Single Song Sunday

I have been waist-deep in African sounds in recent months. As a result I have rather neglected my Single Song Sunday duties. But that Charity Chic fellow did a post last Sunday that has prompted me to get back to work. Thank you for the nudge CC.

The song I have chosen to relaunch the series is the Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell standard "Fever". There are many versions out there and we have selected ten corkers for you today.

Of course for every corker there is an equal and opposite clunker, such as Madonna's monstrosity from 1993 to which no decent person should be subjected. Modern Romance are almost as bad. You won't find any of that sort of stuff here.

We start with the original, and in my personal opinion probably still the best. Little Willie John took "Fever" right to the top of the R&B charts in 1956 with his version which sold over a million copies in the US alone.

Hopping ahead to 1958 we have the great Ms Peggy Lee with what many consider to be the definitive version of the song. It's certainly the one that has spawned the most imitators, almost all of the pale variety.

Fortunately for us there were plenty of artists who realised that copying Peggy was a fool's errand and decided to give the song their own spin. Like the two Latin acts that come next - Mexico's leading garage band Los Johnny Jets with their take from 1966, and Cuba's La Lupe whose vocals in her 1968 version defy description. 

In 1971 Zimbabwean blues-rockers Otis Waygood decided to give "Fever" a go. George may wish to note the presence of extensive jazz flute on this version. Whether George will be as impressed by the even more extensive vibraphone solos by Roy Ayers he will no doubt tell us in due course.

Roy's rendition was released in 1979, which seems to have been a big year for "Fever" fans. It was in the same year that old Link Wray took a bash at it and naughty Lizzy Mercier Descloux thought it would be big and clever to swap "fever" for "tumour". Turns out she was right. Slightly late to the party were The Cramps, who included this fine take on the tune on their 1980 debut album "Songs The Lord Taught Us".

As you would expect there were several candidates for the Mandatory Reggae Version. Grant Phabao & Lone Ranger nearly took the coveted spot but in the end I plumped for Susan Cadogan and her 1976 release produced by The Upsetter himself.

"Fever" -  Little Willie John

"Fever" - Peggy Lee

"Fiebre" -Los Johnny Jets

"Fever" - La Lupe

"Fever" -  Otis Waygood

"Fever" - Roy Ayers

"Fever" - Link Wray

"Tumour" - Lizzy Mercier Descloux

"Fever" - The Cramps

"Fever" - Susan Cadogan

Peggy Lee's version may be the definitive version but it was not the most successful in chart terms in the US. That honour belongs to The McCoys of "Hang On Sloopy" fame. They took the song to #7 in 1965 (Peggy only made it to #8). 

So here they are to lead out the cavalcade of cool videos. But we've saved to best until last.