Songs You May Not Know Were Covers Vol. 6: Rock and Roll Heaven (#4)

Tweet

When I do these songs in a particular “order” as I count down hits that you may not know were covers, I don’t go on my particular favorite. I tend, instead, to look at the “shock value” as I get to the top of the list. And today’s song just might give you a shock. Here it is. #4: Rock and Roll Heaven One of the great anthems about rock and roll, paying tribute to deceased greats by proclaiming, “If there’s a rock and roll heaven, well you know they’ve got a helluva band.” It’s one of the classic songs in the career of the Righteous Brothers. Sadly, Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers joined that “rock and roll heaven” in 2003. And this song joins the list of covers. A couple of interesting things about this song. First, it was co-written by Mr. “Undercover Angel” himself, Alan O’Day. Between the royalties for this and the other #1 song he wrote (Helen Reddy’s “Angie Baby”), I don’t think he ever cried too much about being a “one-hit wonder.” Secondly, the original recording of this song was by that “Precious and Few” band themselves, Climax. Their version paid homage to Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. That was removed from the Righteous Brothers’ version in favor of a verse to honor Bobby Darin and Jim Croce, who both died after the Climax version was released. This is a classic in the career of the Righteous Brothers. Climax? You probably didn’t even know they’d recorded this, let alone done it originally. Rock and Roll Heaven Written by Alan O’Day and Johnny Stevenson Originally recorded by Climax, 1972 Famously covered by the Righteous Brothers, 1973 If you believe in forever: