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The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa, and Otis Redding are legends. You know most (if not all) of their hits, but do you know their debut singles? Not every group was like the Monkees and debuted at #1 on the charts. Let’s take a look at some of the forgotten and rarely heard debut singles.
Rolling Stones: Come On
Released June 07, 1963, Decca released “Come On,” as the debut single for the Rolling Stones. Only released in the United Kingdom, the Chuck Berry cover reached #21 on the British charts. Most Americans
wouldn’t hear the single until it appeared on the 1972 compilation More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies).
For the 50th anniversary of the release of their debut single on June 06, 2013, The Rolling Stones performed a portion of the song during a concert in Toronto, Ontario.
It is interesting to note that while this is the Rolling Stones very first single, “Come On” was Chuck Berry’s final single before spending 3 years in prison in 1961. His next single (“Nadine”) would come in 1964.
Stevie Wonder: (I Call It
Pretty Music But) The Old People Call It The Blues
Little Stevie Wonder’s first big hit reached #1 in 1963 with the release of “Finger Tips - Parts 1 and 2.” However, that was not his debut single, it was actually his fourth. At 12 years of age, Wonder’s first single came a year earlier when Tamla released “(I Call It Pretty Music But) The Old People Call It The Blues.” The song failed to appear on the R&B charts, but did bubble under the Billboard Hot 100 at #101.
Wonder later played harmonica on a song with a
similar title: Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.”
Young Rascals: I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore
The Young Rascals topped the charts in 1966 with their version of “Good Lovin,” a song recorded a year earlier by The Olympics, which they adapted from the original version recorded by Canton, Ohio native Lemme B. Good.
While it was most likely the first time you ever heard TheYoung Rascals, “Good Lovin” was not their debut single but rather their debut follow up. “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” was released in November of 1965 and only reached #52 on Billboard. The song did better in Canada as it hit #23.
The B-side is an absolute barn burning rendition of Larry Williams’ “Slow Down.” That’s one B-side you gotta dig!
Frank Zappa (The Mothers of Invention): How Could I Be Such A Fool
Frank Zappa’s debut single dates back to his days with The Mothers Of Invention with the 1966 release of “How Could I Be Such A Fool.”
Released on Verve Records, the song is a bit reminiscent of a doo wop ballad. It did not chart nationally, but did receive some
The Rarely Heard
Debut Singles
Joe Madigan presenter at Radiodowntown.ca
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