In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artistâs cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!

The paths of songwriter Graham Gouldman and all-time greats The Yardbirds are forever linked in rock and roll history, but not inextricably. In 1965, a nineteen-year-old Gouldman had the good fortune to begin his career by penning the iconic Yardbirds hits âFor Your Love,â âHeart Full of Soul,â and âEvil Hearted You.â The songs helped establish the now-legendary group as they transitioned from one eventual rock guitar god (Eric Clapton) to another (Jeff Beck), but the hits wouldnât define Gouldmanâs career.
Gouldman, a musician in his own right, neither performed with the band (that weâre aware), nor wrote any further hits for them. However, his career was just getting started. The â60s saw him writing additional hits for The Hollies, Hermanâs Hermits, and the aforementioned Jeff Beck, along with songs recorded by Cher, Wayne Fontana, and Ohio Express. The â70s brought hits with his own band 10cc. Additionally, Joe Cocker, Paul Carrack, Gary Wright, and Kirsty MacColl all recorded Gouldman tracks over the ensuing decades.
Today, the 71-year-old consummate troubadour is still at it; he just finished up his appropriately-named âHeart Full of Songsâ tour in the UK before he rolls back out to Europe with 10cc in November. Letâs take a look at some standout covers of songs written by Gouldman from the major eras of a career thatâs now spanned over fifty yearsâŠ
The Rubinoos – Evil Hearted You (The Yardbirds cover)
The third and final Gouldman hit for The Yardbirds appeared in the US on the best-selling Having a Rave Up album. In the UK, it peaked at #3 during Halloween week, 1965. Jeff Beckâs brilliant licks aside, the song has been referred to as âone of the gloomiest hitsâ of 1960s British rock. The legendary Rubinoos strip the song of its menace but deliver a Halloween-worthy, spooky, arrangement. The California power-poppers included their version on 2002âs cover-laden Crimes Against Music. The vocals and sound effects, at times cartoonish, are redeemed by the true harmonies, and the band gets credit for an earnest attempt at Beckâs guitar riffs.
Michael Carpenter & Rob Smith â Look Through Any Window (The Holliesâ cover)
The original, from early 1966, was the first Top 40 hit for The Hollies. A perfect pop song marked by signature harmonies, handclaps, and Tony Hicksâ great jangly guitar riff. Michael Carpenter, partnered here with Rob Smith, slightly reduce the speed and deliver a superbly produced arrangement with standout harmonies of their own, on this 2012 independent release. Carpenter, a talented multi-instrumentalist/singer/writer/producer from Australia, is considered a power-pop expert, and this track backs up the claim.
MonaLisa Twins – Bus Stop (The Hollies cover)
The Holliesâ original has been played over four million times on US radio to become Gouldmanâs second most popular song of all time. It personified the Hollies sound and rode the charts for over three months in 1966, peaking at #5 in both the US and UK. Here, the saccharine-sweet, Liverpool-based YouTube stars flawlessly apply their own formula in a 2014 video that has generated over 300K views. Cute theatrics aside, the arrangement is solid and emphasizes the âsnake charmerâ guitar breaks bolstered by the twinsâ tight harmonies.
Joshua James & The Forest Rangers – No Milk Today (Hermanâs Hermits cover)
The Hermitsâ hit about a simple subject slipped in to the low end of the US top 40 in 1967 while breaking the top 10 in the UK. Gouldmanâs father inspired Graham to write the song from the point of view of someone experiencing lost love. A pre-Led Zeppelin John Paul Jones, as producer and bassist, was credited with the originalâs arrangement. Although the band experienced bigger hits, âMilkâ has seen more covers released than any other Hermanâs Hermitsâ song to date. Folk rocker Joshua James teamed up here with The Forest Rangers on the 2012 Songs of Anarchy: Volume 2 soundtrack. This slower-than-the-original version is trippy and powerful. While the Hermits recorded a less-than-happy song, Peter Noone sounded downright chipper compared to Jamesâ nearly whispered and depressed vocals. The mindset shift works to a tee and the result is cover gold.
Richie Havens – I’m Not in Love (10cc cover)
Any look at Gouldmanâs career requires a long pause on the 10cc era, and a tribute to this 1975 âsoft rockâ classic is inevitable. Gouldman co-wrote the #2 US/#1 UK hit with band mate and vocalist Eric Stewart, who brought the original idea and lyrics. The groundbreaking studio production and arrangement propelled the song to worldwide fame. Itâs been played on US radio over 5 million times and viewed on YouTube over 30 million times. With 80-plus verified covers released â the most for any Gouldman composition â choosing just one cover is nearly impossible and warrants a more thorough analysis at a later date.
For this article, we asked Gouldman directly if he had a personal favorite. His response: âRichie Havens,â because it was so drastically different from our version but still retained the songâs integrity.â Havens included his superb version on 1976âs The End Of The Beginning. The arrangement is soulful, with great organ, keyboards, and acoustic guitars playing subtlety throughout and melding perfectly with Havensâ strong vocals. Itâs easy to understand Gouldmanâs fondness for the track.
Tina Arena – The Things We Do For Love (10cc cover)Â
After “I’m Not In Love,” 10cc scored their second biggest hit just over a year later with the sprightly pop tune “The Things We Do For Love” which reached #5 in the US and #6 in the UK. The tone of the band changed with the departure of members Godley and Creme but the songwriting duo of Stewart and Gouldman remained intact. A review on AllMusic called the song “unrepentantly soppy,” but it set the tone and template for a string of future successes. On her cover, popular Italian-Australian songstress Tina Arena sacks the sprite and slows things down considerably. The arrangement consists mostly of piano and her flawless voice before finishing with a touch of cello. The 2014 “Smooth Mix” single raised money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Costa de la Muerte – Dreadlock Holiday (10cc cover)
In the summer of â78, the aforementioned Stewart and Gouldman collaborated on what would be 10ccâs last major hit, a tongue-in-check âwhite reggaeâ UK chart-topper that also fared well in the US. Not surprisingly, there are dozens of reggae covers of this reggae tune, but few versions have strayed from that style. Here we have a rare, well-executed, rock & reggae version we found from an Austrian surf metal band. Costa de la Muerte, from Linz, delivered their version on 2007âs Dawn of the Dread. You might hear The Clash and Red Hot Chili Peppers in the arrangement combined with unique, sometimes-accented, dual male/female vocals from band members âSt. Ananasâ and âE.C.â
Peter Wilson â Bridge To Your Heart (Wax cover)
Gouldman and the late Andrew Gold formed Wax in 1984 in between iterations of 10cc. The duo sold more than two million albums worldwide, helped by hit singles âBridge To Your Heartâ and âRight Between The Eyes.â The upbeat âBridge,â released in 1987, garnered MTV airplay in the US and become the groupâs best-selling UK single, reaching #12 there. Melbourne, Australiaâs Peter Wilson sounds eerily similar to the now-departed Gold on 2013âs album Pulsation. Wilson captures the â80s sound with a sugary synth-pop arrangement and slick production.
Noteworthy:
- More âEvilâ: Pixies, in Spanish; Lords of Altamont, psychedelic garage rock with wacky Nicole Simone on vocals.
- More âBusâ: rocking Dokken; a jazzy Chris Bennett.
- More âWindowâ: in French by The Hollies; and by The Chesterfield Kings, Raw Thrills (modern psychedelia), Harley String Band (folk/acoustic).
- More âMilkâ: The Mr. T Experience, punking; Royal Gigolos, EDMing.
- More âLoveâ: Mark Kozelekâs beautiful piano version clocked in at #41 in our list of The Best Cover Songs of 2016; we heard from Twin Shadow on acoustic guitar and keyboard in 2013; Gouldman also told us he really likes The Pretenders version, which was used on the â93 Indecent Proposal film soundtrack.
- More “Things”:  Tina Arena‘s “Pop Mix”; Amy Grant; ex-The Merrymakersâ David Myhr; and Lazlo Bane.
- More âDreadlockâ: Boney M, with some 80âs excess; Jake & Flo, with an acoustic/island vibe.
Not previously mentioned:
- Hermanâs Hermitsâ Top 40 hit âEast Westâ by Morrissey.
- Wayne Fontanaâs hit âPamela, Pamelaâ later released by Gouldman.
- Jeff Beckâs UK hit âTallymanâ by Big Jim Sullivan, instrumental with cool sitar.
- 10ccâs hit âRubber Bulletsâ (Godley/Creme/Gouldman) by The Vindictives with a punk version.
- From the 1980 animated film Animalympics, âLoveâs Not For Meâ by Carole Ann Berry.
- Mitch Molloy & Paul Carrackâs âReady To Go Homeâ (Gold/Gouldman) performed by ex-A-haâs Morten Harket; by Asia; and by Gouldman.
Check out Gouldman’s official site to find out more about everything the man is up to.