Yet MORE Songs You May Not Have Known Were Covers: Ships (#5)

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One thing about working on Sunday: it discombobulates the rest of the week. It's Tuesday, but my brain is thinking Wednesday. That's okay, because my brain is also thinking about a great song that was covered. Today's entry is particularly pleasing....not because I like the cover, but because I love the original, and I get to free the song from the evil clutches of its cover. #5: Ships Barry Manilow. Just ick. Every freaking hit the guy had, with a couple of exceptions, were identical: ballad, starts softly and builds to this "aaahhhhhhhhhh" crescendo at the end. Just ick. The exceptions were "It's a Miracle" and "Copacabana," which weren't nearly as successful as I'm ready to take a chance to write the songs that make Mandy sing. For a guy boasting about how he wrote the songs, he didn't: "Mandy" was a cover, and "I Write the Songs" was written by Bruce Johnston (a member of yesterday's cover group, the Beach Boys). And that brings us to "Ships," a top ten hit for Manilow in 1979. Given his output tastes, I'm surprised he found this great song. It was originally recorded by Ian Hunter on the classic album You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. Hunter, lead singer for Mott the Hoople, began writing the song when he was in Mott. It's a particularly painful song, detailing a strained relationship between father and son. They want to be close, but "macho" male mentality ("did he say 'hold my hand'") and the past ("we're still here, it's just that we're out of sight") keep the distance in the relationship. This is long been a favorite song of mine from Ian Hunter. I had that kind of relationship with my dad at times, so it really hit home. Oh, and Hunter's take on the pop rendition of his great song? "That whole Manilow thing was quite amusing." At least he laughed all the way to the bank. Ships Written by Ian Hunter Originally recorded by Ian Hunter, 1979 Famously covered by Barry Manilow, 1979 Here's the fabulous original: