Original vs. Cover: Goin’ Back
Our new series Original vs. Cover looks at two versions of the same song, the original release and a cover, as we answer the question: Who did it better?
We kick off the series with a song that did not appear on disc by the songwriter until four years later so for our purposes she cannot claim the original. The Brill building in New York was where Carole King and first husband Gerry Goffin were to write countless hits for other artists. A songwriting factory which housed the likes of Neil Diamond, Ellie Greenwich, Burt Bacharach and Neil Sedaka, Brill's assembly line of talents provided the backdrop to the charts of the 1960s.
The Brill Building at 1619 Broadway in New York City.
In 1966, the King/Goffin duo wrote the song “Goin' Back” in their little cubbyhole just off Times Square. The first influential artist to commit it to disc was none other than that queen of white soul Dusty Springfield. Dusty's husky version of King's song of longing for a return to the joys of youth would reach number ten in the UK singles chart but was bizarrely not released as a 45 in the USA. Dusty's version gets an orchestral treatment with the piano intro and lavish strings, unlike the following year's more country-tinged version by the Byrds (another excellent interpretation). Dusty's fine effort is a superb piece of music by arguably the UK's finest ever female vocalist.
Dusty Springfield brought “Goin’ Back” to #10 on the UK singles chart.
But hang on, what would happen under ten years later… Someone would come along with a stunning solo debut album, whose live shows would include King's masterpiece and turn it into a showstopper. This someone was Nils Lofgren. Lofgren had begun the seventies as one of the musicians on classic Neil Young album After the Goldrush (no mean feat for the then 19-year-old Lofgren) and was a member of the band Crazy Horse for a short period. After limited success with his own band Grin, he became a solo artist and released one of the finest albums of the mid-70s with his eponymous debut that also included “Goin' Back”. But it was when Lofgren played the song live that it really took off. On his '77 live double album Night After Night it is the centrepiece of the action, Lofgren's piano taking the song into a semi-rocking sphere unthinkable from Dusty's original. The piano would be the highlight if it weren't for Nils' wonderful vocal. One of the great live tracks of any album, it is the 1977 Nils Lofgren cover version that here wins the day (with apologies to Dusty). Those of us lucky to enough to see Nils perform this live when showcasing his earlier albums with trampoline on stage as he performed guitar-strapped backflips will long treasure the memory.
Let us know which song you want to see next in Original vs. Cover in the comments!