#1014. Lineage of Song: “When You Wish Upon a Star”

Dion and the Belmonts

Sara Bareilles

Beach Boys, “Surfer Girl”

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John Williams

Earth Wind & Fire, “Shining Star”

Here’s a fun one. “When You Wish Upon a Star” debuted in Pinocchio, sung by Jiminy Cricket, and just by Disney standards became iconic as part of its studio signature. The Dion and the Belmonts version inspired the Beach Boys song “Surfer Girl,” and in general is incorporated into the lyrics of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Shining Star.” John Williams also covers it in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Its legacy is well-assured.

#1013. Lineage of Song: “Rockin’ Robin”

Michael Jackson

 

Bobby Day

Classic bit of music making and Michael Jackson lore. Still absolutely wild to think Jackson persevered his childhood roots to become one of the greatest artists ever. Still not surprising it took a huge psychological toll on him. Still disappointing that the culture at large couldn’t understand that. My X feed is still full of a more recent parallel in Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu, whose early training in figure skating eventually became a personal comeback that bursts with inner passion.

Watching these videos back, I can hear Buddy Holly in Bobby Day’s voice, and the emerging maturity in Michael Jackson’s, everything he eventually suppressed, even his face. By the end of the ‘70s he was already pursuing his separate path, highly visible in The Wiz, in which he’s definitively broken free of the Jackson 5 image and become more flamboyant, on the cusp of his ‘80s peak. How all of this developed into the man as he was by the ‘90s…it’s all right there in the open, even more so than Miley Cyrus, whose own transformation from child star to rebellious and highly sexualized performer feels far more crassly tragic, yet she’s given a free pass somehow…

#1012. Lineage of Song: “The Man Who Sold the World”

 

David Bowie

Nirvana

I’m actually not much of a Bowie fan. I appreciate how large he looms for a lot of other people. The same, kind of, for Kurt Cobain. The rock industry put so much into Nirvana, once Cobain was dead, it had to postulate the myth that rock itself was dead. Which eventually, although it took longer than popular perception suggests, turned out to be true. So to see them echoing each other is kind of poetic.

#1011. Lineage of Song: “O Sole Mio”

“O Sole Mio,” Pavarotti & Bryan Adams

Elvis, “It’s Now or Never”

Sometimes it really is about the tune. Some pop songs try to slip these under the radar and it causes lawsuits, and then sometimes you really can’t because, well, the lineage is really pretty rather old.
 

#1010. Lineage of Song: “Jolene”

 

Dolly Parton

Beyoncé 

Once I heard the complete album I had more to pull from.

#1009. Lineage of Song: “When a Man Loves a Woman”

 

Percy Sledge

Michael Bolton

Gosh, the longer I work on this project the more astonished I am that I keep overlooking obvious picks. I started this circa February 2024. As I write this one ahead of time, it’s February 2025. And it’ll be posted about a year from now.

Michael Bolton, for me, is more the Mike Bolton character from Office Space. It’s not that I didn’t know Michael Bolton before. I just love Office Space.

#1008. Lineage of Song: “Kiss Me”

 

Sixpence None the Richer

Lisa, “Moonlit Floor”

Hey! We’ve now reached K-pop!

#1007. Lineage of Song: “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana

Patti Smith

In the style of Frank Sinatra

Don’t normally include parodies, but kind of felt I needed to, this time. Also worth noting that “Diamond” Dallas Page used an homage that was so close to “Teen Spirit” as his entrance music in WCW eventually he wasn’t allowed to use it anymore. WWE still used a version, though.

#1006. Lineage of Song: “Blackbird”

 

Beatles

Beyoncé 

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album received a ton of attention, especially when a country awards show opted not to spotlight it. But it’s slightly more a conversation about race than it is a country album. “Blackbird” was the Beatles’ song about the Civil Rights movement, so it was only appropriate she include it in the album.

#1005. Lineage of Song: “Tomorrow is a Long Time”

 

Elvis Presley 

Bob Dylan

Surely one of the bigger surprises, Bob Dylan writes it, Elvis covers it.

#1004. Lineage of Song: "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"

 

Nina Simone

The Animals

Elvis Costello

I’m such a nerd for the Animals. I think they deserve greater recognition for their contributions to music, between this and their masterful “House of the Rising Sun.” They may not have introduced songs, but their ability to interpret is genius-level.

#1003. Lineage of Song: “Hard Times Come Again No More”

The Longest Johns

Johnny Cash

Bob Dylan

Mavis Staples

Bruce Springsteen 

 

Joan Baez & Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris

Stephen Foster remains one of the most famous names in American music. Here’s one of his less well-known songs covered extensively, proving how deep his legacy goes.