The Crew-Cuts: Song Analysis

Typing any song name and the word ‘cover’ right after the name will present hundreds of results on YouTube. Covering a song is an act of recording a previously recorded and released song by an individual other than the original singer. It has been done millions of times over half a century. Therefore, it’s generally accepted by the society as its also considered a way to emit creativity. There are very few instances of original artists suing the person that made a cover version of the song unless it’s an immense corporation that’s making a colossal amount of money from that song. However, the situation was different in the 1940s and early 1950s. There was a trend of white artists covering records made by black artists solely for the purpose

The first R&B song to crossover to the mainstream top ten, “Sh-Boom” was quickly covered by The Crew-Cuts. The cover version went on to become Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart while the original version recorded by The Chords was left behind in the dust. In the same way, Georgie Gibbs rewrote and toned down a song called “The Wallflower”, originally recorded by Etta James and called it “Dance with me Henry” which went all the way to number one on the pop charts while the original version didn’t even make it into the chart. Gibbs also covered LaVern Baker’s “Tweedle Dee” by using the same backing group, same arrangements, and the same musicians. Gibbs version went to become number one on the chart while the original version was lagging behind at number fourteen. Thus, all these cover versions generated far greater revenue then their original counterparts. Everything about this process screams illegal which is why Baker was enraged and petitioned congress to enact legislation that would prevent the use of an arrangement employed in a recording without permission. This way, she became the first to take legal action to curtail the practice of covering. However, the case failed and her efforts were all in