QUESTION:

Both the Rolling Stones and the Righteous Brothers began their careers 50 years ago. Early in their careers, both recorded very different versions of a song Willie Dixon wrote for Muddy Waters. However, neither group had a hit with the record. The original version reached the Top Five in the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart in 1954 but never made it onto the pop chart. Although it has been recorded by dozens of artists, a version of the song made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 only once, in 1972. Another version, recorded in 1961, made it to Number Five in the UK in 1996.

A) What is the name of the song?

B) Who recorded the 1972 version?

C) Who had the UK hit in 1996?

ANSWER:

In 1954, Muddy Waters recorded “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” a huge hit the Rhythm & Blues chart. The Rolling Stones covered it for their first LP in 1964 also released as the flip side of their single, “Tell Me.” That same year, the Righteous Brothers covered “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” appearing on their album entitled Some Blue-Eyed Soul.

Finally, in 1972, the song made it to the Billboard Hot 100, giving Foghat their first shot at a hit record.

Although Etta James first recorded the song in 1961, it wasn’t until 1996 that her version hit the charts, in the UK, spurred by its use in a Diet Coke commercial.

Many other artists have covered the song over the years, including the Animals, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Chuck Berry.

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