A Generation Full of Courage

Last week, Frodis Caper correctly identified “Cuddly Toy” and an easily-findable cover (original?) by The Monkees, netting Frodis the victory with the only point awarded!

Edited to Note: You can check out the answers to last week on the original post, or you can hop over to YouTube where there’s a playlist of all the answers!

I go back and forth on who was the cover and who was the original. Harry Nilsson wrote the song, but he sold it to The Monkees for their fourth studio album (and their second with creative control following the ousting of Don Kirshner, “The Man with the Golden Ear). The Monkees released it on “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.” in November of 1967, and Nilsson released his own version on his second studio album, “Pandemonium Shadow Show,” in December of 1967. So, is the version by the original songwriter the original? Or is the first one actually released, and Harry Nilsson’s version is a cover of his own song?

Philosophical quandaries about the nature of authorship and who gets to claim the “original artist” title aside, it’s time for another Friday 10! Get in the comments, identify the artist and title, and remember: Don’t search the answer on a search engine, I’ll give you credit for identifying a cover version as long as I can find it, and you need to get close at least to the title and artist. If someone gets closer than you, they can grab the point, instead. Here we go! Edit: The Time for guessing is over! The answers are posted below, and on a handy YouTube playlist!

1. A bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down — and won
   John Prine, “Illegal Smile” 📺
2. Felt it in my hips so I dipped back to my bag of tricks
   Salt-N-Pepa, “Shoop” 📺
3. And heaven waits here at my door, and if you want more…
   The Pointer Sisters, “Jump (For My Love)” 📺
   Identified by Frodis Caper
4. We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files
   Simon & Garfunkel, “Mrs. Robinson” 📺
   Identified by Fred
5. Why you got to give me a fight? Can’t you just let it be?
   Kenny Loggins, “I’m Alright” 📺
   Identified by Fred
6. And you’ll never guess who’s coming down the trail… or will you?
   The RiffTones, “Here Comes the Ice Cream Bunny” 📺
7. Ride the mule and cut the fool and love again all over
   The Carolina Chocolate Drops, “Cornbread and Butterbeans” 📺 (Johnny Tyler and The Riders of the Rio Grande cover)
8. Then your ears grew an inch and your nose began to twitch
   Allan Sherman, “You Getting to Be a Rabbit With Me” 📺
9. Would you like to bounce with the brother that’s platinum?
   Will Smith, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” 📺
   Identified by John
10. It’s so weird, so feared, yet wonderful to see
    Angela Lansbury, “Substitutiary Locomotion” 📺 (from Bedknobs and Broomsticks)

Featured Image by Ádám Urvölgyi from Pixabay