in their own southern way. It is likely that various versions of these songs influenced Big Joe Williams’ ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, both melodically and lyrically, although he always claimed it as his own work. The old slave song, ‘Long John’ must also have been a contributing factor, perhaps unconsciously on the part of Big Joe Williams. What he did, of course, was to synthesize these influences and then construct a signature blues song that became a classic song over time. If Big Joe Williams drew upon the musical influences of the time, who could blame him? It is exactly what the rock musicians of the 1960s and 1970s did when they ‘borrowed’ old blues songs like his for inspiration!

Evolution of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’

1935/1941/1945/1971
Big Joe Williams

Delta Blues musician Big Joe Williams (1903-82) was born in Crawford, Mississippi, and was one of eighteen children born to a Cherokee father and an African-American woman. He is credited as being the first singer to record ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’. In fact, he recorded the song on four separate occasions, with each version sounding distinctly different, both musically and lyrically. He first recorded the song in 1935 under the name ‘Joe Williams Washboard Singers’ for Victor Records’ cheap Bluebird Label, based in Chicago. On this historic recording, released on a 78rpm disk, Big Joe plays acoustic guitar and is backed by violinist Dad Trace on the one string fiddle and Chasey ‘Kokomo’ Collins on the washboard bass, producing a very interesting but rather rustic sound. Here is the 1935 version:

In the more lyrically simplified 1941 version, retitled ‘Please Don’t Go’, Big Joe plays his now familiar nine-string acoustic guitar and is complemented beautifully this time by John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson on the harmonica and Alfred Ekins on the washboard bass. The overall sound and the clearer delivery of Big Joe’s lyrics makes this the superior version, in my opinion. Here is the 1941 version: 

The 1945 recording of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ was for Columbia Records and featured ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson on harp, Ransom Knowling on bass and Judge Riley on drums. Unlike the earlier versions, that did very well on the charts, this one sank without trace. The lyrics in this version are a hybrid of the first two versions, with verses in different places and Big Joe calling out to the boys to “Play it for Joe Williams!” before the break. The drums also add a rockier element to the mix.

Big Joe Williams recorded a fourth version in 1971 for an album entitled ‘Big Joe Williams and Friends Going Back To Crawford’. This album was recorded at his home in Crawford on a reel to reel tape recorder and features Big Joe on guitar and vocals, Austin Pete on second guitar and vocals, John ‘Shortstuff’ Morton on vocals and ‘rattlin’ guitar, plus singers Glover Lee Connor and Amelia Johnson. Big Joe does not sing every song, obviously, but the version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ played on this home recording is very good and features some slide guitar effects. Big Joe’s vocals, at age 68 are better than ever, following a decade of performing all over Europe in the 1960s. Amazingly, it took until 1999 for this album to be officially released. Here is the 1971 version:

I thought it would be good to actually see him playing the song, so here is a clip of Big Joe performing ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ with his nine-string guitar at the American Folk Blues Festival, which toured Europe in 1964:

Finally, in this 1960’s recording of him playing his guitar with tremolo, Big Joe Williams  tells his audience all about the song:

“Now ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to do one of my favorite right numbers that I wrote back in 1927. The title of this number is ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’. I writ this number, you all knew that, on Continental Street. I had a little girl at that time, and so she quit me when I went to Mississippi and so I got to thinkin’, I’m six feet high when I wrote this number, entitled ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ back to New Orleans because I love you so!” 

Now that we have had a good look at the Big Joe's original, it's time to have a look at some of the better cover versions!

1949
Samuel 'Lightning' Hopkins

The first verified cover of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ is by Samuel ‘Lightning’ Hopkins (1912-82) in 1949. It is a fairly restrained country blues version on his electric guitar with no accompaniment except from his dexterous finger-pickin’ style which added a bit of bass and percussion. Here is that version:

 and here is a later TV performance from the 1950s, showing his style with an acoustic guitar: 

1951
The Orioles

Throughout the late 1940’s and early 1950’s The Orioles from Maryland, USA, were a successful Rhythm and Blues group and one of the first to develop the ‘doo wop’ sound. Their 1951 version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ made use of the group harmonies provided by lead tenor, Sonny Til, high tenor, Alexander Sharp, baritone George Nelson and bass Johnny Reed, who also played double bass. Guitarist Tommy Gaither filled out the sound. Their studio version, released as one of the first ever 45rpm singles, in red vinyl, includes piano, drums and horns. It certainly caught the attention of the public and it remains the highest charting cover of the song, reaching the Top 10 in America’s ‘Race Chart, though it doesn’t rate highly in my opinion. The song also takes some liberties with the original lyrics: 

1952
Big Bill Broonzy

A popular early version said to have influenced many later rock bands, including AC-DC, was made by Big Bill Broonzy (1903-58) in 1952. Born Lee Conley Bradley in Jefferson Arkansas, Big Bill was one of 17 children born to Frank Broonzy (Bradley) and Mittie Belcher. He certainly had it tough as a young man, marrying at 17 and becoming a sharecropper. After drought wiped out his stock, Big Bill joined the army and served for two years in World War 1 in Europe, before coming home and beginning his musical career. He was a star in the 1930s and ‘40s, writing and recording over 300 songs. A contemporary of Big Joe Williams, by 1950 he was again down on his luck finding himself out of contract and forced to work as a janitor. His career was then rescued by the new-found interest in old Blues artists by music fans in Europe. After touring in England, he got his mojo back and recorded this now Blues standard. Broonzy’s acoustic guitar playing is a feature of this country Blues arrangement. He has a more mellow voice than many of the other Blues performers who covered the song. Broonzy also adds some of his own lyrical touches to the song referring several times to ‘Parchman Farm’ a nickname for Mississippi State Penitentiary. This is entirely in keeping with Big Joe Williams original lyrics about the prisoner on the run having to go back to the ‘County farm with his long chains on’. Six years after recording this cover, Big Bill Broonzy was dead from throat cancer, having enjoyed renewed fame and fortune. Here is his version: 

1953
Muddy Waters

Of all the early covers, McKinley Morganfield, better known as ‘Muddy Waters’ (1913-83), provides perhaps the best. He is just a great guitarist and his voice has a grand timbre perfect for this song. When he sings ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, he makes it his own. Backed by a great Chicago Blues band that includes the great harp playing of Little Walter Jacobs and guitarist Jimmy Rogers, the song was released initially as ‘Turn Your Lamp Down Low’ on Chess Records. Many experts cite this recording as an early rock and roll recording, bridging the gap between the old country blues and the electric guitar-based rock that evolved in the 1960s. Here is Muddy Waters’ original recording from 1953:

and here is proof that the rock stars of the 1960s and 1970s owed a lot to blues players like Muddy: 

Rose Mitchell
New Orleans R&B singer, Rose Mitchell, was the first female artiste to record ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, also in 1953. Rose had a very powerful voice and she unloads it from the start of her recording in a very impressive manner. Only after the first few bars do we start to recognize some familiar lines from the original song as Rose certainly adds many of her own. In this Afro-Cuban styled take on the original, the man who is leaving her is her ‘Daddy’. Here is her powerful arrangement: 

1959
John Lee Hooker

Blues legend John Lee Hooker (1917-2016), another native of Mississippi, recorded a great version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, ten years after recording an earlier take on the song entitled ‘Don’t Go Baby’ which is pretty dreadful, in my opinion. The 1959 version, however, is one of the best true Blues versions of the song, just a very simple acoustic guitar and Hooker’s expressive clear voice. He uses some poetic license with the lyrics which gives it a nice unexpected twist just when you might have been expecting a carbon copy of Big Joe Williams. 

1960
Mose Allison

Mississippi born Mose Allison(1927-2016) was a Jazz and Blues pianist and possibly the first white man to record ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’. The song was one of five covers from his seventh album ‘Transfiguration of Hiram Brown’, backed by bassist Addison Farmer and drummer Jerry Segal. Known for his ‘smoky’ vocals, Mose Allison delivers a very smooth piano-based interpretation of the song, with plenty of space between the few verses that he actually sings. The moans and groans in these spaces are somewhat ‘interesting’. A very cool version! 

1961
Pink Anderson

Bluesman Pinkney ‘Pink’ Anderson (1900-74) produced a straight forward acoustic guitar version in 1961. A native of Carolina, Pink sang with a bit of a country drawl in his voice and his finger-pickin’ style was very good. We all know that Pink was one half of the bluesmen chosen for the title of Syd Barrett’s old band (the other being Floyd Council). Here is his version: 

1963
Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan recorded ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ in the sessions for his 1963 ‘Freewheelin’ album but chose not to release it at the time. In 2015 it finally saw the light of day on the ‘Freewheelin’ Outtakes’ album which is chock full of blues covers. It is a wild harmonica-driven version and Dylan’s vocals are just as great with the song performed basically in the traditional manner, befitting Big Joe Williams. It is hard to understand why this great cover was left off the original album but I’m glad to finally hear it!

1964
Them

Van Morrison’s Them recorded the first rock version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ in 1964, a much-acclaimed cover which introduced the song to many people in the Western World unfamiliar with the original. I’m sure that this big hit was thought by many to be the original! Curiously, the B-side ‘Gloria’ was the bigger hit. An interesting fact is that Jimmy Page, session musician extraordinaire, played guitar on the track. Van Morrison claimed that John Lee Hooker’s 1949 version was the inspiration for his band’s electrified arrangement of the song. Although I didn’t think much of that version, I can hear some similarity in the guitar intro and that is about it! Compare the pair! Here is John Lee Hooker’s version:

and Them’s version being mimed on TV:

1965
The Boots

Them inspired more rock versions of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, with one of the first to follow coming from a German band, The Boots, in 1965. They also covered Van Morrison’s ‘Gloria’. What makes this dynamic version interesting is that the band were based in West Berlin, then an island of Western democracy and capitalism behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany. They were a very good covers group but also released some great singles of their own. They certainly had a mod garage band sound, complete with keyboards, pre-dating the sound of the American garage bands of the later 1960s. The band’s vocalist Jorg Schulte is certainly a bit of a Van Morrison clone but his lead guitar work is a feature of the song, as is the harmonica and organ from Ulli Grun. Here is their great version which I rate as equal to Them’s: 

1967
The Amboy Dukes

By 1967 Garage Rock was bubbling along in the USA and one of the best bands from that period was The Amboy Dukes. Their version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, track one from their debut album, ‘The Amboy Dukes’, features some great guitar soloing from Ted Nugent, who would go on to have his own career as a rock guitarist of note, essentially adopting the Amboy Dukes as his backing band. I love his guitar improvisations in this song against the driving back beat of Dave Palmer on drums and Bill White on bass. The vocals by John ‘JB’ Drake are solid and hard-hitting. Here is their somewhat psychedelic version, a favorite later included in the ‘Nuggets’ boxset of 1973 where I first came across it.

The Ballroom
Another interesting psychedelic take on ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ was made by The Ballroom in 1967. It was the flipside of their only 45 rpm single, ‘Spinning, Spinning, Spinning’. The band, formed by guitarist and producer Curt Boettcher and featuring vocals by Sandy Salisbury, was short-lived before it evolved into The Millenium Band, which only managed to release one album before disbanding. Their cover is satisfyingly weird enough to be labeled psychedelic with the lyrics of the song being perhaps the only recognizable link to the original. Certainly, the clanging instruments, organ, strange noises and odd harmonies give it a rather disconcerting feel. Nevertheless, a worthy addition in the evolution of this classic song:

1969
Dion

A rather cool jazz-pop version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ was recorded by Dion (real name Dion Dimucci) in 1969 for Columbia and it appears on his 2008 album ‘The Road I’m On A Retrospective’. It is a piano- heavy version with prominent drum work but really it is Dion’s cool vocals that makes this work. A totally smokin’ version that is a long way from his earlier work with the Belmonts: 

1972
Gary Glitter

During my ‘glam period’ I loved Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) and his version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ from 1972 is quite different from all the other rock adaptations. His version, track two from the debut album ‘Glitter’, is certainly ‘glitterized’, so that it blends in nicely with his other songs but it really is a fine version with a great arrangement that emphasizes the two drum kits, the saxophone and a crisp guitar, making for an enjoyable ride. A very catchy version:  

1975
AC-DC

AC-DC burst onto my TV screen in 1975 with a great version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ that remains the best cover of the song in my opinion, thanks principally to Angus Young’s amazing guitar work and Bon Scott’s lascivious vocals but really, it is the whole band firing up to maximum. A brilliant way to introduce yourselves to the world! For those who haven’t seen their debut performance of the song on Australia’s national music show, Countdown, you are in for a treat! Bon sings it live and, well, really gets into the spirit of the song with his somewhat revealing outfit:  

1981
Sonny Landreth

After some great rock versions, musicians in the 1980s headed back to the blues for their interpretations of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’. Sonny Landreth is a slide guitarist from Louisiana USA and his version is from his first album, ‘Blues Attack’. Sonny’s smooth vocals and guitar are ably supported by Mel Melton on harmonica, C. J. Thompson Chenier on alto saxophone, and Jerry Conrad on organ. This version sounds crisp and clear though I initially thought the vocals were being sung by a woman! 

1986
Cowboy Junkies

The Cowboy Junkies were an interesting alternative country and folk-rock band from Ontario, Canada who recorded ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ for their debut album “Whites Off Earth Now!’ Their sound could be described as ‘country blues’ for this album. With sultry vocals by Margo Timmins, the song is transformed into a slow guitar exploration by band leader, Michael Timmins, with solid support by drummer Peter Timmins. It is pretty much a family affair, although the bass is played by friend Alan Anton.  This is a hypnotic interpretation of the song that stays with you. 

1989
Roy Rogers

Another interesting and well-conceived cover of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ is by Californian slide guitarist Roy Rogers, taken from his fourth album, ‘Blues On The Range’. Roy, who was named after the original singing cowboy, is certainly a maestro with the slide guitar, squeezing out all manner of blues licks to complement his energetic vocal take on the song. This is a very enjoyable rocking version for anyone who appreciates classic slide guitar from a guitarist who has played with everyone from John Lee Hooker to Steve Miller Band.

2004
Aerosmith

Fans of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ often point to this blistering blues rock version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ by American hard rock band, Aerosmith. I had not heard their cover until recently and I was blown away by it. I didn’t think they had the ability to pull this off but how wrong I was! It really shows off the skills of this legendary band. Their version is from their collection of blues covers ‘Honkin’ on Bobo’. Check out the whole album! 

2008
The Reels

Southern Californian blues rock trio, The Reels, produced an earthy version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ that speaks to me. Taken from their second album, ‘Reelin’, lead singer and guitarist Lanny Ray certainly delivers a potent interpretation that has room for exploring a few different directions without straying too far from the traditional path of the old bluesmen.

2009
Guy Davis

New Yorker Guy Davis is an accomplished blues guitarist with a gravelly voice, ideally suited to ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’. In fact, he seems to be channeling all those early bluesmen in his great version that appears on his excellent fourteenth album, ‘Sweetheart Like You’. The album version, though, is surpassed in my opinion by this live version, performed at Bow Valley Music Club in Calgary Alberta in 2015. Unlike other live versions, where he is supported by his band, this is Guy Davis solo, showing off his amazing acoustic guitar skills:

2012
Baptism of Uzi

Melbourne band, Baptism of Uzi are an Australian psychedelic rock band who performed ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ as their contribution to ‘Nuggets: Antipodean Interpolations of the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968’, an Aussie re-imagination of the original influential 1972 ‘Nuggets’ album of American psychedelic and garage hits. Here, Baptism of Uzi perform an instrumental version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ which was performed by The Amboy Dukes on Side 3 of the original double LP. Heavy on keyboards, guitars and drums, this is a long majestic version which takes the song in a completely new direction at times. A great version from a great album. Here is a live version from The Tote, Melbourne, in 2012, with Ambrose Kenny-Smith from The Murlocs adding both harp and some vocals:

2013
Renee Geyer

Sticking with Australian artistes, Renee Geyer, the local Queen of Soul and Blues for many decades, released a Swing album in 2013, aptly titled ‘Swing’. Here, she completely remakes ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ in a Swing style featuring a big band sound. It sounds delicious to my ears and her earthy blues voice is the icing on the cake. The band really rocks on this, her thirteenth album, and her cover of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ is appropriately the opening track. 

2014
Cherlene

A surprisingly good version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ is from the soundtrack of the Animated TV Spy series, ‘Archer, or ‘Archer Vice’ as it is now known as, after four seasons. In Season 5, the character Cheryl Tunt goes undercover and sings in a country band as ‘Cherlene’. The actual song is sung by Jessy Lyn Martens, an established country singer from Florida but the music is attributed to Cherlene on the album.

2015
Franky Perez and The Forest Rangers

Another soundtrack version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ is performed by Franky Perez and The Forest Rangers on the soundtrack to the TV Series, ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Volume 4. It is a very punchy version of the song, befitting the outlaw bikers theme of the show. In fact, the Forest Rangers perform most of the songs on the soundtrack, backing different singers. A smokin’ cover! 

2016
Fiona Boyes

Australian blues guitarist Fiona Boyes has recorded the most recent version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ on her excellent album ‘Professin’ The Blues’. On the track, she demonstrates her slide guitar skills and her gravelly voice perfectly complements her playing. She pays homage to Big Joe Williams in this live version of the song on slide guitar:

So, there you go, 30 interesting covers of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’. This basic blues song sure has evolved into a rock classic with many sidetracks on the way. I hope you liked listening and viewing the various incantations. A few years ago, for my own amusement, I started making my own cds of classic songs combined with interesting versions. ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, of course, was one of the first I made. So here it is, my ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ Covers album!

                                                   1.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – Big Joe Williams (1945)

2.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – Lightnin’ Hopkins (1949)

3.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – Muddy Waters (1953)

4.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – Rose Mitchell (1953)

5.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – Mose Allison (1960)

6.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – Bob Dylan (1963)

7.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – Them (1964)

8.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – The Boots (1965)

9.      Baby, Please Don’t Go – The Amboy Dukes (1967)

10.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Gary Glitter (1972)

11.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – AC/DC (1975)

12.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Sonny Landreth (1981)

13.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Cowboy Junkies (1986)

14.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Roy Rogers (1989)

15.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Aerosmith (2004)

16.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – The Reels (2008)

17.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Guy Davis (2009)

18.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Baptism of Uzi (2012)

19.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Renée Geyer (2013)

20.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Cherlene (2014)

21.  Baby, Please Don’t Go – Franky Perez & The Forest Rangers

These are the covers that I selected for my playlist but there are many others that I could have included and I am sure some of you out there may have your own preferences. Anyway, enjoy this playlist, go to Comments to find the zip file.

‘Space Oddity’ by David Bowie

Can you believe that it is 50 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped from Apollo 11’s Lunar Module on to the dusty surface of the Sea of Tranquility. I can still remember being escorted out of my Primary School by my teacher with several other lucky Grade 4 students to watch the Moon landing at a nearby house. The old lady who lived there had a small black and white television and my whole class crowded onto the carpet in front of it. There was, of course, no television at our school to watch the historical event. Though very young, the mission to the Moon had grabbed my attention and as I watched the grainy vision I was impressed with those immortal words from Armstrong: ‘This is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.” Back then, I was blindly ignorant of music but as I grew into my teens and developed a keen interest in astronomy and NASA’s Lunar missions, I was drawn to the ‘spacey songs’ that I heard occasionally on my radio.

I’m talking specifically of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ and Elton John’s rival song ‘Rocket Man’, two absolutely amazing pieces of music that captured my imagination. This post is specifically about ‘Space Oddity’ but there will be one on ‘Rocket Man’ soon.

Space Oddity. What a song! Of course, I am talking about the 1973 re-released version that became a hit for David Bowie. That was the song that launched me into space-rock and I must have also seen the Mick Rock film of it on television around that time, in black and white, of course. To watch that clip today, in all of its glorious color is still a thrill: 

Once I became a certified Bowie fan, I of course discovered that he had originally recorded a much different demo version of the song in February 1969. It was used as part of an experimental film project of his called ‘Love You ‘Till Tuesday’. This early version is more folky than spacey but the film has its interesting moments. Bowie’s alien appearance in that Pre-Ziggy clip is how I came to view Bowie in the mid-1970’s. In the earlier film, Bowie is well just not ‘Ziggy’ enough! To be fair, though, watch both clips and make up your own mind!

“The record is based a lot on the film 2001, It’s a mixture of Salvador Dali, 2001 and the Bee Gees. Really, it’s just a record which amuses people” David Bowie, 1969

It took me a while but in the late 1980’s I was finally able to view Stanley Kubrick’s film of Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey”, thanks to the new age of Video libraries. It is a work that one can see clearly inspired Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’, beyond the obvious title pun. That the song eventually led me to discover Kubrick’s sci-fi opus and then to develop a lifelong passion for Clarke’s amazing science fiction books says something about the power of this song for me. Incidentally, I recommend watching this mind-blowing classic film if you have never seen it, as well as reading Clarke’s books, all of them! I must say that there is also something eerie going on with David Jones changing his name to David Bowie just before the ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ came out in 1968, as one of the central characters is the astronaut, Dave Bowman! Did he really change his name to ‘Bowie’ because of Jim Bowie and his Bowie knife?

In June 1969, having been signed to the Phillips label, Bowie recorded the more polished version of ‘Space Oddity’ that became the opening track for the ‘David Bowie’ album. (In the USA, it was released as ‘Man of Words, Man of Music’ on the Mercury label).

This grandiose version of ‘Space Oddity’ was released a month before the moon landing but the BBC refused to play it until after the safe return of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Yes, it was a ‘cheap shot’ that exploited the world’s interest in the Moon Mission, as album producer Tony Visconti described it. It may have been rejected by him as a ‘novelty song’ but this was no ‘Laughing Gnome’ from Bowie’s Deram days. This was an inspiring and uplifting song that captured the times perfectly for those of us hooked into the magic of space travel. Nevertheless, Visconti must have felt strongly about Bowie ‘exploiting’ the Moon mission because he actually handed over the production of the song to a young producer, Gus Dudgeon, more famous for his later work with Elton John. Dudgeon had also engineered Bowie’s first album for Deram, also entitled ‘David Bowie’. Interestingly, Dudgeon would later produce Elton John’s response to Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ in ‘Rocket Man’, from his 1973 album, ‘Caribou’. I wonder who influenced who? Gudgeon, given free rein by Tony Visconti, transformed the song from a fey children’s sing-a-long into a full-blown opus, a space opera, if you like. When Space Oddity’ was re-released in 1973, teenagers like me had two great space songs to listen to after the final Apollo mission to the Moon in December 1972. Not that we were to know it had all ended.

Playing on ‘Space Oddity’ were some notable session musicians including bassist Herbie Flowers, drummer Terry Cox, guitarist Mick Wayne and a pre-Yes Rick Wakeman, who played the mellotron. The lush strings orchestration was arranged by Paul Buckmaster, giving the song a dynamic, futuristic sound. Bowie himself played acoustic guitar and the stylophone, which he had used on the original version, along with an ocarina for the spacey effects. Nobody really knows where the stylophone came from with some suggesting it was given to Bowie by Marc Bolan and Rick Wakeman claiming that he bought it from a shop near the studio.  In any case the song was certainly augmented by the ethereal tones of this new musical instrument, a toy sized ‘pocket organ’. Interestingly, the musical device was advertised on British television featuring Bowie’s song, providing a nice free promotion. Amazingly, Rolf Harris also used the stylophone and was the company’s official media spokesman!

The original release of ‘Space Oddity’ in 1969 reached number 5 on the British charts but flopped outside Great Britain. It wasn’t until the song was re-issued and the album repackaged with a new cover and title (‘Space Oddity’), that Bowie’s career really took off. The new cover in early 1973 featured a more recent photograph of Bowie. Gone was the blonde curly locks of the 1969 release, replaced by a fresh red-haired look that would later morph into the ‘Ziggy’ persona. This look was much more in keeping with the song. This time ‘Space Oddity’ made it to number 15 on the USA Billboard Chart but in the UK, it finally made it to number 1 in early 1975, mostly on the back of his success with the ‘Ziggy Stardust’ album, an album that featured songs about an alien spaceman rocker.

I guess it made sense for Phillips/Mercury/RCA to cash in on the success of his more recent songs and albums. Of course, by this time Bowie had already released ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ (1970), ‘Hunky Dory’ (1971), ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ (1972), ‘Aladdin Sane’ (1973), ‘Pinups’ (1973), Diamond Dogs’ (1974), ‘David Live’ (1974) and his latest album, ‘Young Americans’ (1975). With Bowie now living in the USA, I wonder what he made of having a song from 1969 topping the charts six years later, competing with his latest single, ‘Fame’. The re-release of ‘Space Oddity’ in 1975, backed with Changes’ (from ‘Hunky Dory’) and new song ‘Velvet Goldmine’ (taken from the ‘Ziggy Stardust’ sessions) certainly caught my ears and it inspired me to start buying up his catalogue of albums, now that I was old enough to buy my own records.

As a fifteen-year-old in 1974 Australia, I remember trying to get my head around Bowie’s confusing discography. Of course, there was very little to help me back then, no Internet and no Wikipedia. Music magazines were just beginning to appear but they were no help. Nevertheless, that was the year that I had decided I was a Bowie fan and I just had to get hold of his music to play on the family stereo. My first purchase was ‘Hunky Dory’ on the back of the ‘Life on Mars’ clip that was being played on the music shows on TV. Later, I bought ‘Pinups’ after hearing ‘Sorrow’ on the radio. That record, my first ‘covers’ album, would introduce me to so many great bands, notably Pink Floyd. Then in late December of that year, I received a copy of the newly re-released ‘Space Oddity’ album from my friends as a parting gift as I began a new life in a different city. At last, in 1975, I finally had my hands on a copy of ‘Space Oddity’ and his greatest song, in my opinion. And as we celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Apollo 11’s moon landing and ‘Space Oddity’, remember that British Television actually played the song just after the Lunar Module touched down safely on the Sea of Tranquility. Not long after the song debuted, Neil Armstrong stepped out of his tin can and walked onto the Moon!

Space Oddity – Evolution of the Song

There are well over 220 covers of ‘Space Oddity’!  I have chosen songs from over the years to represent a decent span of influences and instrumentation, essentially 50 interesting covers. Of the covers I present, one can see how different artists have interpreted the song, both musically and, in some cases, lyrically. David Bowie made four versions of this song (two in 1969, an Italian version in 1970, and a stripped down version in 1979) and a new Tony Visconti remix is due out on July 12^th, 2019 to celebrate the song’s 50^th anniversary (see cover below)! Now have a view/listen from the links that follow!

1969
I Giganti

2.     This Italian version  entitled ‘Corri Uomo Corri’ by I Giganti is the earliest ‘proper version’ of ‘Space Oddity’ that I have heard but apparently there were two other Italian versions before this in 1970 (by Equipe and The Computers) that led David Bowie to record his very own Italian language version, ‘Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola (Lonely Boy, Lonely Girl’). However, the lyrics Bowie sang were not a direct translation of his own song but those of a beautiful love song written by Italian lyricist, Mogol (Guilio Rapetti). While the title of I Giganti’s version actually translates as ‘Run Man Run’, it is a song about a spaceman. This version has real depth and the playing is very good. Although the initial vocalist has a very deep voice that might surprise, he soon gives way to a chorus of well-coordinated singers and then some spoken voices.  It sort of works and I must admit I quite like it as it gets funky towards the end. The band was founded in 1964 and were a progressive rock group known for the first concept album by an Italian rock group. Groovy!  

1971
Gerard Palaprat
I guess it was inevitable that a French singer would tackle ‘Space Oddity’ as well. That singer was Gerard Palaprat and he does a pretty good version, I must admit. His cover is entitled ‘Un homme a disparu dans le ciel’ which translates as ‘A man disappeared in the sky’. It comes from Gerard’s album ‘Fais Moi Un Signe’ (Give Me A Sign). This version cleverly varies the tune in places, introducing some unexpected phases and it also features an original guitar solo to finish the song. 

1973
Arto Sotavalta and the Olli Heikkilan Orkesteri 

4.      Another foreign version by Finnish singer Arto Sotavalta and the Olli Heikkilan Orkesteri (Orchestra) almost certainly has gone unheard by the majority of Bowie fans. Under the title ‘Kapteemi Tom’, it was the B side of a single entitled ‘Sirrryn Leikkimaailmaan’ (Go To Play World). Arto’s version is heavy on percussion and bass but basically is a competent copy of the song, though his voice sounds a bit thin in the mix. 

1977
David Matthews

5.    The earliest ‘English’ cover of Space Oddity that I have sourced is by American Jazz composer David Matthews (not Dave Matthews of rock fame). It appeared on the ‘Dune’ album, made in 1977, a suite of Sci -Fi film themes, including songs based on ‘Dune’, ‘Silent Running’ and ‘Star Wars’, with ‘Space Oddity’ thrown in for good measure. It is a jazz-rock version and is quite sweetly sung by Googie Coppola. It also has a nice alto saxophone solo by David Sanborn. 

     The King’s Singers
     The King’s Singers are essentially an a cappella group that emerged from Kings College, Oxford in the late 1960s and have a recording career that spans from the late 1970s to the present. Their version of ‘Space Oddity’ is anything but a cappella, however, because a wide range of instruments are used to complement the six voices of the group. That makes their version quite a rocky and enjoyable ride. It is from their album ‘Tempus Fugit’. 

1978
London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society

7.    This cover of ‘Space Oddity’ was the first I actually heard. It is by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society from their album ‘Classic Rock II’. I loved all three Classic Rock albums as they gave me an opportunity to appreciate well-known songs in an orchestral style. This version sits highly in my estimation, combining classical instruments, a choir and some electronic wizardry to convey the song.  

1981
Rudy Grant

8.     Guyana-born British DJ Rudy Grant produced the first cross-genre version of ‘Space Oddity’ that I have discovered. It is his reggae-inspired take on the song from his album ‘Rudy Grant Sings The Hits In Reggae Style’. It is quite a boppy version that certainly transforms the song. 

1986
The Flying Pickets

9.    The Flying Pickets are a British comic a cappella group who have made many enjoyable covers albums since their formation in 1982. Their live version of ‘Space Oddity’ was recorded in 1985 is both enjoyable and very funny, making the most of the opportunity to ad lib weird space sounds. Their great harmonising is the best feature of the song, however. It is from their album ‘The Flying Pickets Live’, released in 1986,  as well as ‘Only You…The Best Of The Flying Pickets’ (1991). 

1993
Saigon Kick

      Saigon Kick was a metal band from Florida in the 1990s who have recently reformed. Their version of Space Oddity appeared as track 2 on their third album ‘Water’. It is sung by guitarist Jason Bieler, who took over vocal duties after the departure of the former lead singer, Matt Kramer. A somewhat metallic version, with some acoustic flourishes here and there, a quite accomplished version that is worth listening to. 

1997
Crimson Joy

      The closing track on German Goth-rock band Crimson Joy’s album ‘Badlands’, this is an interesting industrial-sounding cover, sung by female vocalist, Verena Lupp. It is quite a moody version which also appeared as the opening track on the German tribute album ‘The Dark Side of David Bowie’ which also appeared in 1997.  It reminds me of Souixsie and the Banshees in its delivery, with a bit of NASA radio thrown in. 

1998
Cold

This version by American nu-metal group Cold is from their first ever release, an EP named ‘Oddity’. I would call this a short, jangly version with a great back-beat by drummer, Ethan Yorke. However, it has a somewhat odd vocal delivery by Scooter Ward that takes a bit of getting used to.

1999
Helloween

 Helloween is a German metal outfit who doesn’t mind the odd cover. Their version of ‘Space Oddity’ is from their 1999 ‘Metal Jukebox’ covers album. Surprisingly, their version is quite acoustic and honors the original quite faithfully. A pleasant version! 

Natalie Merchant
From her live album ‘Live In Concert’, American singer Natalie Merchant delivers a fine version of ‘Space Oddity’ in a style reminiscent of the original. Her vocal delivery, however, is somewhat   restrained in this version but her interesting voice more than makes up for   that.  

2000
Tulus

Tulus is a hard-core screamo band from Norway and their version of ‘Space Oddity’ does little for me. It features one normal vocalist (Blodstrup) and one demented screamo vocalist (Hildr) who ruins the song for me. Apart from that, the instrumentation is quite good, with a distinct grunge feel to it. The cover appears on their greatest hits album, ‘Cold Core Collection’. There is one notable lyric change where the principal singer (Blodstrup) transforms Bowie’s positive line “ …..may God’s love be with you” into something rather demonic “…may Darkness be with you”. I don’t like lyrics being messed with, even if they are a so-called ‘black metal band’. 

2001
Langley Schools Music Project

Who would expect a version of ‘Space Oddity’ to be released by schoolkids? I guess the music teachers are really responsible for this atrocity by the Langley Schools Music Project. The song is Track 4 on an album of 21 live covers of famous rock songs from the 1960s and 70s named ‘Innocence & Despair’. It was produced by Canadian teacher Hans Fenger, using students from four schools in the Langley District of Vancouver, British Columbia. Amazingly, this album was recorded in 1977-78 and was released 24 years later when all the kids would have been in their 30s! It features a lot of very loud crashes and bangs and choir of students struggling to be heard over the cacophony of sounds emanating from the rock band attempting to perform the song. AstonishIngly, David Bowie actually was given a copy of the album and these are his words on the back cover:

"The backing arrangement is astounding. Coupled with the earnest if lugubrious vocal performance you have a piece of art that I couldn't have conceived of, even with half of Colombia's finest export products in.me." – David Bowie (on the Langley students' rendition of "Space Oddity")

      I think Bowie was trying to be kind and his joke about ‘Columbia’s finest export products’ brings a smile to my face. it is hideous version, let’s be honest, but hey, they are only kids performing a song most would never have heard of at the time. 

    

     4Front
      Another version released in 2001 is by a New Jersey USA band named 4Front. Their version, from their album ‘Radio Waves Goodbye’, clocks in at 6.35 and incorporates lyrics from Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ in a style reminiscent of Rush. It is lush and layered with keyboards and NASA radio excerpts but for me it is all a bit bland and the vocal undistinguished. I don’t like the pinching of lyrics from another song so I am giving it a thumbs down. 

2002
Vitamin String Quartet

       Vitamin String Quartet is well known for their strings covers and their version of ‘Space Oddity’ is typical of their sparse, no frills sound. It comes from their album of Bowie covers ‘The String Quartet Tribute to David Bowie’. What you might not know is that there is no one VSQ, it is a series of groups cobbled together by the Vitamin Records label. Starting in 1997, the label has produced over 261 tribute albums to date so it is no surprise that they tackled Bowie early in their history. 

     
     Star One       
     Star One’s version of ‘Space Oddity’ is Arjen Lucassen doing his own vocals to the same piece of music that was later produced for the Ayreon version with Eric Clayton.  His voice is okay but now I know why this talented multi-instrumentalist and producer prefers to have guest vocalists perform on his albums.

2003
Lisa Carbon

   .   An entirely electronic version of ‘Space Oddity’ is cooked up by legendary German composer Uwe Schmidt, under his cover name Lisa Carbon, one of his many aliases. It appears on his album entitled ‘Lisa Carbon/Standards’. While it has its moments, I can’t warm to this version as it seems more a novelty record than a serious electronic tribute, such is Uwe’s predilection for cheesy moog sounds and annoying sound effects from computer games. 

2 .    
          Pitch Black Dream  
      Pitch Black Dream were an all-girl group from Canada who performed their version of ‘Space Oddity’ in an interesting trip-hop style with some traditional hard rock elements thrown in. This is a very listenable cover and I particularly like the female voices harmonising during key parts of the song. Their version can be found on an excellent  tribute album by female artists, ‘Spiders From Venus – Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie’. Definitely worth checking out! 

2004
Ayreon

2      Dutch musician and producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen has several music projects. One of them is Ayreon, which involves ‘rock operas’ performed in a progressive rock or metal style. This take on ‘Space Oddity’ is from the ‘Day Eleven: Love’  single taken from the ‘Human Equation’ album which includes four interesting non-album covers. It is quite dark and metallic as a result, with guest vocalist Eric Clayton from Saviour Machine providing a deep and resonant tone, reminiscent of Bowie’s ‘Cat People (Putting Out Fire)’ single. 

   .   Steel Train 
      Steel Train was an Indie band from New Jersey, USA. Their version of ‘Space Oddity’ appeared on an EP entitled ‘1969’ which featured six songs from that year. It is nice guitar-heavy take on the song and well sung by vocalist Scott Irby-Ranniar. 

2    Fuzzy Love
      Another version of ‘Space Oddity’ from 2004 was by German ‘Trash Art Ensemble’, Fuzzy Love. It is from their album ‘Berlin Insane II’ and it must be one of the most unusual versions out there. It features a variety of instruments, including cheesy organ, trumpets, bongos, and even a theremin. The vocals by JJ Jones suitably complement the chaotic playing of the ensemble in what is described as ‘De-Constructionist Anti-Pop’  or ‘Irritainment’. I don’t mind it at all and I think Bowie might have got the joke as well! 

2005
Seu Jorge

2     Brazilian singer’s Seu Jorge acoustic recordings of Bowie covers ended up on the soundtrack of ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ and from all reports his performances in the film appear are the best things about it. ‘Space Oddity’ is perhaps the best of his five covers and it is quite a passionate rendition, in his native Portuguese. 

       The Neanderthals
      I love this up-tempo instrumental version of ‘Space Oddity’ by The Neanderthals. It really rocks along very nicely and features some great thumping  drums and a sitar for the lead guitar parts! It appears on their one and only album, ‘The Neanderthals in Space’, which features mostly instrumental covers of ‘spacey’ songs. The band appears to be a side project of Eddie Angel and Pete Curry of Los Straitjackets  ans well as their friend and vocalist Johnny Rabb. Great version! 

2006
Def Leppard

       Def Leppard’s version is quite a delightful straight copy of the Bowie classic with similar sounding instruments to boot. It comes from the ‘Yeah!’ Bonus cd, which has three cover tracks. 

2007
Emilie Simon

       From the tribute album ‘Bowie Mania’, French singer Emilie Simon  delivers a semi-industrial sing-song version that certainly has its moments, including heavy use of violins and a ticking clock. At times she sounds like Kate Bush when she reaches her upper register but her voice is a bit low in the mix, in my opinion. Still, it is a likeable take of the song and I love her French accent when it breaks through. 

2009
Collide

   .   American music duo, Collide, produced an album of contemporary trip-hop covers called ‘These Eyes Before’ focusing on classic songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including two from Pink Floyd and Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’. The song is very synth dominated, as to be expected but it generally works quite well and the vocals by kaRIN are quite soothing to the ear. Perhaps my only criticism is that it it is a bit ‘busy’. It needed a bit more space in it to make it more ‘spacey’!

       
     Peter Murphy
     British musician Peter Murphy, formerly of Bauhaus, is notable for his baritone voice. Now a solo performer, his take on ‘Space Oddity’ is quite delightful, both sonically and vocally. It features some violin solos and interesting effects but his voice really carries the song. 

       
   
      Keith Murrell 
      Former Airrace singer Keith Murrell recorded a very competent version of ‘Space Oddity’ for the soundtrack of ‘Planet 51’, an animated kid’s film of 2009. It is beautifully orchestrated and has some very nice electric guitar moments that make a good addition to the mix.

2010
Tangerine Dream

3    Tangerine Dream’s version is from their covers album “Under Cover: Chapter One”, which also includes a cover of Bowie’s ‘Heroes’. It is typical. well-made electro-rock in the customary Tangerine Dream fashion, delivered with a slight German accent by current bandleader Thorsten Quaeschning. Amazingly, this is their 120^th album! 

       

      Exitmusic 
      Exitmusic performed their version of ‘Space Oddity’ as Track one on the excellent double cd Bowie tribute album, ‘We Were So Turned On’. It features a heavy synth arrangement and an interesting vocal by American actress and singer, Aleksa Palladino. A fine version of the song on a big collection of great Bowie covers. 

2011
William Shatner

       William Shatner, Captain Kirk from the original ‘Star Trek’ television and film enterprise (no pun intended) probably has no right to be making music because he doesn’t actually sing! However, he manages to attract great musicians for his albums and they generally support him with well-made productions of the songs he ‘tackles’. His take on ‘Space Oddity’ is augmented by the legendary Deep Purple guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore. The result is surprisingly good , despite some odd inflections from William Shatner, which some of us might forgive. The song is taken from Shatner’s fourth album ‘Seeking Major Tom’, which features an all-star cast and many spaced-themed songs. It grows on you! 

     

     The Yale Whiffenpoofs 
     The Yale Whiffenpoofs are an a cappella group based at Yale University in Connecticut, USA, and they make a good fist of re-imagining ‘Space Oddity’, using just their voices. Their version is from ‘The Invention of a Cappella and Other Modest Achievements’, which includes a variety of interesting covers. The group is an ever-changing formation of fourteen members that has its origins in 1912. By the way, a ‘whiffenpoof’ is an imaginary creature which was also the title of their only hit song in 1909. 

       

     Powerman 5000
     Powerman 5000’s version of ‘Space Oddity’ is a mess of pounding electro beats that stray far from the original acoustic guitar sounds generated by Bowie’s original backing band. This is an American group that specializes in ‘industrial metal’ fronted by Rob Zombie’s brother, Spider One. Their bleak take is from their album ‘Copies, Clones and Replicants’. This version doesn’t move me at all. 

       Federica Zammarchi
      Italian Federica Zammarchi has produced a wonderful jazz arrangement of ‘Space Oddity’ that really re-imagines the song in an entirely different tempo. Her delicious vocals are ably supported by a great band. It is taken from her album of Bowie jazz covers suitably entitled ‘Jazz Oddity’. This is definitely one for those of us who like a bit of jazz flavored rock and a powerful female vocal. 

2012
Mike Massé and Jeff Hall

       Mike Massé and Jeff Hall are very good at producing acoustic guitar covers of popular songs on the Internet. Their 2009 live cover of ‘Space Oddity’ is beautifully played and their vocals are nicely harmonized. It is taken from Mike Massé’s 2012 album, ‘Covers (Mostly Live)’. A cover that reminds you of the simplicity of the original. 

2013
Chris Hadfield 

       Many of us should remember seeing vision of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield performing his version of ‘Space Oddity’ in space aboard the International Space Station as it orbited Earth. What other song could you choose to sing in space in your final hours on your last mission? Back on Earth, Chris released his album called ‘Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can’, all recorded in his spare time in space. His version is quite remarkable, with some notable lyric departures which refer to his orientation aboard the International Space Station. A truly uplifting cover that is out of this world, literally! 

2014
Kendra Morris

       American singer Kendra Morris recorded a great album of covers in 2014 with the clever title ‘Mockingbird’. I can thoroughly recommend this soulful singer. Her version of ‘Space Oddity’ is very good and it has enough of the familiar with a blend of the unexpected. A beautiful rendition from a talented vocalist. 

2015
Kittie

       Canadian heavy metal band, Kittie, provides a suitably heavy version of ‘Space Oddity’ to ‘The Songs of David Bowie: A Salute to the Thin White Duke’. It is an excellent tribute album. Lead by vocalist Morgan Lander, this all-girl group really rocks, delivering a powerful but balnced version that is worth hearing again and again. 

       
     Hank Marvin
     Guitar maestro, Hank Marvin, assisted by old Shadows mate, Cliff Richard, produced a sonically powerful version of Space Oddity’, well worth hearing. It appears on his ‘Heartbeat’ album. The song has some nice electronic sound effects by Hank’s son, Warren, and of course, the familiar sound of Hank’s red Fender Stratocaster guitar. Sir Cliff Richard performs the countdown at the start of the song. Enjoy! 

2016

   .   Lido is a Norwegian record producer and musician in his own right. His version of ‘Space Oddity’ is a much-varied electronic tribute which seems to have many admirers. Despite its many elements, including robotic voices and samples from the original, it is not a bad effort, I suppose. I’m not a fan of the static though and I suspect the use of autotune. 

2017
The Flaming Lips

       The Flaming Lips are well known for their cover albums and I must say this recent version of ‘Space Oddity’ is damn good, one of the best post DB covers. It was released exactly one year after Bowie’s premature demise. This bass heavy psychedelic version features some interesting effects such as backwards guitar and liberal use of echo. A great tribute and a highlight of their live sets. 

       Passenger
      British singer Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, performs a great folk version of ‘Space Oddity’ on his covers album ‘The Sunday Sessions’. It is a beautiful, whimsical take on the classic song. Simple, acoustic and with a few nice electronic touches here and there, this is a great version in honor of a great man. 

4    Rick Wakeman
     Considering that Rick Wakeman actually played on the original I think it is touching that he recorded his own version of ’Space Oddity’ as a tribute to his fellow legend. Of course, it is just a piano recital but it is so much more than that when you consider where it is coming from. Being Rick Wakeman, he gives the song a bit of ‘treatment’, making it a lush version that covers all the moods of the song exquisitely. 

  

      David Fonseca
          Portuguese musician David Fonseca recorded an album of Bowie covers in his 2017 tribute album ‘Bowie 70’. His version of ‘Space Oddity’ is piano based and features subtle use of strings to complement his distinctive voice. A fine version from this accomplished musician. 

       Puddles Pity Party
      Puddles Pity Party is a white-faced clown who performs classic songs on YouTube and sometimes sings with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. His real name is Mike Geier. In his take on ‘Space Oddity’ one is immediately impressed with his extremely powerful vocal delivery, in this largely piano-based version. It is very moving and definitely worth a few listens.

4    Eric Matthews
      Yet another recent tribute version of ‘Space Oddity’ is from American musician Eric Matthews. The single release is essentially a mild-mannered acoustic cover that distinguishes itself from other versions by the presence of Eric’s horn playing that fleshes out the sound while not dominating it. Quite a pleasant cover. 

2018

      Miriam Aida 
      Miriam Aida is a Swedish jazz singer and her version of ‘Space Oddity’ is the most recent that I have discovered. Made with her regular band and guest trombonist, Nils Landgren, it is an interesting upbeat arrangement that takes the song into an entirely new territory. Miriam has a real affinity with Bowie, having made an entire album of Bowie covers under the title ‘Loving the Alien’ from which ‘Space Oddity’ was lifted as a single. An excellent new version! 

There you have it, 50 cover versions for the 50th anniversary of ‘Space Oddity’! Hopefully, that wets your whistle or whets your appetite for more! If you manage to listen to them all, well done! I think you can then say you are an expert on the evolution of this great song.

A few years ago, for my own amusement, I started making my own cds of classic songs combined with interesting versions.‘Space Oddity’, of course, was one of the first I made. So here it is, my Space Oddity Covers album!

1.      Space Oddity – David Bowie (1969)

2.      Space Oddity – The Flaming Lips (2017)

3.      Space Oddity – Passenger (2017)

4.      Space Oddity – Chris Hadfield (2013)

5.      Space Oddity – Rick Wakeman (2017)

6.      Space Oddity – Seu Jorge (2005)

7.      Space Oddity – Exitmusic (2010)

8.      Space Oddity – Kittie (2015)

9.      Space Oddity – The Neanderthals (2005)

10.  Space Oddity – Hank Marvin (feat. Cliff Richard) (2015)

11.  Space Oddity – William Shatner (feat. Ritchie Blackmore) (2011)

12.  Space Oddity – Star One (2002)

13.  Space Oddity – Emilie Simon (2007)

14.  Space Oddity – Peter Murphy: (2009)

15.  Space Oddity – The Yale Whiffenpoofs (2011)

                                        16. Space Oddity – Natalie Merchant (live) (1999)

These are the covers that I selected for my playlist (see link in Comments) but there are many others that I could have included from the list of 50 above and I am sure some of you out there may have your own personal preferences. I have collected enough covers to do another edition but I will leave that for another day!

P.S. Here is the 2019 Remix of David Bowie's Space Oddity, hot off the press!