Got It Covered: You Keep Me Hangin' On

"and there ain't nothing I can do about it."

Even though the song was full of desperation, the first time I heard Diana Ross sing that line, I remember thinking "oh she'll be just fine."

"You Keep Me Hangin' On," was the eighth song by the Supremes to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Another great song written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team out of Motown, it had hit written all over it from the get-go. And this great song has been a hit not only for the Supremes, but it has also been successfully covered by several other singers and bands. Let's take a ride..

It moved from the classic Motown sound, to psychedelic rock by way of Vanilla Fudge. I also remember hearing that cover the first time, and I believe my reactions was sort of like "whoa, how'd they come up with that?" It's just a fabulous version of the song.

In the 70s, it came back again again a few times. First, because I could listen to him sing an instruction manual, Mr. Wilson Pickett. Full of soul and hopelessness. Just damn good.

 Also from the 70s, this time by Rod Stewart. Much more theatrical, and going back to rock mode, it just proves a good song is a good song.

As the music scene went to the disco and dance era, and the pop scene became way too relevant for my liking, Kim Wilde used a different arrangement and created another hit.

Now for my money, I'd probably take Diana and the girls. After all, there are those memories of us girls fighting over who would sing the lead in our bedroom mirror version of 60s karaoke. But then, the psychedelic version by Vanilla Fudge brings up a whole very different rush of memories. Yes, the difference of a few years brought about quite a change in recreational time. But I digress.

Enjoy a taste or two, and feel free to leave your memories.

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