Love songs are the heart, soul and spleen of the music business. And musicians, being rebels and upstarts, have always been pushing the boundaries of taste and decency, leading to some surprising outcomes…
Etta James began her career with a hit song that was too raunchy for many conservative radio stations. The song originally titled “Roll With Me Henry” became “The Wallflower.” Problem solved: Same lyrics, different title.
The Rolling Stones had to change the title and lyrics of one of their hits for their 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. “Let’s Spend The Night Together” became “Let’s Spend Some Time Together”, with Mick Jagger rolling his eyes each time he sang the line. Here’s the video of that fateful show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzrTqJP2ejk
Muddy Waters never had any trouble saying what he meant when it came to love, and one of his best “You Need Love” was so good that Led Zeppelin decided to make it their own. First, here’s Jeff Beck & Eric Clapton performing “You Need Love”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhdZf4PNTZs
Led Zeppelin knew a good thing when they heard it and “borrowed” quite liberally from the Willie Dixon-penned track for their 1969 smash “Whole Lotta Love”. They were only too happy to settle out-of-court when Dixon called them on it.
Here’s what Robert Plant said later: “That was it, a nick. Now happily paid for...well, you only get caught when you're successful. That's the game.” Here’s Zep live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB_DOA2AL7Q
