Songs That Were Covers: Shakin' All Over

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Bill Price, and in this episode of Songs That Were Covers, I will feature the song titled “Shakin’ All Over”.  Some of you may remember the 1965 song by the Guess Who.  However, the Guess Who’s version was a cover and was also covered by three other artists.

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Transcript

In this episode of Songs That Were Covers, I will feature the song titled “Shakin’ All Over”. Some of you may remember the 1965 song by the Guess Who. However, the Guess Who’s version was a cover and was also covered by three other artists.

“Shakin’ All Over” was written by English singer and songwriter Johnny Kidd, who was the leader of the rock band known as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. In 1959, the band was signed to His Master’s Voice record label, with their first release titled “Please Don’t Touch”, also written by Kidd. The single was a minor hit on the UK singles chart, reaching the number twenty-five position. The next release, which would become the band’s most famous single, was “Shakin’ All Over”. In 1960 it climbed to the number one position in the UK singles chart. Kidd described how he was inspired to write the song. 

Quote: “When I was going round with a bunch of lads and we happened to see a girl who was a real sizzler, we used to say that she gave us 'quivers down the membranes'. It was a standard saying with us, referring to any attractive girl. I can honestly say that it was this more than anything, that inspired me to write "Shakin' All Over" end quote.

The next recording was a song titled “Please Don’t Bring Me Down” that failed to enter the charts. However the single’s B-side titled “So What” did manage to become a minor Rock n’ Roll classic in the UK. In 1966, the group disbanded following Johnny Kidd’s death as a result of a car accident. The band later reformed in 1976, recorded four albums, and performed up until 1983.

Here is the original version of “Shakin’ All Over” by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.

In December 1964, “Shakin’ All Over” gained more recognition, when a cover version was recorded by the Canadian band known as Chad Allan and the Expressions. By the spring of 1965 it reached the number one position in Canada and in the US the single reached the number twenty two position. Interestingly Quality Records, the band’s record label, attempted to disguise the band’s origin and hinted that the group was British, so on the record label the artist name appeared as the “Guess Who”. The band’s actual name was eventually disclosed, however on the radio, disc jockeys continued to refer to the band as The Guess Who. As a result, the band decided to change the name.   

In Australia, the Guess Who’s version reached the number twenty-seven position. However in late 1965, Normie Rowe’s version became a national hit reaching number one, making it one of Australia’s largest selling records in the 1960s. Interestingly Rowe had recorded the song before The Guess Who, however Rowe’s version was based on an earlier Australian release by Johnny Chester in 1962, which rose to the number twenty-five position. 

Here is an excerpt of Johnny Chester’s version from 1962:

Here is Normie Rowe’s 1965 version of  “Shakin’ All Over”:

The British band The Who performed “Shakin’ All Over” numerous times, which included performances at Woodstock in 1969 and on Live at Leeds in 1970.

When Randy Bachman of The Guess Who met John Entwistle, the bass player of The Who, he was told people constantly got both bands mixed up. The Who would get yelled at for not playing “Shakin’ All Over”, so they began playing the song to keep the audience happy. Interestingly, The Guess Who also had similar encounters, so they played The Who’s “My Generation” in their concerts.

Here is an excerpt of The Who’s version of  “Shakin’ All Over”:

On September 20th, 2001, I attended a concert in Fairfax, Virginia where Joe Cocker was the opening act for The Guess Who.  In episode 181, I reviewed the career of the British singer Joe Cocker. I’ll conclude this episode of Songs That Were Covers with the Guess Who’s 1965 cover of  “Shakin’ All Over”.

This has been a look at the story behind one of the Songs That Were Covers:  “Shakin’ All Over”.  And until next time, I’m your host Bill Price.