Ken Boothe / Sandy Shaw – Puppet On A String
COVER VERSION VS ORIGINAL SONG
Since the early 1960s and even prior, numerous iconic Jamaican hits were derived from popular foreign songs. The original pop and soul tracks were frequently embraced by audiences on the island, leading reggae artists to create their own renditions. Some of these artists gained fame by covering chart-topping songs, turning these adaptations into timeless classics.
For instance, American artist Bill Withers recorded the Grammy-winning song Ain’t No Sunshine, which Horace Andy later adapted, while Dennis Brown’s rendition of Black Magic Woman originally came from Fleetwood Mac. These two examples represent just a small fraction of the many covers that have emerged over the past sixty-five years.
Since the advent of these adaptations, both Jamaican and international reggae musicians have persistently reimagined pop and soul hits, continuing this tradition into the present. You’re welcome to listen to both the original and the cover versions to determine which one resonates with you the most.
KEN BOOTHE
Rocksteady emerged in Jamaica around the summer of 1966, quickly becoming the island’s leading music genre until the spring of 1968. During this time, Coxsone Dodd signed Ken Boothe to his Studio One label and promoted him as ‘Mr. Rock Steady.’ In 1968, Boothe’s cover of Kenny Lynch’s Northern Soul song Moving Away was released on the Coxsone label. The previous year, he had recorded a rocksteady version of another UK tune for Dodd, Sandie Shaw’s Puppet On A String. Following a piano intro, Boothe’s unique vibrato and timbre grace a smooth rocksteady riddim. His rendition of Puppet On A String was issued as a 7″ single and featured as the opening track on his debut LP, Mr. Rock Steady.
SANDIE SHAW
Puppet On A String, written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter and sung by Sandie Shaw, was chosen as the UK’s entry for the 12th Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. Interestingly, it was Shaw’s least favorite among the five tracks she performed during ‘A Song for Europe 1967,’ the national selection organized by the BBC. She triumphed in the Eurovision Song Contest, and Puppet On A String became her third No. 1 hit in the UK, also enjoying big worldwide success. The single sold over four million copies globally, making it the highest-selling winning Eurovision song to date. Shaw once revealed that she actually disliked the song due to her instinctive aversion to its sexist drivel and repetitive melody.
The post Ken Boothe / Sandy Shaw – Puppet On A String appeared first on Reggae Vibes.